For his debut event in 2010, Fulk threw a masked ball to celebrate the birthday of his friend Denise Hale that was inspired by Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball … but make it San Francisco. As guests in top hats and tails approached the entrance, they were flanked by a dozen sinewy men in leather pants and studded harnesses. Inside, a pair of black panther statuettes flanked a grand piano for a live performance. This was a compromise after Fulk’s team convinced the designer that bringing in live black panthers would be a mistake. “I knew a woman who had pet black panthers that I wanted to use, but my team reprimanded me, ‘They could kill someone!’”
Quiet luxury or stealth wealth, it was not. But for the socialites, celebrities and tech billionaires who were increasingly drawn to Fulk’s flame, it was an opportunity to experience the kinky and creative side of San Francisco from within the cushy confines of an expertly curated Eden. Party guests, including Tom Cruise, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling and John Waters, would turn up to hear private performances from Chaka Khan, Stevie Nicks or a slew of the city’s hottest DJs.