Mention Matt Grim to Honolulu nightlife veterans of a certain age and they’ll tell you about the years from the late 1980s through the early 2000s when he and his brother, Michael Grim, were Hawaii’s foremost promoters of “underground” nightclubs and nightclub events. The Grim brothers’ ultimate creation was the Dungeon, a periodic event with an adult “bondage” theme that was held at various venues over the years. There was nothing like the Dungeon on the Honolulu club scene, and it never lacked a clientele. The youthful-looking, 54-year-old entrepreneur currently lives in Singapore but passed through Honolulu earlier this month.

What exactly are you doing in Singapore?

I produce events and I train speakers. What I’m doing, really, is what I’ve always done, trying to raise the game in marketing and branding. I’m always looking to increase the number of people at my events — whether it’s a nightclub or whether it’s an event, the bottom line is you don’t get paid unless there’s people at the event.

What’s your next big project?

I’ve written a book, “Butts in Seats: Seminar, Event and Workshop Marketing Made Easy.” It should be out in two to three months.

How did you get into producing seminars and motivational events?

There was three-day seminar in Las Vegas — a pitchfest about internet marketing and how to get more followers, more views, more customers. One of the last speakers was Joel Bauer and he was mind-blowing: “Money is out there, it’s just how we decide we’re going to collect it.” I’d studied gazillions of marketing books and he was out of the box. How we met is a long story but I’ve been working with him — not for him — since 2011.

Going back to the early 1990s, how and why did you and your brother create the Dungeon?

We wanted to do something that wasn’t in competition with everybody else. The first one was a Halloween party, and it just went off so well, and people put so much effort into it, that we decided to do another one. We were getting $25 a head and it just kept growing. It was crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Did you start out to make it a “bondage”-themed event?

It was trial and error. We made fetish equipment for decor and people used it. We didn’t have a liquor license so we didn’t have to listen to the (Honolulu) Liquor Commission about what people could wear and so they wore whatever they wanted. It became cool for women to be almost completely topless. People did what they wanted to.

The last Dungeon event was in 2007. Looking back at those days, how do you feel?

I still feel like I’m that guy I was back in the ’80s, into goth and punk, who was in a band and then became a DJ, a concert promoter and a nightclub owner and event promoter. That’s my heart but I wear suits every day and I’ve changed from doing nightclubs and concerts to seminars.

What advice would you like to share — for free?

The money is out there. People want to pay for expertise, but it’s not just about the money for me. I’m passionate about expertise that changes lives.

Any other advice?

My goal starting from high school was “I don’t want to work.” If you do something you love it’s not work.