David Kaplan has worked in hospitality since the age of 13 and opened Death & Company in Manhattan’s East Village in 2006. He is the co-founder and CEO of Gin & Luck, the cocktail-anchored hospitality group behind Death & Co and a growing portfolio of ventures including Close Company, Midnight Auteur Hotels, and an online retail platform. In 2025, the company expanded with new Close Company openings, a fifth U.S. Death & Co in Seattle underway, and the first international Death & Co locations in Melbourne and Brisbane. Kaplan is also the co-author of three best-selling cocktail books and the founder of Fashioned by Death & Co, the company’s education platform.