HOW PRODUCERS KEEP LIVE EVENTS ON TRACK

Les Goldberg (Host) Hello production world. This is Les Goldberg on the road ahead today. I have three amazing guests. I have Maxine Montseguin she is an executive producer and project lead for MALM. I have John Mathis He is president and executive producer for rocket mail productions and I have Greg de Felice He's an executive producer and project lead for jury design everyone. Welcome to the show today JOHN Awesome. Thank you. GREG Thank you. Les Goldberg (Host) I am super excited about today's discussion. We are gonna talk about what are the challenges of being a great producer for live events. I have three amazing producers on this panel of subject matter experts. And essentially no show happens without a real producer. And the producer, in my opinion, can make or break or can navigate the craziness that happens on show site and dealing with clients. So I'm gonna throw out the first question to Mr. John Mathis. And I'd like, can you describe for our audience, just what is the role for a producer for doing a live event? And exactly what does a producer do? JOHN Well, really, Les, thanks for having me on today, but really, Les, the role of the producer is to drive the entire project and drive the entire show. We spend more time putting out fires even after all the planning has gone into an advance and all of the anticipation of what might happen and what could happen. Once you're on site, you've got to make sure you're navigating everything correctly and you've got all the fires and all the things that pop up and all the things that happen and change, you've got to keep everything together, keep everything on the track because ultimately it's live. It's going to happen whether you're ready for it or not. And the audience wants to be entertained and engaged while they're there. And so you've got to make sure everything, the train stays on the track. Everything runs on time. And ultimately then making sure that if there is things that go a little crazy and wonky, you've got the ability and the resources to keep it back on track, pull it back into place and also keep it on budget. Obviously, that's another thing that happens quite frequently is questions get asked about how we can do things differently and how can we do this or that while we're on site, which is like ultimately like, wait a minute, we've talked about this in advance. This is where we're going. So that's what I feel like. I feel like I'm the ringmaster, making sure everything's going on different rings and different things at the same time. But also I'm also the train conductor, making sure the train stays on the track in the time. Les Goldberg (Host) Okay, so we're a ringmaster, we're a train conductor. Maxine, do you agree with John and do you have any other thoughts on the role of the producer? So far I've gone to a circus and I've taken a train to the circus because that's the journey that John has put me on. What are your thoughts, Max? See? Les Goldberg (Host) Okay, I've gone from socially digestible to the ringmaster and the train and Greg Do you have anything to add to the description before I ask my next question about the role of the producer? I don't think a show happens without a producer or if it does it surely doesn't stay on the track GREG Yeah, and I'll just add to that. We're staying the role of the producer singular, but there are many, many producers on any given project. [...] So where I am now, I'm sitting as an executive producer, and I'll have a team of producers working with me. So those roles will vary depending on where you are in the project. So speaking to where I, as an executive producer, I see my role, I mean, obviously overseeing the budget, but what I try and do is create a frictionless environment for my team to be able to do the best that they can do, and empower and trust them to do their job. So it's maybe back to that ringmaster role again, which is how do you allow them to be able to just GREG the best that they can do. And a lot of that I think is helping build trust with the client and your team. And I kind of see once the team comes on board, I kind of try to stand a little bit more backstage and let them take ownership and have that, you know, really tight relationship with the client and let that trust and bond develop between them. GREG And I had to learn that I was, I had a lot of trouble delegating. I was always a horrible delegator. I was always jumping in and, GREG It's letting go. Les Goldberg (Host) Listen, it sounds like the terminology of executive producer from producer, there's some financial accountability to the client based on an overall budget and you may have one or ten other producers doing different elements of the show, but someone's got to keep all the economics on track because clients have fixed budgets for shows. GREG Yep, and your team members will come to you and say, oh, you know what? I've got this amazing idea. I want to do it. You know, and how can you make that work? How do you figure it out? Can you make that work? JOHN Yeah, I ultimately also Greg I think too if you get the right people on your staff and you I have a team of freelancers that I work with on a regular Basis that I trust implicitly with their departments, right? There's guys who do screen importers guys who do graphics. I have a technical director they work with I have a lighting director They work with on a regular basis. I trust them to all do their roles and do their jobs and interface with the clients when I'm not available to interface with any Request or anything that occurs It's just like working with with a team of producers underneath you as well because it depends on the size of the show how big the staff is but You've got to be able to trust in the Maxine's point. Let that go because you have to you have the place to trust in those people ago Yeah, they'll make the right decisions. And if it's not going to be right, they're going to come to me and say, you know what? This isn't what I need or this is this they asked for this out of bounds. What do you think we should do here? So I think ultimately that's kind of your thing is letting go but also finding the right people to plug into the roles underneath you to be able to go Yep, I'm good with all of them GREG It's casting in a way. JOHN In a way, you're right. Les Goldberg (Host) question is back to John John Not not thinking of horror stories, but what's the greatest challenge of being a great producer? Like what are the chat? What's the greatest obstacle that you face every day when you're you know running the circus here as we describe it or Leaving a small army to accomplish a major goal JOHN I think the biggest challenge for me is, [...] and typically this occurs when you've got, I do a lot of corporate things that I've got, CEOs or chairmen's of the board kind of thing that I work with on and off for over the years. And there's a level of charismatic leader about them. And there is a level of them saying, JOHN showing up and saying, wow, this is pretty cool, but I would really like JOHN this, this and this. And they've not been involved before they walk in the room. And I think that part of it is you've got to be able to talk to them directly and be able to develop that relationship with them. And when they know, they can trust you to say, you know, that you don't want that, or that's gonna cost you too much money, or this, that'd be a great idea for next time. But this is what we're doing today. And this is how we're doing it this week. And this is where we're going through. I think ultimately being able to interface and give good client, and when I say good client in our term, I mean to be able to interface with people and give them a good feeling, and that you're the person in charge and you're giving them the right correct answers, and you're giving them the coaching that they need to hear from you at that time, and at that place when you're in the middle of all that. So ultimately for me, that's the challenge where I think I have to deal with, I'm not naming names, but I've dealt with big clients before where they're not used to hearing someone say no to them, right? They're not used to hearing someone say, oh, you know, that's not really a good idea. There's a cult's personality around them in their world that they live in all the time. And if you can develop that kind of rapport with them to say, not really a great idea, we need to stick here and with what we're doing here, JOHN that's the kind of thing that they'll begin to trust you and have the right answer. I think they're so used to having the yes men around them. So that to me is what I challenge the most. Les Goldberg (Host) Maxine, do you agree? And also on the same question is, how do you develop the trust that he's mentioning? John says trust is really important. What are your approach to this? Les Goldberg (Host) So it's all how you couch it. It's how you how you tell that that story Greg What are your thoughts? Do you do you agree with Maxine and John? GREG Yeah, I agree 100 %with both Max and John and you know, the trust comes from that honesty and and honesty is at times that you know, you do you have to, you GREG know, we're all experiencing shrinking budgets now so you know, even in law and standing clients you'll see okay, we have a certain expectation but now we have less money. So yes, you'll be honest and you'll say here's some considerations in that here's what we can do but you don't want to dwell on the know you want to focus on the solution so you GREG make there's an awareness and an honesty of what okay here's something we may have done in the past we can do this but GREG keep it in the solution you want to keep it moving forward in but here are the solutions and here's where we're going. Les Goldberg (Host) So it sounds like you all have to do all sometimes a lot with a little and you have to make something Magnanimous happen without maybe all the monies that would be normally budgeted to do that amazing outcome Let me move on to my next question. So back to John John How important is storytelling to being a great producer like is that something you have to be really good at? JOHN 100 %I think if you're not telling the story and you're not you're not weaving the story together for the for the audience They won't stay engaged. I think And I'm sure we all have a similar background in this my background is I came from being an editor And so my ability to tell stories Kind of grew naturally out of being an editor first JOHN don't want to say how many years ago, but a lot of years ago and and Let's just say that the number started with an eight so in the 80s anyway It is a I think it's vital to be able to tell the story I think it's vital to be able to relate to the client how you're going to tell the story and if you if you If JOHN you are able to tell the story that Enables the audience to stay engaged and the client to deliver the right message to to to the audience Les Goldberg (Host) Interesting. Interesting. It's always about what the audience is experiencing. And Greg, do you have any thoughts on storytelling? GREG Yeah, I agree with what John said 100%. That really is the foundation of what we're doing. It's about audience engagement. And it's, again, and this sort of circles back to what we're saying about budget, which was there was a time where it was bells and whistles and you could do it. But now, what are the ways you can engage that GREG don't require that same sort of stagecraft, but that's because it's all rooted in that. Les Goldberg (Host) So, so Maxine, my question is, how do you know if you have hit the mark with your client and you've achieved a high level of audience engagement? How do you know this? So you're sitting in the back, you've got a headset on, you're watching the audience, you're watching the presenters and the screens. So like, like, how do you, is it a feeling? Les Goldberg (Host) I think if CEO gets out and tells everybody they're going to get 25 %raises, I think you're going to get audience applause. I think this is a no-brainer on certain things. It's funny, we have a new technology in my shameless plug of KNW No, which points cameras at the audience and measures engagement. [...] It's another technology where people can use data. Let Les Goldberg (Host) No, it's super it's super cool and we're starting to deploy it pretty regularly So my next question is to Greg and this is a doozy Have you had a show with a real crisis while the show was going on? And I know all of us have had careers over You know at least a decades and so Greg can you tell me have you had an experience like that and and how did you deal with it? GREG This is not while the showing was going on, but very close to when the show was about to go on. It was early odds, I forget what year, and we were doing a show in Dallas. We were days out, trucks were on the road, heading into Lodan. It was a big launch, and a hurricane was forecast to be coming in, and it was headed for Florida, but I think there was concern that folks would have to evacuate to Texas. [...] So in a matter of days, we had to break the meeting up into three separate smaller meetings, one in Southern California, one in Detroit, GREG and one, and I forget what the third one was, but venues had to be secured, room secured, [...] scale down scenic equipment ordered. I mean, it was a scramble, but we pulled it off in under a week and it GREG pretty mind boggling. Les Goldberg (Host) So so living in Florida most of most of the year for me. I have experienced the hurricane and the The craziness of how weather can impact but they even have bad weather and places I mean in the Vegas, you know, sometimes it's crazy wind I was there two weeks ago and we were getting 50 mile an hour winds and they closed the airport and it was like Oh my god, this is craziness. So yours was weather Maxine, do you have a time where you had one of these crazy things happen in a crisis on a show? Les Goldberg (Host) I was there in Vegas and I was on that show. I was already there Les Goldberg (Host) So Greg's was weather, yours is the terrorist event. John, tell me about a crisis because we're having such a great conversation here about the role of the producer. JOHN Well, you know, I'm sure we've all got story about weather the 911 event I haven't a story about that and that's unique to all that and that happens But but I'll relate to you one during pandemic which which was [...] Which we'd all switched up to go everyone had gone viral and we were using all sorts of viral things to you know to do and so I'm in a I'm in Dallas and in my office and I'm there with [...] one of my guys who's running we're running a Program that allows us to be virtual everyone to be virtual presenters and all that and we had it was live And it was live to it. It was a pharma company that I was working with at the time and we had We had about 3,000 people globally watching this event and our keynote speaker was Magic Johnson now I've worked with him off and on over the years and [...] He's always he's not tech savvy, but he has people that are tech savvy So I got him on in preparation and I'm back channeling talking to him About okay, everyone. We're gonna be coming to you this time and this time and and our CMO is going to be talking to you JOHN When we come live will be we'll switch between you and her while we were talking just like we're doing this kind of a You know zoom call whatever but again if you might imagine this is during this is this is in the period of time and early 20 mid 2020 when things are not quite ironed out like they are now and not quite as technologically advanced as they are The CMO for whatever reason even though her Camera and her computer have been working all morning Stopped working. We could not get her on. I'm on the phone with her. We're sticking down We're coming to her and Magic Johnson. It's in five minutes now. It's in three minutes now It's in two minutes and in a in a flash I decided to have her try to get on with her iPad and she gets on with her iPad Literally as I'm as I'm hearing Sitting next to me with a mask on we've all got masks on sitting next to me Is John Frenero and John is like we got to go here. We got to go JOHN we're gonna cut this thing What are we doing and literally we get her on she gets off We cut to the two of them and she's on her iPad and we solved it But I got to tell you if I was drenched in sweat trying to make that all happen. So Les Goldberg (Host) was one of those moments you weren't sure it was going to work. JOHN I wasn't sure if it was going to work. And at the last second, it came together. Magic came on. He was gracious as always. He talked to Gina Clark. They were great together. They had a great conversation. And that was like 45 minutes. And we made it happen. So different in a way, but still panicky crisis of trying to make sure it's gonna happen within a lot of time. Les Goldberg (Host) got you. We all, you know, it's so funny. We have to appreciate the technology that we have today. So my next question is to Greg. Greg, can you think of a show where the audience felt an emotional moment? Les Goldberg (Host) Can you think of one? Anything that you've done? I'll tell you one thing. I remember doing this drug launch where people were told they had two weeks to live and they take this tablet and all of a sudden they were cured. And I saw people crying in the audience and they got, you know, the drug company got the person on stage and said, I had just did last rites and I got rid of all my stuff and filled everything out. And then all of a sudden I took this drug and I'm now I'm here. And everyone was crying, but I just wanna know if you actually have been involved in anything where the audience had one of those moments. GREG I'm not sure a crying moment. An Les Goldberg (Host) Well, emotional moment doesn't have to be crying. GREG emotional moment. It was... GREG not sure I've had that that I can recall now. JOHN I've definitely had a situation where during an MLM, I do a lot of MLM work and the emotional moment for them and the crying moment comes out of joy of hitting some goal they weren't sure they were going to hit or joy of and that happens in sales meetings as well too, where joy of you've hit your goal, your number, you thought you were number, you could have been numbers one through 10, we've announced our top 10 and these people are realizing they're in the top two. And then when they're getting to the pinnacle, they're like, Oh my God, I had no idea this is where I was, you know, and that that emotion is an emotional moment, not quite as dramatic as a drug launch or something like that. Les Goldberg (Host) If you think Oprah giving cars to everyone in the audience would have created an emotional moment Maxine do you have any thoughts on that or no an emotional moment? GREG And actually now that I think I do think of one, I did have several years ago, the first patient who received a CAR T cell therapy. And which was very emotional, not only for the audience, but for me, my mom had CLL. So that also personally really hit home for me. Les Goldberg (Host) Cool. Well, I think anytime, you know, you think about engaging an audience and trying to get a Salesforce motivated, if you can create an emotional moment that supercharges that Salesforce, then we have done our job. So my next question is to John. John, how do you feel when a show is complete after months of hard work and putting it all together and it went well? How do you feel and what's the post-show experience for the producer? JOHN Well, I think there's I think there's two it's twofold one one is you spend so much time Getting there and you spend so much time building this little city And you spend so much time rehearsing everything then when after it's over. I always feel like a little sense of letdown that we JOHN We built this whole thing and now we're tearing it all down Like we spent months and months and weeks and weeks getting up to it We spend days on site building everything and getting it already and then you tear it down on an afternoon And it's loaded back on the truck and it's out the door and you're off the dock So there's a little bit of disappointment of it's already over [...] The flip side of that for me is always that that it's also a sense of Accomplishment and a sense of we've done well, especially when the client comes to you and says, you know what this was great This was amazing. You're doing an amazing job. Your team is amazing, you know And I always figure less when when people say to me We want you for the next two or three and they're booking me already for the next ones down the road I feel like I've accomplished something so it's twofold for me Les Goldberg (Host) Got it Maxine your thoughts on all the hard work You just mentioned two programs and when two programs go well and you put in your heart and soul into it You know, how do you feel? Les Goldberg (Host) Okay, Greg, your thoughts. You worked really hard. The show went really well. Lots of the ending, the doors and walk out and everybody took their headsets off. How do you feel? GREG I feel, I mean, I think all of the above, what you said, but also gratitude. You know, it's gratitude towards the team, your internal team, the client team that you pulled off this collaboration. And along with that, it brings a sense of melancholy, like you said. You know, suddenly your team disperses and it's so, I'm elated and a little bit sad at the same time. But, you know, I'm blessed. I love the people I work with. And it's a GREG great feeling when you've accomplished that on the other side of it. Les Goldberg (Host) So back to John, John, what advice would you give to someone who dreams of producing corporate shows or maybe your younger self? And you're getting into this business. What advice could you give someone who is listening and said, Oh, I want to be a show producer or an executive producer with a purse and I control the money. JOHN Don't that's my advice to my younger self. What are you thinking? Don't no in reality, I think I Will say this one reason that I got into this business and and I mean business in the collective sense It's never the same thing twice like I have siblings that do the same job did the same thing wrote over and over again I could no longer I could no more do that every day. I just couldn't do it I can't do that So I always love the challenge of it being different if you're up for a challenge and you're up for things that are different Every time and every single client is different. This is the job for you to can if you have a Brain about if you have a creative side to your brain and you have the money side to your brain And you can make sure that those two hold together. I think this is a job for you There's a lot of rewards from this just as what Greg was saying. There's a lot of rewards a lot of gratitude I love the fact that not that that I'm able to deal with different people in different Technology and different things. I'm a technology person. I love technology. I'm always a early adopter on everything I love the ability to to experience experience and experiment with different things And that's one of the reasons that your company You know less is is one of my go-tos is because you have that cutting-edge technology I think those are all pluses for all that I think those are thinking that somebody if somebody younger approaches me and says that's what they're They tell me what they're thinking if they can approach all those things and engage with all those things I think this is a job for you. I think this is an AI proof job in a way I wouldn't want to be a copywriter. I wouldn't want to be an art director these days Wouldn't want to be a designer per se, JOHN I think there still has to be human element to all that but ultimately that what we do Isn't something that can just be JOHN be governed and turned on them off by an AI Les Goldberg (Host) And Maxine, your thoughts? Les Goldberg (Host) Got it. Okay, and also Les Goldberg (Host) thought on the subject Les Goldberg (Host) of your younger self GREG I think I would just say expose yourself. There's so much within what we do. Expose yourself to as much as possible. Production, coordinating, graphics, coordinating, checkout, video, print, production, training, whatever it is. Explore and figure out what pathway feels most interesting to you. And I agree 100 %with what Max is saying, which is even when you're starting as a PA, pay attention all of it. Don't just go through a series of tasks that you're given. [...] Get to understand the client. What's going on? What are the objectives? What are we trying to accomplish here? And I think being curious, listening, asking questions, all of that. Les Goldberg (Host) Well, I want to thank all three of my amazing guests, Maxine, Greg and John. You all are just fabulous producers and represent the very best in what you do. And I look forward to seeing you in a ballroom, a convention center, any place where we can bring big truckloads full of equipment and people to put up a show and create an experience and essentially try to engage an audience. And this is Les Goldberg and The Road Ahead. Everyone, great job. I look forward to seeing you in the ballroom. Thank you so much.