volume 4 issue 1 2011 - Mobile Production Pro

volume 4 issue 1 2011

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Justin Biebercontentsvolume 4 issue 1 2011818mobileproductionmonthly246 Sound Kings of Leon go big-time with Midas XL88 KC & The Sunshine Band Shake it with SHURE PSM ® 90012 Lighting Robe Highlighted in Singapore14 Booking AgentsVeteran Agent RICHARD LUSTIG Sells More Than One Talent18 Justin BieberMy World Around The World20 Tour Vendors24 Tour Personnel26 ChaosChaos = Harmony28 Ozark Mountain LeasingIt’s All About Quality30 Crossover Entertainment GroupTwenty Years of Crossover -A Conversation with Billy Johnson Part I36 Advertiser's Indexmobile production monthly 3

FROM THE PublisherIn this issue, we are featuring the Justin Bieber Tour. Wehope you enjoy our unique method of detailing the tour andsome of the supporting production companies. We havealso added some interesting news pieces and have some veryinteresting ideas and features on the way to you this year.We are in the heat of gearing up for the 2011 season. As you arereading this issue, tours are gearing up, bids are flying all over theindustry, and we hope you are planning or already have attendedTour Link. The biggest and best event we have ever produced iscatching on as the premier gathering in the global touring industry,and we are obviously very proud.This year promises to be more productive as our industryrebounds from the recession that hit everyone in our business.No one was immune to the effects and some companies simplycould not survive. So far, we are hanging on and continuing to doour best to present an interesting and hopefully useful product.We are only as good, however, as you permit us to be and onlyas accurate as the input we are provided by you, our readers andsupporters. Please let us know anytime we can help with a newspiece or an interesting feature. You will find that we are alwayswilling to accommodate, whenever possible.Finally, we would like for all of you to bear in mind that althoughour industry is in a clear state of transition, some things willremain the same. People and issues are the things that driveour business more than anything else. Technology will change,manufacturers will have interesting and sometimes exciting newproducts, and we will be challenged by issues. However, themagic of personal relationships will continue to be the glue thatbinds us together. That has been the success model of ourTour Link Conference, our magazines and our website. We areabout people first, issues and data. We will continue to pushthat theme, and we think you will find that our staff is dedicatedto those principles. Happy New Year to all, and we wish yousuccess in the coming season.Larry SmithHOME OFFICE STAFFa 7 s 3 p 2ph: 615.256.7006 • f: 615.256.70042961 Armory Dr • Nashville, TN • USA 37204mobileproductionpro.comFor advertising inquiries:ads@mobileproductionpro.comPublisher: Larry Smithlarrysmith@tourguidemag.comManaging Director: Chris Cogswellccogswell@mobileproductionpro.comChief Writer / Photographer: Michael A. Beckgrockit@comcast.netArt Director / Graphic Designer: Kristin Salawaykristin.tourguide@gmail.com /ksalaway@mobileproductionpro.comOffice Manager: Jennifer Russellofficemanager@mobileproductionpro.comWebmaster: Michael Stalcupmstalcup@mobileproductionpro.comContributing Writer: Mike Whartonmikew1955@bellsouth.netTOUR LINK BOARD OF ADVISORSBenny Collins, Jim Digby, Jon Nevins, Stuart Ross,Bobby Schneider, Jay Sendyk, Seth Sheck, Nick GoldNicki Goldstein, Chuck Randall, Michelle Freedmantourlinkconference.comPUBLISHED BYAnvil Productions, LLCph: 615.256.7006 • f: 615.256.7004FOLLOW USfacebook.com/tourlinkconference | facebook.com/tourguidepublicationstwitter.com/mobileprodpro | twitter.com/tourlinkconf©2011 Anvil Productions, LLC. Nothing may be reproduced without writtenpermission of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit any andall editorial content included in this publication. The publisher has made everyattempt to insure accuracy and consistency of this publication. However,some listings & information may be incomplete due to a lack of informationprovided by various companies listed. Please send any inquiries to theattention of the publisher. All advertising appears at the paid solicitation ofthe advertiser. Anvil Productions, LLC, can not be held liable for any errors,omissions or inaccuracies appearing in this journal in the form of editorials,listings or advertising.Member of:4 mobile production monthly

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SoundKings of Leon gobig-time with Midas XL8The Midas systems were supplied by Eighth DaySound in North America, and Britannia RowProductions in the U.K. and Europe. “We decided togo with the XL8 because it offers everything you couldask for in a console,” says Saul Skoutarides, a UK-basedAustralian engineer who has been mixing monitors forKings Of Leon since mid-2009 “Most importantly, it givesus the sound we need, both out front and on stage. It’sthe best sounding console I’ve ever used.”This is FOH engineer Brent Rawlings’first tour with a digital desk, having neverfound one that met his audio standards. Hisprevious console of choice was the MidasXL4. It was the automatic latency control ofMidas Digital that convinced him to switch.“Sonically, the XL8 is easily the equal to theXL4, and that’s saying a lot. And of course,it can do so many things to make my jobeasier,” he says. “I love being able to delayindividual channels to one another, whichis amazing. I feel like I’ve discovered a newknob after having mixed for 15 years.”In monitor world, Skoutarides is handling amix of wedges, fills and IEMs. Lead singerCaleb Followill uses one IEM earpiece withfloor wedge monitors while cousin Matt(lead guitar) and brother Jared (bass) usewedges only. Drummer Nathan Followilluses a hardwired IEM system augmentedby a subwoofer for monitoring. In addition,several members of the tech crew (andSkoutarides himself) get wireless in-ear feeds.All told, the monitor system for Kings ofLeon requires nine stereo in-ear feeds, fivewedge mixes and two subwoofer outputs.“Most of the mixes are fairly stable,” reportsSkoutarides. “I do make adjustments forMidas XL8 with Brent Rawlingseveryone throughout the show, based onspecific cues and songs. The nice thing aboutthe XL8 is that I can gradually automatethese as I get more comfortable with boththe show and the console.”Asked about the learning curve in changingto Midas digital, both Rawlings andSkoutarides report no problems. “I’ve gotplenty of experience on both Midas analogand a variety of digital consoles, so therewere no new concepts for me to learn,”explains Skoutarides. “The XL8 has all thecapabilities of a top digital desk, but withthe sound quality of a classic Midas analogboard. At first, I was a little hesitant, since it’slaid out quite differently from other digitalboards. But after a little training, I realizedthat it is actually more like an analog boardthan any of the others. It’s fun to mix on,and it has an analog feel to it that otherdigital desks can’t match.”Similarly, the switch to digital was fairlysmooth for Brent Rawlings. “I must admit,I was worried about the transition,” heconfesses. “But I got a little training, and6 mobile production monthly

SoundKC & THE SUNSHINE BANDShake it with SHURE PSM ® 900For many music fans, just saying the name “KC &the Sunshine Band” brings back memories of theheady fusion between funk and dance music thatdominated the pop charts in the 70s and 80s. Architectsof such iconic #1 hits as “That’s The Way (I Like It),” “GetDown Tonight,” “Boogie Shoes,” and many others, theband is still performing today, still led by founder Harry“KC” Wayne Casey and playing up to 100 shows a year.While the band’s shows are rooted in theirextensive catalog of past hits, the show itselfis a state-of-the-art production, including 13musicians, two dancers, and a full sound andlighting package. When faced with the needto replace the group’s in-ear monitor systemsto comply with new FCC rules, the band’smonitor engineer, Chad Griswold, beganshopping around.“The 700 MHz issue was the trigger.The new Shure PSM 900 was just beingreleased at the time, so I decided to checkit out,” he states. “I got a demo from myShure rep and took them out to a show,which was a great opportunity to compareapples to apples against our other systems.Sonically, it’s crisp and clear, and it has moreoutput than the brand we had been using. Ilove having that extra headroom available.And that’s without even considering all thefeatures on the technical side. When you putthings side by side, sometimes the purchasedecision becomes really obvious.”KC and the Sunshine Band is a true nationalact, maintaining two full sets of wireless gear– one in the band’s Florida base, the othershure.comChad Griswold wih Shure PSM 900at Griswold’s Mastermind Production GroupInc. in Anaheim, California. “KC and theSunshine Band perform at a wide variety ofvenues, catering to a diverse population ofaudiences. Our gigs range from large corporateevents to summer festivals and the highendcasino market,” notes Chad, “and it’simportant that we have our full complementof wireless available.”That rig includes six channels of ShureUHF-R® wireless and eight channels ofPSM 900. “Three of the UHF-R systems arehandheld Beta 58As for the backing vocals,and the others are bodypack systems for guitar,bass, and KC’s headset mic, which is theclassic Crown CM311 that he’s been usingforever. In fact, that’s one of only two inputson the whole stage that’s not a Shure mic.”In addition to Harry “KC” Wayne Caseyand the backing vocalists, the show bandincludes original band member Fermin8 mobile production monthly

Goytisolo on percussion, along with adrummer, guitarist, two keyboardists, abass, and a four-piece horn section. All areon IEMs. “It’s really a great show band,”says Griswold. “It’s full of energy and captivatingfor audiences of all ages. The showis like a train. Once it starts rolling, no onecan stop it. It’s total entertainment.”Griswold became an instant fan of themany ways in which his new PSM 900system helped keep the train rolling undercontrol. “The musicians and singers loveit,” he says. “After the first sound check,my lead backing vocalist, who shall wesay is very firm in her opinions, came upand said she absolutely loved it, that it wascrisper and sounded clearer to her. As anymonitor engineer will tell you, that’s huge.”The ease of setup and operation wereanother revelation. “Shure has just addedso many features that make my life easier.Frequency scanning and sync are incrediblyfast, and I love the fact that the systemtransfers all of the information, includingthe names and limiter settings,” he notes.“And having the ability to shut down theRF while keeping the transmitter poweredup is a great feature for an engineer, as isCue Mode. Now I can walk the stage withone pack before the show and make sureeveryone has a clear channel and full coverage.It’s incredibly user friendly.” Commercial grade quality and competitively priced! 7KW to 100KW generators, powered by a rugged Kubota orCummins diesel engine. RVIA-approved models and multiple options available. Enclosed units feature convenient single side service andremovable doors for easy access to maintenance parts. Experienced support staff to help guide you, includingelectrical and mechanical engineers.Generator service in the Atlanta and Charlotte areas. From simple repairs to complete replacements, we handle itall on most makes and models. Convenient interstate access and mobile service available!© 2010, EPSOf course, the biggest issue for any groupon the road is ruggedness and reliability,and Griswold gives the PSM 900 highmarks in that area as well. “We’ve hadthese systems out in all kinds of conditions,including outdoor shows in 106-degreeheat and 80 percent humidity, and I canhonestly say there hasn’t been a glitch,”he reports. “The bodypacks are solid andcompact; the belt clips are nice and tight.Combine that with that crisp, clear sound,the solid RF, and all of its features, andthere’s really no area the PSM 900 doesn’texcel in. As KC might put it, that’s the way,uh-huh, uh-huh, we like it.” )Atlanta Area: 3412 Florence Circle ❙ Powder Springs, GA 30127Charlotte Area: 348 Bryant Boulevard ❙ Rock Hill, SC 29732mobile production monthly 9

LightingRobeHighlighted inSingaporeLeading Singapore lightingdesign and rentalcompany HighlightSystems - run by the charismaticRoy Chooi - has justinvested in 36 Robe ROBIN300 Spots for its hire stock.robe.czL-R John Saunders (Director, Anolis), Harry von den Stemmen (Sales Director, Robe lighting),Roy Chooi (Highlight Systems), Louis Teo (Robe SEA)The company has been operating for5 years and is currently based in thecentral Ubi Avenue area of Singapore.Highlight’s core business is lighting design- and for these projects they will alsousually supply the equipment, as well asdoing direct rentals and installations.Chooi bought his first Robe moving lights- ColorSpot 700E ATs - 2 years ago -from Louis Teo at Robe SEA (South EastAsia), since which time they have notstopped working and have been utilizedfor a wide array of shows and events. Hehas been extremely happy with their performanceand reliability.When the ROBIN 300 Series waslaunched he immediately arranged ademo with Robe SEA, thinking that thesmaller, lightweight and low power consumptioncharacteristics of the ROBINwould be the perfect compliment toboost his moving light inventory .. whichresulted in this latest sale.Being a design house as well as equipmentsupplier means all elements arecarefully considered before making apurchase. The latest fixtures were not justbought because they are necessarily goingto be the most specified or requested byrental clients, this is part of the reason,combined with offering the best creativetools package to Chooi as a designer.“I like the brightness and the features/functionality of the ROBIN 300 Spots”he enthuses, “And of course the fantasticsupport and service from Robe SEA”. Heemphasises that this technical supportelement of the equation is vital to anyrental company, and an area where Robeoffer standards that no other brand in thecountry can currently match!He also likes the zoom, and the CTOand CMY colour flag system of theROBIN 300E Spot, which produces verysmooth fades and colour mixing. Thelight weight is also a great advantage formany of the medium to small venues,and the low power consumption is alsoa definite bonus, as in many Singaporevenues, the power supply is restricted to 1x 63A 3-phase supply to be shared by allproduction departments.Louis Teo comments, “The fact that arespected designer like Roy has endorsedthis product means a lot in Singapore ….many people look to Roy and other proactivelighting designers, and take theirlead from the products they are using andspecifying”.Since the new ROBIN 300 Spotswere delivered, they have hardly seenHighlight’s warehouse - which is how itshould be.They have been used for numerousUniversity Cultural Centre dance showsin several different theatres and for aTHK produced charity variety show forChannel 8 TV, shot at the Mediacorpbroadcast studios.The LD of this show Mr Teo (no relationto Louis Teo!) was very impressed withthe intensity of the ROBINs, which ismaintained even when the unit is shutteredright down and used for tight collimatedbeam effects. )10 mobile production monthly

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Booking AgentsVeteran AgentRICHARD LUSTIGSells More ThanOne TalentLustig Talent Enterprises’ founder pioneersa winning lottery strategy andbooks live performances for a diverseroster of established music actsby LESLEY CutlerRichard Lustig beganhis musical careerafter high school in hisadopted home of Florida,playing the hotel/loungecircuit as a touring musician inTop 40 cover bands. Over theyears, Lustig’s wily assessmentof marketplace trends inthe music industry led to hishoning additional salientskills as a club and privateDJ, radio personality, musiccontest host, entertainmentdirector, and finally, seguedinto the establishment ofOrlando-based Lustig TalentEnterprises in 1986. During thepast 25 years, his eponymousagency both developedand grew, eventually hittingits stride specializing in sellingrecognized performers innumerous musical genres tonational and internationaltalent buyers.Lustig’s booking agency currently boasts anextremely varied roster of musical artistsexclusively, including classic rock acts RareEarth, Artimus Pyle (of Lynyrd Skynyrd),and The New Rascals; country artist Ballie& The Boys; Lynyrd Skynyrd and Journeytribute bands; nostalgia bands The Del Vikingsand Jay & The Techniques; R&B/HipHop performer Kazual; and 70s-80s-90scover acts Skip Martin, and also The Jets.Moreover, Lustig Talent has also representeda wealth of music stars such as Kansas,Eddie Money, Charlie Daniels, Shenandoahand many others, on a non-exclusive basis,for many years. Lustig sells his large anddiverse roster to talent buyers for nightclubs,casinos, fairs, festivals and corporate eventclientele with whom he has enjoyed longstandingrelationships.During the last 20 years, the entrepreneurialspirit behind the success of Lustig’s agencyalso contributed to his success in a totallydifferent arena, and when “Seven-timeLottery Winner” was added to his repertoireof achievements in 2010, the result wassomething else Richard Lustig now sells: hisnew book, “LearnHow To IncreaseYour ChancesOf Winning TheLottery” (AuthorhousePublishing,2010), availableonline (Amazon),at most nationalbook chains (BooksA Million, Barnes& Noble, Borders,etc.), and on Lustig’swebsite (winninglotterymethod.com).When Lustig first began playing the lottery,he mostly lost or won a few bucks. Throughoutthe following years, he started to addressthe issue of how to increase his chances towin, and commenced doing so, for smallerprizes and amounts, on a semi-regular basis.Lustig’s first Grand Prize $10k jackpot in1993 confirmed his realization that it wasnot due to luck, but an approach to winningthat he was learning. Over the nextten years, Lustig continued to develop andrefine this approach, accumulated lotteryGrand Prize wins #2 through 4, and eventuallyreceived $842k and $73k, respectively,for his 5 th and 6 th Grand Prize wins in the2000s.The notoriety and publicity engendered bywinning lottery Grand Prizes no less thansix times led to Lustig being sought outand sought after by other lottery playersand winners, as well as the media. By thatpoint, it was clear to everyone familiar withLustig’s story that he definitely had somethingwhen it came to tools to win at playingthe lottery. In response, Lustig began sellinga 7-page report on his method, whichthen became a 25-page pamphlet forsale, and finally resulted in his currentbook (while he won his seventhGrand Prize of 98k between his book’sgalleys and publication!).Offering anyone the opportunity toincrease their likelihood of winningthe lottery, “Learn How To IncreaseYour Chances Of Winning The Lottery”explains how to do exactly that. Yetamazingly, Lustig’s trajectory oflottery-winning successes does notinvolve voodoo, rocket science or evenluck. His methodology employs commonsense, a seriousness of purpose, and awillingness to research simple equations forstatistical probabilities likely to result in alottery player’s favor. This winner of severalmillion dollars (via seven wins of FloridaState Lottery Grand Prizes, as well as hundredsof thousand of dollars in numerousadditional smaller state lottery prizes) hasperfected a technique applicable to increasingthe chance of a lottery win, regardless14 mobile production monthly

of whether playing Lottery Power Play,Scratch Ticket, Second Chance Drawing, ora Lottery Numbers Game.The validity of Lustig’s claim is proven bynumerous testimonials from book buyerswho have written to his website of theirlottery wins (ranging from small amountsto millions). For example, on a recent 2-dayradio appearance to promote the book,the DJ wanted to test a Lustig theory byplaying scratch tickets. Lustig advised theDJ to buy ten consecutive lottery ticketsall in the same scratch ticket game, ratherthan choosing ten tickets in multiple scratchticket games. He then instructed the DJ togo to the lottery’s website to research whichscratch ticket game to choose to buy ticketsfrom. The site indicated how many winningtickets for each game were still available, theobvious strategy being to choose to play thegame with the greatest number of winningtickets not yet won. The station called Lustigfor a second appearance the following day,whereupon the DJ disclosed that followingLustig’s instructions of the day before hadled him to a lottery win that evening.“Learn How To Increase Your Chances OfWinning The Lottery” has received extensivecoverage in both national and internationalmedia outlets via radio, video, cable, print,television and the Internet. A samplingof this wide-ranging coverage includes:Pollstar; Florida State Lottery; 105.9Sunny FM; WNYM-AM 970; Real Radio104.1; Chicago’s “Mancow” radio show;“Fox and Friends” and “The Jay ThomasShow” (both on Sirius/XM radio); CNN;TLC’s “The Lottery Changed My Life;”Bloomberg Television; NPR; “The TodayShow Australia;” Channel 9 ABC NewsOrlando; and a cover story in the OrlandoSentinel.773.862.4246 | sales@eventric.comMaster Tour is the industry’s leading tourand event management software.Thousands of professional touringorganizations are using Master Tour toplan, manage, and track the art andbusiness of touring - why aren’t you?Head to eventric.com/demo fora free month trial!Richard Lustig has a very busy 2011 ondeck, balancing public appearances andradio interviews on behalf of his new book,piloting his staff and talent agency, providinghis hard working, multi-genre artistswith great gigs, and continuing to play thelottery. He’s an unmistakable winner on allcounts. jmobile production monthly 15

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JustinCastCo-Musical Directors / Guitars:Daniel Kanter, Tomi MartinBass: Bernard HarveyKeyboards: Reginald “Wizard” JonesDj: Taylor “Tay” JamesDrums: Melvin BaldwinDance Captain Marvin MilloraDancers: Michael Vargas, Anthony“Kanec” Carr, Nick DemouraBackground Vocalists (Legaci):Delfin “Del” Lazaro, MicahTolentino, Dominic “Dom”Manuel,Chris AbadWith the exception ofsome TV appearances and the odd shopping mall gig, the very first time JustinBieber played in front of a crowd of any real size was when his My World tourhit the road last year. “It was like you’d expect it to be,” said Tour Director TomMarzullo.” Justin said, ‘I can’t believe all this is for me!’ Then it was like anyteenaged kid who got a really cool new piece of sports gear or a trampoline.”18 mobile production monthly

BieberMy World Around The WorldBy Michael A. Beckphoto by Michael A Beckmobile production monthly 19

Tour vendorsManagementScooter Braun ProjectsRepresentativeAllison KayeRoad Manager (Cast)Tc Tour ManagementBusiness ManagementTsg Financial ManagementAgentCreative Artists Agency, CaaTour PublicityPmk/HbhTour PromoterAeg Live - NyAttorneyMyman, Abell, Fineman, Fox,Greenspan & Light, LlpTour InsuranceSterling & SterlingInsurance Services Of CaTravel AgenciesEntertainment TravelR.A. TravelLightingChristie LightsSoundClair GlobalRiggingSgps, Inc. / Showrig, Inc.VideoChaos Visual ProductionsBacklineCrossover Entertainment GroupSpecial FxStrictly FxBus CompaniesEssex CoachHemphill Brothers Coach Co.TruckingOzark Mountain Tour TrucksStagingAll AccessInflatablesCmeann ProductionsCateringBehind The Scenes CateringMerchandiserBravado International GroupMerchandising ServicesRadiosRoad RadiosPassesCube ServicesItinerariesSmart ArtOne day I was at the mix and justin cameout and said, ‘If I came to this show Iwould really like it.’ I’m really proud of that.– Tom Marzullo20 mobile production monthly

As is the case with a fairly big production popshow, this one had to have a few gags in it.The gag of choice was the fly rig. The productionhad four pieces that flew and two weremanned. The night opened with an aluminumsphere positioned downstage center. Althoughthe piece seemed to be sitting on the stage itwas actually flown a couple of inches abovethe deck.At the top of the show the area that the globesat occupied was filled with fog as Bieber waslifted into the set piece by way of a toasterthat would later lift a piano into place. As thesmoke dissipated and the star came into view,the sphere flew up off of him and out of thescene. The track that it traveled on startedupstage of the stage left wing. At a point justupstage of dead center it curved and extendedout to the center of the arena floor.The off-stage point of origin was the stagingarea for all of the fly pieces. The first piecethat Bieber actually flew on was a big heartshaped rig that he sat in with an acoustic guitarduring a two song medley. He spent mostof both songs in the air. However, when theride was over the gag wasn’t over as the heartremained illuminated as it slowly flew out ofsight through a laser plane.Because this was Bieber’s first tour, budgetplayed a big role in the production design. As aresult, the heart was the only set piece that wascustom built for the show.The other piece that he flew in was during asong called “Up” wherein the video showeda series of hot air balloons flying throughthe scene. The set piece was remarkably wellshaped like a hot air balloon basket, and it followedthe same path out of the crowd as thefirst bit did.The final fly piece was a simple re-tasking ofthe sphere used in the opening. They hungeight mirror balls in various sizes and it flewout over the crowd as well.With all of this flying going on, there had tobe serious attention applied to safety. Despitethe fact that most 16-year-old boys would jumpat the chance to get in one of these thingsand fly around over thousands of people,you must remember that thiswas Bieber’s first time out. Fora long list of reasons Marzullowasn’t taking any chances.Once choreography wasrehearsed at the AtlantisResort in the Bahamas,Marzullo brought it backto Duluth, Georgia forfull productionrehearsal during which time Bieber got thehang of being in the air. However, he wasn’tthe only one to go aloft.Marzullo explained, “Before he got on any ofthe stuff his mother came down to the venue.I got in and rode the heart and the balloon,and then I put her in both of them as well justto show her that what I was putting her son inwas safe. Every day after that we put Justin upin them for about 15 minutes so he could getacclimated to sitting in that seat in the heartand playing his guitar while it’s moving aroundup there.”Another place where the budget was a majorfactor was the video display. The video lookwas anchored by an 18 x 32 foot rear projectionscreen that was hit with two Barco

FLM 22k projectors. While an LED wall mayhave been more vivid, it was financially prohibitive.That being said, the projectors lookedgreat. The RP screen was surrounded by a wallof Soft-LED that extended out beyond thehockey dashers. There were secondary Soft-LED panels that acted as theatrical legs inorder to mask the launching and landing ofthe fly gags upstage. The legs were originallyintended to be Austrian Drapes but Marzullofound that he could “trump with a teninstead of an ace” by going with theless expensive mesh Soft-LED.This also gave him two more planesof dynamic surface area.The marriage of the Soft-LED and the RP Screenworked extremely well and in manycases the screen was only the centerpiece of the larger picture. This wasespecially effective in previouslymentioned song “Up.”Despite the budgetary constraints that mandatedthe use of projection over LED, themove to an LED wall will be necessary in thespring when the tour heads across the pond.This is due to the lack of upstage depth thatis prevalent in European arenas. However,the Soft-LED will stay in the design.One final layer of the set that added depthto the look was two inflatable sky scrapersthat appeared during “Somebody to Love”wherein the video look was a cityscape.One aspect of this tour that requires a touchthat sits perfectly between “gentle as possible”and “firm as necessary” is security.Because the bulk of the crowd were littlegirls for whom this might have been theirfirst concert, the task is not to keep the artistsafe from the crowd as might be the case inmany of the more adult oriented shows onthe road. In this case the task is to keep theaudience from any danger.The biggest security challenge isn’t the kids,it’s the parents says Tour Security DirectorSteve “Sully” Sullivan who was actuallyhit by a car (and not injured) driven by awoman who wanted to get her child closeto Bieber after a show Madison SquareGarden. While she failed at getting herchild a close up view of Mr. Bieber, she wasable to present her daughter a very realisticdemonstration of how the judicial systemworks. On another occasion, Sully had topull a woman out of the way of a bus whenshe threw herself in its path from the rightas the coach was making a hard left turn inan effort to get it to stop for her child. Herresponse was to tell Sully that her husbandmakes a lot of money and she will not beman handled “by someone who makes ninedollars an hour.” While we don’t care toknow how much Steve Sullivan earns, wefeel certain he’s doing a bit better than ninebucks an hour, especially when his job involvessaving the lives of grownups who haven’t quitegrown up. Good on you Steve.“The kids aren’t the problem at these shows,”Sully told us. “They know how to behave forthe most part. They’re in school all day andthey understand that rules exist for a reason.Most of these parents act way worse thantheir kids do at concerts. They just hate beingtold what to do. They bought the CD andthey’ve brought their kids to four showsand they will act as they please.”Sully is quick to add that this is not aphenomenon of Justin Bieber shows.“We get the same thing on the Warped Tour.Most of those kids are 15 years old. It’s just adifferent kind of music.”As is exhibited throughout the show, JustinBieber is a musical prodigy. He is an outstandingpianist and he did a drum solo that peeledthe paint off the walls. While that is indeedamazing to watch and it can add a bit of ageand maturity to a person, it must always beremembered that Justin Bieber is 16 years old.Marzullo discussed how that factor can sometimesenter into the picture.“I have to tell you that it is definitely different.Although he’s a very old and learned 16year old, he is still a 16 year old and I haveto sometimeremember that Iam dealing withsome the same ageas my daughter.Sometimes theattention span is asyou might expectfor a person thatage, but I don’t22 mobile production monthly

spend a whole lot more time with him on thatmatter than I do with any other artist. Justinhas a real good sense for what he wants andthat is a great barometer because I’m 58 andhe’s 16. Who’s going to know his audience better,him or me? Seven or eight shows in I sawthat we were right in following his lead on a lotof things.”That being said, Marzullo is the designer ofthe show. In this aspect of his presence on thetour his work displayed years of understandinghow to present a show. This production had theobvious component of lighting as well as theFX layer of lasers and smoke, but none of itwas over done. The design seemed to hang inthe background as any support element shouldwhile at the same time adding spectacularpunch when needed. So the question remains;given the success of this tour and the assurednessthat there will be another one, what’s next?“One day I was at the mix and just cameout and said ‘if I came to this show I wouldreally like it.’ I’m really proud of that. It’s areal accomplishment to be able to design on acontinued on 34One final layer of the set that added depth to the lookwas two inflatable sky scrapers that appeared during“Somebody to Love” wherein the video look was a cityscape.photo by Michael A Beckmobile production monthly 23

Matt Granger - AEGAccountant, Jon Baden- AEG RepJosh “J-Mo” Miller – Backline Tech, JustinAlavi – Backline Tech, Danny Akin – BacklineTech, James “Scrappy” Stassen – Talent StageMgr. / Pro Tools Op.Kiyomi Hara -WardrobeBrian Lolly - FlyingEffects Programmer /OperatorRobertCaplin -TourPhotographerL Ptah Video – Tech, Brandon Oosterhof – Video Engineer / Crew Chief, MichaelTinsley – Video Director, Jason Lowe – Video Projectionist / Camera OperatorLarry Thompson –Truck DriverPhilip Kriz – Audio Tech, Nathan Mcbee - Audio Tech, Gordon Mack - FOHEngineer, Robert Lee Rankin – Crew Chief / System Engineer, Eric Goers –Monitor EngineerSamantha Wunder Sullivan - Props Master, Steve"Sully" Sullivan Director of - Venue Securityhris Bartlett - Lighting Tech, Greg Haygood - Lighting Crew Chief, GeofferyMatthews - Lighting Tech, Jason Jennings - Lighting Director, James Jones III -Lighting Tech, Dianne Fleming - Dimmer Tech24 mobile production monthlyTom E Marzullo - Tour Director, IowaWong - Production Coordinator, Don PeakeTour Accountant

Billy Daves - Head Rigger Phillip “Phildo”Walton - Rigger, Tj Beasley - Rigger,Brett Schulze - Xbox Sponsorship Manager,Ryan Norris - Xbox Asst. Sponsorship ManagerGlen Lutner - Lead Truck Driver,Donna Lutner – Glen’s good wifeMarcus Wade- Crew Chief /Special FX Tech,Grant Sellers -Special FX TechProduction / Stage Managers: Doss “Buddy”Berry & Doug KiddellTour PersonnelStaff & crewTour Director - Tom E MarzulloArtist Road Manager - Ryan AldredRoad Manager (Cast) - Terence “Tc” CarterProduction Coordinator - Iowa WongTour Accountant - Don PeakeArtist Personal Security - Kenny HamiltonDirector of Venue Security - Steve “Sully” SullivanProduction / Stage Managers: Doss “Buddy” Berry, Doug KiddellTalent Stage Mgr. / Pro Tools Op. - James “Scrappy” StassenHead Rigger - Billy DavesRigger - Phillip “Phildo” Walton, Tj BeasleyFoh Engineer - Gordon MackMonitor Engineer - Eric GoersLighting Director - Jason JenningsFlying Effects Programmer / Operator - Brian LollyVideo Director - Michael TinsleySystems Engineer - Robert Lee RankinArtist Videographer - Alfredo FloresBackline Technicians: Danny Akin, Justin Alavi, Josh “J-Mo” MillerWardrobe - Kiyomi Hara, Carin MorrisHead Carpenter - Jesus “Chuy” ArroyoCarpenter - Dylan LovelaceLighting Crew Chief - Greg HaygoodLighting Technicians: James Jones III, Geoffery Matthews, Chris BartlettDimmer Technician - Dianne FlemingAudio Technicians: Nathan Mcbee, Rick Roman, Philip KrizFlying Effects Crew Chief - Jeremiah AndersonAutomation/Flying Effects - Dale GauldinFly Effects Technician - Alex DewProps Master - Samantha Wunder SullivanCrew Chief / Special FX Technician - Marcus WadeSpecial FX Technician - Grant SellersVideo Engineer - Brandon OosterhofVideo Technician - L PtahVideo Projectionist - Jason LoweAEG Rep - Jon BadenAEG Accountant - Matt GrangerAEG VIP Coordinator - Adam CourtneyXbox Sponsorship Manager - Brett SchulzeXbox Asst. Sponsorship Manager - Ryan NorrisTour Photographer - Robert CaplinTutor - Jacob PenaMerchandise Manager - Gary GardnerMerchandiser - Jon SaputoChefs: Carl Clark, Marcus BrookeDining Room: Jaime Cox, Edward EscobedoDressing Rooms - Wendy StehouwerProduction - Rita ClarkeUtility: Javonte Walton, Jose ZunoLead Catering Driver - Earl DavisCatering Driver - Steve SneedArtist Bus Driver - Andy ClarkManager Bus Driver - Axel CenteioBand Bus Driver - Brett ThomasProduction Bus Driver - Roger BurrisCrew Bus Drivers: Pat Woods, Steve Kotzur, Tony HammondsAEG Bus Driver - Gus TurnerLead Truck Driver - Glen LutnerTruck Drivers: Ruth Sanderson, Larry Thompson, Teresa Quinones, TomAiken, Jeff Stokes, Danny Como, Bill Burke, Kenny DoneMerchandise Truck Driver - Margie Sullivanmobile production monthly 25

chaos featureChaos =Harmonyby Bill RobisonContrary to their name,Chaos Visual Productions merges elements of events into aseamless presentation that strives to enhance the live experienceof the audience. The goal is to live up to and exceedthe expectations of today’s increasingly sophisticated audienceswhile staying within logistical and budget limitations.With ever increasing ticket prices and the veryhigh standards set by ever improving digitalvisuals, production services companies havetheir work cut out for them. Mobile ProductionMonthly recently spoke to Nick Jackson ofChaos.Jackson has been prominent in the concertproduction industry for many years. Originallyfrom Birmingham England, he was a co-founderof LSD (Light and Sound Design). From thelate 1970s into the 90s LSD’s client list becamea veritable Who’s Who of concert touring legends.Innovations such as the first aluminum parcan and the Icon automated lighting fixture keptthem at the leading edge of technology. LSDexpanded to have a worldwide presence withoffices in Nashville and Los Angeles. In 1998Jackson was appointed in charge of concerttouring and special projects for PRG after theypurchased LSD.Chaos Visual Productions was started in 2008with headquarters in Los Angeles. Jacksonbecame a partner and Chief Operating Officerthe following year. This was at the peak of therecession and many companies were experiencingvery hard times. With vision and experience,Chaos exceeded their own expectations andquickly became a premier provider in the industry.Early on they purchased CWP, an establishedlighting company with ties to the film andtelevision industry. Chaos maintains additionaloffices in Nashville, as well as a European presencein London and Birmingham. The Chaosteam includes Val Dauksts, Barry Claxton,Marty Wickman, Pat Morrow, Fred Waldman,Barbara Riedling, Randy Shaffer, Chris “Tiny”Warren, and John Wiseman. Collectively theyrepresent many decades of experience in thetouring market and are among the top names intheir respective fields.These people are one factor that makes Chaosdifferent. Further, Chaos has no conventionallighting fixtures such as pars or ellipsoidals.Rather they focus on video projection, LEDproducts, and media server technology as thefoundation of their services. Conventionallighting can be provided by other vendors whobecome part of the complete package. Jacksontells mPm that several key elements help to giveclients the best possible product. Their stronglighting background offers insight for integrationof video technology into a seamless packagethat enhances but does not overwhelm the performers.Long-term relationships with designersare crucial to bringing projects to Chaos. Andclearly, with their team of industry leaders, havebeen cultivating relationships for many years.Value added service is another very importantelement in keeping clients coming back. Jacksontells us Chaos goes well beyond being an equipmentprovider. Initially a designer comes tothem with a concept that has been approvedby management. Implementing this into aviable product within budget is the challenge.Conventional lighting, scenic design, and stagingall have to be integrated together into aworkable package whose elements complimenteach other. Lighting designers have evolvedinto production designers and must visualize anentire package, which incorporates elements oflighting, video, staging, and even sound into thespectacles we now see in many of today’s toursand events. Collaboration of all the key playersis crucial to bringing a project to reality.A good example of how Chaos will work witha designer and management is the on currentJustin Bieber My World tour. A relatively newartist, Bieber’s popularity has skyrocketed.Originally the tour was planned for smallervenues. With his phenomenal success the tourmoved to performing in very large facilities.Production clearly had to be expanded to makecertain the artist’s performance would presentequally well to the front row as well as the seatsin the back. However, as a new artist, Bieber’stour had budget limitations. The elaborate LEDpresentations so common on many of today’stop tours were not an option. After a collaborationof the key players it was determined Chaoswould provide a 32' x 18' rear projection screenplaced behind center stage. Three 20k Barcoprojectors were stacked to ensure the projectedimages were adequately bright. Bordering thescreen left and right were 48' wide MainlightSoft LED panels providing a surface well over100' from end to end. This was large enough topresent images, which could be seen throughoutthe enormous venues. Great care had tobe taken with the conventional lighting so thescreen would not be washed out.When asked if Chaos does single events Jacksoncites several examples. The Super Bowl,President Obama’s Inaugural events, majormotion pictures, and Micosoft are all recentclients. Single events present logistics similar tothose of tours but you only have one chance toget it right. More pre-planning, coordinatingcontinued on 3426 mobile production monthly

To Everyone,THANK YOU.THANK YOU for 2010as we celebrate our 2 nd ANNIVERSARYand the Opening of the CHAOS UK office.2010 PARNELLI AWARD WINNER“Video Company of the Year”Let’s get to work…www.chaosvisual.com

ozark mountain leasing featureOzark Mountain LeasingIt’s All About Qualityby Hank BordowitzFor over 25 years,Dale and Denise Henry have providedcoaches & trucks to the Concert TouringIndustry maintaining a high quality ofservice at reasonable prices.Servicing a number of acts every year theymanage to keep the drivers they have on staffpretty busy. Their recent client list includesHeart, Oasis Productions, Lamb of God, TobyMac, Justin Timberlake, Slayer, Alicia Keys,Drake, Smuckers Stars on Ice, and RainbowProductions, to name but a very few.One of the more interesting tours they are supportingis the Justin Bieber My World tour, wherethey have supplied 10 trucks. Ozark was offeredthe opportunity to bid on the tour trucking byTom Marzullo after he witnessed the serviceprovided on a Lil’ Wayne tour in 2009 byOzark. Denise commented, “The Justin Biebertour has been a very successful tour for 2010and we are so proud to be part of it. At firstthey wanted to use eight trucks for the actualtour, but together with tour production staff itwas discussed that nine trucks would shortenunion dock time at load in and load out pershow, and be less expensive in the end.”This illustrates one small facet of the kind ofthinking and service that has taken Ozark froma single truck driven by Denise and coach drivenby Dale to one of the best respected companiesin entertainment hauling. Dale and Denisepride themselves on exceeding expectations, andnever taking for granted any one of their clients.All of their drivers have more than five yearson the road, and their driver pool averages 15years of experienceper driverover the road, in allconditions. They areall carefully screened andsubmit to random drug testing.In short, they will get you thereefficiently and safely. If Ozark hauls yourtour, the trucking is one thing you won’t have toworry about.Dale’s mentors in the touring coach businesswere Bill and Helen Kietzman of KietzmanConversions. “When I started with Bill in 1980he had been building busses for 20 years,” saidDale. “He taught me the business and lessonone was, ‘It’s all about quality.’ He introducedme to all the industry players at the time. Therewas only a handful.” From 1980 to 1986 Daleconverted coaches with Bill. As a coach wascompleted Dale drove it on tour until it sold.When Bill and Helen looked towards retirement,they built their last coach in August of1986, Dale purchased it and founded his owncompany, Ozark Mountain Coach with the helpof his parents, Bob and Pauline Henry.“For years,” Dale added, “it was every day onthe road in the bus, building a client base, maintainingthe equipment and paying the bills.”When not driving on tour Dale proceeded tobuild his own shop and start converting andrepairing coaches one at a time with the helpof his mother Pauline Henry sewing all theinterior upholstery work and Bob Henry helpingwith mechanical repair. One of his firstcustomers was Mike Slarve of Four SeasonsCoach Leasing who commissioned Dale to builda 45 foot shell from a burnt model 10 - 40 footcoach.Ironically, the partnership of Dale and Denisestarted on the interstate. Dale, driving a coachon tour, cut off Denise’s semi. After Denise gavehim the business over the CB, they spent thenext ten hours talking. This went on for the nextsix years (the talking, not cutting each other off).Denise has held a Commercial Drivers licensesince she was 22 years old, but had been in thetransportation business for much longer. Youmight say she was born into it. At an early ageDenise was expected to help with the familytransportation business in Australia and wasfortunate to experience a Road Train drive fromcoast to coast. By her early 20’s she was hauling28 mobile production monthly

freight across North America with her twoyear-olddaughter riding shotgun in a car seat.Her daughter Latisha was essentially raised inthe cab of Denise’s semi. Denise even home (ormore correctly, truck) schooled her.“It was great experience for both of us,” shesaid, “I had a captive audience for teaching.In the truck there weren’t too many places shecould go to be distracted! We made the mostof everything the road could offer by visitingchildren museums and places of interest.” Aftergraduating college Latisha, now 25 and hasspent the last 4 years working on tour in thewardrobe department for several large tours.During the years when most of their contactwas on CB radio, Dale told Denise about theentertainment hauling business. For Denise, itproved a tough business to crack. Eventually,she got the call to help move Nickelodeonstudios from New York to Universal StudiosOrlando.In 1988 when Nickelodeon and OasisProductions decided to take live tours on theroad, they called her again. Denise renteda truck and started working for them. Theybecame Denise’s main client for eight years,hauling Family Double Dare and otherNickelodeon events around the country.Nickelodeon and Oasis Productions are still clientsof Ozark today. They added drivers as thetours grew from one truck to five. Then in 1991,Denise and Dale joined forces, forming OzarkMountain Leasing with Nickelodeon as one oftheir first clients. A year later they got married.“We figured if we could work together,” Deniselaughed, “we could get married.”Like any business, they started slowly. “We didn’thave the investors to buy ten or twenty coachesor trucks at a time,” Denise says. “We ownedtwo trucks and four coaches and we leased whenneeded. If there wasn’t a tour, we did whateverit took; some work for sound companies andlighting companies and hauled freight.“For ten years” Dale added, it was every day onthe road. As time went on, they sold most of thecoaches, and got out of coach leasing entirelywhen a fire took their last remaining coach,workshop and their offices in 2004.Ozark Mountain Leasing has rebuilt impressivelyand has maintained its commitment toquality. There are a lot of repeat customers whohave been loyal for many years. The one andtwo truck tours have contributed to its continuedgrowth and recommendations of tour managers,production managers and managementcompanies are a main source of new business.One example of the benefit of a loyalty wasViggy, a production manager, who recommendedOzark and its willingness to do a one trucktour when Justin Timberlake did his promo tourin 2006 and then Steve Dixon and Ian Donaldhaving the confidence in Ozark to do the 22truck tour in 2007.Lately their Commercial Drivers Licenses don’tget much of a workout. “I’m still a driver eitherto drive a coach for a long time client or helpout the lead on one of our bigger truck tours,”Dale said. “Or if someone has an emergency,”Denise added, “we can pack an overnight bagand go. However, Denise spends a lot more timebehind a desk than behind the wheel these days.They do keep the business in the family.Denise’s brother Mark came up from Australiaand now works in the office. “We call him ourefficiency guru. Our level of organization fromthe office to the drivers has increased immenselywith Mark’s expertise,” Denise said. “PaulineHenry works in the office, handling all reportingand compliance and Bob Henry shuttles trailersand trucks.”Not a family member, but just as close, Nathanhas been Dale’s shop foreman for ten years,starting straight out of high school. Angie hasbeen office manager for four years, and thesmiling voice you are likely to encounter whenyou call Ozark. Dale and Denise will not besurprised if their teenage daughters Samanthaand Natalie will also be seeking a future in somefacet of the industry in the next few years.continued on 34mobile production monthly 29

20 yrs ofCrossoverA Conversation withBilly Johnson Part Iby michael a. beckTwenty years ago Atlantabased Crossover Entertainment opened its rehearsal facility forbusiness. It seemed like a good idea at the time but as is alwaysthe case with such a venture, time is always the truest test ofwhether it was truly a righteous plan or the result of too muchmedication (or not enough).Withthe close of 2010,Crossover presents a history of havingbeen at the genesis of Atlanta’s Rap/Hip Hop/R&B big bang. Crossover hasalso provided an environment for historicrecording sessions and equally notableintroductions of musicians of such divergentstyles as to never be imagined in thesame room. It has become a melting potand gathering place where no one’s craft isbad just because it’s different from someoneelse’s and all comers are welcome.Crossover Entertainment currently hasbackline gear out on the Justin Biebertour that just finished up in America andis now off to Europe under the steadyhanded direction of 2010 Tour LinkTop Dog Production Manager ofthe Year Tom E. Marzullo. Crossoveris involved in television, music video andcinematic production and provides backlinegear to an ever widening universe ofproduction environments. And that’s justthe beginning.It was my pleasure to sit down withCrossover Entertainment GeneralManager Billy Johnson to chat aboutwhere the company has comefrom, where it is and where itmight be going down the road.This guy is incredibly engagingand easy to talk with. As couldhave been predicted the chat wentwell long of the 3,000 wordswe’d set aside for this feature. Sobare with us as you will have towait for the next issue of mobileProduction monthly to get to the endof the story. But I promise you it will bewell worth it.mPm: As we sit here looking over our shouldersat twenty years of history for CrossoverEntertainment and all that you’ve done I haveto ask, was the original idea simply to have aplace for bands to rehearse?BJ: Initially yes. But the thing I don’t thinkpeople realize is that we started in 1988 asa management company called CrossoverMusic Group. We were managing a couple ofacts and that’s when we discovered the lack ofproduction services and rehearsal space in thecity. However when this company started wewere specifically aiming at providing rehearsalspace. Of course there is no science to gettingstarted in the music biz, there’s no template…mPm: Even now.BJ: Even now. It’s the old, “Just do it” or gutfeelings and it’s difficult to take gut feelings tothe bank and say, “Hey, I have a gut feeling.”So basically we had to make it a real estateplay wherein we purchased the real estateand gave it a shot so that if it all went to hellin a hand basket, you had an investment inproperty. Around that time, 1991, Clive Davisat Arista Records had sent L.A. [Reid] andBabyface to scout talent and open up LaFaceRecords here in Atlanta. We caught wind ofthat - we hadn’t been open very long - and weengaged L.A. and Babyface about the issuethat they were new and we were new and “let’ssee if we can work together.”mPm: How did you get the news of the auditionsand how did you make contact withthem? Were you plugged in that deeply at thetime?BJ: No not at all. One of our first rehearsalclients was Kris Kross. It was a choreographerwho was working the two boys who toldme about the auditions that were going on forthis new label called LaFace. I went down tothe audition and met L.A. and Babyface andwe connected.mPm: That’s pretty ballsy.BJ: Back then I had packages and folders filledwith presentations of what we did, whichwas rehearsals but that we also had room forvideo. It was a big building and we had spaceto rent. The L.A. – Babyface connection wasone of the launching points for us becauseevery act they found needed to do a showcasefor Arista. So when they finally had theirlineup of people who they thought could fitthe bill Clive Davis and the Arista A&R andmarketing departments would come downhere to check it out. We’d set up Studio A likea night club with tables and chairs, candlelight and full production and we’d do four orfive different acts.mPm: Who were some of the acts you showcasedin those days?30 mobile production monthly

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BJ: OutKast, Goodie Mob, TLC, ToniBraxton, Tony Rich and as we got furtheralong Pink. So that really introduced thespace at that point.mPm: Was that the beginning of Atlantabecoming in many ways the epicenter of theHip-Hop/Rap/R&B genres?BJ: Yeah, it was. Before that Atlanta wasknown for ARS, Black Crows, CollectiveSoul; more of a rock kind of sound. Ihave no problem with crediting L.A. Reid,Babyface, Jermaine Dupree and DallasAustin with birthing this whole scene that isnow exploding out of Atlanta.mPm: And they all knew your name.BJ: Yeah. Once they were signed by AristaRecords of course they had to come backand rehearse their projects.mPm: Why not come back to where it allstarted?BJ: Yeah. When L.A. finally filled CliveDavis’ position many years later he wouldcome back here with acts that he’d found inNew York and anywhere else. He called ushis good luck charm because of all of thoseacts that he brought here to showcase prettymuch every one of them got signed. Ofcourse we don’t take credit for that nor is itsaid anywhere that we had anything to dowith their success. But it happened here andthat was the loyalty they showed to us, whichis sometimes unfounded in the biz. But theystuck with us.mPm: Superstition be damned, you take whatcomes your way.BJ: That’s right. So they’d write their musicand when it came time to record they’dcome here to rehearse and then they’d cometo Crossover to rehearse their promotionaltours and their full blown tours and videos,which were mainly about choreography.mPm: What were you doing to expand thebusiness beyond what the L.A. – Babyfaceconnection brought to the door?BJ: We’d pull out your Road Book and whateverother directories we had that we couldglean usable contact information from toworm our way through the system. Backthen we were also sending FAX’s to anyonewe could find and we were making phonecalls and all sorts of things.mPm: How did that work for you?BJ: Well, you could talk to them all daylong, but until they could come here andhave the experience it didn’t make a difference.However, once they did come in andthey saw the customer service was at thelevel they wanted and that the space wasclean and workable and they could actuallyaccomplish what they needed to get done,they’d come back.mPm: It’s hard and even scary to assumethat a company or career has peaked, buthad you at least hit a plateau from which itwould grow farther?BJ: As the music industry grew in Atlanta wewere pretty much growing at its pace, so wereally didn’t dictate the growth. There werea number of milestone events that took usto one level and another level and so on andthen of course in September of 2001 we alltook four steps back.mPm: What were some of those watershedmoments?BJ: The name of the company was Crossoverbecause we wanted to deal with all genresof music. We were heavy on the R&B/HipHop side of the industry so I wanted to goafter Rock and Country. New country washere by now and I fought that battle as hardas I could but they were never going to leaveNashville and for good reason even though alot of the artists live here.mPm: Well Nashville is the motherland ofthe country music world. It’s not spread outover New York, L.A., Atlanta and whereverelse people might go to produce Rock, Jazz,Blues and every other musical genre. That isreally the only place it happens.BJ: It is, and the difference between Nashvilleand Atlanta is we’re completely spread out.Most of the people in the greater Atlantaarea live outside of the city limits and businesshere is conducted with that in mind.But in Nashville it all happens on MusicRow. That’s where all of the record companiesand studios are. There’s not one centralplace that everyone would gather here andwe were trying to create that spot. We wantedto be the place where an out-of-work bassplayer could call and find out if there was agig. This is where everyone would gather. Inorder to do that we had to service all genres.So when my feeble attempt to get Countryfailed I moved to Rock and began to heavilyrecruit REM. They finally sent a representativeout here to look at the building. Theysent Jefferson Holt, their manager and he fellin love with it.mPm: What came out of that?BJ: In 1993 they came in and booked for the1994 recording of the Monster album. Thiswas coming off of a real clean studio albumand they wanted to do something loud andlive. They were coming in here to rehearsefor 30 days prior to going to Criteria Studiosin Miami and then they were going to movealong to New Orleans and then to Louie’sClub House in L.A. for mixing, overdubsand so forth. They came into Studio Aand set up and about two days into it theywalked into my office and said the sound ofthe room is unbelievable and they wantedto record the project here. Of course I saidno problem. Now this was way prior todigital recording and Pro Tools and we wereweren’t a recording studio. We brought in aTridant console and all the associated gearneeded to do a recording of that caliberand built isolation panels to put between thedrums and the bass and put together a livemakeshift recording facility and recorded allof the live tracks.mPm: That must have put you on the map inthe rock world.BJ: Yeah it really opened the door for thatscene, which brought me into the IndigoGirls, Sean Mullens, Edwin McCain, B-52’sthe whole Athens connection.mPm: ... and you’re off and running.BJ: Yeah. But something pretty interestinghappened while REM was in doing therecording. The BBC came in to do a documentarycalled “The Making of a Monster”that was only ever released in Europe andmost people here never saw it. So they werehere shooting every back stage thing theycould about the making of this record.While they were here Arrested Developmenthad just released their first single and theyhad just booked into Crossover at the sametime that we were recording Monster. At thatparticular time I was naïve about how all ofthe different genres would appreciate eachother, but I learned a huge lesson. While theBBC was in-house shooting, Michael Stipegot wind of the fact that Speech was therewith Arrested Development and it turnsout that Michael was a huge fan of Speech.Stipe came to me and said, “I want to meethim, can you arrange it?” I went to Speechand he was blown away that Stipe was in thebuilding because he had been a fan since hewas young. So I brought the two of theminto the lobby while the BBC was rollingand they sat down and talked about musicfor about two hours. While it was happeningI was sitting there saying to myself “this iswhat Crossover is all about, right here.”mPm: Because that was such a mitzvah foryou did it cause an overall change of companyethos that went beyond “we will takeall comers?”BJ: It did. It actually opened my eyes to acouple things. It made me see that artistsare artists and no matter what they do, whattheir craft is or what genre they’re in andthat they appreciate each other.mPm: Aerosmith and Run D.M.C.?BJ: That’s right and they want to learn moreabout each other. That was a beautiful thingbecause at that point I started promotingthat whole gathering place thing that I discussedin the beginning. I went after everygenre known to man. I knew these acts weregoing to leave here and go out into 150 citiesand they were going to spread to theword about the experience they had heregood or bad. Everyone that leaves Crossover- including today - goes with a stack of32 mobile production monthly

my business cards and some swag and therequest that they spread the word of thesolid treatment they got here. We also wantthem to let us know where we fell short.mPm: Swag can be a great inexpensive investmentcan’t it?BJ: A laundry bag goes a long way man.mPm: But seriously folks, a bad wordspreads an awful lot farther much fasterthan a good word.BJ: Yeah and that’s why out of 20 yearsthe last two have been our best. It’staken 18 years to get to a place of beingcomfortable.mPm: But you’re not really comfortable areyou?BJ: No. Never.mPm: I didn’t think so.BJ: You’re almost trained to be that way inthis business. If I’m talking about putting upa convenience store in an area that’s growingI’m going to have a reliable flow of traffic.The problem is that people come in and outof this business and you’re only as good asyour last hit record. If you put out a recordand it fails you don’t have the funds to availyourself of the resources you had the lasttime out. There is a constant flow of newpeople coming into the business. That’s whatrecord labels do. They’re always looking fornew talent and putting out new records. Wehave to constantly search the charts and seewho’s up and coming and find out who ison their management team including tourand production management and find outwhere they’re starting their tour. You do alot of research and track them down. As yourack up the years of having done good businessyou start to hear what you want to hear,which is, “Oh I’ve heard of you for years. I’dlove to come there.”mPm: That raises an interesting question?How deep does your concierge service go?BJ: Some acts come in and they want usto open up the door and leave them alonebecause they’ve got it covered. Or they maybe a new artist, which we welcome, who isnew at the whole process and we shepherdthem through certain aspects. Some hirepeople they are comfortable with who maynot be as experienced in the matters of productionand tour management and we’ll doanything that they might require. Then thereare some artists who want us to take care ofeverything including transportation to andfrom the airports and hotels, production runners,craft services, catering and on and on.mPm: Of course, “No we cannot do that” isnot in your vocabulary at all?BJ: Not at all.mPm: But there must be a distinction made.Is “No we will not do that” in your lexicon?Are there times or instances when you willsay, “Look that’s not going to cut it in thisbuilding?”BJ: Absolutely.mPm: Without divulging confidence are thesituations that you can describe whereinyou’ve had to draw the line with clients?BJ: From the beginning we didn’t wantwas to create an environment that youcouldn’t feel comfortable working in.That meant that everyone who comes intothis building attached to a band or artistmust have a job. No hangers on. No groupies.No germs just wanting to hang out at thecool place. No family members just hangingaround. At first it was a little difficult for aperson like me who was trying to get everypenny of business through the door dictatingto the customers what they can and can’t do.It was a scary thing. But at the end of theday it paid off because they appreciated it.They valued the fact that they could knowthat when they came to Crossover they weregoing to get it done. They weren’t goingto have to contend with a constant flow ofextraneous personnel through the placedistracting their process. They also knewthat if they didn’t want a spouse hangingaround they could say, “Look honey, thestudio doesn’t allow it” and they were offthat particular hook. Of course there arethe generals, no smoking in the building andabsolutely no drugs or other things that createan environment that is not productive foranyone. The last thing we want is to windbecoming a night club.mPm: That of course speaks to the fact thatevery act has the inalienable right of lifeliberty and property so long as the exerciseof those rights don’t infringe on the samerights of the artist rehearsing in the roomnext to you.BJ: Exactly. Because we are Crossover andwant everyone to feel comfortable duringtheir time here if we have a set of consistentoperating standards that everyone hasto comply with the acts of differing genresthat might be working in the facility won’timpede the productivity of one anotherregardless of how peculiar their process maybe.mPm: Have you had clashes?BJ: Absolutely, but I’ve got a saying and Ihope that it will be taken in the spirit it’smeant. I really don’t have to do businesswith people that don’t want to. But you haveto do business with everyone to find out whoyou don’t want to continue to work with.mPm: A well placed “no thanks” can raiseyour stock in some cases, but it’s got to bebloody well placed."To that point we’re on one mission here andthat’s to gain mutual respect. Not demand it,earn it. And when you put it like that it’s prettyeasy to walk up to anyone, pull them aside and say,'hey man, what are you doing?'"BJ: That’s an interesting point. The environmentof this place is not only created by theemployees who work here but by the clientelethat comes here to work. The criteriafor behavior that we have in place applies toall of the above. When we have customerspulling for the business and the business pullingfor the customers we have harmony. Ifthere’s anyone on my staff that you have towalk on egg shells around they will no longerbe welcome. Same with a customer.mPm: That points up the fact that separatesthe serious players from the dilettantes inthis business, which is that there is a seriouspolitical nuance that can be a pretty thinneedle to thread if you’re not paying attentionand if you can’t get it here in rehearsalyou won’t get it out there where the metalhits the meat. I’ve seen some tours limp andflop down the road and finally fall flat overthe fact that they don’t get that.BJ: To that point we’re on one missionhere and that’s to gain mutual respect. Notdemand it, but earn it. When you put it likethat it’s pretty easy to walk up to anyone,pull them aside and say, “hey man, what areyou doing?” It’s all in how you put it. I’venever gone busting into a rehearsal roomwhere things were going on that shouldn’tunder the “policies” and began screamingat people or raising my voice. It’s more likewe come sit in my office and I say, “Hey, Ijust wanted to give you a heads up that thisis what you can and can’t do in this buildingand here’s why.” It’s all in how you put it.More to come. Stay tuned. 7mobile production monthly 33

Justin Bieber continued from 27 Chaos continued from 30budget and make it as big and as grand asyour competitors without having their budgetto support,” he told us. “Shep Gordon lovedto tell the story of how he and Joe Gannonwould set out to make Alice Cooper’s showlook like it came out of ten trucks when itcame out one. I bare that in mind whenever Iput pen to paper. Of course the show will getbigger by virtue of the fact that we will havemore tools to work with. But I don’t think I’llever get to a point where it’s a matter of addingmore stuff just because we can.” 7Editor’s note: Because serious courtesy has to beaccorded to this audience, it becomes a habit throughoutthe production both on and behind the stage. Thiswas glaringly obvious in the way mPm was treatedon site. And for that we thank Tom E. Marzullo andthe entire camp.with more people, the timeline, and site logisticsall add to the challenge. Their experience combinedwith access to a large array of equipmenthelps to keep clients coming back.Jackson told us that Chaos makes use of theappropriate technology to meet the needs ofspecific situations. Two recent innovations hementioned were LED’s and media servers.While LED’s have been around for a long time,only recently have they evolved into usableproducts for our industry. Each year theybecome brighter, more cost effective, and offera truer pallet of colors. Media servers allow theintegration of lighting, video and images to becontrolled by one device. Coordination of thiselement allows each to complement the other inan apparently seamless manner. Media serversalso offer the designer masking options, whichallow images to be shaped into an almost infinitevariety of shapes and sizes. Equally importantis pixel mapping, which can control tens, oreven hundreds of thousands of individual pixelsmaking huge LED display an unlimited varietyof images.When asked about what we can expect in thefuture, Jackson suggested 3-D may soon play apart in the live event experience. Not necessarilyas used in motion pictures but rather as a scenicelement to enhance the event experience. Wecan be sure that Chaos will be at the forefrontof new and groundbreaking technology. DOzark Mountain Leasing continued from 33Beyond that, they take a very active interestin their drivers. “Our drivers are everything,”Denise said. “We really want to stress they thatare the world to us and we wouldn’t have oursuccess without the commitment and loyaltythey demonstrate to us, each and every day.Long time lead drivers Glen and Donna Lutnerhave led the way on too many tours to count.”While they’ve grown from a single truck to 28,they’ve built it slowly, adding as needed andas warranted. Denise said, “This year is especiallycrucial year for safety and compliance inour industry, with new ‘no idle’ laws requiringOzark to install auxiliary power units on theirtrucks and stricter laws being enforced by thenew CSA 2010. It is more and more importantthat we keep ourselves and our drivers informedand educated to continue to provide a safe environmentand affordable service to our clients.”Dale added “Performing the maintenance andrepair of all our equipment on site and in ourfacility, has been invaluable in keeping our overheadat an acceptable level.”In addition to the standard 53’ semis, they nowrun a smaller 22’ truck for the club acts thatmight otherwise pull trailers for equipmentbehind their busses. “It’s pretty even numberswhen you figure in gas and wear and tear on thebus with the trailer.”Ozark’s ten acre facility offers a full servicepackage of warehousing equipment betweentour legs, trailer storage, Canadian customsdocumentation, coach wraps and other graphics,power-only options, fabrications and repairof stage trailers, set or any special projects. Forthose concerned with the environment, bio dieselis an available option for fueling the trucks.Ozark had the pleasure in 2008 of addingMelissa Taylor to their team. Her office inNashville handles all her existing and new clients.Melissa brought to Ozark eight years ofexperience in the business of tour trucking withher own list of loyal customers and clients whohave followed her wherever she goes. Denisesaid, “Melissa is a great asset to our company,with her dedication of always taking care of theclient. Her motto is, whatever it takes!”When the need arises and they need to addmore vehicles, they will do so only aftercareful consideration. Working this wayhas allowed them to weather the currenteconomy. “A lot of people we know didn’t makeit last year,” Denise pointed out. “We’re stillrunning, thriving and so very thankful.”“We like our slow growth,” Dale agreed andapparently so does the industry. 534 mobile production monthly

More than 560 attorneys and advisorsin offices across the southeastern U.S.and Washington, D.C., practicing abroad spectrum of business law includingtransactions, contracts, litigation,transportation and entertainment.For more information, contact:Steven J. Eisen615.726.5718sjeisen@bakerdonelson.comJames A. DeLanis615.726.5613jdelanis@bakerdonelson.comThe Rules of Professional Conduct of the various states where our offices are located require the following language: THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT. Ben Adams is Chairman and CEO of Baker Donelsonand is located in our Memphis office, 165 Madison Avenue, Suite 2000, Memphis, TN 38103. Phone 901.526.2000. No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed isgreater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. FREE BACKGROUND INFORMATION AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. © 2010 Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC

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