Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Jonathan Yeaworth, Jim Sheridan and I are in San Diego doing a show for the National Association of Electrical Distributors. We're staying at the Manchester Hyatt, which overlooks the marina in downtown San Diego. We are right down the street from the USS Midway. We have a show on the Midway this Friday night. Here are a couple of shots of the "neighborhood."

I wanted to send my best wishes to the cast of the SUMMIT. They will be finishing up rehearsals tomorrow back in Nashville. I will be joining them in the Caribbean in a couple of weeks - can't wait to see them on stage! Everyone at the office is feeling really great about this new cast! Break a leg, gang! Congrats to Mindy, Garris, Steve, Erin, David, and Dale on such a strong cast.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Just heard from Curt Wallen at our Healthcare Management Systems trade show in New Orleans. He said the booth for our client looks great and sent these pictures to prove it! This is the 50's diner set up I mentioned in earlier blogs. The show opens this afternoon, but it is already the talk of the other show exhibitors. Congrats to Curt, Blair, Chris, Julia, Phil, Erica, Rick, and our entire scenic team on terrific design, execution, and installation processes. I'll post more pictures after the show opens today.

Saturday, February 24, 2007

We had our big corporate awards show last night here in Cancun. It was an incredibly challenging day and show, primarily because of the language issues. Our set up was running several hours late, especially due to delays in the AV set up by the local rental company in Cancun. My first major heartattack was when I realized the teleprompter operator did not really understand or speak English - he could read it very well, but did could not translate well enough to comprehend our questions and requests. We overcame that challenge by getting the AV salesperson to sit with him and translate all of our instructions. During the actual show, we realized the camera operators did not understand English and could not follow the director's instructions. It was one of the few times I've every seen Jonathan visibly stressed at a show! Everyone's favorite was when one of the "Mayan dance troups" provided by the hotel turned out to be sort of a circus sideshow of fire twirling jugglers, complete with a tatooed lady in black leather hot pants and halter top. Not exactly your everyday entertainment for a banking convention! The dance band was great, as was the authentic Mayan cultural dance group. They did a lot of fire illusions where they appeared to be searing their feet, hands, legs, and other body parts with flames from smudge pots. It was an exciting effect! The set looked great - it was a Mayan temple with multiple levels, AV screens, and special lighting effects. In spite of all the challenges, the show was successful and everyone had a great time. Here are some pictures. One more show tonight, then back home tomorrow!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Greetings from Cancun! I am sitting on the back patio of the Moon Palace Resort while on a break between rehearsals for our corporate show here. This is a great facility, and our client's guests are having a blast! The opening reception was last night out by the pool and beach. One of the local decorating companies did a nice job on the Mexican village themed decor, and the hotel catering was great. The entertainment was...you guessed it... a Mariachi Band. This one was a little different, though. They played some American pop songs in a latin/mariachi style. The audience definitely enjoyed it! Here are a few shots of the pool area and the party. Wish you were here! :-)

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Hey gang! Today was a little hectic at work. I spent most of the day working on the creative direction and budgeting for a benefit show for the TJ Martell Foundation, a cancer and aids benefit organization with roots in the music industry. This year's dinner event salutes the style and cuisine of "Blackberry Farm", one of the most elite hotel / resort destinations in the country. The event will include an exclusive list of guests from Nashville's music community and wine connoisseurs. We're working with event planner Holly Whaley - she has great ideas and wonderful taste in decor. It will be another terrific event this year.

Here are a couple of pictures of parts of a trade show set that loaded out today on its way to New Orleans. The shots were made in our paint shop before the black and white tile floor was laid. The concept is a 50's style diner where show attendees can experience a variety of software applications and services from the HMS "menu" of products. This booth combines a high tech educational experience with a fun interactive environment. Good luck to producer Curt Wallen, scenic operations team memers Blair Binkley and Chris Lyle, and the entire HMS sales staff for a successful show in the Big Easy!

I'm home packing for my trip to Cancun tomorrow morning. We're looking forward to working with the staff First Tennessee and the Moon Palace Resort this week. Stay tuned for shots from that show!

Sunday, February 18, 2007

How bizarre is the weather in Nashville? I just spent the morning cleaning the snow off the driveway so we could get our cars off this hill, only to come in and find out it is supposed to be nearly 60 degrees tomorrow...what is the deal with that?

Since I couldn't get out yesterday, I have to double up on my "Y" workout today. A couple of my GMC family members are pushing me to get on the road to better health by encouraging me to go to spin classes. As much as it wears me out, I have to say those classes do amazing things for your metabolism. I've lost about 11 pounds in the last 2 weeks (not that I'm actually counting or anything). Try it!

The "Summit" new cast apparently had a couple of great run throughs this Friday. I heard lots of positive feedback from our team members who saw them. Way to go Summiteers!

Three more days and then we head to Cancun to produce a meeting for our friends at First Tennessee. Looking forward to a little warm weather down there!

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Yesterday was full of meetings for all of us at the Gary Musick Company. The morning started with a visit to our facilities by the staff of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau. We took them on a tour of the scenic shop to see a couple of large projects being built, then stopped by the rehearsal studios to watch a brief performance of one of our cruise ship shows from the Summit. They were amazed to learn how much world class production work was going on right here in Nashville! Additional visits by guests from the Gibson Showcase and "All About Women" management teams rounded out the afternoon. All of the photos in our hallway had just been replaced with new collages of images from recent projects, and they look great. A big thanks to Bert, Brandon, Julia, Phil, Kieth, and the entire Scenic staff for all their help in making these collages look so great!

I got an email from Garris Wimmer this morning bragging on GMC production manager Jonathan Yeaworth and his performance as a featured soloist in the Phillip Glass concert series being performed by the Nashville Symphony this week. In case you didn't know, Jonathan is an amazing singer with great interest in classical music. He is a frequent soloist with the Nashville Symphony Chorus. "Bravo!, Jonathan!"

My daughter, Eliza, is ecstatic! Since our big Valentines date to the "Predators Ball" on Monday (see pictures from blog entry on 2/14), I've been bombarded with requests to get tickets to a Predators game. Curt Wallen, one of our producers, stopped in yesterday to give me tickets to the game on Monday night. Eiza is one happy girl! Thanks, Curt!

It is snowing in Nashville - whoo hoo! Here is a picture I just took looking out at our front yard. Ok, so its nothing like the 64" in New York, but this is about as good as it gets here. Our yard is really steep, and I'm sure every kid in the neighborhood will be here later this morning to sled. For now, I'll just enjoy the serentiy of all this white stuff. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Congrats to our former associate-turned-client David Holloway for his recent feature article in "Southern Exposure" magazine! David was the original General Manager of our Scenic division, and is now the owner of Holloway and Associates. The article profiles David's design projects and event productions. Way to go, David!

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Hey friends! Sorry for being such a slacker this week, but time has been at a premium. I want to show you some pictures of the PREDATORS BALL, a major fundraiser we produce - and sponsor - every year for the NHL's Nashville Predators hockey team. The show was Monday night at Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Center. My dates were my 15 year old daughter, Eliza (on the left in the picture), and her friend Grace. We had a blast! The Predators players were available for photo opps, and the silect auction was a great money maker for the foundation. Curt Wallen was our producer, so I got to play and take pictures while he did all the work - whoo hoo! The theme was "King and Queen of Hearts". The Predators foundation provides financial support and volunteers for many of Nashville's charitable organizations and social causes. Thanks to the Predators for allowing us to help them bring their vision to life! Here are some pictures. By the way, the Predators are the number one team in the NHL - we're proud of you guys!!

Saturday, February 10, 2007

Hey bloggers! Hope you're all doing well. Its been a another busy week at GMC! We have a brand new SUMMIT cast that came in on Monday to start 4 weeks of rehearsals. We saw them perform their first runthrough of "NIGHT OF STARS" yesterday - they did a great job! It was much further along than I had expected. They have a new female singer joining them today which will complete the cast. Congrats to Erin, Garris, Steve and Dale for all the progress this week! Nashville singer/producer/music director Brandon Thomas stopped by to watch the cast - thanks, Brandon, for the positive feedback! Here is a picture of the cast at lunch on their first day in Nashville!

Our scenic shop is about to finish construction on a new trade show booth for Healthcare Management Systems. It is a very cool 50's diner design. Faux neon, glass block, and authentic 50's style diner booths will create a perfect environment for our client to creatively showcase their menu of popular hospital management software. Live character actors will supplement the client's sales staff in the three-day show. The show is to be held in New Orlean's convention center. Curt Wallen is out producer handling the project. Lookin' forward to seeing some pictures, Curt!

Congratulations to Sandy Zeigler on her retirement. Sandy was one of Nashville's top event planners and designers, and had a wonderful shop that produced fantastic props and party decor. Sandy has always been one of my favorite people in this business. Now she's going to spend her time painting and chilling...way to go Sandy!

Jonathan Yesworth, Jim Sheridan and I head to Cancun next week to produce a show for First Tennessee bank's top sales staff. This will be our first corporate show in Cancun - should be fun!

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Here's a picture I just received from Seth Golay, one of the singers who performed on Celebrity Cruises' Millennium. This is the Rat Pack/Vegas section in "I Love the Nightlife", one of our musical productions on that ship. Great picture! Thanks, Seth! And thanks to the guest who took the picture!

Check out these pictures we just got from Spirit Productions...we designed and built the set for their touring production of the Ray Charles tribute "I Can't Stop Loving You." This show opened on West End in London, then moved to the states for an extended tour. The set features a proscenium with multiple light circuits and a bandstand with various levels for musicians and dancers. Great cast! Great show! Congratulations to Jay and our friends at Spirit Productions!

Finally made it back from Dallas last night. We had a tremendous week with the entire sales team from NAPA AUTO PARTS. Our client, Orion Performance Group, did a fantastic job of planning and executing every phase of the meeting. A big thanks to Bert, Mindy, Jim, Jonathan, Jennifer Scoggins, and Gabe McCaulley who worked on our team to make the show so successful. We partnered with Axxis Inc. to provide the AV gear for about 23 general sessions and award shows during the week. Our good friend, Kevin King, performed during the awards dinner and blew the audience away with his awesome illusions and comedy. The good times continued in the airport on the way home as Kevin kept us in stiches with his amazing card tricks. He is a real pro! Here is a shot of Kevin with one of his NAPA "victims" performing one of his hilarious "ESP" bits. Great show, Kevin!

We have a new cast of performers on Celebrity Cruises' "Summit" starting rehearsals tomorrow. I get to meet the entire cast for the first time at orientation in the morning. Every cast is unique, and I love the enthusiasm and expectations they always bring to rehearsals. I'll keep you posted on their progress over the next four weeks. We wish them all the best for the beginning of a rewarding 7 month contract!

Thursday, February 1, 2007

Its been a busy week for all of us...GMC Producer Curt Wallen worked with Axxis, Inc. to produce the opening ceremonies for the Religious Conference Managers Association annual meeting in Louisville, KY. We are also currently producing the NAPA AUTO PARTS national sales meeting in Dallas. The keynote speaker at the NAPA show yesterday was Miami Dolphin superstar LARRY CSONKA. He was a great speaker and a huge hit with the NAPA sales team. Csonka is the host of the television show "North to Alaska", an outdoor fishing and hunting show sponsored by NAPA.

Mindy Johnson, David Patton, Stephen Kummer and Jennifer Pippin spent last weekend in Toronto conducting auditions for our cruise ships. We had a good turnout, and found some more great talent! Ok, so it was a little cold for us southerners, but I heard it was a good trip in spite of the cold.

Three more days to go for NAPA, then back to Nashville! Looking forward to seeing family and friends!!