December 29, 2008

THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT

We received a beautiful Christmas card and cast photo from our NCL "SPIRIT" cast today. Thanks to the entire SPIRIT cast for the great job their doing out there on the high seas! We love and appreciate you guys and all that you do. For those of you who have not been on the SPIRIT, consider taking a cruise...it is a fantastic ship with a great vibe. 

To the SPIRIT cast...please keep an eye out for some good friends of ours from Nashville - Malcolm and Martha Greenwood. They will be cruising with you soon! 

Congratulations!

Congratulations to our cast on the NCL Majesty! Their shows were rated the top in the fleet last week! They are such a talented group of men and women...and just all around great people! Way to go, guys!! Keep up the great work!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

ALL THE BEST

Today is that weird time between Christmas and New Years when its hard to know whether I'm feeling the let down after Christmas or the simple uneasy feeling of being totally out of my normal routine. The downtime has been great, but I'm also eager to get busy  tackling the challenging year ahead. 2009 is going to be filled with many opportunities, and we are looking for ways to move forward in spite of this crazy economic environment we've been handed. We'd like to thank all of you who've helped us grow this past year, and who will continue to be part of our extended team this coming year.  We also encourage you to let us know of any things we can do to capture new opportunities for projects as we look ahead. We're working on some very promising and innovative approaches to building the company in 2009, but we always welcome your ideas for helping us grow and improve. Let's face it, working together and staying flexible is going to be the key to all of us moving forward this year. We appreciate all of your help in the past and we especially hopeful you will continue to support us in the future. You - our clients, friends and team members -  are the best. And we wish you "all the best" for this wonderful holiday season!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

GOOD TIMES, GOOD FRIENDS

Last night, Mark and Holly Whaley hosted a dinner party for a few friends from GMP who've worked with them on various events over the years. The Whaleys are incredibly gracious hosts - their appreciation for great food, fine wine, and tasteful decor has made them one of Nashville's most sought-after gala and charitable event planners. In fact, we are currently working with Holly and the American Heart Association to produce the upcoming Nashville Heart Gala.  The Whaley's had a fabulous dinner framed by great conversation and lots of laughter. And Holly's mother's macaroni and cheese was a major hit! Thanks to the Whaleys for adding a special evening of friendship and merriment to our holidays. 

RAVE REVIEWS FOR WILLIAM MORRIS PARTY!

We've always been proud of the work we've done on the WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY's annual holiday open house, but today we received a special nod for our efforts from one of Nashville's most popular music industry journalists. Here is an excerpt from a blog managed by Music Row journalist Stephanie Langston.  

"I usually attend about a dozen Christmas parties every season, but there is only ONE that I NEVER want to miss- the William Morris Agency party. I’m not exactly sure what makes this party take my top prize, but I do know I’m not alone in my thoughts. I’ve had several conversations with other partygoers about it always being “the best Christmas party.”

Sure there is lots of hobnobbing and a few celebrity sightings, but the atmosphere is always top notch in the towering Music Row building. Carolers great you in the main entrance and then your name is checked off the special list of invitees. Up the elevator you go to where the parking garage is turned into a fantastic lounge. The Gary Musick Company takes credit for the transformation. This year there was a modern twist to the décor, with one classic touch- Merle Kilgore’s 1959 Sedan DeVille Cadillac showcased in the middle of the room.

I spent much of my time chatting with Albert Haynesworth about his collection of cool cars and nibbling on the food spread. There was shellfish, meat, sweets and an open bar with special Martini’s boasting names like “Agent 007.”

Country singer Clint Black & his wife Lisa Hartman were among the celebrities in attendance. Among those pictured- agent Carey Nelson Burch, Susan Clark & Neil Vance, WM VP Barry Jeffrey (who you may recognize from The Bad Girls Club), News 2’s Jamey Tucker & former News 2 sport reporter Christ Stout with their lovely wives, Tennessee Titans Albert Haynesworth & Rob Bironas, Gunnar Nelson & Jennifer Lane, Sell Out Presents‘ Chris Cobb & Vibe Agencies Telisha Arguelles, Bert Hensley of The Gary Musick Company and musician/comedian Chris Croftonbehind the bar." 

For more articles about Nashville's music scene and photos taken at the Willliam Morris event, check out Stephanie's blog at...

www.stephinthecity.com

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Gary Musick Company Meeting

Yesterday was our annual Gary Musick Productions' company meeting. It is a day of evaluating and dreaming. 2008 was a good year for our company. Everone worked hard and the results paid off. We are strivng for even more growth in 2009.

For those of you Gary Musick performers reading out there...I thought you might like to see some of the gang...





It's less than a week until Christmas! Enjoy this season...whatever holiday you are celebrating!

Cydcor National Sales Conference

We had quite a week...two huge events back to back. This weekend we produced the Cydcor National Conference in association with Orion. It was a crazy load-in and load out. We had two major stage sets which meant very long days...but it was well worth it! One set was for the business meetingduring the day and the other was for the awards banquet that night.

The people at the convention center said it was the largest crowd they had served. There were almost 300 tables...set for 2556 people. Sheryl Thomas and her crew did linens and center pieces for all of the tables. It was a huge job!

Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Load-in and set up for the awards banquet

The set for the business meeting in the East Hall


Business set


Adam Bastien was on Sheryl's crew. Adam is one of our performers who lives in the area.

Glow sticks are fun!

Chris Lyle makes sure the guitars are ready to go

I love this guitar set. The cool thing is...the big microphone on stage is actually the lectern!

Glow sticks are glowing and ready!

A big concrete room is hard to transform. Gary used big LED light bars to up-light the posts.

birds-eye view

When the doors opened, the lights were turned down and everything was glowing.

A look back at the hall. 282 tables seemed like a sea...

The night was a huge success.

Kudos to the men and women of Cydcor. Thank you for allowing us to help you celebrate your successes!

William Morris Agency Christmas Party

One of our favorite events to produce is the William Morris Agency's annual Christmas party. And, according to a reporter who was there covering the event, it has "become the ticket to have in the music industry for the holidays." At this party, WMA invite their artists, managers, corporate executives and agents from Nashville and L.A. It's a very fun night!

Thanks to Senior Agent, Paul Moore for bringing us in year after year to transform their space into party central!

The picture below is a rendering of what we wanted it to look like...ideas that help form the decor of the party. The WMA staff wanted to do something early sixties---like 57-62.

The amazing thing about this party is that it all takes place on the third level of their parking garage! One day it's a parking garage and then next day it's a hip, vibey lounge!

Keith Brogdan (one of our art directors) is caught in action as he fluffs.

Here's a view into the garage that will soon be our vibey 60's club

This car, a 1959 Cadillac, was given by Hank Williams Jr. to the agency...years ago. The car is affectionately known as "The Senator"

(Keith has planted himself as a car model. )

Brandon Thomas (one of our producers) paused for a photo opp. too. The "Senator" is a SWEET ride! Like 6 mpg. Literally.

Parked and safe. WHEW!

Sheryl Thomas (wife of Brandon and one of the decorating crew members) and Gary bundled up as we all froze getting the decor going while still feeling the reality that we ARE in a parking garage. When do those heaters get turned on?

Though it looks to be a mess...there is a vision. There is a plan!

Another one of our art directors, Dean is giving things a final touch.

We couldn't make it without these guys...Jacob Driver (far left) and Chris Lyle. These guys know how to make things happen. Chris is our operations manager and on of my go-to guys when I need great ideas for new sets. Jacob not only builds sets, he also drives our Gary Musick trucks all over the world!

We went with a series of spheres to give that 60's feel. The guys knocked it out of the park on this one!

These groovy creations (above and below) were the centerpieces. Our art guys bought old records and with a heat gun molded the records into cool bowls.

ahhhh....The Senator

In order to create a lounge feel, we developed different sitting areas

This was the entry way into the party

The logo that looks like 4 X's is really a capital sized W and another capital M laid over each other...for William Morris

For the bars, we build bar surrounds that had kind of an animated feel with 60's looking martini glasses and things.

We were able to get together for a rare photo before the party got started. All the producers with Sr. Agent Paul Moore

(L-R) Curt Wallen, Gary Musick, Paul Moore, Brandon Scott Thomas, Bert Hensley

Valerie Summers (an agent at William Morris) and Brandon. Val is an agent for artists in the adult contemporary world...Bill Cosby, Foreigner, etc...

This bar served specialty drinks from the 60's...Rob Roy, Side Car, 007, etc

More groovy sitting space

At its peak, it was a crowded night of lots of fun,

This video will give you little perspective as the final walk through before doors opened.

It is always one of the more challenging and fun events of the year. Thanks to everyone for their hard work and a job well done!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

BIG WEEK!

We have a big week coming up at GMC! The annual William Morris Agency open house event will be staged in Nashville this Wednesday. More than 400 of Nashville's top music industry celebrities and entertainment execs will gather to celebrate another successful year for WMA and its list of top artists. This year we're creating a club atmosphere reminiscent of New York in 1960 (inspired by the hit HBO series "Madmen"). We'll post some photos on Thursday!

We're also producing a major conference this Friday and Saturday at Nashville's Convention Center. We producing business meetings on Saturday for 2400 affiliates of CYDCOR, Inc., a California based sales and marketing firm. Saturday night, we'll be providing production and decor for the CYDCOR closing banquet. Our production team will be handling everything from sound, lights and video to pyro, balloon drops, stage sets, and linens and centerpieces. It will be one of the largest events of this type to be held at the Convention Center this year. Thanks to our client and good friends, Orion Performance Group, for allowing us to be part of this event! We worked with Cydcor and Orion on another successful sales conference a few weeks ago in Toronto. 

Its COLD in Nashville! I hope its warmer wherever you are! Happy holidays to everyone in the GMC family!

Happ Birthday, Curt!

This week we are celebrating a very special birthday! Curt Wallen, one of our producers, was born on December 5. And while I won't tell you how many years ago that was...let's just say it's a golden celebration!

Last night many of us gathered to give toast to Curt...

Curt and Kay Wallen

Curt and his admirers

Bert Hensley (Producer), Mr. and Mrs. Jim Sheridan (Production Manager), Sheryl Thomas and the lovely and pregnant Claire Williams (one of our choreographers)


Mr. and Mrs. Dean Tomasek (dean is one of our art directors)


Mindy McLemore (Project Manager), Erin Davis (Choreographer), Roger Birden, Steve and Kelly Evans (Choreographer)

Rodney and Claire Williams (Rodney is one of our performers and Claire is one of our choreographers), Brandon Scott Thomas (Producer)

Happy birthday, Curt! You're a great guy and a pleasure to work with. May this new year in your life be filled with joy and peace!