How to Produce Celebrity Entertainment
By Annie Eifler, Managing Director and Principal at Gulf Coast Entertainment (GCE)
So you know how to book celebrity entertainment, but do you know how to produce it?
Knowing how to book celebrity entertainment and knowing how to produce it are two different skill sets. At Gulf Coast Entertainment, we have both.
Producing celebrity entertainment can be stressful without understanding the industry jargon or standards, but don’t worry, you are in the right place if you want to know more!
Jason Derulo at a private event for THINK Neurology for Kids, photo by Fulton Davenport
Gulf Coast Entertainment has been producing celebrity talent and booking entertainment for private events for more than 45 years.
Producing headliner talent for live events is our craft. It is our joy and privilege to get to bring headliner performances to life for our wonderful private and corporate clients, and we are pleased to share some of our pro tips with you here.
This article is our love letter to you: artists, clients, event professionals, planners, venues, and vendors, to help the celebrity performance at your event go off without a hitch.
Flo Rida at a private event, photo by Sarah Austin for Chris Bailey Photography
From Booking Celebrity Entertainers to Producing the Performance, here are the Key Stages to keep in mind:
- Budgeting/Brainstorming
- Proposal
- Offer
- Confirmation
- Contracting/Deposits
- Preparation
- Advancing
- The Big Day
This article focuses on the preparation phase of talent booking and onward. For help with talent booking — brainstorming, budgeting, and making an offer on a headliner — contact GCE for a no-cost consultation on how we can help you identify the right celebrity for your next corporate or private event.
Montell Jordan at a private event, photo by Sarah Austin for Chris Bailey Photography
Preparing for Your Headliner Performance
So you have the booking part down — you’ve signed a contract for a live performance or appearance by a celebrity performer, and the deposit is in. Now what?
- Tour the Venue: Take time in the months after booking the artist and leading up to the event to get to know the venue. Identify any potential challenges you might have, and bring questions to the artist during the advance process. (More on the “advance” later.)
- Get Organized: Connect with the client, event planner, production, décor, catering, transportation, etc. to make sure everyone is on the same page about what the vision is for the event. Keep a running list of questions you have for the artist to fill in the blanks on your run of show.
- Check the Details: Review the floorplan, timeline, and production gear lists to make sure the basics needed for an artist performance have been accounted for. For example:
- Is there enough existing power? Or will you need to bring in a generator?
- How big is the stage?
- Is there enough room on either side of the stage for band gear?
- Does the floorplan account for a Front of House position centered with the stage?
- If your event is outdoor, do you have a rain plan in the case of inclement weather?
- Introduce Yourself and Send a Summary: In the ~6 weeks leading up to the event, reach out to the celebrity entertainer’s Tour Manager and Production Manager to introduce yourself.
- Once you’ve synthesized the event details, send the artist an overview of the event with the rough timeline and event description.
- This interaction with artist management in the weeks before the show is called the “advance.” This is a good time to ask management any questions you have, like how many people will be in their traveling party, and if anything has changed in the rider that was issued with the contract.
- Pro Tip: Unless you have a few burning questions you really need to get an answer on, don’t expect an answer until about a month before the show.
- Prepare for Feedback: If management would like any adjustments to what you’ve sent over, the hope is that they would let you know at this time, along with what time they plan to load in, so you know when the stage and power need to be set and ready for them.
- Request any Adjustments: If there are any artist needs you are not able to accommodate, it is best to mention that at the offer stage (before the date is confirmed and contract is issued) so that there are no surprises when you get to the advance. If anything changed from when you submitted the offer, or if you are not able to accommodate an artist request, call out those changes for management’s review during the advance so you can get any substitutions approved and work together to try to come up with a mutually agreeable plan.
Grouplove at a private event, photo by Jeff Fitlow
As the Entertainment Producer, your goal should be for there to be no surprises on the day of the show so that everyone can sit back, relax, and enjoy the night!
The Big Day
The complexity of your show and related production will determine how long load in will take and therefore how many days you will need to be on site.
- Must-Haves on the Big Day:
- $$- Make sure to have the Balance payment with you (made out to the correct entity) and any buyouts (correct denominations, please!), if the contract calls for those to be paid on Show Day.
- Venue-Appropriate Load-in Attire
- If your show is in a theater or ballroom, don’t forget your jacket or hoodie. It’s often freezing during load in.
- If your show is outdoors, be sure to wear breathable clothing for load in.
- Bring a more formal change of clothes for the show so that you blend in with the crowd. Stage blacks and flats are always a good idea.
- Laptop- Make sure to bring your laptop. There is often lots of downtime on site until it’s Go Time.
- Snacks- You will be on your feet all day. Don’t forget to eat!
- Phone Charger- Don’t forget your phone charger. You will be texting with artist management, the client, production, runners, transportation, catering, etc all day long and you will run out of battery unless you keep it charged.
- To Do’s:
- Get there Early: Arrive prior to artist load in to make sure the artist dressing room is set with all of their rider requests and that the stage is clear and production is ready to receive the artist.
- Say Hello: When the artist arrives, make sure they know where to park and greet the Artist team at load in.
- Pro Tip: Settling up with the Artist at load in sets a positive tone for the day.
- Runner Introductions: Introduce your runner(s) to the Artist and make sure they have each others’ cell phones.
- Venue Overview: Offer to give management a quick tour of the venue to show them the dressing rooms, bathrooms, stage, and the Artist Path from dressing rooms to the stage.
- Credentialing: Make sure you either have All Access credentials from the artist or have introduced yourself to security. Or both!
- Stay in Touch: Stay in touch with the client or event coordinator throughout the night to determine whether you are on schedule or if you need to communicate any timeline adjustments to the artist, which might affect when they take the stage.
Third Eye Blind at a corporate event, photo by Marco Wang
Your job as the producer of top talent is to synthesize all of the event details, anticipate artist needs, clear road blocks, and help everyone to feel at home so that the show goes off without a hitch.
Remember, artists are people! If they are treated with respect, and you do your best to make everyone feel comfortable and heard, the show will benefit, and your client will be glad they put you in charge.
At Gulf Coast Entertainment, we are a steady hand. Entertainment booking and helping our clients find the right innovative entertainment such as celebrity sports figures, or a musician, guest, or celebrity speaker for our clients’ private events has been our passion for more than 45 years.
Producing headliner entertainment for private and corporate events is the heartbeat of our organization, and is what we were founded on almost five decades ago. Our team at GCE has the industry knowledge and relationships to help make the process of celebrity booking and producing a celebrity headliner performance a breeze.
John Michael Montgomery at a fundraiser, photo by Ashley Siegert
Transparency and advocacy are some of the key tenants that keep clients coming back to us at Gulf Coast Entertainment. Keeping everything transparent in the celebrity booking process builds trust with our clients and artists. For decades, we have served as the talent booking agency for some of the leading companies in the world in booking and producing their corporate entertainment. They know we are a trusted partner in the entertainment industry and that we are there to support them from their initial inquiry to the execution of the event.
The right celebrity talent for your private event may not be the perfect performer for someone else- some companies may want to book an exclusive artist like John Legend, or have a celebrity appearance by a comedian like Dana Carvey, while others may be looking at music acts like country artists or a celebrity chef to bring cachet to their event. Whatever your goals, your talent buyer at a celebrity booking agency like Gulf Coast Entertainment can help you find the perfect keynote speaker or celebrity guest for your private or corporate event.
Motivational speaker for Corporate Event
Gulf Coast Entertainment helps its clients not only brainstorm celebrity names and book celebrities, but we also help our clients in formulating their official offer (binding if accepted) so that unforeseen production issues are minimized and the client needs are translated to the artist. And vice versa, we help our clients understand when artist needs are industry standard.
While it helps to have an advocate on your side in formulating your offer, we often work with clients who have booked the entertainment on their own already- anything from business speakers for a corporate event to a country headliner for an engagement party- and are looking for a production coordination partner to produce the show for them so they can focus on all the many other entertainment elements they have on their plates. We are skilled in both roles and can adjust our proposal according to your needs.
Tone Loc at a private event, photo by Ashlee Brooke
If you would like help in producing headliner entertainment for your next corporate event or private party, please contact us at Gulf Coast Entertainment today, for a no-obligation and no-cost consultation. We would love to help you from ideation to execution to help make your event a seamless experience. Let’s get your party started!
If you are an entertainment producer too and want to add your pro tips to producing top entertainment, drop them in the comments!
Annie Eifler is Managing Director and Principal at Gulf Coast Entertainment. For 45+ years, Gulf Coast Entertainment has been booking and producing celebrity talent for top corporate and private clients across the globe. With inquiries, please reach out to info@gulfcoastentertainment.com.
Connect with us!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gulf-coast-entertainment/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gulfcoastentertainment/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GCEntertain
Note: Nothing in this opinion article should not be construed as legal advice. Consult with your legal team and hired entertainment professional with any questions.
