As the lead Artist Relations manager for audio at Avid/Digidesign for 11 years, I was privileged to work with hundreds of the top musicians, producers and engineers in the world. Following the merger between the audio division at Digidesign and our parent company Avid, my role grew to include securing endorsements from leading filmmakers in the motion picture business.
One of my favorite parts of the job was producing live events featuring our A-list endorsers. In this role, I booked over 100 live event appearances and performances, taking place in six countries and on four continents. Below are a few examples of what I consider to be my greatest hits.
The Sound of Star Wars: Will Files for Avid at InterBEE, Tokyo, Japan
Live Technology Demonstration
I've worked with the genius Sound Designer Will Files on a number of projects over the years. In this instance, I booked him to appear at the InterBEE trade show in Tokyo, Japan on behalf of Avid. There, he demonstrated how he created elements of the sound design for Star Wars: The Force Awakens using Avid technology. This event took place the week before the world premier of the film.
Attendance at the Avid booth for his appearances drew an estimated 15% of the entire registered audience for InterBEE (a show that regularly draws more than 35k attendees). His appearance also directly helped our sales team close several million dollars worth of new business during the show.
Randy Jackson for Avid at NAMM
Live Speaking Engagement
One of my favorite partners while working at Avid was Pensado's Place, an online TV show hosted and produced by legendary mixing engineer Dave Pensado along with his partner Herb Trawick. As part of the marketing agreement I made with Pensado's Place, they taped live episodes of their show directly from the Avid main stage at NAMM.
Over the course of five years, together we booked over 25 A-list musicians, producers and engineers to appear on the Avid main stage and then broadcast those interviews to an online audience. This allowed us to make a big impact at the live event, and to build on that momentum to reach a much broader audience than we could at a trade show. Some of my favorite guests included Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park) and Macy Gray. But my all time favorite was this man, the incomparable Randy Jackson.
Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers) for Avid at NAMM
Live Technology Demonstration
I was an integral part of the marketing campaign for Eleven, the first product Avid designed specifically for guitar players. For it's world debut, I was tasked with securing an artist to endorse the product and demonstrate how it works in front of a live audience at NAMM, the biggest MI trade show in America.
I spent months developing Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro as an endorsing artist for Eleven in advance of the product launch. When it came time for his appearance, Navarro unleashed his rock star persona on the audience and gave the most compelling endorsement imaginable. Overnight, Avid was taken seriously in a space where we had never before competed.
Fitz and the Tantrums for Avid at NAMM 2013
Live Performance
I've booked a lot of live entertainment for events, including artists such as Alicia Keys, Nile Rodgers & Chic and Bollywood superstar A.R. Rahman (the seventh highest selling recording artist of all time). But I take a particular amount of pride in working with artists just before they really made it big.
In January of 2013, I booked my favorite new band Fitz and the Tantrums to appear at a party we were sponsoring in partnership with the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus (you can see the version of the performance that includes all the corporate sponsorship stuff here.) Just four months later, the group had a certified platinum single and their first Billboard #1 with "The Walker."
Kelly Clarkson for Avid & M-Audio at NAMM
Live Performance
In 2005, Avid launched the VENUE live sound console. In order to demonstrate how it worked, we booked a private room at the NAMM show and held a VIP technology demonstration that culminated in a live performance. I was tasked with booking an artist who would make a maximum impact and lend credibility to the product.
Working in partnership with my colleagues at M-Audio (a subsidiary of Avid at the time), I secured Kelly Clarkson to perform her new single "Since You've Been Gone" at the event. American Idol had just wrapped it's first season and had not yet proven it could actually launch the career of a credible artist. Needless to say, booking the winner of a reality show was risky call at the time. It paid off. Kelly Clarkson brought down the house with her performance and within weeks, "Since You've Been Gone" was the #2 single in the country and went on to win her the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Before her appearance in 2005, Avid had never competed in the live sound console business. By 2006, VENUE was the second biggest selling live sound console in the world.
Morgan Spurlock for Avid at NAB
Live Speaking Engagement
My favorite guest speaker I've ever booked is the acclaimed documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. I've worked with him on three appearances at trade shows and one private event for the investment community. His appearances are always inspiring, he always tells great stories and his endorsements of the platforms he uses are always 100% honest and 1000% compelling.
On this occasion, I booked him for a live interview in the Avid Booth during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas. Following this appearance, he was also gracious enough to appear on our behalf at SuperMeet, the largest meeting of post production creative professionals in America.
Nile Rodgers & Chic at Avid Connect 2014
April 07, 2014
In 2014, Avid launched the Avid Customer Association with an event we called "Avid Connect." This event was intended to bring our most valuable customers together to partner with the company and help develop our roadmap for future products.
I was tasked with booking a performer for the opening night party that everyone would know and love, but also fit within a budget that ruled out many artists who would meet that criteria. After a great deal of persuasion, I was given the green light to book Nile Rodgers with his band Chic. When I began negotiations for the booking, Nile Rodger's career appeared to be in a cooling-off period to most observers. But I knew his recent production work on the latest Daft Punk album was about to annihilate that perception.
Between the time I secured his booking at the time he performed at the event, Nile Rodgers stood on stage at the Grammy's four times to accept awards (including Album of the Year) on behalf of Daft Punk.
Robert Rodriguez for Avid at IBC, Amsterdam
September 14, 2014
In 2014, I booked the iconic indie filmmaker Robert Rodriguez to appear on our main stage at the International Broadcasters Conference (IBC) in Amsterdam. In addition to his appearance, I signed his production company, Troublemaker, to a cooperative marketing agreement that included licensing original film and television source materials to Avid for use as demonstration material showcasing functionality in Avid products.