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IEBA will celebrate its 40th anniversary conference October 3-5, 2010 in Nashville. To kick off a year of celebration the board of directors held a reception the night before their first meeting at Old Hickory in the Opryland Resort in Nashville. The reception was an opportunity to celebrate the success of 2009 and gear up for a monumental anniversary year in 2010. The board meeting began the next morning with a toast to 40 years of IEBA. Look for many exciting announcements about the conference and other IEBA initiatives including the IEBA Hall of Fame coming very soon! If you have stories or great photos from the past 40 years you'd like to share with us for our website and commemorative program, please send to info@ieba.org (subject: IEBA 40th). Photos should be scanned at 300 dpi.
L-R: Karen Clark, Tiffany Davis, Jim Carter, Jim Brown, Larry Werner, Sally Williams, Barry Jeffrey
L-R Foreground: Charlie Davis, Todd Boltin, Andy Kerr, Christy Bowen, Linda Smith, Brenda Tinnen
What a special time to be executive director of IEBA. The past two years have been the most transitional in recent history of the organization, and we have emerged stronger than ever just in time for a monumental 40th anniversary celebration. IEBA just experienced the healthiest conference of all its 39 in a year when other organizations were forced to close their doors and the nation suffered the worst financial distress of our lifetime. It is because of our members that we excelled. On behalf of the board of IEBA, I thank you for your support and dedication. We are encouraged and energized to bring you a 40th anniversary year worthy of the rich history that makes IEBA the premier live entertainment organization. I am also thrilled to share that we have developed a great training program for students interested in live entertainment, IEBA Interactive, which provides hands-on experience, mentoring and tuition money for students who intern at IEBA. In the past two years we've worked with nine IEBA Interactive interns - five have graduated college and currently have jobs in the entertainment industry. Our scholarship endowment fund, which now funds five scholarships annually, awarded more money in 2009 than ever before in IEBA's history. The scholarships and their recipients are listed later in this newsletter. In 2009 through strategic planning, the IEBA board identified that a healthy conference and mentoring the next generation of entertainment leaders were the association's top two priorities. I'm proud that we have accomplished both of those goals in one year and are continuously striving for greater heights. We look forward to a spectacular 2010 and seeing you October 3-5 in Nashville! Tiffany Davis
IEBA is celebrating its 40th anniversary of impacting the entertainment industry with great showcases, networking opportunities, educational panels and innovative thinking. The association continues to establish scholarships in industry leaders' names at various universities and works to mentor college students seeking a career in the music industry. As we prepare for our next conference we look to our members for ideas and suggestions, and thank you for the support you have shown IEBA throughout the years. Our board of directors is working hard to establish IEBA as a leader in the industry making the IEBA conference the must-attend event of the year. Here's to a great 2010! Barry Jeffrey
The 2009 conference took programming and production to a new level thanks to our very supportive members, sponsors and vendors who all went the extra mile to deliver the best experience possible for our attendees. We showcased over 36 artists from 12 agencies in three days; heard from groundbreaking speakers Dan Clark and Bob Lefsetz; honored industry icons Barbara Hubbard, Joan Saltel and Chubby Checker in one of the most beloved venues in America—the Ryman Auditorium—and celebrated another great year together with a closing party featuring music legends Don Felder (formerly of the Eagles) and The Wailers! For complete photos of the conference and IEBA Honors visit our site. Congratulations to our member-voted award winners: Entertainment Buyer of the Year: Todd Boltin, Variety Attractions Talent Agent of the Year - John Huie, CAA Concert Promoter of the Year - Outback Concerts Venue of the Year - Ryman Auditorium Event of the Year - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Above: Barbara Hubbard Below: Don Felder
Joan Saltel Twistin' with Chubby Checker The IEBA board made the decision in 2009 to endow individual scholarships at universities of the honorees' choosing instead of continue with a foundation of our own. We are pleased to announce that $9000 was awarded in 2009. Harry A. Peebles Scholarship at Belmont University awarded to Matthew Lee (senior, music business major) Don Romeo Scholarship at Belmont University awarded to Kendel White (senior, music business major) J.P. Williams Scholarship at Belmont University awarded to Ross Marshall (senior, music business major) George Moffett Scholarship at Belmont University awarded to Emily Ramey (senior, music business major) Barbara Hubbard Scholarship at New Mexico State University - newly endowed
IEBA Interactive is a hands-on learning experience for college students who are planning a career in the entertainment industry. Applicants must be currently enrolled in college or graduates that have been out of school for less than one year. Through IEBA Interactive young leaders have the opportunity to intern with IEBA for college credit, tuition money, mentoring and field experience in numerous areas of the entertainment industry. Graduates of IEBA Interactive will continue to utilize IEBA as a resource throughout their career. Ten interns from seven different schools have participated in the program. One of them, Andrew Farwell, has worked at IEBA since graduating! Patrick Brand (Belmont Univ., summer 2008), Andrew Farwell (Univ. of Massachusetts Lowell, summer 2008), Cassandra Hui (Belmont Univ., summer 2008), Elizabeth Brooks (Middle Tenn. State Univ., spring 2009), Michael Ree (Belmont Univ., spring 2009), Matt Malcolm (James Madison Univ., summer/fall 2009), Brittney Miller (Indiana Univ., summer 2009), Eric Burchett (Univ. of Southern Indiana, fall 2009), Candice Johnson (Belmont Univ., fall 2009), David Walker (Northwestern State Univ., spring 2010).
Above: Belmont students at KISS load-in at Nashville's Sommet Center Through our partnership with schools offering a music business program, IEBA has provided guidance to large groups through panel discussions and hands-on opportunities. IEBA Chairman, Barry Jeffrey and past IEBA President, Gil Cunningham offered their expertise of talent buying and selling to a large assembly of Belmont students for their Insider's View series. IEBA Interactive graduate and office assistant, Andrew Farwell, organized a panel discussion on interning in the music industry for current students of his alma mater, Univ. of Mass. Lowell. IEBA Executive Director, Tiffany Davis, participated in a panel discussion for Belmont students on how to network in the industry for internships and jobs. IEBA arranged backstage access for student showcase producers from Belmont to experience the KISS load-in at Nashville's Sommet Center. Last, but not least, Belmont and Murray State University students participated heavily in our 2009 conference and IEBA Honors show working backstage in key roles. IEBA professional members make great guest speakers for entertainment classes, so if you want to volunteer your expertise to speak at a school please let us know and we'll connect you to schools in your area. Top Photo: Barry Jeffrey and Gil Cunningham interviewed by Harry Chapman of Belmont University for The Insider's View
IEBA produced a panel for IAFE attendees in Las Vegas delving into current trends in live entertainment from various perspectives of artist, agent, manager, buyer and promoter. The room was packed and special guest panelist Chuck Wicks was a hit with the crowd. The panel was moderated by Glenn Smith of Glenn Smith Presents. Panelists included: Barry Jeffrey of William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, Rick Barker of Nashville To You, Renee Pearson of the Minnesota State Fair, Jason Kane of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Gil Cunningham of Neste Event Marketing, Bonnie Brosious of Great Allentown Fair and artist Chuck Wicks. L-R: Glenn Smith, Jason Kane, Renee Pearson, Barry Jeffrey
The online member directory is one of the most utilized benefits of membership in IEBA and it is important to make sure your profile is current and complete. Our site allows you to upload a biography and photo in addition to contact information, so use it to the fullest by taking a moment to update all information. It is how we communicate with you and how other members network with you throughout the year. Membership renewals and conference registrations are purchased through our online store. Add your renewal and/or registration to the cart and check-out just as you would with any online merchandise purchase. Visit www.ieba.org and make sure you are updated by logging in using your email address on the left side of the page. If you have never logged in to our site, use your email address as your username and request a password be sent to you. You can then use that password to log in and change it to an easy-to-remember password for the future.
IEBA Chairman of the Board Vice President, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment Can you tell us what's in store for IEBA's 40th anniversary? For our 40th anniversary IEBA will continue to expand in all areas. Although specifics cannot be discussed at this time, one exciting announcement will be the creation of the IEBA Hall of Fame. What would you tell a member who is worried about the financial investment to attend the IEBA conference? Today's economy has affected everyone's life in some way or another. Our conference is not only the best value for the dollar, but our attendees are given the opportunity to spend invaluable time with leaders in our business and get a head start on buying talent for the following year. The William Morris Agency merged last year with Endeavor Entertainment. Have any noticeable changes taken place at the company as a result? A renewed sense of energy and excitement has come over the family at WME as the William Morris Agency and Endeavor Entertainment joined forces to become the most powerful talent agency in the industry. WME is about supporting our clients across all business platforms and opportunities. The live entertainment industry is the focus of both your work with IEBA and your job as an agent with William Morris Endeavor Entertainment. What do you see as the biggest challenge in live entertainment today? Connecting the artist with the ticket buying fan is definitely important to an agent. Equally as important is convincing a concert promoter or talent buyer of an artist's career success and value in the marketplace. Knowing each concert market and available venue, as well as the artist's worth in a specific market is often like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. When every piece comes together, the experience is beautiful. Where do you see the live entertainment industry going in 10 years? Live entertainment as it pertains to concerts and touring will continue to thrive and grow in the future, just as it does today. People want the experience of seeing an artist or band up close as it gives them ownership of the artist and memories to last a lifetime. There is nothing better than the energy that exudes from an artist and his or her fans during a live concert. I have heard it said that when the economy is tanking people want to be entertained, and when the economy is doing great people want to be entertained. It seems the entertainment industry will always weather the storm and come out on top as long as we keep putting out great music. What are some of your favorite success stories? There is nothing sweeter for an agent than to be with an artist at the very beginning of his or her career and work to help them reach their dreams. For me, one of those clients is Brad Paisley. It was a privilege to share in the special moments of his career. I remember Brad hearing his debut single on the radio for the first time, as well as his first concert, first platinum album and his first major industry award. Brad continues his streak of consecutive #1 hits, platinum albums, multiple awards and sellouts at nearly every concert arena. What are some of your personal career highlights? I can vividly remember the day I was made an agent at WME and then again when it was announced I was made a vice president of the company. Both times were moments in my life when I realized hard work, focus and dedication (along with a little luck) paid off. I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I was in college and was determined to find a way to make it work. My father had a Dixieland band some 40 years ago that the William Morris Agency represented out of its Chicago office, and now all this time later, I am celebrating my 20th anniversary with the company that once represented my father's band. Another highlight of my career was when two of my assistants were promoted to agent. To this day, it is truly one of my favorite memories. IEBA underwent a complete bylaw overhaul in 2008 / 2009 to bring the organization up to date in its practices, keeping with other organizations in our industry that serve a similar purpose. The membership voted to accept the changes and therefore adopted the revised bylaws in 2009. If you'd like a complete copy of the new bylaws please email info@ieba.org to request a copy be emailed to you.
Exemplifying that IEBA is an organization for professionals by professionals at the highest level in our industry—for the seventh year IEBA's senior production manager, Graeme Lagden of Davis Entertainment, Inc., served as staging supervisor for the Super Bowl Halftime Show and IEBA's video screen provider, XL Video, was responsible for the amazing spectacle of lights and lasers that had the entire world buzzing! "It was the most elaborate and one of the most difficult builds for us, but we are all very proud of what we pulled off," said Lagden. The entire creation stretched from 27 yard line to 27 yard line. XL Video's Ken Gay had this to say the day after the show, "It is an absolute 'rush' to see six months of intense planning, designing and technology execution play out on the world stage in 12 minutes. The XL team nailed the live show in record time with the highest level of professionalism that our industry has ever witnessed." XL Music City LAB is open for design sessions by appointment only. A visit to the lab will immerse you in cutting-edge touring technology. Watch behind-the-scenes footage on YouTube. |
