2020 was not the year we expected, nor the year we wanted.
We acknowledge our colleagues’ determination, creativity and achievements – from the artists reinventing shows, to the voices championing our industry, to the production teams and crews creating new, dynamic and safe working environments.
We thank our partners, clients, customers, team, and extended production family who entrust us every day to collaborate and deliver incredible experiences.
This has been a remarkable year. Everyone has had to work harder than ever, overcoming obstacles and dealing with constraints we couldn’t have even imagined a few months ago. For me, what’s been extraordinary is how everybody has stepped up and how many people have put the team in front of their own interests.
I am humbled at the strength, resilience and perseverance that has shown through day after day. Our team has worked tirelessly to do what we can for the industry, for our friends and for so many that have lost their livelihood. It’s given us all a pause to realize what’s really important in life. A lot of us have spent more time with family than we ever would have. Personally, it’s also given me a completely different appreciation of our industry. I’m surprised at how much I have missed the joy of the audience – that ‘right here, right now’ moment, where everyone in the room is experiencing something no one else in the world is.
Because that’s what it’s all about. There’s something that happens to us as humans – when we are surrounded by thousands of people at the same time, our heart rates synchronize. You become one with the crowd – unique to that specific point in time, celebrating the live experience together – and that visceral feeling doesn’t happen through a screen. Yet.
Virtual and online events aren’t going away. There may be a future where the live performance and the home experience are merged, but it won’t replace anything. In some ways it will make the live experience that much more valuable, that much greater – because it’s scarce. And a fundamental human need.
Looking ahead, we’re building off this moment, finding opportunities, becoming wiser, smarter and more efficient. And setting the stage for innovation to soar. It’s what we do – we’re here to create a sandbox where artists can create. Providing a partner they can go to, to solve problems. 2021 and beyond is going to see breakthroughs and the result of our energy turning toward the positive of a new tomorrow.
I look forward to when we are all standing in the same room, hearing the collective roar of the crowd. That irreplaceable ‘right here, right now’ moment is coming back. It’s inevitable. Now, more than ever.
