The Entertainment Institute (TEI) 

TEI was born out of a passion for educating the next generation of the concert industry.  Co-Founder and Warped Tour Producer, Kevin Lyman and I wanted to connect the Warped Tour audience to the artists on stage in a new, educational way.  We brought in Matt Halpern (drummer for Periphery) to help launch our artist workshop series on the Warped Tour. Artists on the tour held 40 minute backstage workshops that fans could attend for a fee.  Many headliners on the tour participated including: Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides), Awsten (Waterparks),  Chris Motionless (Motionless in White), Sleeping with Sirens, and Memphis May Fire. The workshops ranged from instrument lessons, to entrepreneurial skills to start a band, to how to survive hard times in life (like high school).  It was rewarding to not only hear from so many attendees that the workshops had an impact on them, but also from the artists themselves, who loved the opportunity to have real connections with their fans, and touch their lives in a different way than they can on stage.

Our brand partnerships helped make the whole venture possible.  Shure, Ernie Ball, PRS Guitars and Mapex were a few of the key brands that helped TEI run.

As the day-to-day partner, and ultimately, the sole owner, I handled literally everything.

LAUNCH Music Conference and Showcase Festival was an opportunity to expand TEI’s reach.  As a partner from 2015-2018, I increased revenue and brand partnerships and oversaw a new marketing plan in addition to producing the conference portion of the annual 3 day event. 

Show Makers

Always trying to find a silver lining, I saw the pandemic shutdown of the live events industry as an opportunity to bring valuable knowledge to the stuck-at-home live event professionals, and strengthen the industry as a whole. Collaborating with Jim Digby on the non-profit, Show Makers, we identified areas of need to create original content and amplify the amazing work being done by many existing organizations. Mental health, financial literacy, diversity equity and inclusion, and leadership are some of the core topics we hit on. Bringing original content to NAMM and Grammy Museum, working on industry wide alliance and think-tank style collaborations have given us many opportunities to give back to both the individuals and the industry.