In our latest Oh-Ah-Ha Live, JR from the Production and Music Agency discusses having fun and success in event entertainment and production.
If fun is high on the agenda, the solution is as simply as looking for JR from The Production and Music Agency. Success is guaranteed.
Our latest Oh-Ah-Ha Live kōrero is living proof the above statement is spot on.
Thoughts in his head bounce about. Even his post-lockdown Covid experience receives an animated pac-man description. But it’s also what makes JR so successful at his job. He understands the buzz of events. And he’s got guts.
Where other people see failure, JR sees opportunity. Where they see risk, he sees a gap in the market. And he just goes for it.
Event Entertainment: Life is what happens when you don’t hold back
Chances are, you know exactly who JR is.
After his own musical career and successful, high-profile roles at ASB showgrounds and Mt Smart Stadium, JR decided it was time to fly solo. He did what nobody else had successfully accomplished before… or since. He put Audio-visual Solutions AND Entertainment Placement under one umbrella, creating a one-stop-shop. The word ‘crazy’ was used.
Yet JR just made it happen. More importantly, he did it with success! It’s what happens when you love your job so much, you don’t really feel like going home.
First, The Production and Music Agency had Auckland as a hub, serving the entire country.
But since a month or two, Rotorua and Taupo are on the map as well. That’s because JR is in love with both places. But also both host a good mix of all kinds of events. More than that, JR is remembering the big festivals that used to take place there. And he’s confident he can get things done.
‘I’ve got the contacts and I’m doing what I’m doing best. I’m just spreading my wings’.
In the meantime, he’s still scooting back and forth to and from Auckland for The America’s Cup.
When the going gets tough in Event Entertainment
It was exactly there, during the New Year’s Eve America’s Cup Party, that JR stood there with goosebumps running down his spine. The realisation that thousands of people were watching Jordan Luck going off amid a global pandemic was profound. With the rest of the world in some form of a lockdown, it doesn’t take a genius to realise how lucky Kiwis are and how amazing this country really is.
‘When things got heated at the start of 2020, I was in utter denial that we would lock down. I figured it was something that happens in the movies, not in real life. How wrong was I…’
Despite a rough lockdown, New Zealand artists and The Production and Music Agency are busy with festivals everywhere around the country. ‘It makes you realise Aotearoa has done it right.’
But lack of human contact and tears aside, JR has positivity running through his veins. He’s definitely one to make lemonade out of the lemons 2020 served us. Not only is he riding the event-thirst Kiwis are desperately searching to quench. The Production and Music Agency’s Audio-visual Equipment warehouse also received a stock up with gear that was scooped up at auctions from UK and US companies that had fallen over.
Oh-Ah-ha moment: If you can’t have fun, there’s no sense in doing it
When asked about his Oh-Ah-Ha moment, JR is a bit reluctant to share. Not because there was no Ah-ha. (It’s clear there’s plenty of that going on.) Rather, the issue seems to be that sometimes Ah-ha moments are also not our shiniest moments.
For JR, coming to the realisation that his food was stone cold after a few post-event drinks made him click that maybe a little less drink was a smart move. It might be me, but somehow, though… I can’t help but feel that the cold food story is a safe substitute for an incident that was less suitable for public sharing.
John Robertson (JR) has been in the corporate events industry for more than 25 years and his business specialises in audio visual and entertainment solutions as well as creating unique, memorable moments for his clients. As the ASB Showgrounds Marketing and Entertainment Manager for 10 years he was the lead on multiple key events, concerts and exhibitions held at the Showgrounds and managing key relationships with event managers and coordinators. JR was also responsible for all the production and entertainment needs for some of New Zealand’s most iconic events like The Royal Easter Show, Volvo Ocean Race, Meetings Gala Dinner and TRENZ.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theproductionandmusicagency
Website: www.tpma.co.nz
