On a mission to WOW

When a client asked John Sherwood and Lee Moore of EastCoast Entertainment to plan an extravagant James Bond themed party, the two didn't flinch.
 
Instead, they went into 007 mode. They used their network of entertainers to find a James Bond-like actor who was willing to rappel from a helicopter onto a barge to take party guests into a world of mystery.
 
"People today want the wow factor for their event," said Moore, the company's president. "It's our mission to make every celebration an unforgettable experience, whether it's a wedding or a large corporate retreat with headline entertainment and all the bells and whistles."
 
EastCoast celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. The company was founded at the end of 1976 in Richmond by Steve Thomas, who currently heads the company's Atlanta office, and the late Dennis Huber. It completed its first full year of operation in 1977.
 
"When the company started, we were booking bands, DJs and singers for nightclubs, colleges and social functions," Moore said. "At the time, we were doing business in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia."
 
By 1986, the company had opened an office in Charlotte. That was followed by offices in Columbia, S.C.; Virginia Beach; Charleston, S.C.; Raleigh, N.C.; and Atlanta -- now the company's second-largest office. More locations are in the works.
 
"When a client comes to us and wants us to help them produce an event, we are going to be at that event," said Sherwood, the chief executive officer. "We spend a lot of time on airplanes. That's why we want to put more offices around the country. We're in discussions with other agencies in the Midwest, the Deep South and the Southwest now. We're confident that we're going to expand our footprint."
 
EastCoast gained an advantage over its competition in 1990 when it developed new booking and accounting software. "We had everything we needed at our fingertips to service a client and that was unheard of in this industry at that time," Moore said. "Now we do everything online, from contracts to promotional materials."
 
Today, EastCoast works with more than 10,000 entertainers -- 85 acts are exclusive to the company -- and books entertainment in all 50 states and multiple countries around the world. The company started its performing-arts arm in 1996 with the signing of the Chicago-based comedy troupe Second City. EastCoast's performing-arts roster now includes a variety of acts, including The Harlem Gospel Choir, the trendy Cirque Voila! and iO, formerly Improv Olympic.
 
Charlottesville-based band Big Ray and the Kool Kats is one of EastCoast's exclusive acts. Since joining EastCoast's roster, the band has performed all over the world. Several years ago, the band was booked for an 11-night event in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
 
"It was for a big insurance company," recalled band leader, Ray Caddell. "It wasn't something that fit into our personal schedules because of family. The client asked to speak to me and offered to fly 27 of us [families included] to Cabo for the event."
 
Recently, Caddell and the majority of his band performed with singer Gladys Knight at The Greenbrier in West Virginia.
 
"We're getting ready to work with Martin Short and then The Temptations," Caddell said. "Those bits of spice in our schedule are a lot of fun. EastCoast is always setting up unique combinations. They're professional and they know where the interesting work is. That's why I work with them," he said.
 
"We're growing that roster," Moore said. "We can do a little bit of everything."
 
In recent years, the company has been growing about 20 percent a year in business and revenue.
 
The cost of an event runs the gamut, according to John Wolfslayer, a partner in the firm.
 
"Our smaller events run from less than $500 to thousands of dollars. Our larger, more elaborate events can run hundreds of thousands of dollars," he said.
 
Currently, two-thirds of the company's business is squarely rooted in its core baseline: Delivering live entertainment to any manner of celebration. The remaining one-third is moving into full-scale, knock-your-socks-off productions.
 
"More and more folks are asking for that wow factor," Moore said. "They want headline talent like Tony Bennett, Toby Keith and Earth, Wind and Fire. They want us to come up with a creative approach for their event. That's the biggest trend change we've seen in the last decade."
 
One day the company may be booking singing star Jewel for a private birthday party; the next day it may be holding a star-studded corporate function at the Atlanta Braves stadium. In November EastCoast produced an event at the stadium at which a company brought in 200 of its best clients for a party with players, live bands, extreme sports and fireworks. Another corporate affair included a black-tie event atop Rockefeller Center during the lighting of the famous Christmas tree.
 
"We do these types of events all over the country," Sherwood said. "Many are private or corporate functions where they don't want any publicity."
 
EastCoast-produced events in Richmond include bringing in Jay Leno in 2003 for a fundraiser to benefit the Massey Cancer Center sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and The Three Waiters novelty act for the Science Museum of Virginia Foundation's Kugel Ball.
 
"Organizations want to make their event more than just a dinner and dance," Moore said. "They want things like customized comedy roasts and casino nights or living statues and ice sculptures. They want custom concepts that leave a mark."
 
EastCoast offers its clients a turn-key operation, from arranging for artists' special requirements to overseeing the event.
 
"We have to make sure everything is taken care of," Moore said. "We are there before the show and up until the last person leaves."
 
Richmond Times Dispatch
By JOAN TUPPONCE

In Other News

© 2008 EastCoast Entertainment, Inc.