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The
Great Aussie Promoters - 5th October 2003
(republished
in 2014) 
Profiles Promoters
Australia Entertainment
Events
Australian has produced, or is at least home to,
some of the greatest promoters of all time.
What
is it about Australia that is able to cultivate the great promoters? Ok,
firstly what is a promoter? One who promotes, of course. In
this case we are talking about the greats in the entertainment, media and public
relations business. Ah, the lines continue to get blurred as the new wave of convergent
media hits us. Who
are these mysterious promoters? Ok,
starting from the top is the man they call "Harry M", Harry M. Miller
(The Harry M Miller Group). Then we have Max Markson (Markson Sparks!) Michael
Chugg (Michael Chugg Entertainment), Paul Dainty (Dainty Consolidated Entertainment),
Michael Gudinski (Frontier Touring Company) and Michael and Kevin Jacobsen (Jacobsen
Entertainment). Ok, we know that there are others that may feel left out, however,
this elite group has more than cemented their place in the history of Australian
promoting. The waves these guys cause show little sign of flattening out and their
positive influence in the world of entertainment continues. These movers "n"
shakers are indeed here for the long haul. As AC/DC said, "It's a long way
to the top", and these moguls won't be taking a fall any time soon, regardless
of what the rumour mongers may have you believe. What
makes these promoters so great you ask? Many
factors. We could speculate indefinitely. Let's take a look at who they are. The
Players Harry
M. Miller - personality management, media management and marketing. His clients
have included Deborah Hutton, the Rolling Stones, Judy Garland and a cast of Reality
TV personalities and deals. Max
Markson - personality management, specialising in the public speaking circuit.
Speakers Markson has managed include Sebastian Coe, Nelson Mandela, Kieran Perkins,
Maggie Tabberer and Bill Clinton. Markson knows how to sell a story. We can't
forget the Natasha Ryan tale he sold to Nine's 60 Minutes for a reported $200,000
plus. Markson is said to have his fingers in the Big Brother pie also. Michael
Chugg - Tina Arena, Robbie Williams, Duran Duran, Dixie Chicks and more. Michael
Edgley - tour management. The Moscow Circus, AIDA, Disney's Beauty & The Beast
and more. Michael
Gudinski - founder of Mushroom Records. Promoted Split Enz, Kylie Minogue, Jimmy
Barnes and more. Patti
Mostyn - publicist queen. ABBA and more. Paul
Dainty - tour management. World Wrestling Entertainment, ABBA, Michael Jackson,
Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac, Tina Turner, Harry Connick Jnr and more. Michael
& Kevin Jacobsen - tour management. Col Joye and the Joy Boys, Michael Jackson,
The Bee Gees, KISS, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Marley, The Three Tenors, Barbra
Streisand, Shout! - the Musical, Elton John, Fame - the Musical and Bruce Springsteen
and more.
The very author of this article is tempted to include his own company, Media Man
Australia, but will hold back at this point!
All
of the above know how to promote not only their talent, but also themselves. They
have a nose for what the public will likely respond to. The
stakes are high in this promoting and public relations game, where one scoop can
net hundreds of thousands and conversely a slip up could cost the ranch. What
big, what's in, what's out, what's hot or cold…what angle…what's the
vibe on the street; these are all things to consider in this deadly game of promotion
and P.R. Little wonder some of these operations contain their own crisis management
division, for when things turn sour. Next
time you ponder how much of your hard earned cash you have forked out to see your
favourite performer, spare a thought for the promoter who helped make it a reality,
by laying it all on the line, to get your favourite gig to town. Some
may say these promoters are little more than master manipulators, but those in
the know, will tell you that they are smart operators who know all the tricks
of trade; and that only years of trial and error, enormous risk and incredible
judgement can produce the right outcome for their clients and the public. Imagine
the logistics involved in promoting a rock band, and making sure they are at the
right place, at the right time, for the right money, and ensuring the right insurance
measures have been taken into consideration! Time has shown that these entertainment
types sure know how to whip up a frenzy in a hotel room. Talk about a recipe for
sleepless nights. Simply
dealing with the egos of some of the top line performers is enough to make the
average man cringe. It
wasn't many decades ago that elite international performers baulked at the idea
of taking the arduous 23-hour flight from the U.S to grace our shores. As recently
as last year, once of the greatest showman of all time, Hulk Hogan, pulled out
of the Australian WWE tour, citing a bad back. Even Vince McMahon, American master
promoter and wrestling puppeteer, apparently couldn't convince the "Hulkster"
to take the trip. The storyline was that one of his opponents put his back out,
but intelligent Australian fans saw through the facade. Perhaps there wasn't sufficient
influence by Australian promoters and P.R. men, to make the "Hulk" deal
a reality. It's
true, professional wrestling aka "sports entertainment", is in a phylum
of its own; however the principles are consistent across the entertainment spectrum. These
promoters deserve every cent they earn. Sure, they do it for themselves of course,
but they do it for you too. It
hard not to typify Australian promoters as some of the best in the world. Perhaps
our geographic remoteness has necessitated that our entertainment entrepreneurs
have extraordinary insight and acute judgement for what "will fly" in
the land "down under". Dinkum
Aussies all the way. Links: Promoters Harry
M. Miller Group Markson
Sparks! Jacobsen
Entertainment Dainty
Consolidated Entertainment Michael
Chugg Entertainment Edgley
International The
Frontier Touring Company Mushroom
Records Australia World
Wrestling Entertainment
Venues
Sydney
Entertainment Centre Sydney
Superdome Sydney
Cricket & Sports Ground Trust Sydney
Cricket Ground MCG Melbourne
Park Telstra
Dome The
State Theatre Enmore
Theatre Sydney
Opera House The
Basement Clubs
NSW Panthers
World: Panthers Entertainment Group Madison
Square Garden
Ticketing Ticketek Ticketmaster7 Bass
Online Visa
Preferred Seating
Media Man Australia interviews:
Max
Markson - 2nd July 2003 Kevin
Jacobsen A.O.M - 28th August 2003 Phil
Tripp - 14th October 2003 Doug
Mulray - 18th June 2003 Joy
Hruby - 29th July 2003 Bessie
Bardot - 21st March 2003 Debbie
Kruger - 12th July 2003 Steve
Rackman - 25th May 2003 Paul
Hurst - 15th September 2003 Vaughan
Buckland - 7th October 2003 Billy
Wiz - 28th August 2003 Rohan
Herbstreit - 3rd December 2003 Justin
Lawrence - 4th January 2004 Jeff
Fenech - 8th January 2004 Greg
"TNT" Bounds - 15th January 2004
Media Man Australia Entertainment News:
Media
Man Australia: Entertainment News What's
On
Media Man Australia articles:
The
Great Yankee Promoters The
Man They Call Harry M Wrestling
Promoters Down Under
Promoters
discuss 2003 i.
World events hit promotions industry
Many leading promoters have publicly
acknowledged that the past year has been one of the toughest for the Australian
entertainment and promotions industry. After the Bali bombing, Australians became
concerned that they were now targets of possible terrorist attacks and audience
numbers at major events dwindled. This situation was further exacerbated by the
SARS epidemic, which caused health fears around the world, and the commencement
of the Iraqi conflict a few months later took its toll on box office revenues. For
example, JEL (Jacobsen Entertainment Limited), Australia's only ASX-listed entertainment
and promotions company, believes that the past year's difficulties were unprecedented
in the Jacobsens' long history of presenting attraction with JEL losing $8.5 million
on two world-class shows - the Bruce Springsteen tour and the Witches of Eastwick
- within a short period of time. As a precautionary measure, the JEL board has
appointed administrators KordaMentha to assist the company to work through the
current period, while protecting the company's value as restructuring options
are developed. Certainly,
the Jacobsen family are determined that JEL, in which they own 78 per cent, will
continue to operate and believe the strengthening outlook for the promotions industry
will work in their favour. ii.
Environment looking brighter Despite
the severity and length of the recent downturn, the entertainment industry is
cyclical. People want to be entertained. Most promoters are optimistic about the
long-term outlook and are already seeing signs of a pick-up in shows and attendances.
*public thank you to those in the entertainment and media business that made the
article and interviews possible. Greg Tingle
*don't
forget to check our Online Shop
for some great books including books on promoting. Articles
on Australian Promoters
Jacobsen
Entertainment Fights Back (article full credit
to Julius Media) 29th October 2003 Australian
entertainment promotion firm Jacobsen Entertainment Limited hope to be out of
administration soon, and expect to announce a restructure on November 21. Director
Michael Jacobsen told CX Web that the firm is working hard on new shows for 2004,
after founder Kevin Jacobsen returned from a round world trip to shore up support. The
firm has traded for almost 40 years as a family company, before floating slightly
more than a year ago. “No one could have foreseen what happened”, Michael
asserts, detailing the difficult trading conditions that lead to a voluntary administrator
being appointed. Employing
15 people prior to becoming a public company, JEL didn’t undergo massive
expansion, according to Michael. “We had to corporatise, to appoint a CEO
and a CFO”. Now some staff have been stood down, but the firm is trading,
with two tours under way. The
strengthening of the Australian dollar has assisted, and trading conditions now
are more suitable – but it still costs about $3 million to stage an average
theatre production. “The cost is relative, it costs 3 million US dollars
there, and 3 million pounds in the UK”. The
Jacobsen family loaned the public company an estimated $3 million in the months
leading up to the appointment of their administrator, who is able to quarantine
creditors and operate the firm with available resources. The
message from the Jacobsen family is that they are on the case, and expect to be
back in business very soon. *Julius
Media Profile - Pro Sound, Lighting, Vision and Staging NEWS and TECHNICAL
TRAINING. Based in Australia *Final
thank you again to all of the Great Aussie Promoters for helping make this tribute
possible.
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