Incredible Talent Archive - Prism Entertainment

Archive for the ‘Incredible Talent’ Category

A few words about making the most of winter then enjoying the Spring!

Posted on: March 8th, 2017 by mark60480

Everyone knows how hard the Chicago winters are. What helps us get through them, besides the pioneer spirit? You should embrace what you can’t change! That can mean getting yourself good, sensible winter gear & go ice skating, skiing, shovel your elderly neighbors driveway or go for walks in the many parks. There is also a wealth of fabulous entertainment to choose from, with seasons that focus on the cold months: Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the Joffrey Ballet, Broadway in Chicago, Chicago Symphony, Civic Opera Company, to name just a few. Outdoor activities help you physically & live theater tends the inner spirit.

All that being said, by the end of the long winter, we can’t wait for spring! If you’re planning an event, spring is a great time to schedule it. It’s easier & more dependable for guests to travel & people are ready to get out. For Corporate Sales Meetings, it’s a great time to motivate. You get a feeling of renewal & new enthusiasm.

Combining work with fun is also important. If Chicago is a destination for your company or corporate meeting, please consider providing entertainment, to enhance your goals & networking. Make that next Convention memorable for everyone attending by making it entertaining as well as informative!

What makes your Gala special? Spend some, make a lot!

Posted on: October 30th, 2014 by mark60480

We are providing our Production Services for several major Fundraisers in the next couple of weeks. For most Foundations, there is a new committee each year, often times made up with volunteers. Our part in the planning is essential, as many of the committee members will have never planned a major event before & it can be daunting.

There is such intense competition for Fundraising dollars these days. It is critical that your Gala be the one that people put down on their social calendars each year as a “MUST ATTEND” because they had such a wonderful time. What is sometimes difficult for people to understand, is this simple but true axiom: you have to spend money, to make money. This is done through promotion, the event site, décor, food & entertainment. When all these elements are maximized, your event becomes the most important one of the season.

It may be painful to spend those dollars for a charity. Understandably, the whole idea is to MAKE money, not spend it. However, a good Planner can help you explore the most inexpensive ways to look expensive. That’s what an experienced Professional does. That’s why you call us.

Live Entertainment at your Holiday Event

Posted on: October 14th, 2014 by mark60480

It’s coming on the time of year when you may be thinking about thanking your employees with a holiday event. Do you remember Scrooge being visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past? One memory he returned to, was the night of Mr. Fezziwig’s holiday party. Even the embittered Scrooge could not help but delight in the joy of celebrating all the goodness that the holiday season embraces, expressed in the employer’s hospitality & appreciation.

We have provided entertainment year after year for many, many companies. It is something that the employees look forward to each passing season. It makes them feel appreciated & is a wonderful way to say “thank you” for their service.

Live entertainment lifts that celebration out of the realm of the ordinary & gives your employees a chance to enjoy each other’s company outside the office. It’s worth the relatively small investment & will be remembered by each & every one.

What makes a Fundraiser successful? Stars usually makes people come out at night!

Posted on: June 11th, 2014 by mark60480

We were so proud to once again provide entertainment services for Make A Wish Foundation (wish.org) recently, which we have done for quite a few years. Over the years of our involvement, such Name Performers as Dana Carvey, David Spade, Martin Short & this year, Seth Meyer have performed to a packed house. Having a Star appear for your organization or foundation may just be the factor which makes people choose your event, in our challenging economic times.

Today, unfortunately, there is a tremendous competition for those charitable dollars. If you want to tempt the right people to your event, it has to be special & set apart from the rest. How do you do that, without spending more than you take in? That is the magic trick!

One way to circumvent the huge pricetag of the more irresistible Name Talent, is of course, to either find someone connected with your organization with a personal connection, or research Entertainers with a personal interest in your charity. That is somewhat obvious. Otherwise, a Production Company such as ours can help you to target Performers which would best impact your event & least impact your budget. For example, Comedians are in many ways the ideal Name Entertainment for Fundraisers. They have few production demands, can usually do the right amount of time for your format & they can generally be prevailed upon to do some personal meet & greet with your V.I.P.’s. However, it’s important to have good advice on what kind of Show your featured Artist does & whether that is appropriate for a general audience. Believe it or not, there are many well known performers that not only do not have material appropriate for your audience, but they may not even REALIZE what is acceptable.

Once your guests have (hopefully!) made generous donations, then enjoyed the Show, great dancing helps to unite the crowd & make them glad they came & want to come back the following year! The importance of enticing people to stay, when they’ve just sat through a meal, presentation & Show is paramount. This should be coordinated with your Production staff & Bandleader. Of course, having a fabulous Dance Show Band not only should convince your guests to enjoy the rest of the evening, but can also provide their own promotion of your event through their client following.

Do you dream about the Stars? Are the Stars right for you? Part 2

Posted on: April 15th, 2014 by mark60480

Would you like to have a Star perform at your event? OF COURSE. Nothing generates more excitement, than an iconic performer at your Big Event. So, what is criteria number one? That would be budget. Establish your overall budget parameters for Entertainment & we can begin. Second of all, what is your audience demographic. It’s important to accurately target the taste of the majority of your guests. However, if you really like a Band or Comedian & you’re footing the bill, GO FOR IT!! Third, is your site. What are the strengths & limitations of the facility you’ve chosen? These are all considerations, when determining the right Attraction for your event.

What are some of the added expenses of booking a Name Star? Besides the asking price of any given Attraction, the extras can add up pretty quickly. Generally speaking, these include airfare(s), accommodation (usually premium), ground transportation, hospitality, sound, lights, staging, security & in many cases, labor. Does this all sound daunting? Well, it can be. However, when you use a reputable Production Company, all these things are negotiated & taken care of for you.

If you come to our company & express an interest in having a Name Entertainer at your upcoming event, we begin with a variety of suggestions, after determining what you like, can accommodate at your facility & what is within your budget. Comedians can be the simplest to produce with the fewest production demands. However, it’s critical that sound, staging, lighting, multimedia & other production aspects match the magnitude of your Star.

Musical acts can be much more challenging, but certainly can have a higher impact. It’s important that you have advice as to what kind of Show a given Band performs, whether they are suitable for the Corporate market & if they are a good fit for your circumstances. Many Bands bring their musicians in from multiple destinations, require specific rental instruments & travel with entourage. They may also require supplemental highly skilled local musicians. This all requires the tremendous expertise of the Producer. That’s why you use us.

Can you have Elton John, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Black Eyed Peas, Billy Joel or Maroon Five perform at your event? Yes. Do you need a reputable Production Company to make that happen? Yes again.

Do you dream about the Stars? Are the Stars right for you? What do you need to have Name Entertainment at your event. Part 1

Posted on: April 8th, 2014 by mark60480

Everyone knows about Jay Leno passing The Tonight Show baton this past month. http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/jay-lenos-long-goodbye-ready-or-not-its-time-to-move-on/2014/02/05/62454b36-8d19-11e3-95dd-36ff657a4dae_story.html I have great affection for Jay, having seen him doing Standup in Hollywood, when I worked out there thirty years ago. It was the golden age of Comedy Clubs & I scouted out talent at the original Improv. It was there I first enjoyed Jay, along with Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Lewis, Jeff Foxworthy & countless other Comedians who would go on to great careers.

Back in Chicago in the mid 1980’s, I worked hard to convince our Corporate Clients to spend $1500.00 to bring Jerry Seinfeld in for their event. They’d never heard of him & that was a lot of money for a non-name. Later, after the first season of “Seinfeld”, one of those Clients called me & said “You know, I remember you mentioning Jerry Seinfeld. I think we’re ready to book him for our company Gala. I’m looking back on your quote…$1500.00 right?” Comedy is not the only thing that’s all about timing.

It was with great pleasure that we booked Jay Leno for a Corporate Client the first time. Over the years, I have produced Shows with a lot of Stars. Most of them are extremely professional, but a few have been tricky. I would have to say, the one common denominator would be their desire for privacy. We always provide security, to this end. Each time we’ve booked him, Jay has been accommodating to our Client in a Meet & Greet, happy to take pictures with people & to sign autographs. Not only that, but he often disconcerts his Security Guard, by making himself known wherever he goes! We have so many funny stories involving him & Italian Beef stands. Luckily, we always use off duty Chicago Policemen as Security, so they know where the best stands are. Anyway, Jay Leno has always been a delight to work with & does the perfect Corporate Show: funny, clean & fast paced.

Of course, the first element of whether you can have Name Entertainment at your event is: do you have the money! You have to have a range of budget before we can determine who you can afford. Once we know that, we can deal with the next elements. Look for that in my next Blog.

Having the Blues can be fun!

Posted on: January 23rd, 2014 by mark60480

Every big city has something that distinguishes it. What do people think of & want to experience when they come to Chicago? Deep dish pizza. Italian Beef. The Cubs. & of course, Blues. In fact, having the Cubs as our team has made us really understand the Blues! We have such a wealth of great Blues Bands here & they can be the core of a great party.

One very popular Corporate Networking Event, is to recreate a Blues Club. This can be done with an openhouse type of feel, where guests are drawn in by food & beverage stations & the promise of some great entertainment. This is accomplished with a club type atmosphere, which can be made even more enticing with something like Close Up Magicians working the room, along with perhaps Caricature Artists or Psychics. Then, the Main Stage entertainment performance takes over with short shows or vignettes, after which your guest can mingle again, but are encouraged to stick around “for the next set”.

This format is really effective & gives your people the Chicago feel, while still staying in your Hotel or facility & getting to know each other or making new contacts!

Welcome to our 2014 Website

Posted on: January 10th, 2014 by mark60480

Happy New Year & welcome to our 2014 Website! We hope that you find our company your One Stop Shop for all your Entertainment Needs in Chicago. For over 30 years, Prism Entertainment has produced the very finest in Corporate Entertainment, Theme Parties, Motivational Speakers, Fundraisers & any type of gathering that calls for an unforgetable event.

The incredible talent that is available in the Chicagoland area is almost limitless & Prism Entertainment is your premium source. Have you ever thought of reaching for a Star? Our Name Entertainment Roster is the very Best in Corporate Entertainment. We provide every aspect of the most complicated Production, from ground transportaton to standing ovation. You sit back & enjoy the Show, only interupted by congratulations for an unbelievable triumph.

Our Theme Parties provide your guests with an unforgetable event, with a “WOW” thrown in. Again, we coordinate as much as you want & need, including Sets, Scenery, Decor in addition to just the right Entertainment to delight your guests. Chicago has an international blend of neighborhoods with entertainment to go with it & our Chicago Neighborhoods Party is amazing, featuring authentic costuming, dancing & music from our rich ethnic diversity.

When it comes to Live Music, well, you really have come to the right place. Our Hip Hop Pop, Show/Dance & Retro Bands are the perfect fit for whoever you need to please. & of course, Blues. High energy & proficient skill will prove why Chicago is the Blues Capital of the U.S. & we the very Best to you.

Round it out with every kind of Magician, Comedian, Cirque Performer, Classical Ensemble, Novelty Performer, Circus Act, Dancers & any other kind of Professional Performer needed to make your event the very best it can be & you have the reason that Prism Entertainment has been the number one source for Entertainment Needs in Chicago for over 30 years. Full time, experienced Consultants await your call!

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Archive for the ‘Incredible Talent’ Category