Sequoia Slentz and the growth of a live shows producer consultant
The climb of a event planning consultant : Sequoia Slentz? When Sequoia Slentz, owner of Cleanbox Entertainment in Laguna Beach, set his sights on the entertainment business nearly a decade ago, he never fathomed that his success would far exceed his goals. The Laguna native, who was once the frontman for local punk band Yer Mom and who initially set out to produce punk albums and merchandise with the establishment of Cleanbox in 2001, is now juggling a reality TV show, concert bookings, music and TV promotions and a clothing line.
Sequoia Slentz profile in 944 Magazine : Although the world CleanBox inhabits is a far cry from the glossy photo spreads of beautiful people getting their rocks off that fill the mag’s pages, the recognition is still appreciated. Even though we despise the types of people who are into the magazine: the Armani and cologne wearing set, the bitchy, fake-titted chicks who won’t give us the time of day, we are ready and willing to accept all publicity. Plus, Sequoia and I got some free tequila at the photo shoot. Nothing beats a semi-solid excuse to drink hard liquor at noon.
About Sequoia Slentz: Owned and operated CleanBox Entertainment since 2001. Over the past 4 years we have produced major live events nationwide. My company created a television show which was licensed to Howard TV in 2009. We are interested in all ideas. Specialties: Designing, Manufacturing, Merchandise, Producing Live Shows, Creative Marketing on a budget, Event Planning.
Sequoia Slentz creative marketing tips: Whether you are planning the event logistics, identifying the technical requirements, working on content or estimating the budget – all things flow from the wants and needs of the main client. You can save your self a lot of work if you can get a meeting with the main client in advance and discuss staging, presentation style in advance. With all the handlers, you get a lot of filtered information and waste a lot of time getting through the layers. Knowing your location is your best defense against failure. Not only are you able to assess the space for room dimensions, ceiling height, power needs, lighting, noise, Internet connections, access to loading dock, etc… you also get to meet the people who manage the venue – and who will ultimately be the ones that support you and your production. Some venues will let you bring in all your own gear, without any buy-out fee – but some venues have exclusives on lighting and audio, and can even be within the jurisdiction of a local I.A.T.S.E. union, like Local 16 in San Francisco, and you’ll be required to hire union labor. If you’re a producer, it’s best to work with a meeting planner who can deal with the hotel contract so you can focus on the AV and event production. But be sure to make friends with the venue, both the in-house AV and banquets staff. Don’t forget that you’re in their house and they are key partners in your success. The two most important aspects of your site survey are to gain intelligence and build relationships.
Sequoia Slentz on Covid-19 times and the entertainment industry : What is the future of the music industry over the next few years? The music industry is constantly changing, though the pandemic definitely threw a curveball for live music. What I believe is that artists need to stay focused on their principles. Of course, no one knows what the future will be like, besides more streaming and technology innovations. Still, we can focus on sound principles such as creating great songs, great video content, staying engaged with one’s community, and focusing on mental and physical health. When things start to open again, artists that spent their time wisely will get a jump on their careers because they focused on their music and marketing their brand when they couldn’t do much else. I believe that people will be more excited than ever before about live music since we’ve been starved of it for the past couple of months.
Killers of Comedy & Sequoia Slentz : We travel around the country with the Killers, meeting super fans everywhere we go. When you hang out with Beetlejuice before a Killers show, you feel like you’re hanging with freak show royalty. Everyone recognizes him and everyone loves him. But, when we venture out of our element, when we take the act out of the fan zone, the whole formula changes.