Family shows tend to endure and endear through time, as one generation of parents take the kids to a show, who eventually take their own children to the same show. Call it a generational passing of the family show torch, but also call it part of what gives family shows such staying power even as they reinvent themselves for new audiences.
“It is one of those rites of passage in childhood where parents want to expose their kids to something unique and different,” said Howard Smith, president of Harlem Globetrotters International. “Those kids come to a Globetrotters game not quite knowing what to expect. They know it’s going to be basketball and they know there are going to be some trick shots. When they leave they will tell everybody that they have just seen the best basketball team in the world and they want to play basketball themselves. I think we’ve inspired so many people around the world to pursue basketball based on kids passing that torch to the next generation. And, of course, they bring that next generation to the games with them one day.”
While the Globetrotters celebrate their 90th anniversary this year, Smith arrived at his position on Jan. 12 after serving for the past two years as senior vice president of content strategy for Herschend Enterprises, the Globetrotters’ parent company. Smith was the driving force behind that entity’s entry into television and film-based entertainment and licensing. Since his appointment, corporate headquarters has moved from Phoenix to Atlanta with a growth plan in place for the next decade.
“We’re starting to talk about that 100th anniversary milestone,” Smith said. “As we all know, 10 years goes by quickly. We’re going to be very strategic and deliberate about where we go. We’re very happy with business. This has been a terrific year and we’ve broken 60 box office records already. We’ve had our highest box office in a single market performance. We are thrilled with our partnerships with our venues. We intend to build on that.
“Another aspect as I look at the organization is that we have this underlying expertise of being able to perform 450 shows in 30 countries around the world year-in and year-out and that’s an expertise that many people don’t possess. Are there other shows that we can be developing? Should we partner with other content providers? Can we acquire other live entertainment organizations that would be a natural fit for ours? That’s a longer-term ambition, but I certainly see it as a core competency of the Globetrotters.”
There is also change at the top at VStar Entertainment Group (formerly VEE Corporation), where Eric Grilly became the new chief executive officer in March of this year and brings vast experience in the world of live entertainment and tours after previously working at Alli Sports (part of the NBC Sports Group), where he managed events including the Dew Tour, Red Bull Signature Series, Lucas Oil Motocross Championships and the World of Adventure Sports.
VStar just announced the new Paw Patrol: Race to the Rescue live tour in partnership with Nickelodeon, which will kick off in October of this year. The tour, which will feature characters from the hit animated series, will visit 90 cities across the United States as well as Canada and Mexico.
“This is the first time we’ve had the honor to work with the Nickelodeon brand on a live tour,” said Kevin Kulas, senior vice president of marketing and booking for VStar. “We look forward to bringing our expertise to this tour and showcase the strength of our two entities in a production that is already generating a lot of excitement from Paw Patrol fans. The initial reaction to our tour announcement leads us to believe that this will be one of the strongest family show tours in 2016/2017.”
WHAT’S TRENDING
These days those who come to family shows want to be part of the family, so to speak.
“Through our research and years of experience, we have found that families and kids want shows that are more interactive,” Kulas said. “They not only want to see and hear the show, but want to be able to touch, feel and interact with the show. Meet and greet experiences with the character performers and post-show character parties are some ways our family shows like Sesame Street Live are delivering a more intimate, hands-on show element.
“Additionally, families and kids want to interact with the show on a digital and social level. For our Discover the Dinosaurs exhibit, we are exploring new ways to deliver this added experience through updated technology that is delivered to them at the show through the guest mobile device.”
Today’s youngsters thrive on social media and are introduced to the platform at younger and younger ages.
Technology is the trend, said Gilles Paquin, executive producer of Kobe Entertainment. “We are now using the newest and latest technology more than ever to keep audiences entertained and engaged. For example, the new CGI screen technology allows us to bring animation to life on the stage and manipulate the appearance of the stage to produce a more dynamic show.”
Approaching its 50th anniversary, Feld Entertainment, Inc. now has the family’s third generation at the helm of the company. As chief operating officer, Juliette Feld underscores the importance of engaging audiences whenever any of the company’s shows are playing including Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, Monster Jam®, Monster Energy Supercross, Nuclear Cowboyz®, AMSOIL Arenacross, Marvel Universe LIVE!, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!
“Families who come to Feld Entertainment events are interested in even greater access and interactivity,” she said. “We are delivering that in many ways. At Ringling Bros. and Monster Jam, we offer events before the performances, the All Access Pre-Show and Party in the Pits, respectively, which bring families together with our drivers and performers.
“We are also bringing the audience into the experience at Marvel Universe LIVE! via our Lectro Link, a wearable tech gadget we introduced into Marvel lore that plays an important part in the show’s outcome and can be purchased by consumers. And at Disney On Ice presents Frozen, we have moments in the show that cue the audience to sing along to their favorite songs.”
Interactive music is also part of the formula at S2BN Entertainment, according to head of production Glenn Orsher, who knows about success after the Yo Gabba Gabba shows played to over one million people over the years in every major city in the U.S. and Canada.
“We always ignore the ‘fourth wall,’ particularly in our shows for pre-schoolers and younger audiences,” he said. “Interactivity and music are our two main ways of achieving this. Nothing speaks to audiences like great music. For example, Jack Antonoff of Fun composed the music for our Super WHY show. We encourage audiences to sing and dance along and we also use special effects to engage them – confetti, balloon drops and such.
“We also try to incorporate at least one moment where audience members get to come on stage and participate in the show in some way. Last year’s Alvin and the Chipmunks show featured a snowstorm of confetti, a food fight with rubber stress balls launched into the audience from stage, and a ‘guest’ drummer pulled from the audience to sit in with the Chipmunks for one song.”
If all of this makes it sound like audience members are treated like VIPs, then that is part of the desired goal.
“The VIP experience has become even more important,” said Greg Terlizzi, global head of publicity for Nitro Circus, which since its 2010 debut has played to over two million fans worldwide. “Audiences are looking for more exclusivity and value via special on-site experiences (such as athlete meet and greets and backstage tours) and amenities, like our ‘Best Seats in the House’ opportunity.
“The fan experience is one of our top priorities. We want fans to feel like they are a part of the show. Everything from high-end IMAG screens that show detailed replays of tricks to athletes taking the time to high-five fans after the show, it is all to make sure that the audience feels that connection.”
Those younger fans are part of another trend cited by Jonathan Shank, senior executive producer with Red Light Management, which showcases Peppa Pig’s Big Splash and, this year, Octonauts.
“Traditionally network and cable TV would be the most significant drivers of viable touring shows in the family vertical, but YouTube and Netflix are now becoming indicators as well since children are consuming content digitally.
“At our shows, for any children’s production, we try to find ways to have the audience use their imagination and we also intertwine sing-alongs and encourage kids to get out of their seats and be part of the show.”
Fan engagement, of course, is a staple at a Harlem Globetrotters game. Buy a courtside seat and there is the strong possibility you might be dancing to “Sweet Georgia Brown” along with the players. Or you might be dodging confetti out of a bucket thrown by one of the players.
“Fan engagement is the definition of being a Globetrotter,” Smith said. “That’s how the organization was built and what distinguished it from other basketball experiences and other live experiences for so long.
“What’s unique about our show is that it is clearly rooted in a basketball experience but there’s an element of comedy at a Globetrotters’ game that is hard to translate from television. When you are there in the audience our stars have the ability to improvise on the spot. You never know what’s going to happen. It’s not a scripted show. This is a truly live experience where every show is different based on the audience and our stars.”
Byron Allen, producer of Stars on Ice, said that for events like his and the Globetrotters, where they may play only one night a year in a lot of places, it is just as important to engage fans through social media.
“You need to figure out how to engage your fans throughout the rest of the year if you possibly can to enhance their experience and their loyalty to your brand,” he said. “We try to create content which we can utilize throughout the rest of the year, sort of evergreen content, if you will, to provide experiences via social media for our fans. That’s something which is certainly very new in the industry.
“But we do traditional things such as meet and greet with the cast. And at each show which we played this year, we took orders for next year’s show. We know approximately the time frame and a couple of our headliners to include on a flyer. We literally flyer the seats of the people who are there each night to have them buy tickets for the following year.”
Stars on Ice will play 27 shows between the U.S., Canada and Japan this year. Allen said that the challenge is greater for keeping front-and-center with fans in non-Olympic years. “When you’re in the non-Olympic years you’re more of a niche,” he said.
Interviewed for this story: Byron Allen, (212) 774-4590; Juliette Feld, (941) 721-1200; Kevin Kulas, (612) 375-9670; Glenn Orsher, (646) 545-5302; Gilles Paquin, (416) 962-8885; Jonathan Shank, (310) 273-2266; Howard Smith, (800) 641-4667; Greg Terlizzi, (310) 600-3229