The Forum will host its first awards show this summer.
Even with its nearly 50-year history, The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., is still having ‘firsts.’ MTV recently announced that its live production of the Video Music Awards (VMAs) will take place at the facility Aug. 24, marking the first awards show in the venue’s history. The booking wouldn’t have been a possibility if it weren’t for the $100-million investment new owner and operator Madison Square Garden made in renovations, including a major overhaul of the sound system and backstage spaces.
“The bones of the building were always something that could handle the show, but in terms of the scale of what we do from a production standpoint, as well as secondary and tertiary events as far as hospitality, it just wouldn’t have happened [prerenovation],” said Garrett English, executive VP of Music Production for MTV. He added that MSG was thoughtful in renovations, increasing rigging capacity and upgrading the ‘vanity pieces’ such as dressing rooms and hospitality areas for both the artists and patrons.
“The renovations really brought it up to what our clients and audience expect,” said English. “I’m not sure The Forum would have been on our short list otherwise, because of the expense it would have taken to put on the VMAs.”
The facility reopened in January with a sold-out, six-night residency by The Eagles, and has since hosted Justin Timberlake, Imagine Dragons, Paul Simon and Sting, and Kings of Leon. The renovations took the focus off of the venue’s sporting history — having previously served as the home of the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers — and concentrated on improvements that would turn it into more of a multipurpose facility focused on music, family shows and boxing, as well as awards shows, private events and film productions.
Sid Greenfeig, Sr. VP, West Coast Business Operations at The Forum, called booking the VMAs a ‘full-circle’ moment in his life, having watched the show on television.
“The VMAs is a great place to showcase all of the work that Madison Square Garden has put into the venue not only to the world, but also to the entire industry,” said Greenfeig. “We want them to experience the acoustics and how great the venue sounds, as well as the hospitality areas, artist dressing rooms and game rooms.”
The event level has about 8,000 sq. ft. of new hospitality offerings, in addition to the facility’s upgraded VIP areas and clubs, seven dressing rooms, and a 40,000-sq.-ft. outdoor terrace. Renovations added more than 200 tons of steel to the venue, bringing the rigging capacity from about 100,000 pounds to 350,000 pounds for tour productions.
“The VMAs are a rare experience that you get with an awards show to have the biggest names in pop culture in the venue at one time, so we want to show not only the fans how great the building sounds and looks when people watch it on television, but have artists and managers see the accommodations at the facility,” he added. “It’s a chance for artists and managers to experience the venue and then hopefully say to themselves, ‘when I come back to Los Angeles I want to play here.’”
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MTV shared a video announcing the location for the VMAs across social media channels.
The facility is also fully wired and hooked up for live television production.
The VMAs has a history of playing a different facility each year, having been at venues ranging from Radio City Music Hall in New York, Staples Center in Los Angeles, and on the back lot in a soundstage at Paramount Studios. In 2013 the show injected some Brooklyn flavor into the production, which was hosted at Barclays Center in New York.
English said that conversations with venues usually begin up to two years prior to the show, which is able to reinvent itself each year by being hosted at different locations. MTV isn’t driven solely by seating or rigging requirements when it comes to the VMAs.
“We have creatively selfish motivations and ask ‘is it somewhere we can express the show in a new, exciting way?,'” said English. “We approach this with a creative expression of the show and let that drive most of the decision — where the creative impetus takes us, that’s where we go.”
There are certain logistical considerations. The VMAs includes eight or nine live performances with a marquee-scale production value. Mostly, the decision is driven by a venue’s location, history and heritage.
“It’s still pretty early days for us in terms of creative nuance, but the musical and pop culture heritage at The Forum is something that I imagine will play a big role in both the ethos of the show and lead up to the programming,” he added.
From a facility perspective, Greenfeig said that MSG is focusing on being as accommodating as possible with production staff, holding lots of walk-throughs and meetings in preparation for the event. MTV staff even came through the facility as it was being renovated to see construction progress and the venue’s vision as an award show host.
“We wanted to have that intimate feeling of being in a large theater, but still wanted to keep as much of a blank canvas as we could,” added Greenfeig.
English said that the contract for the VMAs is often a straight rental, but varies each year and at each venue.
The VMAs most recently came to Los Angeles in 2012 at the AEG-managed Staples Center, and MTV hosted its 2014 Movie Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on April 13. The first VMAs was hosted at MSG’s Radio City Music Hall in 1984, along with many subsequent ceremonies.
“Our relationship with AEG and Lee [Zeidman, GM at Staples Center and Nokia Theatre L.A. Live] is an immensely valued one, and we have great relationships with the folks at MSG, too,” said English. “It’s comforting to know that you have a bunch of people who understand the scope of what the VMAs are and AEG and MSG both have familiarity with its complexities and nuances, so it’s absolutely comforting to have that history and those relationships.”
Interviewed for this story: Garrett English, (212) 846-7226; Sid Greenfeig, (818) 761-6100