WEBVTT

1
00:00:01.320 --> 00:00:06.599
<v Speaker 1>KBLA Talk fifteen eighty and I pose the question what happened,

2
00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:11.679
<v Speaker 1>what actually happened with the La Jazz Festival and being

3
00:00:11.720 --> 00:00:14.880
<v Speaker 1>completely transparent. A man in the studio before me this

4
00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:19.320
<v Speaker 1>morning is one of my closest friends. He is the

5
00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:22.839
<v Speaker 1>president and CEO of Bridge Street Incorporated. You know him

6
00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:25.640
<v Speaker 1>to be the former head of the La Federation of Labor,

7
00:00:25.719 --> 00:00:29.280
<v Speaker 1>a former council member for the tenth District. I worked

8
00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:32.640
<v Speaker 1>with him on numerous projects, both on stage as well

9
00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:38.320
<v Speaker 1>as backstage, with the Summer of Success in Baldwin Village

10
00:00:38.359 --> 00:00:43.679
<v Speaker 1>show when he was over that council district. He is

11
00:00:43.880 --> 00:00:50.240
<v Speaker 1>the visionary creator founder of the La Jazz Festival. Martin Ludlow, good.

12
00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:52.679
<v Speaker 2>Morning, Good morning, Dominique. Thanks for having me here. Appreciate you.

13
00:00:52.799 --> 00:00:54.560
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, thanks for coming in. I mean in these and

14
00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:58.439
<v Speaker 1>I've said many times on this show, I am on

15
00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:03.840
<v Speaker 1>the board of the La Jazz Festival Foundation. I've been

16
00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:08.000
<v Speaker 1>a big cheerleader and supporter of this project since I

17
00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:09.760
<v Speaker 1>first heard about it. I think you've been working on

18
00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:16.200
<v Speaker 1>it for about fifteen years. But these conversations are tough

19
00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:20.840
<v Speaker 1>because I keep on my professional hat and interview you

20
00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:23.959
<v Speaker 1>as is my job. But also, you're my friend, so

21
00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:26.480
<v Speaker 1>and I have a personal stake in this, so I

22
00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:29.280
<v Speaker 1>do my best to be as transparent about that as

23
00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:35.719
<v Speaker 1>possible through the conversation. Let's start with the shaker that

24
00:01:35.799 --> 00:01:40.319
<v Speaker 1>everyone received a little over a week ago that the

25
00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:43.079
<v Speaker 1>La Jazz Festival, which You've been working on for fifteen

26
00:01:43.159 --> 00:01:45.560
<v Speaker 1>years and I've been talking about for at least a

27
00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:50.000
<v Speaker 1>year or two, was canceled at the last minute.

28
00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:53.920
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so parts of it were being canceled earlier than

29
00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:56.920
<v Speaker 2>you know, the opening night. And I think as folks

30
00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:00.879
<v Speaker 2>will remember, you know, first, let me just say heartbroken,

31
00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:05.040
<v Speaker 2>devastated in many ways. And we've had a lot of wins.

32
00:02:05.079 --> 00:02:06.519
<v Speaker 2>We've had a lot of wins. We've had a lot

33
00:02:06.519 --> 00:02:10.479
<v Speaker 2>of incredible productions, and it's it's always difficult to have

34
00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:13.199
<v Speaker 2>that big loss. And I was doing an interview yesterday

35
00:02:13.240 --> 00:02:16.199
<v Speaker 2>with La Times, and La Times reporters are sort of

36
00:02:16.199 --> 00:02:18.159
<v Speaker 2>asking me about, you know, how do you how do

37
00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:20.879
<v Speaker 2>you recover from this? How does your business recover? And I,

38
00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:22.560
<v Speaker 2>you know, I said to them, well, it's not easy.

39
00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:25.879
<v Speaker 2>But I look at a lot of you know, professional

40
00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:28.680
<v Speaker 2>coaches and folks who got to go out and they're

41
00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:30.759
<v Speaker 2>going to lose a game. No matter what they did

42
00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:32.960
<v Speaker 2>last year, what they did the previous seasons, they got

43
00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:34.599
<v Speaker 2>to come back out. They got to figure it out,

44
00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:36.039
<v Speaker 2>and they got to come back because I got to

45
00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:37.719
<v Speaker 2>I got another game coming up in front of them.

46
00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:41.360
<v Speaker 2>And it's easy, I think sometimes in this different world

47
00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:43.800
<v Speaker 2>to look at them just as oh, that's just sports,

48
00:02:43.800 --> 00:02:46.400
<v Speaker 2>that's just you know, sort of a fun game. But

49
00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:50.039
<v Speaker 2>it really is. Everybody's under a microscope. If you're you know,

50
00:02:50.599 --> 00:02:53.439
<v Speaker 2>monitoring a team that's you know, sort of beloved in

51
00:02:53.479 --> 00:02:56.400
<v Speaker 2>that community, and you end up losing a really big game,

52
00:02:56.520 --> 00:02:58.639
<v Speaker 2>it's really hard for folks to recover. And I'll never

53
00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:02.000
<v Speaker 2>forget some of the young kids that I coached and

54
00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:06.960
<v Speaker 2>mentored seeing them go through that tremendous emotional low if

55
00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:09.479
<v Speaker 2>they missed a pass or missed a touchdown or whatever.

56
00:03:09.520 --> 00:03:14.159
<v Speaker 2>And so I'm going through that myself right now. The

57
00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:17.599
<v Speaker 2>punchline is, we were getting very very close. We're about

58
00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:20.719
<v Speaker 2>thirty days out when we got notified that here's the

59
00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:25.919
<v Speaker 2>final decision by Public Safety, Law Enforcement, Fire County of LA.

60
00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:28.759
<v Speaker 2>And the final decision really was, here's what it's going

61
00:03:28.840 --> 00:03:31.159
<v Speaker 2>to cost. We've been meeting with you for four to

62
00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:33.960
<v Speaker 2>five months in inner governmental round tables. We've all been

63
00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:37.319
<v Speaker 2>trying to figure it out. I don't know. We spent

64
00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:41.240
<v Speaker 2>over a minute and a half on industry professionals, everything

65
00:03:41.280 --> 00:03:46.000
<v Speaker 2>from transit professionals, parking professionals, what we call people flow professionals,

66
00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:48.560
<v Speaker 2>how to ensure that a crowd is moving in and

67
00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:53.360
<v Speaker 2>out safely and quickly and efficiently. The idea of building

68
00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:56.919
<v Speaker 2>something on Dockwaller Beach, which was really the premiere moment

69
00:03:56.960 --> 00:03:59.960
<v Speaker 2>of the whole festival, that has never been done before,

70
00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:04.159
<v Speaker 2>ever in the history of the state of California. And

71
00:04:04.199 --> 00:04:06.840
<v Speaker 2>when we got right down to it, the numbers that

72
00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:09.120
<v Speaker 2>we were looking at that they were giving to us

73
00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:12.240
<v Speaker 2>to pay sort of government was staggering. And when you

74
00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:15.080
<v Speaker 2>added it all up between their costs and the cost

75
00:04:15.159 --> 00:04:17.439
<v Speaker 2>to build, what they were telling us we had to

76
00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:21.160
<v Speaker 2>build on the ground was really out of our reach,

77
00:04:21.240 --> 00:04:24.879
<v Speaker 2>and so we scrambled. I spent a good week reaching

78
00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:28.160
<v Speaker 2>out to millionaires, billionaires, just about everybody that I could

79
00:04:28.279 --> 00:04:30.040
<v Speaker 2>say that, look, this is gonna this is gonna fall

80
00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:33.399
<v Speaker 2>apart if we don't do something right now. And then

81
00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:35.800
<v Speaker 2>at the last moment, when I realized that we were

82
00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:37.519
<v Speaker 2>not going to get that savior, we weren't going to

83
00:04:37.560 --> 00:04:40.879
<v Speaker 2>get that last big influx of money. I pivoted, went

84
00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:43.560
<v Speaker 2>to AEG to see if we could get the Peacock

85
00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:46.560
<v Speaker 2>Theater for our Sunday show. They said yes. Went to

86
00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:49.120
<v Speaker 2>Greek Theater and see if we could get their facility

87
00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:51.279
<v Speaker 2>for the Saturday show. They said yes, And so we

88
00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:55.040
<v Speaker 2>thought at the last minute, let's save the weekend and

89
00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:57.360
<v Speaker 2>you know, sort of figure out a way to create

90
00:04:57.399 --> 00:05:01.600
<v Speaker 2>that vibe and still make it fun. But twenty four

91
00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:05.360
<v Speaker 2>hours before the announcement that we were going to completely postpone,

92
00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:08.879
<v Speaker 2>I got a call from two of our major headliners

93
00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:10.680
<v Speaker 2>saying that they were not coming with us over to

94
00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:16.079
<v Speaker 2>the pivoted location. And with those two exits, we lost

95
00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:19.439
<v Speaker 2>a major round of funders, two people and two organizations

96
00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:21.560
<v Speaker 2>in particular, and there was just no way to recover

97
00:05:21.600 --> 00:05:24.360
<v Speaker 2>at that point. So we had to really make the

98
00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:27.720
<v Speaker 2>hard decision, and that last weekend was really where all

99
00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:30.240
<v Speaker 2>of the resources were coming into to cover all of

100
00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:31.920
<v Speaker 2>the free shows that we were trying to build.

101
00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:36.040
<v Speaker 1>So yeah, so let's backtrack a little bit for people

102
00:05:36.199 --> 00:05:39.120
<v Speaker 1>that you know, didn't follow every step of this but

103
00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:42.639
<v Speaker 1>are now caught up in the social media frenzy around

104
00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:49.639
<v Speaker 1>it LA Jazz Festival was is your vision to create

105
00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:54.920
<v Speaker 1>a festival that offered free shows, one free show in

106
00:05:54.959 --> 00:05:58.199
<v Speaker 1>the park in every council district, Jazz afterne.

107
00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:02.279
<v Speaker 2>And beyond, all the way out to Marino Valley, Inglewood, Compton.

108
00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:06.839
<v Speaker 2>We were really bringing it to parks all over southern California.

109
00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:13.040
<v Speaker 1>And also small restaurants and venues and in addition, convene

110
00:06:13.079 --> 00:06:17.000
<v Speaker 1>a roundtable of different festival organized nisers, like a panel

111
00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:22.639
<v Speaker 1>to do tours around the history of the beach and

112
00:06:22.959 --> 00:06:27.199
<v Speaker 1>access to the beach and you know, jazz itself. All

113
00:06:27.240 --> 00:06:28.959
<v Speaker 1>of this was part of something that was supposed to

114
00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:33.959
<v Speaker 1>run from the seventh through the twenty third of August.

115
00:06:34.920 --> 00:06:40.399
<v Speaker 1>And when you say the first time it's ever been done,

116
00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:42.639
<v Speaker 1>I hear people say, well, we have the l Park

117
00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:45.920
<v Speaker 1>Jazz Festival and the Guardina Jazz Festival and the Playboy

118
00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:51.120
<v Speaker 1>Jazz Festival. And so I think people don't are not understanding.

119
00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:52.439
<v Speaker 3>What you mean. So let's start there.

120
00:06:52.959 --> 00:06:56.240
<v Speaker 1>What were you trying to do and what would make

121
00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:01.519
<v Speaker 1>it should it happen in the future, would make it

122
00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:03.759
<v Speaker 1>the first because you know.

123
00:07:04.839 --> 00:07:07.000
<v Speaker 2>I think some people have described it as the first

124
00:07:07.040 --> 00:07:09.160
<v Speaker 2>jazz festival in LA and that's farthest from the truth.

125
00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:11.079
<v Speaker 2>In fact, I remember one reporter that says, how does

126
00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:13.319
<v Speaker 2>it feel to be bringing jazz to LA Jazz has

127
00:07:13.319 --> 00:07:15.319
<v Speaker 2>been here for over one hundred years. We're not bringing

128
00:07:15.399 --> 00:07:19.639
<v Speaker 2>jazz to LA. But you know, it's really inspired by

129
00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:23.839
<v Speaker 2>the incredible international jazz festivals worldwide that really are sort

130
00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:27.040
<v Speaker 2>of like harvest season within those cities where they're major takeovers.

131
00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:29.040
<v Speaker 2>If you're in New Orleans for a New Orleans Jazz

132
00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:32.439
<v Speaker 2>festal for those two iconic weeks, it really is a

133
00:07:32.519 --> 00:07:35.759
<v Speaker 2>moment where everybody in the city lives and breathes around

134
00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:39.600
<v Speaker 2>the moment that all of the international tours are coming

135
00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:41.959
<v Speaker 2>in from around the world, because it is a unique,

136
00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:46.360
<v Speaker 2>significant city wide experience, the activations and so forth. Montrou

137
00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:49.480
<v Speaker 2>which is probably one of the most attractive of them,

138
00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:53.000
<v Speaker 2>very much on the beach, the cove setting. It is

139
00:07:53.120 --> 00:07:56.040
<v Speaker 2>all the restaurants are activated at night. If you haven't

140
00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:57.920
<v Speaker 2>had a chance to be there, it's not cheap to

141
00:07:57.959 --> 00:07:59.639
<v Speaker 2>get there, But if you ever get a chance to

142
00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:02.680
<v Speaker 2>get to that, you'll see the vision of what it

143
00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:05.920
<v Speaker 2>means to have a whole city takeover. Montreal, which actually

144
00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:09.040
<v Speaker 2>in Detroit have gotten over a million people to their

145
00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:12.680
<v Speaker 2>international jazz festivals. That's very different. You know. I was

146
00:08:12.759 --> 00:08:17.480
<v Speaker 2>very grateful for the support of a lot of the

147
00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:20.000
<v Speaker 2>local jazz festivals because the goal of this was to

148
00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:22.319
<v Speaker 2>try to lift the whole ecosystem and to try to

149
00:08:22.360 --> 00:08:25.800
<v Speaker 2>really put LA on the map from having a similar

150
00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:29.439
<v Speaker 2>sized festival that you'll see in other cities like a Newport,

151
00:08:29.519 --> 00:08:32.559
<v Speaker 2>Rhode Island, like a Cape Town, South Africa, and we

152
00:08:32.639 --> 00:08:36.039
<v Speaker 2>have not had something of that scale here in Los Angeles,

153
00:08:36.120 --> 00:08:37.039
<v Speaker 2>and that was the intent.

154
00:08:38.200 --> 00:08:40.879
<v Speaker 1>And so and the other you know thing that I've

155
00:08:40.919 --> 00:08:44.000
<v Speaker 1>heard is why start so huge? You know, it was

156
00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:48.720
<v Speaker 1>maybe it was too big to stand up that quickly

157
00:08:49.320 --> 00:08:51.679
<v Speaker 1>that even though you've been working on it for fifteen years,

158
00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:53.360
<v Speaker 1>but at that scale.

159
00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:57.200
<v Speaker 2>No. So the original idea was to put this on

160
00:08:57.279 --> 00:09:00.240
<v Speaker 2>Dargwaller Beach, and that was a very intentional effort to

161
00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:05.799
<v Speaker 2>really elevate the narrative of the African and African American

162
00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:08.519
<v Speaker 2>experience here in the United States, given that jazz was

163
00:09:08.559 --> 00:09:12.559
<v Speaker 2>founded by our ancestors that were brought into this country

164
00:09:12.919 --> 00:09:15.720
<v Speaker 2>across the ocean. First moment that we experienced it was

165
00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:18.720
<v Speaker 2>on the beach. We have been denied access to that beach,

166
00:09:19.679 --> 00:09:22.679
<v Speaker 2>whether it's the ability to purchase properties, whether it's the

167
00:09:22.919 --> 00:09:24.559
<v Speaker 2>you know, in some cases our properties that we own

168
00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:28.559
<v Speaker 2>were taken from us Bruce's Beach, Viceroy Hotel, Ebony Beach Club,

169
00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:33.720
<v Speaker 2>and to do that festival on the beach required a

170
00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:37.559
<v Speaker 2>vote of the California Coastal Commission. Since nineteen seventies, the

171
00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:40.720
<v Speaker 2>Coastal Act has essentially said, you can't privatize the beach.

172
00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:42.960
<v Speaker 2>Most of us think about that through the lens of

173
00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:46.320
<v Speaker 2>you can't privatize it to build a building. Well, that act,

174
00:09:46.519 --> 00:09:48.919
<v Speaker 2>that law takes it all the way to any level

175
00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:51.840
<v Speaker 2>of a privatization, whether it's a long term, permanent structure

176
00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:55.240
<v Speaker 2>or it's a part time event structure. We fell under

177
00:09:55.240 --> 00:10:02.080
<v Speaker 2>that category. To address that, we had to agree that

178
00:10:02.200 --> 00:10:05.000
<v Speaker 2>seventy five percent of our tickets would be free. The

179
00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:07.360
<v Speaker 2>only way to make the economics work on something that

180
00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:11.559
<v Speaker 2>was going to truly cost millions was to find a

181
00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:15.279
<v Speaker 2>path where you could still do paid tickets on the beach.

182
00:10:15.679 --> 00:10:17.919
<v Speaker 2>So that's when we started to build it out even

183
00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:21.120
<v Speaker 2>larger than the original vision, so that we were including

184
00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:24.759
<v Speaker 2>all of these different moments across southern California that would

185
00:10:24.840 --> 00:10:29.360
<v Speaker 2>essentially go into the formula of a major festival and

186
00:10:29.440 --> 00:10:31.759
<v Speaker 2>allowing us to keep seventy five percent of those tickets

187
00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:34.240
<v Speaker 2>for free. If the twenty five percent that you're charging

188
00:10:34.279 --> 00:10:37.799
<v Speaker 2>for or right there on the beach, the math absolutely works.

189
00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:41.879
<v Speaker 2>So that was when it really started to grow tremendously

190
00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:44.960
<v Speaker 2>to the size. And you know, I'd say it, we

191
00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:47.840
<v Speaker 2>came very very very close. By the way. We ended

192
00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:51.000
<v Speaker 2>up spending over a million, almost one point two million

193
00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:54.480
<v Speaker 2>on musicians, and I just want to put that out there. Yeah, yeah,

194
00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:58.320
<v Speaker 2>that part of the number that we spent is making

195
00:10:58.360 --> 00:11:02.720
<v Speaker 2>sure that both businesses and musicians were covered. There still are,

196
00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:04.879
<v Speaker 2>there's still work to be done, but just want to

197
00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:05.600
<v Speaker 2>put that out there.

198
00:11:05.759 --> 00:11:07.440
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I want to talk more about that when we

199
00:11:07.480 --> 00:11:10.440
<v Speaker 1>come forward. Martin Ludlow is here. What really happened to

200
00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:14.320
<v Speaker 1>the La Jazz Festival is our topic and that question

201
00:11:14.519 --> 00:11:19.200
<v Speaker 1>of you know what happens next? Who's holding the bag?

202
00:11:19.399 --> 00:11:23.879
<v Speaker 1>All that and your future plans are straight ahead on

203
00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:27.360
<v Speaker 1>KBLA talk fifteen to eighty and Martin Ludlow is here.

204
00:11:27.519 --> 00:11:31.240
<v Speaker 1>He was is the creator of the La Jazz Festival.

205
00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:33.960
<v Speaker 1>And of course when you first told me about it,

206
00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:37.360
<v Speaker 1>I did see your vision, this giant you know, Party

207
00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:40.919
<v Speaker 1>on the Beach, but also the socially innovative piece which

208
00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:43.799
<v Speaker 1>marks all of your work, whether it be in the

209
00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:46.600
<v Speaker 1>City Council, whether it be you know at the LA FED,

210
00:11:46.679 --> 00:11:49.279
<v Speaker 1>whether it be with Bridge Street where you produced all

211
00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:53.759
<v Speaker 1>of those concerts inside the prisons for Common and the

212
00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:58.159
<v Speaker 1>Labor Day music festivals that we did at Exposition Park,

213
00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:01.960
<v Speaker 1>and you know the Doc King event, a huge Doctor

214
00:12:02.039 --> 00:12:03.360
<v Speaker 1>King event in Memphis.

215
00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:04.879
<v Speaker 3>I mean, you tend.

216
00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:10.799
<v Speaker 1>To have a socially innovative component even to the entertainment stuff.

217
00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:14.120
<v Speaker 1>It's your sweet spot. And so I saw the vision.

218
00:12:14.200 --> 00:12:17.440
<v Speaker 1>I was very excited. I still see the vision and

219
00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:20.960
<v Speaker 1>also heartbroken that it seems to have crashed and burned.

220
00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:24.799
<v Speaker 1>You point out that you spent one point two million,

221
00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:27.960
<v Speaker 1>did you say you have already spent on musicians? Is

222
00:12:27.960 --> 00:12:33.480
<v Speaker 1>that deposits? That's just what you needed to pay them

223
00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:37.360
<v Speaker 1>to secure their attendance on those performance states.

224
00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:40.480
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and that you know, was really the heart of

225
00:12:40.519 --> 00:12:43.240
<v Speaker 2>the festival. We had I think one hundred and almost

226
00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:46.279
<v Speaker 2>one hundred and sixty artists from eighteen nations that we

227
00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:50.039
<v Speaker 2>had confirmed, and I will acknowledge that there still are

228
00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:53.240
<v Speaker 2>a couple whose contracts were going back and forth didn't

229
00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:56.519
<v Speaker 2>get countersigned. They there's about twenty of them that did

230
00:12:56.559 --> 00:12:58.799
<v Speaker 2>not get their deposit, but the balance of them did.

231
00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:01.559
<v Speaker 2>And so I'm working in morning, noon and night to

232
00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:03.759
<v Speaker 2>you know, with the moment to your point of the

233
00:13:03.799 --> 00:13:06.440
<v Speaker 2>burn and crash, trying to pull the money together to

234
00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:08.960
<v Speaker 2>cover those deposits. And I will and that's an absolute

235
00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:11.679
<v Speaker 2>guarantee if those musicians are listening. But to the other

236
00:13:11.679 --> 00:13:14.159
<v Speaker 2>one hundred and thirty of them, you know, I've been

237
00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:17.039
<v Speaker 2>on the phone pretty much daily. I've got more calls

238
00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:20.320
<v Speaker 2>to make. The calls have been incredible. Almost every artist

239
00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:22.960
<v Speaker 2>that I've spoken to have said, listen, love the vision.

240
00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:25.879
<v Speaker 2>I'm hoping you'll allow to keep us, keep the deposit.

241
00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:28.399
<v Speaker 2>Said absolutely. And then third, can you put us on

242
00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:30.480
<v Speaker 2>the next show because we love working with you. And

243
00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:33.080
<v Speaker 2>that's been the majority of the calls, and so you know,

244
00:13:33.159 --> 00:13:36.120
<v Speaker 2>I'm heartened by that, grateful for it. And I think

245
00:13:36.200 --> 00:13:39.360
<v Speaker 2>that for hard working musicians who are living their life,

246
00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:41.960
<v Speaker 2>you know, it's it's tough. It is tough, and it's

247
00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:44.279
<v Speaker 2>you look at your working show to show to show

248
00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:46.240
<v Speaker 2>you live off of those shows. I think there was

249
00:13:46.440 --> 00:13:48.679
<v Speaker 2>not just I don't think there was just a passion

250
00:13:48.720 --> 00:13:51.759
<v Speaker 2>about getting paid. There's a passion to your point, about

251
00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:54.320
<v Speaker 2>the vision of the festival, and people felt a lot

252
00:13:54.360 --> 00:13:57.440
<v Speaker 2>of pride in the narrative. And it wasn't, you know,

253
00:13:57.720 --> 00:14:01.840
<v Speaker 2>just a solo it. I think I heard one musician

254
00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:06.840
<v Speaker 2>talking about his family remembering the days of the ink

255
00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:10.840
<v Speaker 2>well and having to be forced to go to the

256
00:14:10.879 --> 00:14:13.799
<v Speaker 2>ink well just to access the beach safely. And so

257
00:14:13.840 --> 00:14:15.600
<v Speaker 2>there was all kinds of stories like that that are

258
00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:19.639
<v Speaker 2>very passionate and made people feel differently about obviously the postponement.

259
00:14:20.840 --> 00:14:23.120
<v Speaker 1>So and I want to be clear about this because

260
00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:27.480
<v Speaker 1>I'm seeing so much stuff on social media and even

261
00:14:27.559 --> 00:14:30.519
<v Speaker 1>some of these articles that are being published in what

262
00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:36.639
<v Speaker 1>I would call mainstream press that you don't get to

263
00:14:36.759 --> 00:14:40.120
<v Speaker 1>put those major artists, you don't get to put John

264
00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:43.360
<v Speaker 1>Lengend's name on a flyer without a deal with him.

265
00:14:43.399 --> 00:14:46.600
<v Speaker 1>It's not you can't just make that up. You'll be sued,

266
00:14:46.600 --> 00:14:47.519
<v Speaker 1>you'll be shut.

267
00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:49.000
<v Speaker 2>Down, right, correct, correct?

268
00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:51.519
<v Speaker 1>So I mean this idea that it was all just

269
00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:54.919
<v Speaker 1>a big phony thing that would never was never actually

270
00:14:54.960 --> 00:15:00.159
<v Speaker 1>going to happen, is to me that's based on a

271
00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:03.120
<v Speaker 1>lack of understanding of how the entertainment business works.

272
00:15:04.039 --> 00:15:06.240
<v Speaker 2>Oh yeah, and I you know, I've sort of been

273
00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:10.320
<v Speaker 2>avoiding social media because it is brutal. But yeah, you

274
00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:15.039
<v Speaker 2>those artists were very much looking forward to being there.

275
00:15:15.080 --> 00:15:17.759
<v Speaker 2>And you know, anything I can say publicly is that

276
00:15:17.799 --> 00:15:20.639
<v Speaker 2>I apologize to everybody involved that we were not able

277
00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:23.600
<v Speaker 2>to pull it off. But it was painful down to

278
00:15:23.679 --> 00:15:26.759
<v Speaker 2>the last, you know, twenty four hours, and a lot

279
00:15:26.759 --> 00:15:30.320
<v Speaker 2>of those musicians were very much looking forward to being there.

280
00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:32.600
<v Speaker 2>And like I said, I've been on phones just almost

281
00:15:32.600 --> 00:15:35.919
<v Speaker 2>every day talking to different artists and and you know,

282
00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:38.919
<v Speaker 2>the conversations we were having with lapd La Fire, the

283
00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:43.799
<v Speaker 2>County of La those are very real conversations. And just again,

284
00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:46.159
<v Speaker 2>we had almost one hundred people working on the festival

285
00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:49.519
<v Speaker 2>for five months. That's that was a large payroll every

286
00:15:49.679 --> 00:15:53.240
<v Speaker 2>every month. You know those If anything, those people right

287
00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:56.200
<v Speaker 2>now are just really saddened because they were looking forward

288
00:15:56.200 --> 00:15:58.960
<v Speaker 2>to seeing the fruits of their labor finalized. But yeah,

289
00:15:59.039 --> 00:16:02.759
<v Speaker 2>we met as an executive team every Friday that That

290
00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:05.639
<v Speaker 2>conference call was massive. Our talent repture on the call.

291
00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:08.559
<v Speaker 2>I feel bad for those guys because obviously, you know,

292
00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:11.559
<v Speaker 2>a lot of relationships get impacted when a festival doesn't

293
00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:14.559
<v Speaker 2>go through or a tour doesn't go through. And there's

294
00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:16.120
<v Speaker 2>been a lot of tours and a lot of festivals

295
00:16:16.159 --> 00:16:18.559
<v Speaker 2>that canceled just over the last couple of months.

296
00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:22.519
<v Speaker 1>I mean, the industry, the business is struggling in generals

297
00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:24.080
<v Speaker 1>that the economy. What do you.

298
00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:24.840
<v Speaker 3>Attribute that to.

299
00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:27.080
<v Speaker 2>I mean, it's all of the above. I'm not quite

300
00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:30.559
<v Speaker 2>sure why the Brooklyn Jazz Festival postponed or canceled. They

301
00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:36.360
<v Speaker 2>postpone or canceled on the Saturday before we did. There

302
00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:38.000
<v Speaker 2>have been a number of tours that were announced that

303
00:16:38.039 --> 00:16:41.679
<v Speaker 2>had postponed. There are some people tracking what they call

304
00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:46.399
<v Speaker 2>blue Dot fever, where consumers worldwide have been sort of

305
00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:50.399
<v Speaker 2>pushing back on price points. Consumers have been really reluctant

306
00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:54.759
<v Speaker 2>to spend very you know, they just economically for a

307
00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:56.519
<v Speaker 2>household to try to make a decision on how they're

308
00:16:56.519 --> 00:17:01.000
<v Speaker 2>going to spend that precious, you know, paycheck that they have,

309
00:17:02.320 --> 00:17:05.400
<v Speaker 2>it's it's a it's a real thing, and so you

310
00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:07.160
<v Speaker 2>have to be creative. I think what you saw in

311
00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:11.359
<v Speaker 2>World Cup was just incredible turnout, particularly for the free events.

312
00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:13.799
<v Speaker 2>Where they were free events, there were just tens of thousands,

313
00:17:13.839 --> 00:17:17.720
<v Speaker 2>if not millions, of people. So I think people consumers

314
00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:21.400
<v Speaker 2>worldwide are looking for a really good bargain for what

315
00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:24.279
<v Speaker 2>they're paying and if they can get really good entertainment,

316
00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:27.720
<v Speaker 2>really good cultural experiences where it doesn't cost their family anything,

317
00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:28.960
<v Speaker 2>there's a real interesting.

318
00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:34.000
<v Speaker 1>And you're right, of course, but yeah, so so okay,

319
00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:35.960
<v Speaker 1>there's so many things to address here. When you talk

320
00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:38.640
<v Speaker 1>about we only have three minutes of news, traffic and

321
00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:41.279
<v Speaker 1>sports will continue on the other side. So let me

322
00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:44.839
<v Speaker 1>go here. For folks who say, well, this is this

323
00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:47.359
<v Speaker 1>is like a fire festival, what do you say to

324
00:17:47.400 --> 00:17:48.000
<v Speaker 1>those people?

325
00:17:48.279 --> 00:17:50.039
<v Speaker 2>Well, there was one person that was quoted in the

326
00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:51.880
<v Speaker 2>paper and I really appreciate I don't know who it was,

327
00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:54.000
<v Speaker 2>and they were like, look, I've been in meetings with

328
00:17:54.079 --> 00:18:01.039
<v Speaker 2>this guy. I've done tours of sites. This was an

329
00:18:01.319 --> 00:18:05.680
<v Speaker 2>absolute commitment to creating a cultural moment that's free and open.

330
00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:08.200
<v Speaker 2>We were talking about opening up public beaches, public parks,

331
00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:11.880
<v Speaker 2>as you said, community restaurants. This was never about you know,

332
00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:16.160
<v Speaker 2>having some high end you know, consumers flying to some

333
00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:19.480
<v Speaker 2>destination location that really hadn't had any of the pre planning.

334
00:18:19.519 --> 00:18:22.359
<v Speaker 2>In fact, at the end, the ultimate decision of why

335
00:18:22.400 --> 00:18:25.160
<v Speaker 2>we didn't move forward is we knew we could not

336
00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:29.759
<v Speaker 2>afford what was being asked of us to ensure that

337
00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:32.680
<v Speaker 2>it would come off in the way that government was mandated.

338
00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:34.920
<v Speaker 2>That's when we stopped. We didn't stop when people are

339
00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:36.319
<v Speaker 2>already on site.

340
00:18:36.519 --> 00:18:39.279
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and honestly, you know, that's I want to get

341
00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:42.200
<v Speaker 1>to that after news, traffic and sports, like, what how

342
00:18:42.279 --> 00:18:47.640
<v Speaker 1>do we as as a community, as a government, as

343
00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:52.000
<v Speaker 1>public safety, you know, support entertainment and what's supposed to

344
00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:55.680
<v Speaker 1>be the entertainment capital or one of the entertainment capitals

345
00:18:55.680 --> 00:18:56.079
<v Speaker 1>of the world.

346
00:18:56.279 --> 00:18:57.960
<v Speaker 3>And you know what the breakdown was there.

347
00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:01.640
<v Speaker 1>But when we talk about the fire festival concept, there's

348
00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:05.359
<v Speaker 1>also receipts. It's not like you know, I mean, I

349
00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:08.279
<v Speaker 1>am not privy to all of them, but I know

350
00:19:08.519 --> 00:19:11.839
<v Speaker 1>because I've done business with you. There's contracts for everything,

351
00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:15.960
<v Speaker 1>there's blueprints for everything. I mean, it's this is not

352
00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:19.440
<v Speaker 1>a fly by the seat of your pants operation at all.

353
00:19:19.799 --> 00:19:22.079
<v Speaker 1>There is a paper trail.

354
00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:24.599
<v Speaker 2>Oh, absolutely no. And and to your point, I mean

355
00:19:24.599 --> 00:19:28.240
<v Speaker 2>we went through you know, Look, I think most folks

356
00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:30.680
<v Speaker 2>can contact their local council member and the council member

357
00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:32.839
<v Speaker 2>will tell them no, Look that the team came by,

358
00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:35.440
<v Speaker 2>they did site visits. We chose the parks in the

359
00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:38.599
<v Speaker 2>fifteen council districts based on the desires of those council members.

360
00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:41.839
<v Speaker 2>Those interagency task force meetings that we held out at

361
00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:46.240
<v Speaker 2>Dockwyler Beach happened every month. There's probably sixty people involved,

362
00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:51.680
<v Speaker 2>representing everybody from the Coast Guard to lax to a city, fire, county, fire,

363
00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:56.119
<v Speaker 2>city police, County Sheriff, Caltrant, CHP, City of El Segundo,

364
00:19:56.240 --> 00:19:59.880
<v Speaker 2>City of Manhattan, Beach County, Department of Beaches and Harbors.

365
00:20:00.119 --> 00:20:02.359
<v Speaker 2>The roster was extensive, and we were meeting with them

366
00:20:02.359 --> 00:20:04.759
<v Speaker 2>every month and our blueprints, to your point, we're getting

367
00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:09.079
<v Speaker 2>more more intense and more significant and more detailed by

368
00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:12.960
<v Speaker 2>the month. Also, just all of the people that were involved,

369
00:20:13.079 --> 00:20:17.319
<v Speaker 2>you know, from talent managers to on the ground producers

370
00:20:17.400 --> 00:20:21.480
<v Speaker 2>to public safety experts. We had the former assistant police

371
00:20:21.519 --> 00:20:24.240
<v Speaker 2>chief of LAPD that was working with us between the departments,

372
00:20:24.519 --> 00:20:26.359
<v Speaker 2>and we had the former planning director of the City

373
00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:28.799
<v Speaker 2>of La working with all the planning departments, I mean,

374
00:20:29.319 --> 00:20:32.200
<v Speaker 2>the folks that do Coachella traffic. This was a unique

375
00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:34.240
<v Speaker 2>challenge to pull this off, and we brought in the

376
00:20:34.279 --> 00:20:36.519
<v Speaker 2>best in the world, and I think we were all

377
00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:38.839
<v Speaker 2>stunned at what we saw. At the last minute and

378
00:20:38.839 --> 00:20:40.640
<v Speaker 2>it was just no way to move forward and it

379
00:20:40.759 --> 00:20:43.279
<v Speaker 2>was it ended up being a postponeman and that's really it.

380
00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:44.160
<v Speaker 2>At the end of the day.

381
00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:47.240
<v Speaker 1>I want to find out more about postponed till when

382
00:20:47.559 --> 00:20:52.559
<v Speaker 1>and you know, pull more receipts. La Jazz Festival is

383
00:20:52.599 --> 00:20:55.519
<v Speaker 1>our topic. And you're listening to KBLA Talk fifteen eight

384
00:20:55.680 --> 00:20:58.319
<v Speaker 1>welcome back. Indeed, Martin Ludlow is with me. He's the

385
00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:02.039
<v Speaker 1>CEO of Bridge Street in cored and the man behind

386
00:21:02.119 --> 00:21:06.720
<v Speaker 1>the visionary behind the La Jazz Festival, which was abruptly

387
00:21:06.759 --> 00:21:10.519
<v Speaker 1>canceled right before the opening day here in Lambert Park.

388
00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:16.880
<v Speaker 1>You know, a lot of us are heartbroken. You you

389
00:21:16.960 --> 00:21:21.680
<v Speaker 1>reference at the beginning of the conversation that shortly before

390
00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:27.559
<v Speaker 1>opening day, fire and L A. P. D. Come with

391
00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:30.519
<v Speaker 1>come with numbers. This is what we need and we're

392
00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:31.880
<v Speaker 1>talking dollar numbers.

393
00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:34.799
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, So it's it was not just that, it was

394
00:21:35.240 --> 00:21:40.160
<v Speaker 2>something that included what's called gross sales receipt tax estimate,

395
00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:45.799
<v Speaker 2>where you're being taxed on ticket sales, food and beverage,

396
00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:51.119
<v Speaker 2>expected sales, merchandise, expected sales and sponsorships, which you know,

397
00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:54.160
<v Speaker 2>to me was a shocker to see all of that

398
00:21:54.359 --> 00:21:56.440
<v Speaker 2>at that moment being asked to be prepaid.

399
00:21:57.319 --> 00:22:01.160
<v Speaker 1>So you're being asked to prepay taxes on things you

400
00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:02.720
<v Speaker 1>may or may not sell, and.

401
00:22:04.200 --> 00:22:06.440
<v Speaker 2>Then the event your estimate is off, we will refund

402
00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:09.319
<v Speaker 2>you the difference, or if there is a refund, or

403
00:22:09.319 --> 00:22:11.880
<v Speaker 2>it can go the other way. If we think you underestimated,

404
00:22:11.880 --> 00:22:13.839
<v Speaker 2>then it's going to go higher. So that was a

405
00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:15.359
<v Speaker 2>new one for me, and that was a new one

406
00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:18.599
<v Speaker 2>for our finance team. I think early on there was

407
00:22:18.599 --> 00:22:21.039
<v Speaker 2>a reference that you may have to pay grocery seat

408
00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:23.759
<v Speaker 2>sales tax, but it wasn't like there was a real

409
00:22:23.880 --> 00:22:26.119
<v Speaker 2>clear conversation about it. In fact, I think even in

410
00:22:26.160 --> 00:22:30.039
<v Speaker 2>the document that we got there, there's just still ambiguities

411
00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:32.039
<v Speaker 2>as to which agency was that on behalf of Was

412
00:22:32.039 --> 00:22:34.359
<v Speaker 2>that on behalf of the state, the city, the county,

413
00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:38.240
<v Speaker 2>So definitely some confusion on that for us. But the

414
00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:40.680
<v Speaker 2>sticker shock was was, you know, when we did the math,

415
00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:44.359
<v Speaker 2>when you between the LAPD deployment, which was going to

416
00:22:44.359 --> 00:22:47.799
<v Speaker 2>be almost eighty eight officers per day to get started

417
00:22:47.839 --> 00:22:50.480
<v Speaker 2>in the event that they needed to deploy more, that

418
00:22:50.519 --> 00:22:53.240
<v Speaker 2>would have all been on our tab. We had estimated

419
00:22:53.440 --> 00:22:55.640
<v Speaker 2>that we knew LAPED was going to have to deploy something,

420
00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:57.599
<v Speaker 2>but it was far lower than what we had expected.

421
00:22:57.680 --> 00:23:00.799
<v Speaker 2>And I don't again, I don't sit here blaming the

422
00:23:00.839 --> 00:23:03.440
<v Speaker 2>individual officers that were at the table working with us

423
00:23:03.480 --> 00:23:05.039
<v Speaker 2>day in and day out. I think they were earnestly

424
00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:08.240
<v Speaker 2>trying to figure it out. But I do kind of

425
00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:11.440
<v Speaker 2>question the environment that we were in. When you just

426
00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:14.440
<v Speaker 2>looked at a month earlier, there had been the quote

427
00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:17.039
<v Speaker 2>unquote takeover of Newport Beach and there were horse drawn

428
00:23:17.319 --> 00:23:20.799
<v Speaker 2>or horseback you know, uh police and you know, chasing

429
00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:22.359
<v Speaker 2>folks off of the beach. I think there was a

430
00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:25.480
<v Speaker 2>lot of sort of internal hysterian concern around that.

431
00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:30.119
<v Speaker 1>The fire, although that wasn't exactly a jazz crowd, not.

432
00:23:30.119 --> 00:23:32.200
<v Speaker 2>At all, right, right for us, it was just like

433
00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:34.920
<v Speaker 2>these you know, these are going to be uh just anyway.

434
00:23:35.079 --> 00:23:36.839
<v Speaker 2>I won't stereotype our crowd, but I know who was

435
00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:37.240
<v Speaker 2>buying the.

436
00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:40.640
<v Speaker 3>Ticket and then fire.

437
00:23:40.440 --> 00:23:42.920
<v Speaker 2>And then you know, for on that it was just

438
00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:48.119
<v Speaker 2>the escalation of really a couple of things. In LA

439
00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:52.359
<v Speaker 2>there is eight, uh sort of eight levels of what

440
00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:54.960
<v Speaker 2>you call medical plan based on the type of incident.

441
00:23:55.039 --> 00:23:58.319
<v Speaker 2>Eight is the highest. We were assessed a level seven

442
00:23:58.359 --> 00:24:01.799
<v Speaker 2>medical plan and a level seven seven medical plan not

443
00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:08.720
<v Speaker 2>only called for ambulances, doctors, nurses, paramedics, EMTs, but we

444
00:24:08.720 --> 00:24:14.359
<v Speaker 2>were also being required to build unprecedented levels of plastic

445
00:24:14.440 --> 00:24:17.559
<v Speaker 2>snap on groundcover that you could literally drive a truck on.

446
00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:20.200
<v Speaker 2>And it was like building a basketball court out on

447
00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:23.599
<v Speaker 2>the sand for a beach festival. And when you look

448
00:24:23.640 --> 00:24:27.119
<v Speaker 2>at our blueprints, they were just growing in terms of

449
00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:31.279
<v Speaker 2>the numbers. Our first estimate from a vendor that was

450
00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:34.319
<v Speaker 2>committed and had the level of equipment that we were

451
00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:36.799
<v Speaker 2>going to need and supplies, it was almost nine hundred

452
00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:40.759
<v Speaker 2>thousand dollars for that groundcover. We started negotiating and see

453
00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:42.960
<v Speaker 2>if we could pull it back. By the time we

454
00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:45.599
<v Speaker 2>got to the final number on that, when you add

455
00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:48.759
<v Speaker 2>the groundcover, you add all of the personnel and all

456
00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:52.319
<v Speaker 2>the equipment required for the Level seven, all the LAPD deployment,

457
00:24:52.839 --> 00:24:56.359
<v Speaker 2>all of the grocery seat sales tax estimates, we were

458
00:24:56.359 --> 00:24:59.440
<v Speaker 2>looking at one point six million dollars. That was never

459
00:24:59.480 --> 00:25:02.079
<v Speaker 2>even remove totally thought of in our budget. Did we

460
00:25:02.119 --> 00:25:04.359
<v Speaker 2>expect to pay for paramedics, Absolutely, we had them in

461
00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:07.359
<v Speaker 2>our budget. Did we expect that would be LAPD, Absolutely,

462
00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:10.640
<v Speaker 2>we had that in our budget. We did not expect

463
00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:11.559
<v Speaker 2>to see anything on.

464
00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:14.279
<v Speaker 3>The level that we got back one point dollars one

465
00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:15.039
<v Speaker 3>point when you.

466
00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:20.400
<v Speaker 2>Added between the public costs and the private costs required

467
00:25:20.440 --> 00:25:21.880
<v Speaker 2>to build the elements that there.

468
00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:27.440
<v Speaker 1>How can we have any kind of entertainment event or

469
00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:31.880
<v Speaker 1>festival or anything a new thing that's not owned by

470
00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:37.799
<v Speaker 1>massive corporate interests, certainly anything black owned or independently produced

471
00:25:38.160 --> 00:25:42.160
<v Speaker 1>when you have unknown costs coming in at the final hour.

472
00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:44.640
<v Speaker 3>Oh, by the way, we need.

473
00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:47.160
<v Speaker 1>Another one point two to one point six million, How

474
00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:50.440
<v Speaker 1>how is that feasible if I'm not a giant live

475
00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:52.759
<v Speaker 1>nation level company.

476
00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:55.759
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and again I'll i'll, I mean.

477
00:25:56.039 --> 00:25:56.960
<v Speaker 3>It can can it? Can it?

478
00:25:57.200 --> 00:25:57.359
<v Speaker 1>Can?

479
00:25:57.400 --> 00:25:57.480
<v Speaker 2>It?

480
00:25:57.640 --> 00:25:59.920
<v Speaker 1>Could? It be blamed on you? Should you have no

481
00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:01.519
<v Speaker 1>own that it was going to be one point too?

482
00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:03.920
<v Speaker 1>Like what should you have done differently? And what should

483
00:26:03.920 --> 00:26:06.160
<v Speaker 1>we have done differently? Because to me it sounds like.

484
00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:09.200
<v Speaker 3>The government.

485
00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:12.240
<v Speaker 1>And I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but it sounds like

486
00:26:12.279 --> 00:26:14.200
<v Speaker 1>people were trying to shut it down. You got to

487
00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:18.000
<v Speaker 1>pay taxes in advance on merch that you may or

488
00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:18.720
<v Speaker 1>may not sell.

489
00:26:19.720 --> 00:26:21.559
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, there's been more than a number of people that

490
00:26:21.640 --> 00:26:26.200
<v Speaker 2>feel like you. We were stunned. Our whole team was stunned.

491
00:26:26.920 --> 00:26:29.799
<v Speaker 2>But you know again, just want to say anybody sort

492
00:26:29.799 --> 00:26:32.960
<v Speaker 2>of tuned in on this. We absolutely had security and

493
00:26:33.119 --> 00:26:35.680
<v Speaker 2>we had actually put one hundred security officers in our budget.

494
00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:38.960
<v Speaker 2>We had LAPD. We expected there would be some LAPD

495
00:26:39.079 --> 00:26:42.240
<v Speaker 2>deployment that we would have to cover. We had paramedics.

496
00:26:42.599 --> 00:26:44.480
<v Speaker 2>But the escalation to.

497
00:26:44.519 --> 00:26:47.759
<v Speaker 1>The level seven, we're going to have a bunch of

498
00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:49.079
<v Speaker 1>dead jazz fans.

499
00:26:49.119 --> 00:26:50.400
<v Speaker 3>I mean, what is happening like?

500
00:26:50.440 --> 00:26:52.880
<v Speaker 2>It was an emergency response before there was ever any emergency, right,

501
00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:55.559
<v Speaker 2>and that's what it hit is like. But anyway, your

502
00:26:55.640 --> 00:26:59.359
<v Speaker 2>specific question is, you know, could it you know, how

503
00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:01.160
<v Speaker 2>could it get done? And I think there's going to

504
00:27:01.200 --> 00:27:02.839
<v Speaker 2>be a post mortem after this. I know a number

505
00:27:02.880 --> 00:27:06.799
<v Speaker 2>of council members have reached out and they have indicated, Look,

506
00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:09.160
<v Speaker 2>if a developer was going to build a building, we

507
00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:11.680
<v Speaker 2>can tell them right now at the very beginning, how

508
00:27:12.359 --> 00:27:15.440
<v Speaker 2>what size, how many bedrooms? And there are codes, there's

509
00:27:15.480 --> 00:27:17.519
<v Speaker 2>a formula, and they're going to get you down to, hey,

510
00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:21.119
<v Speaker 2>three hundred dollars per square foot, four hundred dollars that

511
00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:23.240
<v Speaker 2>advance before you can get going here. It was a

512
00:27:23.240 --> 00:27:26.000
<v Speaker 2>complete opposite and that is really I think it's a

513
00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:28.799
<v Speaker 2>keen insight and I appreciate you even raising it.

514
00:27:28.880 --> 00:27:32.039
<v Speaker 1>I mean to me, it's like, we are supposed to

515
00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:35.039
<v Speaker 1>be the entertainment capital of the world. How can we

516
00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:38.680
<v Speaker 1>have nice things if we don't all cooperate to build

517
00:27:38.759 --> 00:27:39.440
<v Speaker 1>nice things.

518
00:27:40.480 --> 00:27:43.359
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I you know, so parts that I'm going to always,

519
00:27:43.440 --> 00:27:45.839
<v Speaker 2>you know, look back on and just be like, this

520
00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:49.559
<v Speaker 2>is year one. What did we learned from it? I

521
00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:51.400
<v Speaker 2>think it is going to take a will of government

522
00:27:51.440 --> 00:27:53.640
<v Speaker 2>to say this is important and we want to help,

523
00:27:53.839 --> 00:27:55.279
<v Speaker 2>and we want to figure out a way to do it.

524
00:27:55.279 --> 00:27:57.799
<v Speaker 2>It's not just about you know, telling us, hey, you

525
00:27:57.839 --> 00:27:59.720
<v Speaker 2>need this, you need that, you need this, no partner

526
00:27:59.720 --> 00:28:01.799
<v Speaker 2>with us. And you know, this really was more the

527
00:28:01.880 --> 00:28:04.920
<v Speaker 2>county driving it. The county Beaches and Harbors were in charge.

528
00:28:04.960 --> 00:28:07.640
<v Speaker 2>This is the process that they had just set up.

529
00:28:07.640 --> 00:28:10.720
<v Speaker 2>And ironically, this is a fact if you want to

530
00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:12.880
<v Speaker 2>do an event on the beach, if you want to

531
00:28:12.920 --> 00:28:16.720
<v Speaker 2>just rent a spot to do a family event or whatever,

532
00:28:17.440 --> 00:28:19.839
<v Speaker 2>they don't even allow you to start the process until

533
00:28:19.880 --> 00:28:23.240
<v Speaker 2>you're ninety days prior to the event. Think about that

534
00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:26.160
<v Speaker 2>we announced this six months prior to the event, and

535
00:28:26.880 --> 00:28:29.039
<v Speaker 2>they had to figure out how to change the portal

536
00:28:29.119 --> 00:28:31.359
<v Speaker 2>just so that we could even you know, begin to

537
00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:33.920
<v Speaker 2>start to upload some of the forums, and then finally

538
00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:38.480
<v Speaker 2>there really wasn't like a process. I think people were

539
00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:40.480
<v Speaker 2>trying to figure it out. And again, so when I

540
00:28:40.519 --> 00:28:43.319
<v Speaker 2>think about the individual people that were at that table

541
00:28:43.359 --> 00:28:46.079
<v Speaker 2>with us, I think most of them were seriously trying

542
00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:48.400
<v Speaker 2>to figure it out. But there wasn't like a manual.

543
00:28:48.440 --> 00:28:51.000
<v Speaker 2>There wasn't a blueprint. Hey pull out manual on how

544
00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:54.319
<v Speaker 2>to build a mega event on our coastline. And that

545
00:28:54.480 --> 00:28:56.799
<v Speaker 2>I think is an honest and I think all of

546
00:28:56.839 --> 00:28:59.720
<v Speaker 2>them at the table would agree. We were throwing stuff

547
00:28:59.720 --> 00:29:02.839
<v Speaker 2>out these guys every meeting. That is just like an

548
00:29:02.920 --> 00:29:05.640
<v Speaker 2>open ad hoc process. Just whatever it was on somebody's

549
00:29:05.640 --> 00:29:07.559
<v Speaker 2>mind that just fired it off and we would have

550
00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:08.880
<v Speaker 2>to respond to that, and all of a sudden you'd

551
00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:10.200
<v Speaker 2>see the price tag go up, and then there'd be

552
00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:11.799
<v Speaker 2>the next point you have to respond to that price

553
00:29:11.799 --> 00:29:13.559
<v Speaker 2>tager go up. And it was just like an open

554
00:29:13.559 --> 00:29:16.480
<v Speaker 2>feeding frenzy. And at some point, you know, whether you're

555
00:29:16.519 --> 00:29:19.880
<v Speaker 2>a restaurant owner, you're a grocery store owner, you got

556
00:29:19.880 --> 00:29:23.799
<v Speaker 2>a small shop or gas station or whatever, there's a

557
00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:26.319
<v Speaker 2>process for how you get permitted, and it's very clear

558
00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:29.839
<v Speaker 2>in this city county state have those, and I think

559
00:29:29.920 --> 00:29:32.519
<v Speaker 2>the final point is this was multi jurisdictional, as I

560
00:29:32.519 --> 00:29:35.759
<v Speaker 2>said at the beginning, So how do we learn from this?

561
00:29:35.880 --> 00:29:38.319
<v Speaker 2>How do we figure out how do you pull off

562
00:29:38.319 --> 00:29:42.680
<v Speaker 2>a multi jurisdictional experience that can be affordable to a

563
00:29:42.759 --> 00:29:46.599
<v Speaker 2>non mega corporation, the state, the county, the cities that

564
00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:48.519
<v Speaker 2>are involved. There's got to be a way to do it.

565
00:29:48.519 --> 00:29:49.960
<v Speaker 2>And that doesn't seem like rocket science.

566
00:29:49.960 --> 00:29:51.720
<v Speaker 1>You said year one, so that means you're planning to

567
00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:52.240
<v Speaker 1>do it again.

568
00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:53.759
<v Speaker 3>They're planning to try it again.

569
00:29:53.880 --> 00:29:55.519
<v Speaker 2>Right now, I'm trying to figure out how do we

570
00:29:55.559 --> 00:29:57.839
<v Speaker 2>first cover still the debt that's on this one. We

571
00:29:57.880 --> 00:29:59.400
<v Speaker 2>still have a lot of debt and I'm working on

572
00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:03.039
<v Speaker 2>it literally every hour, and we have a lot of

573
00:30:03.359 --> 00:30:06.599
<v Speaker 2>reputational damage to fix. You know this is this has

574
00:30:06.599 --> 00:30:11.119
<v Speaker 2>been devastating to to everybody involved. It's not just me.

575
00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:14.640
<v Speaker 2>There are other people who have relationships impacted. And so

576
00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:19.160
<v Speaker 2>you know, right now, I think the interest by more

577
00:30:19.160 --> 00:30:21.519
<v Speaker 2>people that I'm hearing from on a daily basis is

578
00:30:21.720 --> 00:30:24.200
<v Speaker 2>don't let it go, don't let the vision go. And

579
00:30:24.279 --> 00:30:26.720
<v Speaker 2>that's that's where most of our mindset is. Now, how

580
00:30:26.759 --> 00:30:28.880
<v Speaker 2>do how do we how do we wrap this one.

581
00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:31.480
<v Speaker 1>Up professional and when So when you say investment, you're

582
00:30:31.519 --> 00:30:34.440
<v Speaker 1>talking about all the people, hours of the people that

583
00:30:34.480 --> 00:30:40.640
<v Speaker 1>were hired, the musicians, deposits, equipment, like what other kinds.

584
00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:42.359
<v Speaker 3>I know, you commissioned artwork.

585
00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:45.200
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, we commissioned art We didn't We didn't buy really

586
00:30:45.319 --> 00:30:47.799
<v Speaker 2>much equipment. That mostly was coming through vendors that were

587
00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:49.359
<v Speaker 2>going to provide the equipment that you know, we were

588
00:30:49.359 --> 00:30:53.200
<v Speaker 2>working out agreements with. But yeah, it's just it's staff ours,

589
00:30:53.240 --> 00:30:59.279
<v Speaker 2>it's professional consultants. It's finalizing the remaining artist deposits and

590
00:30:59.359 --> 00:31:02.640
<v Speaker 2>then preparing for some sponsors who want their money back.

591
00:31:02.680 --> 00:31:04.279
<v Speaker 2>There are a couple of sponsors that have said, hey,

592
00:31:04.559 --> 00:31:07.000
<v Speaker 2>you didn't finish, so we need our money back, and

593
00:31:07.079 --> 00:31:10.000
<v Speaker 2>so we are refunding all ticket buyers, so anybody that

594
00:31:10.079 --> 00:31:13.039
<v Speaker 2>purchase tickets, all that money goes back. So there's a

595
00:31:13.079 --> 00:31:16.440
<v Speaker 2>lot to still unpack, clean up, and then I think

596
00:31:16.440 --> 00:31:18.599
<v Speaker 2>you get to the point of, Okay, now what have

597
00:31:18.720 --> 00:31:20.319
<v Speaker 2>we learned? Can you pull it off again?

598
00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:24.079
<v Speaker 1>Can it Can it actually be done if you're not

599
00:31:24.480 --> 00:31:29.720
<v Speaker 1>a mega corporation and you know, yeah, I think that

600
00:31:29.759 --> 00:31:32.359
<v Speaker 1>would be a sad commentary on the state of the

601
00:31:32.480 --> 00:31:38.480
<v Speaker 1>entertainment capital if we cannot support an independent producer in

602
00:31:39.079 --> 00:31:41.480
<v Speaker 1>you know, in taking a new creating a new institution

603
00:31:41.640 --> 00:31:43.039
<v Speaker 1>and taking across the finish line.

604
00:31:43.119 --> 00:31:45.079
<v Speaker 2>Well, I will say this was not easy for anybody.

605
00:31:45.400 --> 00:31:47.720
<v Speaker 2>Sure wasn't easy for us. It wasn't easy for government.

606
00:31:48.400 --> 00:31:51.519
<v Speaker 2>I do think, you know, there's some things that I'll

607
00:31:51.799 --> 00:31:53.480
<v Speaker 2>sort of save because I don't want to put them

608
00:31:53.480 --> 00:31:57.119
<v Speaker 2>out there just out of respect. But you know, if

609
00:31:57.119 --> 00:31:58.920
<v Speaker 2>there's a will, there's a way, and I know our

610
00:31:58.960 --> 00:32:04.400
<v Speaker 2>team had the will and we're looking for just folks

611
00:32:04.480 --> 00:32:08.119
<v Speaker 2>in power to really support that. The community supported it,

612
00:32:08.720 --> 00:32:12.319
<v Speaker 2>and you know that's always going to be the most

613
00:32:12.319 --> 00:32:15.480
<v Speaker 2>painful element of this thinking back to year one. It's

614
00:32:15.559 --> 00:32:19.519
<v Speaker 2>just the level of disappointment, level of frustration. But you know,

615
00:32:20.279 --> 00:32:23.319
<v Speaker 2>you have if an individual has an idea, has a vision,

616
00:32:23.400 --> 00:32:27.079
<v Speaker 2>has a dream, you go for it. It's not always

617
00:32:27.079 --> 00:32:28.640
<v Speaker 2>going to end pretty. And you got to be ready

618
00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:31.759
<v Speaker 2>for that side. And I'm obviously taking it, you know,

619
00:32:31.839 --> 00:32:33.839
<v Speaker 2>every day, but got to keep going.

620
00:32:34.319 --> 00:32:37.279
<v Speaker 1>But it sounds like you are still considering putting this

621
00:32:37.279 --> 00:32:37.640
<v Speaker 1>thing on this.

622
00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:42.279
<v Speaker 2>Absolutely absolutely and you know, even as I said at

623
00:32:42.279 --> 00:32:45.039
<v Speaker 2>the beginning to interview, the conversations with the musicians first

624
00:32:45.079 --> 00:32:48.400
<v Speaker 2>and foremost have been the most heartwarming. Folks who live

625
00:32:48.400 --> 00:32:51.359
<v Speaker 2>here in LA love this idea, want to be involved,

626
00:32:51.480 --> 00:32:53.160
<v Speaker 2>and are really encouraging us to figure out how to

627
00:32:53.200 --> 00:32:56.160
<v Speaker 2>do it again next year. It's going to take key investors.

628
00:32:56.200 --> 00:32:58.039
<v Speaker 2>I think it's going to be very hard to get

629
00:32:58.039 --> 00:33:01.000
<v Speaker 2>corporate LA to come in and support, just given all

630
00:33:01.039 --> 00:33:04.599
<v Speaker 2>of the backlash that's happened from the postponement. Never saw

631
00:33:04.640 --> 00:33:07.160
<v Speaker 2>that coming, by the way, you know, it is a postpone,

632
00:33:07.240 --> 00:33:09.880
<v Speaker 2>and I think there was one TV news story that

633
00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:12.319
<v Speaker 2>went up immediately. It was very reckless. We were not

634
00:33:12.400 --> 00:33:17.799
<v Speaker 2>even planning to start building the site until literally tomorrow

635
00:33:18.519 --> 00:33:20.720
<v Speaker 2>for the big weekend, and they ran this story almost

636
00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:22.960
<v Speaker 2>a week and a half ago that there's nothing being built.

637
00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:25.480
<v Speaker 2>We'll take a look at our construction plans and what

638
00:33:25.480 --> 00:33:27.799
<v Speaker 2>we agreed with the county, the city, and the state.

639
00:33:27.960 --> 00:33:31.839
<v Speaker 2>We weren't even gonna start building until tomorrow. We by

640
00:33:31.839 --> 00:33:33.799
<v Speaker 2>the coastal permit. We had approval to be on site

641
00:33:33.799 --> 00:33:37.960
<v Speaker 2>Wednesday the nineteenth. We were negotiating to get access today

642
00:33:38.759 --> 00:33:41.480
<v Speaker 2>from Monday, and we still hadn't gotten it all done,

643
00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:42.519
<v Speaker 2>but we were getting real close.

644
00:33:43.079 --> 00:33:49.279
<v Speaker 1>Just like like you know, I saw a story from

645
00:33:49.359 --> 00:33:53.160
<v Speaker 1>a magazine that said, well, we contacted people from jazz

646
00:33:53.240 --> 00:33:56.519
<v Speaker 1>festivals and they weren't booked for a panel, Like did

647
00:33:56.559 --> 00:33:58.319
<v Speaker 1>you call all of the artists and see if they

648
00:33:58.359 --> 00:34:01.359
<v Speaker 1>were booked for shows? And I only point that out

649
00:34:01.440 --> 00:34:05.720
<v Speaker 1>not just to be defending, but also when I'm encouraging

650
00:34:05.720 --> 00:34:10.599
<v Speaker 1>our KBLA delegation. When you see these stories, especially internet posts,

651
00:34:10.800 --> 00:34:13.800
<v Speaker 1>to you know, run it by the sniff test and

652
00:34:13.880 --> 00:34:16.360
<v Speaker 1>think about in your mind, you know, if this person

653
00:34:16.400 --> 00:34:19.639
<v Speaker 1>knows what they're talking about or what you know, if

654
00:34:19.679 --> 00:34:25.119
<v Speaker 1>what they're saying makes sense. Because there's a lot of

655
00:34:25.360 --> 00:34:28.719
<v Speaker 1>really wild stuff right now about the La Jazz Festival

656
00:34:29.079 --> 00:34:34.920
<v Speaker 1>on the Internet, and I think that we could do

657
00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:38.039
<v Speaker 1>ourselves a disservice if we just buy into it without

658
00:34:38.119 --> 00:34:38.960
<v Speaker 1>at least vetting.

659
00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:41.199
<v Speaker 3>Martin Ludlow is here.

660
00:34:41.440 --> 00:34:46.840
<v Speaker 1>The La Jazz Festival was is his project, and we

661
00:34:46.960 --> 00:34:50.039
<v Speaker 1>are telling the story of what really happened. Will continue

662
00:34:50.039 --> 00:34:53.639
<v Speaker 1>the conversation when we come forward on KBLA Talk fifteen eighty.

663
00:34:53.800 --> 00:34:56.239
<v Speaker 1>Ludlow is my guest. He's a creator of the La

664
00:34:56.360 --> 00:35:00.800
<v Speaker 1>Jazz Festival, and I'm hearing that maybe it'll happen in

665
00:35:00.840 --> 00:35:04.559
<v Speaker 1>the future. You know, what would you say, this is

666
00:35:04.599 --> 00:35:08.840
<v Speaker 1>a loaded question, but you know, well I don't even

667
00:35:08.920 --> 00:35:11.199
<v Speaker 1>know how to ask it. What would you what would

668
00:35:11.280 --> 00:35:14.000
<v Speaker 1>you do differently? I mean, some of these things are

669
00:35:14.039 --> 00:35:17.519
<v Speaker 1>beyond your control. Some you know, maybe there is a

670
00:35:17.559 --> 00:35:18.519
<v Speaker 1>protective factor.

671
00:35:19.440 --> 00:35:23.079
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I think the first one is really really starting early,

672
00:35:23.760 --> 00:35:29.199
<v Speaker 2>earlier in terms of the formal launch. We you know,

673
00:35:29.239 --> 00:35:32.719
<v Speaker 2>most people don't know this, but we got very close

674
00:35:32.760 --> 00:35:36.000
<v Speaker 2>to launching the Ljazz Festival three times over the last

675
00:35:36.000 --> 00:35:39.599
<v Speaker 2>three years, and each time we got close it was

676
00:35:39.639 --> 00:35:42.519
<v Speaker 2>because we had a title sponsor that was almost at

677
00:35:42.519 --> 00:35:45.400
<v Speaker 2>that point of saying yes. And you know, for folks

678
00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:48.360
<v Speaker 2>out there that have launch festivals that have done big productions,

679
00:35:48.719 --> 00:35:51.320
<v Speaker 2>I think what I'm about to say will resonate. You

680
00:35:51.480 --> 00:35:55.079
<v Speaker 2>really can't dive in to the formal planning until you

681
00:35:55.119 --> 00:35:58.000
<v Speaker 2>have been funded. You know, you really do have to

682
00:35:58.199 --> 00:36:01.119
<v Speaker 2>have the seed money to start. And everybody starts off

683
00:36:01.119 --> 00:36:04.239
<v Speaker 2>with the same question in the sponsorship world, Yeah, who's performing?

684
00:36:04.360 --> 00:36:07.239
<v Speaker 2>They want to know who's performing, so and I think

685
00:36:07.280 --> 00:36:09.400
<v Speaker 2>most of the folks on who are listening, who are

686
00:36:09.400 --> 00:36:11.440
<v Speaker 2>in the entertainment or music world know that to be

687
00:36:11.480 --> 00:36:13.199
<v Speaker 2>pretty much a fact. If you're going to do a concert,

688
00:36:13.239 --> 00:36:14.960
<v Speaker 2>you're going to do a tour. You're gonna do a festival,

689
00:36:15.639 --> 00:36:17.239
<v Speaker 2>they always want you to start off with the talent.

690
00:36:17.639 --> 00:36:19.920
<v Speaker 2>We have the venue in terms of agreement by the state.

691
00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.079
<v Speaker 2>We've had that since twenty twenty one, but even in

692
00:36:24.119 --> 00:36:26.760
<v Speaker 2>that permit, it still requires that you have to start

693
00:36:26.800 --> 00:36:29.000
<v Speaker 2>working with all the local agencies. So there's all those

694
00:36:29.039 --> 00:36:32.239
<v Speaker 2>elements we couldn't get. We didn't get our title sponsor

695
00:36:32.280 --> 00:36:35.840
<v Speaker 2>confirmed until January and that was a moment of truth

696
00:36:35.880 --> 00:36:37.639
<v Speaker 2>where it was like should we go, should we pause?

697
00:36:37.679 --> 00:36:40.920
<v Speaker 2>Well we ever get this moment again, and you know,

698
00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:43.159
<v Speaker 2>I remember it was a gut check, you know, to

699
00:36:43.199 --> 00:36:45.079
<v Speaker 2>your point after fifteen years of trying to get this

700
00:36:45.159 --> 00:36:47.960
<v Speaker 2>going and then really getting hit with the pandemic which

701
00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:50.039
<v Speaker 2>set us back, and then coming out of the pandemic,

702
00:36:50.440 --> 00:36:53.239
<v Speaker 2>trying to get large brands like Coca Cola, Butdweiser and

703
00:36:53.280 --> 00:36:55.599
<v Speaker 2>some of the other big ones that traditionally get behind

704
00:36:55.840 --> 00:36:58.679
<v Speaker 2>big music festivals. Could you give them the confidence that

705
00:36:58.719 --> 00:37:01.519
<v Speaker 2>you were, you know, at that moment you could launch.

706
00:37:01.800 --> 00:37:04.440
<v Speaker 2>And we were blessed to have Airbnb come on. They

707
00:37:04.440 --> 00:37:07.239
<v Speaker 2>were a perfect match for us. Their whole mission is

708
00:37:07.239 --> 00:37:10.719
<v Speaker 2>trying to create those unique destination opportunities for people that

709
00:37:10.760 --> 00:37:13.480
<v Speaker 2>traditionally can't afford those. There are a lot of people

710
00:37:13.519 --> 00:37:15.559
<v Speaker 2>in the community that actually make money by putting their

711
00:37:15.559 --> 00:37:18.199
<v Speaker 2>home up on Airbnb. So for us, it was just

712
00:37:18.239 --> 00:37:20.760
<v Speaker 2>a perfect partnership. And when they said we're in, we

713
00:37:20.840 --> 00:37:23.760
<v Speaker 2>immediately launched because that was the seed money we needed

714
00:37:23.760 --> 00:37:26.400
<v Speaker 2>to start pulling in the artists, paying the deposits, and

715
00:37:26.480 --> 00:37:29.119
<v Speaker 2>actually starting to get all of the professionals that we

716
00:37:29.159 --> 00:37:33.760
<v Speaker 2>needed to begin meeting with the government. And we everybody

717
00:37:33.800 --> 00:37:37.440
<v Speaker 2>moved fast. And I think that's probably the biggest the

718
00:37:37.559 --> 00:37:42.559
<v Speaker 2>you know, the biggest reflection in terms of should we

719
00:37:42.599 --> 00:37:44.760
<v Speaker 2>have just held off and try to pull it another year.

720
00:37:45.199 --> 00:37:48.920
<v Speaker 3>Well, you know, thank you for coming in and talking.

721
00:37:48.960 --> 00:37:52.639
<v Speaker 1>I know, you know, initially there was you know, you've

722
00:37:52.639 --> 00:37:55.880
<v Speaker 1>got a balance between what the lawyers say and what

723
00:37:56.079 --> 00:37:59.159
<v Speaker 1>and what the comms people say, and I think the

724
00:37:59.199 --> 00:38:01.360
<v Speaker 1>public wanted to hear from you so far.

725
00:38:01.519 --> 00:38:04.000
<v Speaker 2>I'm anxious to talk, I you know, I for anybody

726
00:38:04.079 --> 00:38:07.280
<v Speaker 2>that wants to interview, I'm just you know, I'm anxious

727
00:38:07.320 --> 00:38:11.320
<v Speaker 2>to talk because this this this vision. Maybe somebody else

728
00:38:11.360 --> 00:38:12.880
<v Speaker 2>will pull it off. Maybe it won't be me. I

729
00:38:12.880 --> 00:38:14.599
<v Speaker 2>don't know what the future has for me. I know,

730
00:38:15.119 --> 00:38:17.599
<v Speaker 2>we gotta we gotta finish up what we started. We

731
00:38:17.679 --> 00:38:20.119
<v Speaker 2>still got a lot of fees that we've got to cover.

732
00:38:20.800 --> 00:38:23.119
<v Speaker 2>That's gonna be me personally, and I am gonna do

733
00:38:23.199 --> 00:38:25.320
<v Speaker 2>everything I can to make that happen and then we

734
00:38:25.360 --> 00:38:26.639
<v Speaker 2>can talk about moving forward.

735
00:38:26.719 --> 00:38:31.000
<v Speaker 1>So and anyone who bought a ticket getting refunded, they

736
00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:33.400
<v Speaker 1>should just go to the La Jazz Festival website.

737
00:38:33.559 --> 00:38:36.119
<v Speaker 2>No through the process that they purchase it, that that

738
00:38:36.280 --> 00:38:40.039
<v Speaker 2>system will automatically start kicking it out. And yeah, but

739
00:38:40.079 --> 00:38:42.599
<v Speaker 2>they you know, people can go to the website or

740
00:38:42.639 --> 00:38:44.840
<v Speaker 2>go back to the platform where they purchase it and

741
00:38:44.920 --> 00:38:47.519
<v Speaker 2>start the refund. But even if you don't get the time,

742
00:38:47.559 --> 00:38:50.119
<v Speaker 2>if you don't have the time, it's gonna happen. And uh,

743
00:38:50.400 --> 00:38:52.440
<v Speaker 2>we're you know, our team is making sure that those

744
00:38:52.440 --> 00:38:53.760
<v Speaker 2>are the first things to get handled.

745
00:38:54.159 --> 00:38:54.639
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

746
00:38:54.679 --> 00:38:59.639
<v Speaker 1>Well, you know, we just have a minute left here

747
00:38:59.679 --> 00:39:01.559
<v Speaker 1>and I still have a lot of things I would

748
00:39:01.599 --> 00:39:03.960
<v Speaker 1>ask you, but I'm going to hand you the mic

749
00:39:04.000 --> 00:39:06.639
<v Speaker 1>and ask you what you want to leave folks with.

750
00:39:06.719 --> 00:39:09.639
<v Speaker 1>It's certainly a huge burden for you your company. I

751
00:39:09.679 --> 00:39:13.000
<v Speaker 1>hope that you know you the company and the vision survive.

752
00:39:14.280 --> 00:39:16.039
<v Speaker 1>What would you leave us with this morning?

753
00:39:18.159 --> 00:39:23.519
<v Speaker 2>You know you don't often see the ramifications of a

754
00:39:23.599 --> 00:39:28.159
<v Speaker 2>vision that doesn't work. This didn't work this year, and

755
00:39:28.320 --> 00:39:32.920
<v Speaker 2>the ramifications have been substantial. You know, I've really been

756
00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:39.559
<v Speaker 2>blown away by the level of media coverage, and I

757
00:39:39.639 --> 00:39:41.840
<v Speaker 2>know that when we were just a few weeks out

758
00:39:42.519 --> 00:39:44.599
<v Speaker 2>trying to figure out where we're going to get these

759
00:39:44.679 --> 00:39:48.679
<v Speaker 2>you know, final final approvals to dive in, we looked

760
00:39:48.679 --> 00:39:52.559
<v Speaker 2>at a report that showed our global media impressions and

761
00:39:52.599 --> 00:39:55.280
<v Speaker 2>it wasn't just social media, it was all media. We

762
00:39:55.280 --> 00:39:59.440
<v Speaker 2>were at five hundred million impressions and projected to hit

763
00:39:59.480 --> 00:40:06.639
<v Speaker 2>eight hundred million projections impressions by the weekend. And no

764
00:40:06.679 --> 00:40:09.880
<v Speaker 2>matter what happens in the future, that is something that

765
00:40:09.920 --> 00:40:12.880
<v Speaker 2>everybody that was involved, all the artists, all the professionals,

766
00:40:13.280 --> 00:40:17.880
<v Speaker 2>the event producers, everybody involved, the funders, the sponsors, take

767
00:40:17.920 --> 00:40:19.800
<v Speaker 2>a lot of pride in that because that is just

768
00:40:19.840 --> 00:40:23.119
<v Speaker 2>a statement that was you just can't you just don't

769
00:40:23.119 --> 00:40:24.159
<v Speaker 2>see that every day.

770
00:40:24.440 --> 00:40:27.840
<v Speaker 1>Martin Ludlow, thank you. It's also a statement that there's

771
00:40:27.880 --> 00:40:30.559
<v Speaker 1>a desire for this thing to happen. We got to

772
00:40:30.639 --> 00:40:32.639
<v Speaker 1>leave it there. It is time to pass the mic.

773
00:40:32.719 --> 00:40:35.519
<v Speaker 1>I appreciate you coming in and sharing your story with

774
00:40:35.760 --> 00:40:38.000
<v Speaker 1>me this morning. You can find me at the Premium

775
00:40:38.079 --> 00:40:42.679
<v Speaker 1>Radio dp RI I m A and then radio and

776
00:40:43.079 --> 00:40:46.440
<v Speaker 1>of course you can go to the La Jazz Festival website.

777
00:40:46.480 --> 00:40:48.000
<v Speaker 3>It's still functioning.

778
00:40:49.239 --> 00:40:52.239
<v Speaker 1>Like my dad, the late Great and Mary Baraka used

779
00:40:52.280 --> 00:40:55.159
<v Speaker 1>to say, a person is either free or they are

780
00:40:55.199 --> 00:40:59.400
<v Speaker 1>not free. There can be no apprenticeship for freedom until tomorrow,

781
00:40:59.480 --> 00:41:02.039
<v Speaker 1>my kbl A delegation One Love