Latest / Elevate Podcast: Powered by Braden / Elevate Ep 25: Behind the Curtain of the Palladium with CEO Jeff McDermott

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Elevate Ep 25: Behind the Curtain of the Palladium with CEO Jeff McDermott · Elevate Podcast: Powered by Braden

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behind thescenes content. Now, let's
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dive in.
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Hey everybody, Jason M here with another
0:47
episode of the Elevate Powered by Braden
0:49
podcast. Something different you might
0:51
see is well, we're not in the studio in
0:55
Fischers anymore. We're in a little
0:57
different place. I'm with a new friend,
0:58
Jeff. Jeff, where are we?
1:00
>> Oh, well, we're we're definitely It's
1:02
like the Wizard of Oz. We're not in
1:03
Kansas anymore, that's for sure. Uh, so
1:05
welcome to the stage of the paint and
1:07
palladium here at the Allied Solutions
1:08
Center for the Performing Arts in
1:10
Carmel, Indiana.
1:12
>> Beautiful Caramel, Indiana. Beautiful
1:14
stage. It's first time I've been on
1:16
stage, obviously. first time we've done
1:18
a a show outside of our studio. But
1:20
Jeeoff, welcome to the show. And
1:22
obviously, I know we're going to talk
1:23
about this place and what you guys do
1:25
here. But before we get to that part of
1:27
your story, let's go all the way back to
1:29
the beginning. Where you from
1:30
originally?
1:30
>> Uh, actually originally from Cleveland,
1:32
Ohio. Uh, grew up there till I was about
1:35
10 or 11 years old. My dad got
1:37
transferred around a little bit. Spent a
1:38
little time in Syracuse, New York, and
1:40
then really kind of consider Fort
1:42
Waynetown. Grew up there from junior
1:45
high on.
1:45
>> Gotcha. So, junior high through high
1:47
school in Fort Wayne. So, which high
1:48
school were you at?
1:49
>> Homestead High School.
1:50
>> The Spartans.
1:52
>> Homestead Spartans.
1:53
>> That's right. So, I I happened to be a
1:54
Baron uh from Decal.
1:57
>> Well, you don't have to apologize for
1:58
that.
1:58
>> That's right. So, but I'm trying to
2:00
think I was trying to think you played
2:01
baseball.
2:02
>> I did.
2:03
>> Right. So, back in back in high school,
2:05
how was your baseball days and how was
2:06
that playing against DA?
2:07
>> Um, it was terrible playing against Dao
2:10
because we couldn't beat him. Um, which
2:11
is uh DAW was very good. As you know,
2:14
they have a great history of baseball. I
2:16
played
2:17
>> graduated from high school in 1979. And
2:19
back then, you had two amazing pitchers
2:22
at Tequal, a guy named Tai Cobb of all
2:24
things.
2:25
>> That's right.
2:25
>> Uh and and he I mean, he was destined to
2:28
be good
2:29
>> and then another guy named Brad Leven.
2:30
So, they were two great pitchers were
2:33
all first team of the what was that? The
2:36
uh
2:37
>> uh NEI
2:39
something like that. Yeah, it doesn't
2:41
exist anymore. But yeah, we we always
2:44
struggled a little bit with them.
2:45
>> Always a little bit. So, high school
2:46
baseball,
2:48
>> right? So, finishing up at Homestead,
2:49
where where do you go next?
2:50
>> So, I ended up uh my first year I ended
2:53
up at SMU down in Dallas, Texas. Um was
2:55
recruited to play baseball down there.
2:57
Pitched uh down there. That was the old
2:59
Southwest Conference. So, back when that
3:01
existed. So, SMU was in the conference
3:03
with Houston and Texas and Baylor and
3:06
Rice and Texas Tech and Texas A&M. um
3:09
and had a really nice season down there
3:11
as a freshman. I started there as long
3:13
relief and finished there as a uh
3:15
starter uh which was great. Um we had a
3:18
pretty good team. Not a great team, but
3:20
uh it was pretty good that year. Um and
3:23
then uh at the end of that year, that
3:25
was sort of the front end of SMU getting
3:28
ready to be uh get the death penalty in
3:30
football.
3:31
>> Um so they were struggling a little
3:33
financially as a private school. It was
3:35
the heart of a recession at the time.
3:36
they ended up cancing our baseball
3:38
program. So, we were given the
3:41
opportunity to stay. They were going to
3:42
honor scholarships and things like that,
3:44
but wouldn't have a baseball program.
3:46
And the only reason I went there was to
3:47
play baseball. So, I ended up
3:49
transferring from there and uh came up
3:51
to Purdue and played at Purdue and um
3:54
that's where I got my education.
3:55
>> So, so high school from Homestead to
3:58
down to Texas. How do you end up at SMU?
4:00
What was
4:00
>> there was a connection the
4:02
superintendent uh of southwest Allen
4:05
County schools where Homestead was uh
4:07
his last name was Bradberry and I don't
4:09
remember his first name but Mr.
4:10
Bradberry was an SMU grad and he had
4:13
contacted somebody down there and they
4:15
came up and looked at me and and got an
4:18
opportunity to play down there.
4:19
>> Okay. All right. So play a year down
4:21
there. Obviously you're on campus with
4:24
people probably like Eric Dickerson and
4:26
those guys, right? Craig James and Eric
4:28
Dickerson were freshman when I was a
4:29
freshman there. Um I remember Ron Meyer,
4:32
who ended up coaching here for the
4:33
Colts, was the coach of the SMU football
4:35
team back then.
4:36
>> Gotcha. All right. So, going down SMU,
4:39
coming back to Purdue, still playing
4:41
baseball at Purdue.
4:42
>> Yes. Yeah.
4:43
>> Okay. And what are you studying?
4:45
>> Well, that's interesting. Um when I was
4:46
at SMU, um I went to college to be a
4:49
baseball player. I that was about the
4:51
only that's about as far ahead as I had
4:53
been thinking. And um when I was at SMU,
4:56
I I I was getting good grades and uh
4:59
took a political science class that I
5:00
found interesting. Uh got a good grade
5:02
in it. And when I got to Purdue, they
5:04
told me I needed now I'm a sophomore, I
5:06
needed to declare a major
5:07
>> and baseball wasn't considered a major.
5:09
So that wasn't count that. So uh so I
5:13
declared political science as my major
5:16
and uh interested in it. Didn't really
5:19
think about what I could do with that uh
5:21
as a as a career. And then um I think by
5:24
the time you know I I ended up as I was
5:27
a a very good high school pitcher. I was
5:30
a pretty good college pitcher but I
5:32
think I started to get a little more
5:33
mature and started to have enough
5:35
self-awareness to look around and say
5:37
you know what in high school I could
5:38
throw a fast ball by most players
5:41
>> here they can all hit it out of the park
5:43
right
5:43
>> and maybe I ought to come up with a plan
5:45
B. So um uh suddenly realizing I was
5:49
going to graduate on time. I was getting
5:50
good grades, but had no clue what I was
5:52
going to do with a political science
5:53
major. So, I applied to law school and
5:55
um took the LSAT and did all right on
5:57
that and went off to law school.
5:59
>> So, going to law school, where was there
6:01
somebody in your family maybe that was a
6:03
lawyer? Where did that come from?
6:04
>> Literally, I was the first lawyer in the
6:06
family as far as I know. No kidding. No
6:08
kidding. So, it it was really more
6:11
>> sort of an interest
6:13
what else am I going to do with a
6:15
political science degree.
6:16
>> Okay. So, um, but ended up going to law
6:18
school, loved it. Um, I went to Notre
6:21
Dame for law school and had a great
6:23
experience there and,
6:25
>> uh, came out of Notre Dame, did a
6:27
clerkship between my second and third
6:28
year of law school with Craig Devault
6:30
here in town.
6:31
>> Sure.
6:31
>> And, uh, joined Craig Devalt as a summer
6:34
associate, then an associate, and then
6:36
had a 35-y year career with him.
6:37
>> 35 years all all at Cre all here in
6:39
town. all here in started my first 15
6:42
years were at the downtown office and
6:43
then after uh about 15 years we opened
6:46
the Carmel office which was our first
6:48
satellite office. Creek's got several
6:50
now.
6:50
>> Yeah, of course.
6:51
>> Um and came up I was on the management
6:53
uh uh team. They called it the executive
6:56
committee of our firm. So I was u picked
6:59
since I lived here in Carmel, I was
7:00
picked to start up the Carmel office and
7:02
started that and um which was great. It
7:04
was five minute drive from home and
7:06
>> easy to get to work. My daughters were,
7:08
you know, in sports and other things. So
7:09
that frankly made it all simplified life
7:12
quite a bit to have an office up here.
7:14
>> Gotcha. So 35 years in law all at one
7:17
place. How do you end up here? How do
7:19
you end up where we are today?
7:21
>> Pure uh happen stance. Um so in 2010 um
7:26
I had rolled off I had been uh on a
7:28
couple of other boards and in particular
7:30
the St. Benson Foundation.
7:32
>> Okay. um and had been on that for about
7:34
12 years and chaired that board for
7:36
three years and then rolled off by term
7:39
limits um and was looking for something
7:41
else nonprofit to get involved with get
7:43
involved in. um hadn't really found I I
7:46
knew I wanted to be something different
7:48
and didn't know what I don't have any
7:50
arts background whatsoever, but um was
7:52
asked by uh uh our former mayor Jim
7:55
Brainard and our founding board chair uh
7:57
Raleigh Dick to uh come onto the board
8:00
of the Center for the Performing Arts as
8:03
it was called then. Now we're the LA
8:04
Solutions Center.
8:05
>> Um and I remember resisting that a
8:08
little bit thinking I don't have an arts
8:09
background. What can I contribute? and
8:11
they made clear that they weren't
8:12
looking
8:13
>> for people with arts backgrounds. They
8:15
were looking for people who were long
8:17
time in the community, had some business
8:19
background, in my case, legal
8:21
background. And um you know, my my
8:23
thought was, well, if you're not looking
8:24
for an arts background, you you've got
8:26
that in me because I don't have it.
8:27
>> You got that, right?
8:28
>> Um but I also I I was a big believer and
8:30
I think that this is going to be a great
8:31
thing for the community. At that point,
8:33
I've been in the community for I don't
8:35
know 25 years, something like that. And
8:38
so I agreed to join the board and having
8:41
no idea how much I would fall in love
8:42
with it. I mean just just love the
8:44
experience, love the mission, love the
8:45
people I was involved with.
8:47
>> Um became very involved. We we
8:49
affiliated with the Great American Song
8:51
Book Foundation. Um I went on to that
8:53
board as well. I ended up chairing that
8:55
board. Uh and then it was in 2016
8:58
I was involved in a I was a trial lawyer
9:01
with my firm involved in a very uh
9:03
significant piece of litigation. We were
9:05
scheduled for two months of jury trial
9:08
>> and on the second day of jury selection
9:10
at 2 in the morning the case settled. Um
9:13
I have a place up north of Fort Wayne,
9:15
Big Long Lake, which I know you're
9:16
familiar with.
9:16
>> You bet.
9:17
>> Um went up to the lake after that case
9:19
got the paperwork got done and just
9:21
decided I was going to just kind of
9:23
chill out a little bit. We'd been
9:24
working kind of crazy hours and I just
9:26
needed a little time off. got a call
9:28
from our then CEO here at the uh center
9:31
for the performing arts and asked me to
9:33
come back as the chair of the foundation
9:36
to talk with her
9:37
>> and she also reached out to Eric Payne
9:39
uh of the pain family of pain and menas
9:42
palladium who was the board chair of the
9:44
cent's board. Uh so I drove back from my
9:47
lake place on a Monday morning. I
9:49
remember that we uh Eric and I met for
9:52
breakfast. We waited for our uh then CEO
9:54
Tanya Castlevertie Muscaleno to come
9:56
join us for breakfast and when she got
9:58
there she let us know that she was
10:00
leaving to uh take a new position at
10:02
Roosevelt University up in Chicago. Um
10:05
she actually didn't join us for
10:06
breakfast. She said, "I know you got a
10:07
lot to think about and talk about, so
10:08
I'll let you guys talk."
10:10
>> So she came to breakfast.
10:11
>> She came to breakfast.
10:12
>> Let you know,
10:12
>> let us know. And gave us time to
10:15
process.
10:15
>> Okay. All right.
10:16
>> So, uh as we sat there, Eric and I
10:18
talking, we you know, you work the
10:20
problem. What are you going to do? Well,
10:22
we we knew we needed to control media
10:24
and we knew we needed to alert the board
10:26
and we're going to have to think about a
10:27
search committee.
10:28
>> And as we ate breakfast, Eric said,
10:30
"Would you want to be the interim CEO
10:32
for a while?"
10:33
>> And I remember saying to him, "What in
10:35
the world do I know about running a
10:36
performing arts center?" And he
10:38
responded, "What do any of us know, but
10:40
you have two months open on your
10:41
calendar because you just have free time
10:43
got this case settled?" Which was true.
10:44
So, I I joke with people, but not really
10:46
a joke that my main qualification was I
10:48
was available. Um I I didn't have
10:50
anything else going on. So I went into
10:52
it more like treating it like a
10:55
sbatical. Like you know what? This is
10:56
something completely new and different.
10:58
My firm was okay with it. I think they
11:00
felt like probably not a bad thing for
11:02
me to just take a little time off and do
11:04
something completely different and
11:05
started doing it and had great fun with
11:07
it and um had a little bit of success
11:10
and they asked me to stay on.
11:12
>> No kidding. So from interim to
11:13
full-time. When was that?
11:15
>> I think I was interim for about a year.
11:17
So I think that happened right around
11:19
September of 2016 and then I think in
11:22
around September 2017 I officially
11:24
started
11:25
>> as a full-time.
11:26
>> Gotcha. And the facility here was built
11:28
like in 2011 something like that.
11:29
>> We opened in 2011 in January 2011. So it
11:32
was finished right at the end of 2010.
11:34
>> Gotcha. And now you're the president and
11:36
CEO. And also but the Great American
11:38
Song Book you're still working with them
11:40
also.
11:40
>> That's right. So the Great American Song
11:42
Book is our affiliate organization,
11:44
separate board of directors. It's a
11:45
separate uh 501c3 nonprofit. Um but I
11:50
serve as a president and CEO of both
11:52
organizations. So the Allied Solutions
11:53
Center and the uh Great American Song
11:56
Foundation and and that's that's how
11:58
it's structured. So it's um we uh the
12:00
Allied Solutions Center provides a lot
12:02
of great support for the Great American
12:04
Song Foundation. Everything from uh our
12:07
finance team works with them, our
12:08
development team works with them, our
12:09
marketing team works with them. Um, in
12:12
return we get really the u sort of the
12:16
benefit of the Great American Song
12:17
Foundation being a national organization
12:19
well known around the country through uh
12:22
its founder Michael Feinstein who
12:23
happens to also be the artistic director
12:25
of the LA Solutions Center. So it's it's
12:27
a really a great uh great marriage,
12:29
>> you know. So for people that don't know,
12:31
obviously we're sit we're sitting in the
12:32
Padium, one of the most beautiful
12:34
buildings I've ever been in, one of the
12:36
coolest stages I've ever been on, for
12:37
sure. But it'd be great maybe talk a
12:40
little bit more about all the things
12:41
that you guys do here and and the the
12:44
facility and maybe even some of the
12:46
folks you've had a chance to meet.
12:47
>> Sure. Well, I think you know so many
12:48
people um know us for having great
12:51
performances and a wide variety of
12:52
performances. In fact, I think because
12:54
we're a nonprofit with a mission to
12:56
engage and inspire the Indiana community
12:58
through enriching arts experiences.
13:00
We're not bringing in just commercial
13:02
acts, right? And by commercial acts, I
13:03
mean these are worldclass acts. When we
13:05
bring in Sting or John Legend or Cheryl
13:08
Crowe or Harry Kik Jr., those are
13:11
commercial acts because in the sense
13:13
that they're wellknown and we'll sell
13:16
them out, you know, with without even
13:18
trying. um but still world-class
13:21
performers, but we bring in u many other
13:23
artists who maybe are not as well known
13:26
but equally talented um you know the who
13:29
are and we just had Chris The um a few
13:32
nights ago considered the world's
13:34
greatest mandolin player. Yeah.
13:36
>> And just captivating a great audience
13:38
for it. Just just captivating. Um so you
13:41
know we we're known for our shows. Um,
13:43
but I think one of the things that we're
13:45
not as well known for, and probably
13:47
because we suffer from little Hooser
13:48
humbleness, we don't boast enough about
13:51
what we're doing here, is our
13:52
educational programming. Um the last two
13:54
years we've served 25,000 people here
13:56
with education programs ranging from
13:59
ukulele to standup comedy to vocal
14:02
classes to we've got a program called
14:04
the Prism Project which is for young
14:06
people uh with various disabilities
14:08
whether it be autism or mobility
14:10
challenges or or other physical uh
14:13
challenges. Um we do a program called
14:16
Peanut Butter and Jam for toddlers. Um,
14:19
you know, I I'll tell people last year
14:21
alone, probably our youngest uh uh
14:24
student was 18 months old and our oldest
14:26
one was in the early 90s.
14:28
>> No kidding.
14:28
>> Uh and everything in between. And every
14:30
one of our educational programs is
14:31
either free of charge or highly
14:33
subsidized by us because as a nonprofit,
14:36
we get very generous contributions from
14:38
donors and corporate sponsors and other
14:40
things like that.
14:41
>> That's amazing. I don't know that a lot
14:42
of folks would even know that. I didn't
14:43
know that till the first time you and I
14:45
chatted. And so how would folks go out
14:47
if if they were interested, if I'm a if
14:49
I'm have a family here around town, how
14:51
do they find out more about that and
14:52
what they can get plugged in?
14:53
>> Yeah, so the educational programming is
14:54
all on our website, the
14:55
centerpresents.org, along with our other
14:58
programs. Um, we're working on some
15:00
electronic signage right now in
15:02
cooperation with the city of Carmel. So
15:04
that we'll have something outside of our
15:06
venue that shows what's playing this
15:08
weekend, things that are coming up,
15:09
things that are happening on campus,
15:10
which will be sort of a community
15:12
bulletin board, which we're excited
15:14
about. But it's, you know, 15 years in
15:15
and uh we we don't want it to be a
15:17
mystery what's happening here. Of
15:18
course, we do other big community
15:20
events, too. We we've had debates here.
15:22
We've had mayoral debates. We've had a
15:24
gubanatorial debate. Um
15:26
>> we do a naturalization ceremony every
15:28
year. In fact, just recently, this year
15:30
is the 250th anniversary of our country.
15:33
Okay? And so we had a a particularly um
15:36
large naturalization ceremony where
15:38
where we had nearly 250 individuals who
15:42
became citizens in this hall. Literally
15:44
walked across this stage,
15:46
>> took the oath of citizenship. We do that
15:48
in uh in partnership with uh the United
15:51
States District Court for the Southern
15:52
District of uh of Indiana, which is the
15:55
Indianapolis Division. But I think this
15:57
was our sixth or seventh or eighth okay
16:00
>> naturalization ceremony. one of our
16:01
great uh resident companies, the Indiana
16:03
Wind Symphony uh in this year in
16:06
partnership with I I believe it was the
16:08
Indiana National Guard performed great
16:11
patriotic music and really made it an
16:13
event that was really special for the
16:15
new citizens. We also live stream it so
16:17
that you know if we've got someone from,
16:20
you know, New Guinea who is taking the
16:21
oath of citizenship and they've got
16:23
friends and family in New Guinea, they
16:24
watched it live.
16:25
>> Oh, that's true. um so that they had the
16:27
opportunity to see their loved one and
16:28
friend uh become a US citizen.
16:31
>> That's terrific. You know, being
16:32
involved and being part of this
16:34
community and having a chance to work
16:36
here, I'm sure you've got some pretty
16:37
cool stories of maybe people that you
16:39
met or some of the um people that have
16:41
been in here. So, maybe share a little
16:42
bit a couple of those.
16:43
>> Yeah. Well, it's you know, it's a it's a
16:45
pinch me job when you think about it. In
16:47
fact, I I go to nearly every
16:49
performance. Um, I usually do a stage,
16:51
we call them a stage welcome before the
16:52
performance where I come out and I thank
16:54
people for being here and I thank our
16:55
sponsors and I let people know, remind
16:58
them that we're a nonprofit and that
16:59
they can donate um and and introduce the
17:02
artists um and and because of that I'm
17:05
backstage a lot and I get to meet a lot
17:07
of the artists, which is pretty fun
17:08
stuff. In fact, it's it's interesting.
17:10
People will say to me, "Boy, you're
17:12
working all the time." Because they see
17:13
me here night night after night. And my
17:15
my comeback is often
17:18
>> I'm here a lot. It's hard to call what
17:20
I'm doing work. You know, I'm drinking a
17:21
glass of wine and talking to interesting
17:23
people and watching a show.
17:24
>> But, uh, yeah, some of the artists, um,
17:26
you know, as a general, uh, view, the
17:29
artists are phenomenal. I mean, they're
17:32
not just talented, they're great people.
17:34
Um, I think a lot of people don't know
17:35
what to expect. Are they going to be
17:37
divas? And that's that's rare. Um,
17:39
they're usually, if anything, almost a
17:42
little introverted, a little shy. um
17:44
they have a different, you know, persona
17:46
backstage than they do on stage when
17:48
they're in front of people. Um they're
17:51
very very appreciative. Um you know,
17:54
touring is not an easy thing to do. It's
17:56
a hard life. You know, they're on tour
17:57
buses and you know, a lot of times after
17:59
the show, they're not even going to a
18:00
hotel. They're getting on a bus and
18:02
driving off, you know, 400 miles to
18:04
their next location. So, they're very
18:05
appreciative of anything we can do for
18:06
them and we try to make them feel very
18:08
welcome. But, um yeah, met some great
18:10
people, some fun stories. Um, you know,
18:14
one of my favorite stories is Dennis D.
18:15
Young, who you probably know as the lead
18:17
singer from Stixs. That's right.
18:19
>> And Stixs was one of my favorite groups
18:21
growing up. Um, and Dennis was here. Um,
18:25
I was I got a call from Ellen Kingston,
18:27
who was our artist concierge at the
18:28
time. And she would often call me and
18:30
say, "Listen, Jeff, it's probably good
18:32
time this afternoon if you want to come
18:33
down and welcome the artist," which I
18:34
like to do. So, I I came down um and was
18:38
over here on stage left as as Dennis was
18:41
wrapping up his songs. I think the last
18:43
two songs I just sort of sat back and
18:45
watched him uh and listened to him play
18:47
were uh Renegade and Babe. And all I
18:51
could think of was I saw him when I was
18:53
at SMU in 1980. Um and and at this point
18:57
I think Dennis was 69 years old and his
18:59
voice sounded phenomenal and and the
19:02
energy and everything he was bringing to
19:03
the stage and and I have a my own
19:07
personal rule that when I meet an
19:08
artist, you know, you don't gush. You
19:09
you thank them for being here. You play
19:11
it cool, right? The corporate
19:12
conversation like taking care of youact
19:16
doing a good job for you. Those things.
19:17
>> Exactly. Um and so I started that way,
19:20
but then before I realized what I was
19:22
doing, I started to gush and I said,
19:23
"Dennis, I I got to tell you, I I saw
19:25
you in 1980 and uh I just watched you
19:29
now and you were phenomenal and boy,
19:30
your voice sounds great." And I said,
19:32
"It was I honestly was it was nostalgic
19:34
for me." And uh he he smiled and he
19:37
thanked me and then he said, "Um, I got
19:39
a couple questions for you." I said,
19:40
'Well, what's that?' He goes, 'Well, are
19:42
are you gonna be at the show tonight?' I
19:44
said, 'Well, yeah, of course I'll I'll
19:45
be at the show tonight. And he said,
19:46
'Well, I imagine you'll be around some
19:48
important people.' And I said, 'Well,
19:50
you know, I mean, I have some guests in
19:52
my box and donors. And he goes, well,
19:54
let me give you some advice. He goes,
19:55
try not to weep too openly while I sing.
19:58
So,
20:00
he got and he laughed and I laughed. I
20:02
go, okay, you know, I I hear what you're
20:04
saying, which I appreciated. But um then
20:07
I remember he said and this venue and he
20:09
kind of looked around and I kind of
20:11
puffed up with pride and he goes
20:13
>> what a dump. And
20:15
>> I laughed at that. He goes, "Did you
20:16
think that was funny?" I go, "That was
20:17
pretty funny." Yeah.
20:18
>> Uh he said, "I might use that tonight."
20:19
And sure enough that night started the
20:21
show, sang two songs and he came out and
20:23
he and it got a good laugh and as soon
20:25
as he said this venue, here it comes.
20:27
But he he was very funny. He was very uh
20:30
I think he loved playing here and loved
20:32
how he was treated. And most of the
20:33
artists in fact I will say nearly 100%
20:36
of the time the artists come out and
20:37
they they rave about the venue itself
20:40
>> and they rave about our staff um our
20:43
production team in particular and our
20:44
concierge team and our events team and
20:47
to the point where people ask me do you
20:48
put in their contracts that they have to
20:50
say nice things about kid
20:52
>> about your venue and your staff and I
20:53
said we don't. They just do that on
20:55
their own. The only thing we tell them
20:56
to do is how to pronounce caramel
20:57
correctly.
20:58
>> Yeah. Right.
20:58
>> Um because we tell them, you know, the
21:00
audience might correct you if you call
21:02
it caramel. Caramel or caramel. Yeah.
21:05
Yeah. It's right.
21:05
>> We actually have right over on stage,
21:07
right, we have a little sign with a
21:09
phonetic spelling of Caramel. K R M L.
21:12
So that's the last thing they see as
21:14
they walk out on the stage.
21:15
>> So Dennis D. Young. So outside of seeing
21:17
him and seeing him in the 80s, any other
21:18
really cool shows come to mind that
21:20
you've seen here? Absolutely. A ton of
21:21
them, I'm sure.
21:22
>> Yeah, there's so many. again, you know,
21:24
you know, some of the big well-known
21:25
ones like Sting and John Legend and
21:28
Harry Kik Jr. and um you know, we we've
21:31
had Kenny Rogers and Brian Wilson and
21:35
you know, many of those, but um you
21:38
know, some that are are lesser known or
21:40
may not be of as much of a an interest
21:42
to the broader public. We had the
21:45
National Orchestra of Ukraine
21:47
>> come here and just the way it worked
21:49
out, it was on the one-year anniversary
21:52
>> of Russia invading them
21:54
>> and this entire hall was packed and
21:57
Ukrainian flags flying and it was a very
22:00
very emotional, beautiful concert. U and
22:03
to see uh there was there was a a
22:05
significant Ukrainian population here in
22:09
Indiana that a lot of people weren't
22:11
even aware of. Um, but even those who
22:13
weren't Ukrainian, just the support uh
22:15
that came out for a show like that was
22:17
incredibly moving.
22:18
>> That that's amazing. It's amazing. You
22:20
know, one of the things that we talked
22:21
about before we got started was some of
22:23
the technology and the changes right
22:24
over 15 years. and just some of the
22:27
things that have happened in that space.
22:29
And one of the things we like to do
22:30
whether we're talking to for-profit
22:31
companies or nonprofit companies is talk
22:33
just about technology a little bit
22:36
>> and where is technology going and in
22:38
your guys' space as a as a nonprofit?
22:41
Where do you see it evolving? Is AI
22:43
starting to to come in and do some
22:45
things? But what do you see in the space
22:46
in tech?
22:47
>> You know, AI is a little scary to some
22:49
people. Um I think we're trying to
22:51
embrace it, but you know, it's got its
22:53
place. um you don't ever want to see it
22:55
replace artists or artistry, music, uh
22:58
things like that. Um but it certainly
23:00
has its place. It can help in
23:02
advertising and marketing and branding
23:04
and and and things like that. But you
23:05
know, there's there's nothing that's
23:06
going to replace um live performing arts
23:10
and people have to come and see it and
23:12
experience it. Um but you know, we we
23:14
we're keeping up with that uh as best
23:17
you can. I've been to seminars about it.
23:19
You know, they're talking about you we
23:21
thought the internet went fast. I mean
23:23
AI is going at at lightning speed,
23:25
>> you know, but there a place like this on
23:27
on one hand, we're 15 years old, which
23:29
you know, 15 years ago, we didn't have
23:32
as much technology as we do now. And yet
23:34
at the same time, we're only 15 years
23:36
old, right? Um we're not that old. Uh
23:39
but over the last couple years, we have
23:41
brought in a whole new PA system. So the
23:43
the whole sound system in this hall is
23:45
brand new. Um you know, people say,
23:47
"Well, why do you need to replace that?"
23:49
And we say, well, same reason you don't
23:50
have a iPhone that's 15 years old.
23:52
>> Yeah. You don't you don't have the 3GS.
23:54
You've got the iPhone 17 or
23:55
>> Exactly. So technology you you want to
23:58
keep up. And we pride ourselves on
24:00
having phenomenal acoustics here, which
24:02
we do, but you have to blend that with
24:04
phenomenal a phenomenal PA system that's
24:06
state-of-the-art.
24:08
>> Similarly, our what we call our uh
24:10
intelligent lights. Not all of the
24:12
lighting, but all the intelligent lights
24:13
in this hall have been replaced. Those
24:15
are the long lights that can move and uh
24:17
are all electronically uh and and we can
24:20
do so many more things with lighting now
24:22
to increase the experience. Um we
24:24
invested in a video wall a few years
24:26
ago. So many artists will have a lot of
24:28
video content with their shows. Well, we
24:30
didn't have that. And when we when we
24:32
wanted to have video content, we'd have
24:33
to go out and rent a video wall, which
24:35
was pretty expensive. M uh so we
24:37
invested in our own which is really a
24:39
state-of-the-art video wall that our
24:41
production team can put up and take down
24:43
uh and and add a lot of visual content
24:46
to a lot of shows when they when they
24:47
are able to bring that with them.
24:49
>> Well, you've got to create enough you've
24:50
got to create the space and have the
24:52
technology available. You're bringing in
24:54
the world's greatest in some cases,
24:56
right? You mentioned different types of
24:57
of players that are out there. You've
24:59
got to create the venue that they want
25:00
to come to otherwise they won't
25:02
>> Exactly.
25:02
>> So, it's interesting where you guys are
25:04
going with technology. Next is thinking
25:06
about community, right? So 501c3
25:09
part of our community here in Carmel,
25:11
Indiana. As you think about community, h
25:14
how do you how do you how are you
25:16
engaging with the community? What's
25:17
community mean to you?
25:18
>> Well, I think, you know, again, I've
25:20
been in this community since 1987.
25:23
So I you know, I'm not an original. I'm
25:25
not a native and there probably aren't
25:27
too many natives in Carmel, but I've
25:28
been here a long time. And so it's, you
25:30
know, it is home for me and it's and and
25:32
I feel a responsibility. I think we all
25:34
do here to make sure that we're giving
25:36
back to the community. Um, you know, the
25:38
the vision for this place was to be a
25:40
cultural hub, but also to have economic
25:42
impact. Um, and and I think we're doing
25:45
both. We did a study,
25:47
>> uh, just recently, uh, was not quite a
25:49
year ago, uh, two studies actually. One
25:52
was a study of just the value and the
25:54
quality of our of our management
25:56
services. How well are we running this
25:57
place? We wanted someone independently
25:59
to come in and tell us where are we
26:01
doing things well and where can we
26:02
improve. Um and and are are we doing the
26:06
same kind of job that the city would do
26:08
if it were running it itself or a
26:09
for-profit, you know, a live nation or
26:11
somebody else would do? Uh and this
26:13
study came out, Hunden Partners did this
26:15
for us and they came out with a report
26:17
that showed that as a nonprofit, we're
26:20
actually operating this at peak
26:22
efficiency. um the the price per seat uh
26:26
to operate this place, which is the way
26:28
one of the ways they measure it, was far
26:29
less, something like $50 less per seat
26:32
than our peer average across the
26:34
country.
26:35
>> Um they they showed that we uh operate
26:38
this it costs us less to operate this
26:41
than it would cost the city to operate
26:42
itself if it made it a true department
26:44
of the city and far less than if they
26:47
brought in a for-profit company to do
26:48
it. And one of the main reasons is as a
26:50
nonprofit people contribute to us of
26:53
course you know so sponsorships and uh
26:55
just contributed revenue bring in a
26:58
whole new revenue stream that the city
27:00
or for-profit wouldn't have. And then uh
27:03
we had a an organization out of IU uh
27:07
school of business that did an economic
27:09
impact study for us to show that with
27:12
what we uh what we do here has economic
27:15
impact in Carmel of about $23 million a
27:18
year. Um and the city pays us a
27:21
management fee of about $2 million a
27:24
year. Uh and I as I've said if I had $2
27:27
million a year to invest and could make
27:29
$23 million off of it, I'd do that every
27:31
time.
27:31
>> Me too. So, you know, we're pleased with
27:33
the economic impact and with the value
27:36
and the efficiency of our services. Um,
27:38
but we also know we're bringing cultural
27:40
impact and and quality of life
27:42
experience here that we're very proud
27:44
of. So, you know, when you see Carmel
27:47
get award after award for best place to
27:49
live, best place to work, best place to
27:51
raise a family, best place to retire, uh
27:53
the Allied Solutions Center for the
27:54
Performing Arts, the Great American Song
27:56
Foundation are almost always mentioned
27:58
as part of that experience, part of what
28:00
makes Caramel uh so attractive.
28:03
>> Yeah. It's part of what makes caramel
28:04
caramel at the end of the day. This was
28:06
where this facility is used to be the
28:08
old Kroger. That's right. It's hard to
28:10
believe what we're sitting in the deli
28:14
produce like that, right? So, but that's
28:15
but you think about what it used to be
28:17
like before all of this happened over
28:19
the last 15 20 years. What amazing
28:22
growth.
28:22
>> It it it's so interesting to hear just
28:24
what you guys are doing here and some of
28:27
the great acts that have been here and I
28:28
know there'll be more coming and I was
28:30
talking to your team before we got
28:31
started. Sometimes in between the three
28:33
facilities you could have seven or
28:35
eight, you know, shows on a weekend. You
28:37
guys are crazy busy around here. Well,
28:39
it's it's very very busy and we also get
28:42
great community support. Not only do the
28:44
patrons come to the shows, we've set a
28:46
lot of uh attendance records over the
28:48
last number of years. We have a a
28:50
volunteer core of about 400 community
28:52
volunteers who serve as ushers and
28:55
dosent. Um you know, on any given night,
28:57
if if all three venues are going, we
28:59
might have 60 or 80 people volunteering
29:02
here. Wow.
29:03
>> Uh their time and they're well trained.
29:05
I mean the we uh I actually did a little
29:08
undercover work uh when I started here
29:10
as the interim CEO. I wanted to you know
29:13
I knew coming out of management at a law
29:15
firm I knew about HR and I knew about
29:18
budgets but I didn't know the first
29:19
thing about what ushers do or what our
29:22
production team does and so I wanted to
29:24
learn a little bit. So I sort of went
29:25
undercover. Now, our team knew who I
29:27
was, but one night we had uh a
29:30
performance here, and I I read the usher
29:32
manual cover to cover, put on the black
29:35
pants and the white shirt and the tie,
29:36
and I was an usher for the night. And,
29:39
you know, I learned a lot. I learned
29:40
that you welcome people to their seats.
29:42
You don't point at their seats. Um, I
29:46
learned that uh uh our ushers stand on
29:49
hard marble for four hours at a time and
29:52
a lot of them are more senior and so we
29:54
needed more seating for them and more
29:56
opportunities for them to be able to
29:58
relax a little bit. Uh we put together a
30:00
uh sort of a a program where the more
30:03
they ushered they could earn points that
30:04
they could cash in for tickets uh so
30:06
that we were giving something back to
30:08
them. We did a study last year alone. If
30:11
we were paying our ushers essentially
30:13
minimum wage, uh it would have cost us
30:15
over half a million dollars.
30:17
>> Oh, no.
30:17
>> So, they are truly donors of their time
30:20
and talent, and many are also donors of
30:22
their treasure. So, one of the things I
30:24
always try to do in my stage welcomes is
30:26
thank our donors, our sponsors, and our
30:29
ushers because they're they're great
30:31
community volunteers who are given a
30:32
lot.
30:33
>> That's terrific. I love to hear it. So,
30:34
before we close, let's talk a little bit
30:36
about fun. You mentioned a lake place,
30:39
Long Lake up north. And so if you're not
30:41
here and having fun, like you said, I
30:44
think it somebody said you seem to work
30:45
a lot. Seemed like you have a lot of fun
30:47
here. But if you're not here at the
30:48
facility or around the facility, what
30:50
are you doing for fun?
30:51
>> Yeah. Well, I do love uh Big Long Lake
30:53
up in Lraange Countyy's my happy place.
30:56
So get up there as often as we can as we
30:58
can. And it's it's a hobby for me. I
31:00
love sort of taking care of it and, you
31:02
know, little chores and things like
31:04
that. But it's also a gathering place
31:05
for my family. So, you know, it's a
31:07
great place. My I've got uh two
31:09
daughters and two stepdaughters and uh I
31:11
now have two grandchildren about a 14
31:14
about a 14-month-old and a
31:16
three-month-old and um yeah, we we enjoy
31:19
having them up there and enjoying the
31:21
lake place. It's great family time. I
31:23
love uh I'm I love sports. Uh kind of
31:26
any kind of sports um you know, playing
31:28
sports, watching sports, um you know, a
31:31
lot of those things. My wife is trying
31:32
to get me to do a little more traveling.
31:34
So, we've got some trips planned that
31:36
are coming up and I'm trying to
31:37
>> convince myself that I can get away. And
31:40
um what what bothers me is when I do get
31:42
away, I come back and the place is just
31:43
fine. So, it turns out it can it can run
31:46
without me. But, uh that's credit to a
31:48
great team.
31:49
>> Well, you know, great leaders have great
31:50
teams and they allow them to do what
31:52
they do and it's excellent. You get a
31:54
chance to get away and do some
31:55
traveling. And
31:56
>> the Long Lake up there in Lraange
31:58
County, beautiful place. All the lakes
31:59
up in northern Indiana are beautiful. is
32:01
always a lot of fun.
32:02
>> Yeah.
32:02
>> Congrats on the two grandkids and was
32:05
glad that my alma mater was able to beat
32:07
you guys back in high school.
32:08
>> Yeah. You can tell I'm still in therapy
32:11
over that.
32:12
>> Just a little bit. Just a little bit.
32:13
You would ask when we got started if
32:14
this was water if we had vodka in there
32:16
because of those games. But this is all
32:18
water for everybody watching. It's all
32:19
just water. I know
32:20
>> everybody that knows on this it's all
32:21
water
32:23
>> maybe. But Jeeoff, thank you. I
32:25
appreciate the opportunity to be here.
32:26
This is the first time we've done one
32:27
not in our studio and I couldn't have
32:29
picked a better place to do it. Couldn't
32:31
have picked a better guy to have a
32:32
conversation with. Thank you.
32:33
>> And this organization, what you guys do
32:35
for our city, for our the patrons,
32:38
everybody that comes here, works here,
32:40
supports here, volunteers here, and
32:41
everybody that comes to watch shows.
32:43
It's just amazing what we get a chance
32:44
to do and the arts that we get an
32:46
opportunity to be exposed to. So, thank
32:48
you very much for your leadership and
32:50
also I I appreciate you being on the
32:52
show.
32:52
>> Well, thanks for having me and uh let's
32:54
have you back.
32:55
>> Thank you. Okay. Appreciate