LinkedIn.com, May 2023 – Those who have embraced tech have been able to enjoy richer consumer engagement and new revenue streams. And for those who don’t…
Read the entire article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/media-companies-have-consistently-resisted-tech-peril-kelli-richards/?trackingId=9YkjlzqGQZqiK7gMHEUO3Q%3D%3D
LinkedIn.com, April 2023 – There’s a real marriage of the timeless appeal of Classical music and animation that continues on which is fantastic because of how it exposes the genre to kids and remains forever cross-generational.
Read the entire article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/serious-fun-how-millions-kids-were-introduced-music-via-richards/?trackingId=9YkjlzqGQZqiK7gMHEUO3Q%3D%3D
Atherton Living, March 2019
Los Altos Hills Living, April 2019
From Seinfeld to Huey Lewis and More: How to Engage the Right Celebrity for Your Event
Read the entire article here: https://kelli-richards.medium.com/mastering-the-art-of-celebrity-wrangling-fd5f11d81798
Shep Gordon is the visionary Hollywood manager, agent and producer responsible for building some of the biggest careers in entertainment, and has been named one of the “100 most influential people” by Rolling Stone magazine. The subject of the acclaimed Mike Myers-produced documentary Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, Shep came to Los Angeles in 1968 and landed in the heart of rock and roll, instantly (and by sheer coincidence) falling in with Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and, a short time later, Alice Cooper, whom he continues to manage today. …
“Supermensch” Shep Gordon on Creating the “Celebrity Chef”Read More »
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past several years (or just don’t watch network TV), you’ve probably heard about or watched the wildly popular TV show, “The Voice” on NBC; where aspiring singers compete for a recording contract with the help of four successful artists as coaches. Having been an A&R exec at EMI Music in my past, my role was to scout, sign and develop artists for the label — so I’m intimately familiar with the process that these aspiring artists are going through in an attempt to become a star in the music industry For awhile, we had “American Idol” and “The Voice” on air at the same time — but since Idol wound down, “The Voice” has reigned supreme in this category. The current celeb coaches are Blake Shelton, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani and Adam Levine.
Recently I was invited to take a tour of the set and watch a taping of the show as a member of the studio audience. I’ll admit right upfront that I’m a bit jaded as I’m in the industry, and it wasn’t my first taping of a show; whereas nearly everyone else participating was a tourist where this was a first time event and a really big deal for them.
Having been a talent producer as well for decades, honestly I couldn’t stop myself from wearing my ‘behind the scenes’ glasses. …
July 7, 2016,
Inc.
Oprah Winfrey came from nothing and built a media empire, but her most impressive quality worth emulating is her EQ (emotional quotient).
Read the entire article here: https://www.inc.com/kelli-richards/oprah-s-real-secret-to-success-may-not-be-what-you-think-it-is.html
You know that old saying by Woody Allen that “Showing Up is 80% of Life”. Well I’d argue that the other 20% (maybe more!) is HOW you show up that really determines whether you’re going to be a ‘hit’ or a ‘miss’ in terms of the impact you have on others. Leadership is more than about showing up, and it’s more than just a mindset — it’s your presence, your intention, and the energy you bring to your interactions. …
September 8, 2014,
LinkedIn Articles
Creating a well-designed event is a balancing act. Tapping industry leaders and controversial renegades, orchestrating brilliant panels, and throwing awesome after-parties all help draw people in, but a well-informed celebrity speaker can elevate your event to “can’t-miss” status with real punch and energy.
Read the entire article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140908165516-9638-star-struck-tapping-into-the-power-of-a-celebrity-speaker/
Sometimes there are people who touch our lives in brief glimpses – and those encounters are so magical that we hold onto them and look forward to the next one over and over. They’re friends of friends or colleagues we bump into at events or meetings or random connections where it seems serendipity is at work.
Robin Williams was one of those people for me. I was the talent producer of the BAMMIES (Awards) in San Francisco for nearly 20 years, and was fortunate to have the chance to work with Robin as a presenter a couple of times during my tenure. Each time without fail, as tensions ran high in production (which they do at live events, no matter how well prepared you are), Robin would be there, working his magic backstage, making everyone laugh and lightening things up for us – as well as for the other presenters and performers.
And our paths would cross that way for many years through different circumstances. When he was shooting, “What Dreams May Come,” I’d hear regular stories of his antics from my good friends Michael Van Himbergen and Jeff Diamond, who were part of the visual effects team. (The film won numerous awards for visual effects by the way, including an Oscar.)
And the connections continued. As recently as last year, I was approached by Robin’s team to lend my “super-connector” expertise to help source potential buyers for his home in Napa from within my network. Unfortunately we weren’t successful, but the home is a real stunner.
There have been other modest and even indirect glimpses of Robin too – someone recently showed me where Thomas Kincaid, the artist, had painted Robin into a corner of one of his San Francisco paintings; something few would notice or realize was him if no one pointed it out. He was everywhere it seems. But again, these are only flashes… the off-stage Robin was probably known only to a handful of very close friends, to his children… for the rest of us, it’s like how a comet flies past us through space. Like Robin’s work, a fast-moving comet leaves trails everywhere in its wake, timeless. Nothing really ever fades away completely, does it?
The point I’m making here,ultimately, is to pay attention. To be sure that we stop and notice the people who whiz past us with comet-like brilliance. To recognize how much they mean to us, even in brief glimpses. And to BE that comet whenever we have that opportunity. In the immortal words of Robin, “You’re only given one little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.”
Here’s to Robin … and the rest of his magical journey.
Kelli
PS: Please read my LinkedIn article on Robin Williams here: https://bit.ly/OnlyTheGoodDieYoung
I’ll never forget the first time I met Robin Williams. I was a teenager attending a taping of “Mork & Mindy” on the Paramount Pictures lot. He was incredibly gracious and encouraging to my 16-year-old self with aspirations of working in the entertainment business and making my dent in the universe.
Many years later, I crossed paths with him again when I was driving entertainment initiatives at Apple. He accepted our invitation to participate in a few marketing campaigns, and he even performed for our employees. He was always a delight to work with — no exceptions.
In 2003, Williams supported a fundraiser I helped organize. Through the Chairs That Care initiative, we asked celebrities to design a dining room chair that would be raffled off to support the Habitot Children’s Museum. Appropriately, Williams and his kids designed a chair entitled “Peace.”……….
Read the full article published in LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/KRRWTribute
And if we’re lucky, we will inspire and change the lives of those we reach, or at least make their days a little brighter along the way. I’m so grateful that we got to experience Williams’ magic and gifts; they touched many of us deeply. Honestly, it feels like losing a dear friend.
Until next time,
Kelli Richards is the CEO of The All Access Group. A highly sought-after consultant, mentor, speaker, producer, coach, and author,
I facilitate strategic business opportunities in digital distribution between technology companies, established artists and celebrities, film studios, record labels, and consumer brand companies in order to foster new revenue streams and deliver compelling consumer experiences. I’m also the author of the bestselling e-book, “The Magic & Moxie of Apple – An Insider’s View.”
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