By Celebrity Access

AEG Presents has tapped industry veteran Brett Williams as the company’s new Senior Vice President, Global Touring and Talent.

While at AEG Presents, Williams will be tasked with identifying, signing, and booking talent for the company’s Global Touring and Talent division.

Williams joins AEG Presents from Los Angeles-based management company Monotone, Inc., where he spent more than 15 years, serving most recently served as General Manager. While at Monotone, Williams worked with a diverse roster of artists that included The Chicks, Foster the People, Cold War Kids, Miike Snow, Dirty Projectors, BANKS, Ratatat, Still Woozy, Empress Of, and Briston Maroney, among others.

In addition, Williams played a key role in the company’s expansion, growing their client roster from four creatives to more than 20, along with a staff that expanded from six employees to more than 20.

“Brett brings an incredible breadth of knowledge and experience to the position,” said Gary Gersh, AEG Presents President of Global Touring and Talent, to whom Williams reports. “His management background, keen eye for spotting and developing talent, and superb artist relations skills are perfectly aligned with our core strategy. I’m thrilled he’s joining the team.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining such a well-respected and innovative company and look forward to working with Gary and the entire Global Touring and Talent team, who are best in class,” Williams says of his new role at AEG Presents. “I started my career in music because of my obsession with artists, and the company’s mission mirrors my own — namely, to build, support, and serve world-class artists and their vision.”

By R.V. Baugus and Hurricanes.com

The public assembly venue industry and IAVM friends mourn the passing of long-time industry veteran Davin “Dave” Olsen, who passed away January 31 from a heart attack. He was 62.

Olsen served more than two decades as the general manager of PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, home of the National Hockey League Carolina Hurricanes as well as home to North Carolina State University sports.

“We are shocked and saddened to learn of Dave’s passing,” the team said in a statement. “Dave was an enormous part of this organization from the construction of PNC Arena through nearly 22 years of operating and maintaining it as one of the premier entertainment venues in the Southeast. He was a dedicated, popular employee who will be dearly missed by so many of our employees, past and present.”

Olsen worked in arena management for more than 30 years, including the last 24 years with the Hurricanes and PNC Arena. Most recently, he was working as the interim manager of the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Prior to joining the Hurricanes, Olsen served as the director of recreational facilities at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Olsen had also overseen Germain Arena in Estero, FL, Compuware Arena in Plymouth, MI, the New Haven Coliseum, and the Hartford Civic Center during his distinguished career.

His name is engraved on the Stanley Cup with the 2005-06 champions.

Dave is survived by his wife, Marci, and his sons Davin and Jason.

By Andra Bennett

Trinity Food and Beverage, a division of Omni Fort Worth Hotel, has named Brent Hines executive chef of the Fort Worth Convention Center’s catering operations.

Hines, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, aims not only to elevate a conference dining experience with “euphoric” flavor blends, but also to make the City-owned venue a culinary destination in its own right.

“My vision is for the Fort Worth Convention Center to become a destination for groups looking for a particular food and beverage experience,” he said. “We want people to leave remembering the cuisine and requesting the recipes.”

A native of Chico, Texas, Hines began his professional career at Keystone Ranch in Colorado, a Vail Resorts property and Zagot-rated top fine dining restaurant. At 27, he landed his first executive chef job at Sky Creek Ranch in Keller, Texas, which received multiple awards for best new restaurant and best steakhouse. He then moved to global hospitality giants Gaylord and Benchmark before serving as executive chef at Winewood Grill in Grapevine and executive sous chef at Park House Dallas. Hines joined Trinity Food and Beverage, an arm of Omni Fort Worth Hotel, as the FWCC executive chef in June of 2021.

“We know that a conference or gala experience can hinge on the guests’ satisfaction with the cuisine,” said Larry Auth, general manager of the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. “Chef Hines brings both restaurant and large-scale hospitality experience to our clients with a unique combination of global perspective and local Texas flavor to his creations.”

Hines blends his own spices from scratch, as well as all dressings and sauces, to create unique flavor combinations with infused Southwest, French, Asian, Italian, Caribbean and Mediterranean influences. Marquee dishes include tenderloin bruschetta with arugula pesto and tomato jam, which he describes as “Italian with a Texas twist.” Other signature menu items include grilled Texas watermelon with hydroponic mix greens, local goat cheese and smoked blueberry dressing; lobster mac & cheese with brandy cream, truffle essence and chervil; and duck quesadillas topped with poblano crema and corn pico de gallo.

“I’m an artist with a blank canvas, intending to make an impression on all your senses,” said Hines. “When the colors are appealing, flavors are well-balanced, and everything comes together in your mouth, you should have a euphoric feeling.”

The Fort Worth Convention Center is planning a $450 million phased expansion over the next five years that will include a new, state-of-the-art catering kitchen and provide the ability to serve larger events and shows with 5,000 to 10,000 people in attendance. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2023.

Andra Bennett is Communications Coordinator for the Fort Worth Convention Center.

By APAP

As part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Deborah Rutter, President, and Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact, announced the honorees and participants of “The Next 50” initiative in an Instagram live event on Thursday, January 20, 2022.

Joining a list of luminaries that includes dancer/choreographer Camille A. Brown, comedian/actor Vir Das, poet Amanda Gorman, world cup champion Megan Rapinoe, and musician Esperanza Spalding, Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) President and CEO Lisa Richards Toney was named among a who’s-who of cultural leaders who exemplify the Kennedy Center’s mission to help shape culture and society through the arts—with integrity, creativity, empathy, and artistic excellence.

The list of culture-makers imagines a world that identifies and connects the abundance of resources in communities across the nation in an effort to uplift and move us toward a more inspired, inclusive, and compassionate country.

“The Next 50 is an instrument that signals an institutional shift. It’s the Center taking responsibility for identifying artists and creatives as national leaders, committing to a process, and offering a platform to see that work through to fruition,” Bamuthi said.

“It is an honor to have been selected among the Next 50, and I am inspired by Deborah Rutter’s and Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s vision,” remarked Richards Toney. “I look forward to galvanizing a wide and deep community of performing arts professionals to celebrate, support, stand with, and fight for arts workers as we prepare for our greatest comeback!”

The Next 50 will not only recognize the cultural leadership of these 50 trailblazers and organizations but also create spaces and opportunities for these visionaries to use their talents to put art into action as they influence our communities and create new pathways for the coming generations.

Over the course of the anniversary season, the Next 50 will participate in programs, forums, residencies, and events—such as Arts Summit, the Active Hope Podcast, Millennium Stage—and work with the Kennedy Center to create opportunities for discourse with other leaders to ensure that the voices of artistic and cultural leaders are lifted and heard.

The Center, through its Social Impact program, undertook a comprehensive process to identify the Next 50. Leaning on the public through a crowdsourcing campaign powered by Meta, the Center queried arts educators, arts and culture administrators, and artistic programming professionals to curate a list that ensured representation and diversity in all of its pluralities—a vanguard of culture makers—household names, scions of the cultural sector, and everyday people—who the Center believes, will lead the country into its next 50 years.

Fans attending Super Bowl LVI will be issued with KN95 face masks, while free COVID-19 rapid tests and vaccinations will be offered at the Super Bowl Experience attraction as part of health and safety measures spelled out by Los Angeles County ahead of the climax to the NFL season at SoFi Stadium.

The home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers is set to host this year’s Super Bowl on February 13, with the County outlining COVID-19 protocols for the event.

The County’s health officer order requires that patrons, customers, and guests wear masks at “outdoor mega events,” currently defined as those hosting 5,000 or more people, regardless of whether they are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Fans attending the game will need to show they have either been vaccinated or have recently tested negative for COVID-19, a requirement that has been in place for events of this size since October.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the County is averaging around 26,000 new cases per day over the past week. This is down by around 40% from the high of around 44,000 cases per day between January 3-9, but still considerably greater than last winter’s peak of 16,000 cases per day.

Los Angeles County Public Health Director, Barbara Ferrer, said: “For people who have taken all their precautions, are willing to layer in, they’re keeping their masks on when they’re out and about, they’re being super careful about testing before gathering with high-risk individuals, a lot of the activities that are available are relatively safe.”

The County will work with the NFL on the free COVID-19 rapid tests and vaccinations scheme at the Super Bowl Experience, which will run for two weekends, from February 5, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Ferrer said those who receive a vaccination will get free admission to the Experience, while attendees will also receive a free take-home rapid-test kit. Some 60,000 of these kits are expected to be distributed during the Experience.

“Masks are required at all times to enter all of the events, to be in common areas, to purchase at concession stands and at indoor shops,” Ferrer added, according to NBC Los Angeles. “The NFL will also be urging all fans to celebrate safely wherever they’ll be gathering and will offer attendees at the Super Bowl Experience at the L.A. Convention Center a free test kit to take home with messaging to test before gathering for the big game.”