Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Thomas.
Hi Matthew, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It’s an honor to have this opportunity, thank you very much! I would be delighted to. I’m proud to say that I am a native Atlantan, one of the few it seems. Literally…born at Northside Hospital and lived in Decatur before our family moved to Lilburn, where I grew up and went to school. I was drawn at a very early age to music and began playing piano at the age of 7, guitar at about 9 or 10, as well as sax and trumpet in middle school. I always split time between music and sports.
Being a musician for most of my life and playing and singing in bands that performed all around the southeast most of the ’90s and early 2000s, I decided to leave the technology industry in 2005 and went to work for one of the largest talent agencies in the country and became a talent agent and event producer. I continued to perform until about 2012 when I stepped away from performing and focused full-time on my career as an agent and event producer and flourished in my role and have enjoyed what I do and the wonderful clients and amazing talent I have the pleasure of working with every day.
With my stage experience for so many years and having the business experience from being in the corporate world simultaneously gave me a very strong edge in my field and I quickly began working with celebrity talent for client events and the depth of understanding of talent needs, strategy planning, budgeting, project management, production requirements helped me to develop a strong reputation in the industry.
After becoming a partner and Board Member with the agency I was with and serving in the company for almost 17 years, I stepped away in 2022 and started my own boutique agency and production company, All Stage Productions LLC., in February of that year. After laying the foundation and getting the company off the ground, by summer my new company was taking off and I was working with many of my same wonderful clients and the incredible talent I had been working with for the past two decades.
Starting from scratch was not an easy decision. My wife, also an Atlanta native, who is a corporate planner with her global firm for their meetings and events, and I having two amazing young boys, now 4 and 6 years of age, made this an even tougher decision, but she and I believed in my passion and my experience and decided to move forward, and I haven’t looked back! It’s a lot of work and long hours, but it is very rewarding. And it’s very exciting building something from the ground up and may even end up being a family business down the line if my wife and our children decide to join the business. There is just so much opportunity in front of us and Atlanta has so much to offer in this industry and so many events that need great entertainment and production for.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
From the standpoint of starting a company from scratch in a competitive market, it’s been a challenging road. As a new business owner, there are so many facets of a business that you just aren’t fully aware of as you enter into the endeavor. What’s required to get the business identity developed, website designed, built and launched, logo developed, deciding on the business model, CRM and booking system, and how the business will function and operate were big challenges to overcome.
Of course, another challenge of starting a new company and getting it off the ground is spreading the word and letting your client base and artists and talent, as well as industry resources and vendors know about your new endeavor and where to find you and how you can be of service to them. I have been blessed with so much support from the artists and talent that I work with and industry colleagues, and of course wonderful clients that have a great deal of faith and trust in me and my abilities, the quality of the talent I represent and have access to, as well as the creativity I bring to their events to bring something fresh or that is most complementary for the setting and group dynamic.
It’s all been a challenge, but it’s incredibly satisfying and even energizing going through the process and even reconnected me with colleagues that I had lost touch with and opened new opportunities of working together… Each day is an adventure!
The biggest lesson I learned through the process is that things do not have to be perfect. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Some things are just going to take time, mistakes are going to be made and we must be patient with the process and with ourselves. Breaking things down into small steps is incredibly helpful and combats feeling completely overwhelmed.
Add raising two energetic boys and learning so much each day about both fatherhood and growing a business brings an added level of adventure as well. Being a dad to two young boys is the most rewarding for me, so another challenge is, of course, learning how to balance time on the business and being there for my family. I know this is something I will always work on and tweak to find the right balance between business life and family life.
I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to be a business owner, husband, and father!
As you know, we’re big fans of All Stage Productions LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Thank you, that means a lot! All Stage Productions provides the very best in entertainment and talent for corporate, private, and social events. From celebrity talent to cover local, regional, and national dance/variety and tribute bands and a wide variety of specialty acts in every major market around the country.
With over 20 years of experience as on-stage talent and producing high-caliber talent for events all over North America and the Caribbean, we bring extensive experience in performance acts and event production, including audio and lighting design. We understand deeply both the needs of the client and the talent and bring all elements of an event together for a seamless engagement.
I’m incredibly proud of the level of talent and the quality of performance we can bring to client events. Whether it’s their corporate program, their wedding, celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, or raising money for a wonderful cause. All Stage Productions brings the highest quality and caliber of talent.
Celebrity talent is accessible for private and corporate events and the access All Stage Productions has to all of this talent is one element that sets us apart from our competition. We offer a complete curated client experience and very personalized service to our clients from start to finish.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Coming out of the pandemic, celebrity talent became more engaged. This has carried over with my celebrities seeing the opportunity to partner with corporate brands and perform for corporate and private events.
I am thrilled to see that we have recovered in the live event space and so many conferences and conventions are finally coming back to full engagement and in-person attendance. It’s huge for the travel industry, local and state economies and to many small business that function in the live event industry.
As we move more and more to an overall human experience at live events, more engagement is needed and often this is through music and the arts, as well as talent in the form of speaking professionals and even specialty performers to reinforce messaging and captivating content.
Attendee engagement and experience is one of the primary needs of live events and for those putting on these events and programs. Creating a memorable experience attendees take with them long after the event ends is paramount.
Pricing:
- For small groups for small receptions, this can range between $750 for a solo performance to $5000 for larger ensembles and groups.
- Cover bands fluctuate widely based on size, caliber and demand of an act and can range between $5000 to $50,000, with higher caliber acts going above this mark or for destination locations.
- Specialty Acts (often like those that are featured on shows like America’s Got Talent) vary widely and are priced per performance and can range from $20,000 to $2,000,000 or more.
- Celebrity Talent also varies widely and generally starts in the $50,000 and can reach $5,000,000 for high-profile talent.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.allstageproductions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allstageproductionsllc/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allstageproductions
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewthomasmusic
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/company/all-stage-productions
Image Credits
File: Gatsby Themed Dance Troupe – PWP Studio File: 80’s Themed Event – PWP Studio
