January 30, 2017

Meet Lucy Lawler Freas of Rival Entertainment in Midtown

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucy Lawler Freas.

Lucy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started as a runner for Summer Sounds of Underground in 1996, during the Olympics. At the end of the summer, I was hired as a runner at Chastain Park Amphitheater, and then ultimately ended up working in the office for Concerts/Southern Promotions (now Live Nation) by September of 1996 By the beginning of ’97 I was booking the Cotton Club, and very soon after started booking the Roxy Theater and then the Tabernacle. From 1998-2001 I was instrumental in booking Music Midtown Festival. In the fall of 2001, I left and went to work for House of Blue club network. It was an arm of HOB that booked shows in cities where they did not have an actual House of Blues. It was not a great business model, but it is how I ended up doing shows at Center Stage, which had just reopened after a long time being dark.

In 2004, after the end of HOB club network, I started Rival with my two partners, Josh Antenucci and Tom Cook. Within the first year, we had two sold out Pixies dates at the Fox and a Beastie Boys show at Infinite Energy Arena. We stuck with it and have evolved and grown into a company that I am really proud of. Here we are going on 13 years later, and we have survived a bad economy, many changes and the intense and never-ending battle of corporate music takeover. We currently book and own Center Stage, The Loft, and Vinyl. We also do shows at outside venues that include Cobb Energy Centre, the Fox Theatre, Symphony Hall, and others. We created, book and produce Candler Park Music and Food Festival, The Beltline Boil and Old Fourth Ward Fall Festival. We are currently working on developing more exciting outdoor events.

Has it been a smooth road?
It has not been a smooth or easy road from day one. The first struggle with starting a business that would put you head to head with your old employer was never going to be fun. Taking that leap was both scary and thrilling. I knew there was a market for a promoter in the city that did things a little differently; that paid attention to every detail and customized each and every event. As I came to realize that it was going to be a battle, and not everyone was going to play nice in the sandbox, I decided, well, why not just call it what it is….Rival, and here we are.

When the economy took a dive, we really had to buckle down and be even smarter with our decisions. We persevered and came out wiser and stronger. Every day, is a challenge because you constantly have to re-imagine the business and evolve with music and interests.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Rival Entertainment – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Rival is known for its unique events. We booked and produced the three sold out Outkast homecoming concerts in Centennial Olympic Park (60,000 people), we took the Foo Fighters outdoors, rather than to a cookie cutter amphitheater or arena. We aim to create events that will be unique and memorable for both the patron and the artists. Candler Park Festival is the only festival in the city that you can see 6 or 7 national artists with 12-15,000 of your friends for $20.

When I stand on the side of the stage and look out over 20,000 smiling faces….that is what makes me happy and proud of what I do. I get chills when I feel the energy put off from a crowd like that. We are not sending people to the moon or curing terrible illnesses, but we are putting smiles on faces and making memories for people that can last a lifetime.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like the diversity of the city. The new outdoor spaces that the city is creating, and all the amazing restaurants ( I love to try them all).

I don’t like the traffic or how people get so stuck in their neighborhood. A venue with a good show might be 5 miles away, but people aren’t very willing to go outside their hood to see a show.

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