This weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of accompanying Jeff Kalpak to teach a workshop on producing corporate events at my Alma Mater, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Located in Winston-Salem, UNCSA was the first public arts conservatory in the country. I graduated seven months ago with a BFA in Stage Management, and I’ve been working at BKA ever since.

I thought it would feel strange to be back in Winston (as it’s so affectionately called), but it felt oddly normal. It’s a very low-key, welcoming town with a tight-knit community of artists working and training together.

There were nineteen stage management students who attended the workshop. Jeff kicked off the class with a simple statement: this will be a dreadfully boring day unless everyone participates. And participate they did. The meat of the workshop was brainstorming and creating project plans for two separate events – the first as a class with Jeff leading, and the second in small groups. The kids (kids – can I call them that?) really seemed to enjoy the process. For the group project, we split them into groups of four and gave them what essentially was a request for proposal. They had three hours to work together and come up with a presentation. Although we weren’t originally going to choose a winner, their excitement compelled us to give a prize to the best proposal.

There was also a segment called “From UNCSA to BKA,” where I talked about how I got to BKA and my experiences thus far (including a trip to China for BKA’s production of FAME the Musical.) From this, I realized that I’m quite a nervous public speaker in front of my peers. I first met Jeff at the school’s job fair in March. I began as an intern in June, and since then I’ve been hired permanently. I’ve learned a lot in my time here, but the most important is something Jeff said to me this summer: always say yes to new experiences – and this is what I tried to convey to the students.

It was really great to see how engaged everyone was throughout the workshop. In my education at UNCSA, there was never any experience that could compare to this. The event industry was always such a mystery to me, and I’m happy I was able to help draw back the curtains back for these nineteen future professionals.

We have just come off of the busiest month in BKA history. This October, we had events going on in three different continents and over a dozen different cities. I traveled to three of the events for a couple of our long-standing clients. The first was a customer meeting in Scottsdale, AZ, then a Sales Leadership Meeting in Venice, Italy (complete with a scavenger hunt throughout the city, not an easy feat) and the finale was a full on theatrical production of FAME the Musical in Macau, China at the Macau International Music Festival. Being that I was over on the other side of the globe, Oskar and I decided to continue the adventure and head to Cambodia for vacation, a place I’ve long wanted to visit and explore.

We were welcomed into this beautiful country by wonderful, warm people. Especially Reaksmay, our guide. As we spent more time with Reaksmay we couldn’t get past his incredible optimism and perennial smile. He is passionate about his life in Phnom Penh. Incredibly hospitable, warm, funny and genuine with vast knowledge of history, architecture, culture and customs, it was a joy to spend time with him learning about his country.

Through his story we learned about Cambodia, its history and how the people who have been through so much still manage to have a spirit that is indisputable. After all, Reaksmay, his mother and sister all survived the war — a war that wiped out 20% of the Cambodian population.

Reaksmay led us on our tour of S21 and the Killing Fields, two areas where the Khmer Rouge performed acts of torture and ultimately the genocide of its own people during the war.

These visits were made more vivid for us as we learned Reaksmay’s personal story. He was just 1 month old when his country was invaded. His parents fled. His mother taking Reaksmay and his 2 year old sister, his father realizing that his family was more in danger if he stayed with them ventured into the jungle area to hide.

30 days on foot, 19 without food, his mother found refuge. His father reunited with his family briefly, only to die from an illness borne during his time in hiding. Reaksmay never knew his father, who during better times held a government position. His mother, realizing that any evidence of her connection to a government employee was dangerous, burned any evidence of her husband’s existence. Clothes, papers and sadly, all photographs — all connections to Reaksmay’s father were gone.

After leaving S21 and the killing fields with a sinking feeling, I finally had to ask him how he functions on a day-to-day basis. How was it possible for him to tour such sad sites and relive stories of devastation?

“Forgiveness,” Reaksmay told us. “As a child I wanted revenge, but as an adult, I learned that forgiveness allowed me to be free of the burden of pain.” I was stunned by his answer. I felt it was almost superhuman that he could even set out to forgive those who caused such pain for him let alone sincerely living that way.

I thought of the things that I’ve been unable to forgive over the years. And, although I can’t say I’m at the point where Reaskmay is, I am incredibly humbled and honored to have met him and learned from him. Reaksmay’s name translates to “Sunshine” in English. Not only was his mother a survivor, but she also had a knack for naming her son.

At the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

FAME — I’m gonna live forever! I’m gonna’ learn how to fly…HIGH! I feel it coming together, people will see me and cry….FAME!”

Do you remember the movie musical FAME? Irene Cara standing on top of a taxi as young hopefuls from the High School of the Performing Arts danced down the streets of Manhattan?

Well, FAME is back…and BKA is producing a large-scale production of the show for this fall’s Macao International Music Festival.

We have rehearsals here in NYC and then move the cast, creative team and musicians to Macao where we join our local crew and members of the Macao Symphony Orchestra to present a lavish production of this worldwide theatrical sensation.

The show will be presented in English with subtitles in Mandarin, Cantonese and Portuguese (though just an hour ferry ride from Hong Kong, Macao was originally a Portuguese colony and still has a small Portuguese population).

We auditioned hundred of actors, singers and dancers for this production and I couldn’t be more excited about the cast and the creative team we have assembled for the show.

First, the FAME creative team:

BKA’s Keith Marrapodi is our lead producer on this job. It’s always fun for me to work with Keith — but particularly fun to be together on this job. Keith has traveled the world and started his career as a dancer and then was a choreographer before moving into event production. He can relate to the characters of FAME — both the students and the teachers.

Richard (Ricky) Hinds and I are sharing directing duties on FAME and Ricky will also choreograph the show. We got to work together for the first time on this year’s Drama Desk Awards. He’s a fantastic collaborator and a dazzling choreographer. FAME gives him a chance to show off his talents in ballet, jazz, street, Latin, hip hop….virtually all styles of dance are represented in the show.

He’s partnered with Andrew Turteltaub, a talented choreographer in his own right. Andrew has a long association with FAME having performed in the show on tour and during the NY run of FAME back in 2003. Andrew’s got a wicked sense of humor and moves at the speed at light. I’m glad we have him on the show.

BKA’s VP of Design and Multimedia, Michael Reese has created beautiful scenic designs for FAME and he’ll design the lighting for the show as well. We’ll be incorporating video projection into the overall production design of the show, allowing for added dimension to the visuals. In addition to the scenes set in the school — Michael has designed a stunning finale look for the show where the iconic taxi is positioned in the center of Times Square. FAME represents the 4th show Michael and I have done together in Macao. It’s always great to go back to Macao with Michael – he seems to quickly find the coolest places to go after the show and watching him lead the large tech crew in Macao is a blast.

Mark Fifer is our musical director — it’s a rare chance we get to work with Mark as he is always so busy! He’s a musical theatre expert with a real speciality in Rock and Roll and contemporary musical scores. He’s assembled a core of dynamic young musicians to take the journey with us to Macao and play alongside the incredible musicians in Macao. Mark has great ideas for infusing a more current musical sensibility into the show. Once we get to Macao, members of the Macao Symphony Orchestra will join us. Mark is going to be thrilled with the addition of their fantastic string section in particular.

Scott Westervelt has dozens of Broadway shows under his belt and has been with BKA for many years. Having him design the costumes for FAME means we’ll have our great looking cast in great looking clothes. Scotty is also one of the most positive people I’ve ever met. The travel to Macao is long and Scotty’s big smile and boundless energy goes a long way in getting everyone over their jet lag.

We got to work with Bess Fifer as our casting director on FAME and the cast we’ve assembled is extraordinary. We have a mix of Broadway veterans and fresh new talent in the show.

Meet the teachers:

Regina LaVert played strict English teacher Esther Sherman on the national tour of FAME, a role she will return to in our production. I literally got chills listening to her sing and I’m thrilled that she will be in our show.

Joan Hess plays dance instructor Greta Bell. We’ve worked with Joan frequently over the last several years and she’s one of my favorite performers. She and Regina have a big duet in FAME that is sure to dazzle.

Bruce Winant plays Mr. Sheinkopf in FAME. I just saw Bruce in the La Cage Aux Folles revival and I’m so happy he is joining us as the beloved music teacher. He’s a class act and an incredibly skilled actor.

Peter Reardon plays acting teacher Mr. Meyers, a role he created when FAME played in NYC. Peter and I go all the way back to college at Syracuse University. I was a fan back then and still a fan of this talented actor. Peter returns to Macao having played Sky Masterson when BKA presented “Guys and Dolls” at the festival a few years back.

Meet the students:

Lexi Lawson plays fiery Carmen Diaz and sings the title song. She’s absolutely dynamite. A true triple threat, she’s got the perfect combination of star quality and vulnerability so needed in this role.

Benjamin Mapp is the tormented dancer Tyrone Jackson in our show. He’s definitely got the wow factor. So glad we get to work with him!

Kelly Felthous plays Serena Katz. We knew we wanted Kelly after her first audition. She’s instantly likeable, a great actress, singer and dancer.

K.J. Hippensteel will be breaking hearts in Macao. He plays Nick Piazza in our show — he’s charming with mega-watt charisma.

Laura Volpacchio plays Iris Kelly. Watching this young woman dance, took my breath away. I’m eager to see her and Benjamin perform Ricky’s choreography on the great stage in Macao.

Joel Perez made us laugh so much during auditions — we knew right away we found our class clown, Joe Vegas.

Violin and piano virtuoso Robert Farruggia plays violin and piano virtuoso Schlomo Metzenbaum. They say that directing is 90% casting. Robert is the perfect fit for FAME.

Alissa Laderer plays Grace “Lambchops” our rock and roll student. Alyssa is a knockout — great talent AND she plays the drums.

We were charmed right off the bat by Richard Cerato who plays Goody in our show — he also plays the saxophone and has a great sense of humor.

Annie Funke plays larger than life dancer Mabel Washington. Annie played Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray on Broadway and she is a riot.

The competition for the 6 ensemble slots was fierce. We are thrilled to have Frankie Paparone, Naimah Saleem, Adam Rogers, Matthew Cullen, Jamie Markovich and April Berry as members of the FAME Company.

Check out the link to see the cast of FAME.  http://www.bka.net/whatsnewatbka.php

I’m guest blogging for Jeff this week, as I recently had the privilege of introducing him at the ISES Big Apple Awards as he was inducted into their “Hall of Legends.”  He was given this honor for his exemplary achievement and tenure in the event industry.

It was an exciting night. The BKA team was there in full support. We even had a “surprise” moment for Jeff as he was announced (you’ll see in the photos.) We also came home with the Big Apple Award for Best Corporate Event for our work on the LG Mobile Worldcup… which made the night even more special.

I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you all some of what I had said about Jeff and why he truly is legendary to all of us here at BKA.

When Jeff walked into my office and told me that he was being honored by ISES as a legend, he did so with a sheepish grin as if to say, “Can you believe anyone thinking of me as a legend?” We chuckled for a few seconds and then I realized, yes, I could.

Well, certainly he has accomplished a lot. Mere children at the time, Jeff, with his business partner Lynnette Barkley, started BKA over 20 years ago. Today BKA is an award winning event agency servicing the top corporate brands.

A talented theatre director, from Mumbai to Shanghai, Venice to Vancouver, he has produced and directed live events, televised events and theatrical experiences, countless corporate videos, worked with hundreds of actors and celebrities. As a speaker consultant and trainer, Jeff travels the world coaching C-level executives on the art of communication.

He has also given back to the industry by participating on industry boards, speaking at industry events. And to the next generation entering the field, Jeff lectures at NYU and Syracuse University on events and business meetings.

He’s a tireless worker, a constant communicator, a lover of life and people. And anyone who has had the good fortune of spending time with him knows – he speaks and listens from the heart. He engages you the entire time you are with him and you walk away knowing:

He Cares.

In this industry, where projects are temporary and incredible creations, made to look real, are loaded in one night and torn down the very next day, Jeff’s caring is permanent and genuine.

He conducts his business and his life – leading from the heart.

Here is what one of BKA’s clients had to say:

“The thing about Jeff is the intensely personal and loyal relationships he consistently develops. He goes beyond being great at what he does, beyond being a partner for our company, to being a true friend and someone who serves others at a very personal level.”

Life is a series of events, and it’s nice to have somebody with heart leading you through them.

Congratulations, Jeff!

Click the link to see photos, Big Apple Awards Photos

Courtesy of our friends at 5th Avenue Digital.

Alyssa Lee is a Production Coordinator at BKA. She began at our company as a freelancer who worked her way into our hearts and joined us full time more than a year ago. Our clients (and her colleagues) appreciate her dedication, can-do attitude and grace under pressure. She’s our guest blogger today – Jeff

ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME… over and over again

There are many perks that come with this job – being a young professional in the event industry I’m learning this more and more. Beyond the long hours, hard work, and insatiable desire for success, we try to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our clients—and in the process we get to participate in those same once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Whether it’s tasting some of the finest cuisine in the world or being backstage at a private concert held by Sir. Elton John, we all take it in stride, keep the focus on the goals of the event, and execute perfectly.

(Meanwhile in the back of our heads we’re thinking “Holy COW I just shook Bill Gate’s hand!” as a good friend shared with me recently.)

However, as I go on through this journey, one thing that I’m finding that is often taken for granted is the gift of traveling. Sure there are some headaches that come along with it, but in the grand scheme of things, we have the opportunity to interact, see, and experience new things with each event. Our world is always expanding.

This year, I had the opportunity to work on an event in Shanghai, China.

I remember the email that came in from BKA’s Head of Production, Adam –

Subject line: Do you…

Body: …want to go to Shanghai?

He’d just about hit send and I already replied with an overwhelming: YES, PLEASE!

With months and months of prep work down, I found myself at Newark Airport on January 11th, sitting in row 15 C on a Continental flight to China.

Upon landing, like any other event, I hit the ground running:

Get to the hotel—Unpack—get to rehearsals—is sound check ready?

We have an edit on Dr. Smith’s PowerPoint.

Where are those signs?

Who has a food allergy?

Cue lights… Cue music… Go to video…

All of a sudden the sensation and awe of being across the world had disappeared. We were in event mode. It wasn’t until a conversation I had with Jeff Kalpak that I snapped back into reality.

You know those one-liners – a piece of advice that you know will stay with you for the rest of your life, or at least for a while anyways? Well, I was given that piece of advice, while onsite staring at the skyline of The Bund in Shanghai – “Never take these opportunities for granted. The moment you start to, step back and take it in; if you can’t, get out. “

Domestic or international, traveling the streets of New York to work, or traveling the streets of Shanghai for a program, that message will echo in the back of my mind.

Life is a series of events— and to quote a classic, Ferris Bueller—“If you don’t’ stop to look around once in a while it might pass you by.”

My adorable niece is going to turn 1 next month. And, like every loving uncle, all I want to do is spoil her.

I’m tempted by every cute outfit and soft plush toy. But, knowing that kids outgrow clothes and you can only play with so many toys at a time… I’ve decided that I’m going to be giving the gift of travel to my little ray of sunshine.

She has her suitcase — Mom and Dad made sure of that from a very early age — and now my job is to make sure she gets to take it with her and see the world.

We’ve started her travel fund, savings allocated for future trips so she can plot her course and choose her adventures. She’s just starting to walk now — so she’s got some time before she raids the piggy bank.

So, in the meantime, I’ve been sending her postcards from all the places I get to go. Sometimes she holds them, sometimes she eats them, but mostly her Mom collects them for her. One day, she’ll read them herself and start to get the idea that the world is bigger than her neighborhood.

For me, the postcard routine gives me a chance to stop and think of her while I’m on the road. I’m generally glued to my keyboard. So taking a moment to actually write something down feels good. And to think that my cute little imp is one day going to get to visit many of the places I have been makes me happy.

Travel has been a great gift to me. And, I’m appreciative of everywhere I get to go…. even if I miss my connection or get stuck in the middle seat.

Life is a series of events, I wish you safe travels and hope you get to travel with someone who approaches the journey with the wide-eyed wonder of a child.

Recently, Angela Stassi, BKA’s Marketing Director, shared a story with me that I thought was interesting, so I asked her to guest blog. Enjoy!  -Jeff

“Hitting the Pause Button”

I got myself back to a much needed yoga class and as is often the case, I left the studio feeling balanced both physically and mentally.

This was due to the very interesting analogy that Mindy, our instructor, put forth.

She tasked us with pausing.

She spoke about a Hindu goddess named Bagalamukhi. This morning I did some research and there are different interpretations about this goddess, but the overall gist Mindy gave us about her was correct and more importantly, the point she made that we could transfer to our everyday lives is impactful.

Mindy started by saying that Bagalamukhi is known as the “crane faced” goddess with a long neck. The long neck symbolizes the time it takes for when your heart sets an intention to the time that it is realized in your actions and words. It was such an interesting analogy and it made a lot of sense… to me. I actually think it also works in the reverse… where as sometimes you say that you are going to do something (like get back to yoga) but until your heart is really in it you’re stuck in the same place… on your sofa, watching “Glee.”

But, here comes the practical part. She asked us to pause. To take a moment to pause before we speak, move, act until we do so with our heart’s intention. She spoke about the fact that there are times where she’s walked away from a conversation saying “I wish I hadn’t said that/ done that, “ Or, “that got me nowhere.”

It’s a simple concept. To pause. But not always easy to do.

We rush to get replies back to clients, to request items from our vendors, and even when communicating with our colleagues. As a result, we may have to send additional emails, or make additional phone calls to clarify what we really meant/ needed. If we paused. For a moment. We would find that taking a little more time to think before we hit the “reply” button ultimately benefits everyone.

Life is a series of events, and you gain a little clarity when you pause “Glee” and watch it after your yoga class.

“Shouldn’t we put the word ‘event’ in there somewhere?” I asked.

“What about meetings, incentives or entertainment?” Lynnette asked, “or should we just keep it simple?”

“How about your last name, my last name and another word for anyone else we’ll get to work with. And…your last name sounds better before my last name….so let’s go with that.” I suggested, “Barkley Kalpak Associates.”

“I think we sound like a law firm but maybe it will just sound professional and it will allow us to be flexible. We can always explain what we do,” Lynnette added.

“What ARE we doing anyway??” we both wondered.

Good question.

20 years ago, my friend Lynnette Barkley and I marched ourselves down to the Hall of Records and registered the name Barkley Kalpak Associates. Next, we went to the bank and with a $5 bill, opened a checking account. That was the beginning. We were theatre people — creative types who thought we could bring something new and different to the meetings, incentives and event industry. BKA was going to be a side job, an endeavor to support us in between our directing careers.

Our first job lead to the next….and the next. Some great press (thank you Successful Meetings Magazine!), word of mouth and referrals kept bringing us more business. Before we knew it, we were BKA-ing more and more. The opportunities presented themselves and we seized them eagerly and appreciatively. The part-time side job was transitioning into a fulltime business.

Back then, it was just the two of us doing everything ourselves. We worked out of Lynnette’s living room, then my bedroom and then sometime later, a real office. We were writing, directing, casting, costuming, booking travel, carrying props, climbing on ladders, calling the shows…whatever it took to get the job done right.

Today BKA has evolved into a full team of the most fantastic people I could ever imagine working with. We have an impressive list of clients. And people actually know that we aren’t a law firm.

We turned 20 this year. And without much fanfare we’ve found ourselves in an industry that has changed faster than you can say experiential marketing.  We’ve grown up in this industry. We’re proud of being a part of it. Thrilled that we were so welcomed by it 20 years ago and honored that clients still want to have the BKA experience today.

You never really know where your life is going to take you. I had no idea that the $5 investment we made back in 1990 would bring us this successful company.

Life is a series of events and if you stay flexible, you may just end up producing a lot of them…

Our Very First Event

This Sunday I’ll be directing the 55th Annual Drama Desk awards show –celebrating achievement for all New York theatre — Broadway, Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway.

It will be my 15th year directing the show and I’m honored that they keep asking me back.

We have had incredible artists participating in the show over the years. From the hosts — Tony Randall, Bebe Neuwirth, Bernadette Peters, Lily Tomlin, Harvey Fierstein (who has hosted many times), the cast of [title of show], Kristin Chenoweth, Rue McClanahan, Chita Rivera and this year’s Patti LuPone — to the hundreds of presenters, to the terrific musical talent that has performed.

Me and Patti LuPone at a past Drama Desk Awards. Photo by Scott Wynn.

The show has changed a lot in the last 15 years and the production team is always keeping an ear to what the audience wants and what the nominees want. Our show is open to the public and can be watched live on theatremania.com. So while we always strive to create a show that keeps the nominees as top priority — after all this is THEIR night! — we work to ensure an equally fun experience is had by the audience, both in the theater and online.

Through the years of working on this event it is interesting to see how the desires of the talented stars from the theatre, so perfectly parallel the needs and wants of the corporate clients I work with at BKA. And this isn’t just applicable to the talent or client. The same rings true for the audiences we entertain, whether it’s the theatrical community or the corporate awards show spectators we entertain at BKA:

1. Keep it moving.

2. Make the attendees feel special.

3. Prepare the presenters so they know exactly what they are doing on and off stage (including how to pronounce the names of all the nominees!).

4. Make sure the entertainment is relevant (and short!).

5. Eliminate fake “award show banter.”

6. Don’t put pairs of presenters on stage together unless they have a connection to each other.

7. Humor goes a long way. Warmth and authenticity go even further.

8. Keep the elements of surprise and suspense.

9. Walk up music matters — it keeps the pace of your show.

10. Rehearse. Then rehearse some more.

Congratulations to this year’s nominees. I hope we bring you a show that gives you the recognition you deserve….and that we bring it in under 2 hours!