Welcome to the World of Mowalla and the launch of our newly designed website!  We’re glad you’ve joined us in this quirky bit of cyberspace!  We hope that as you navigate our world you are able to get a glimpse of who we are, what we’re passionate about, what we find interesting and how much fun we have when we’re working on an event, a project, or generally cooking up a new idea.  We like to MIX IT UP and MASH IT UP!  The MOPEEPS are the perfect MASH UP when you think about it.  Put us on the job and we’re like bringing together complimentary components of divergent songs – a little bit of old school R&B with some Electronic Dance Music or maybe a dash of Hard Rock  and even a little Country twang, depending on the setting.  It’s what we like to do –bring together unexpected melodies and HARMONIZE!

MO WHAT?  What exactly does the name MOWALLA mean and what are its origins?  Well, it’s a hybrid of sorts - the combined last names of our co-founders – Chapin MOwer and Brent WALLA.  You’ve got the MO (an adjective we like to use when describing a greater number of something, as in “more”), then add the WALLA  (really a noun for “crowd noise”) and.. TA-DA! …you’ve got the makings of a company that has become known for CREATIVE IDEAS and SUPERIOR EXECUTION.  In other words, we like to help our clients make MORE NOISE when it comes to their brand, organization, event or product. 

2009 has been a busy year – full of challenges, new concepts and lots of different opportunities to put our collective MOJO together in order to help our clients take their brands, organizations and events to new levels.  Here are just a few highlights:

Aahh, the sweet memory of Bud Bowl in Tampa Bay.  Although Chapin is typically in charge of “Sunrise” and “Sunset” on the Production Schedule, he never minds rolling up his sleeves (or pants in this case) and doing the dirty work when it comes down to it.  There he was, in his flip-flops, sweeping large amounts of water out of the beer shacks due to two days of soaking rain during our site build.   And, then there was our Sand Specialist – Smokey.  Our dear Smokey was just waiting for the moment when she could put her years of experience with the AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) to good use… and here came FOUR HUNDRED TONS of sand!   Of course, the deluge of rain sort of made her beautiful beach a swamp, but her problem-solving skills were on full display as she and the team literally sucked it up!  After creating several sumps in the sand, she brought in the pump trucks and 1500 gallons of water later, we were able to declare victory! At the end of the day it all went off without a hitch.  Even though “balmy” Tampa Bay was a mere 30 degrees during the nights of the event, the rain went away and everyone showed up for a great time.  Portable heaters are wonderful things!

Not only was Allison Knapp our SoCo UnderCOVER tour manager, but in New York, she showed she could take on the role of Program Security Manager.  When the band decided to play 60 minutes OVER their set time, there was a mini-revolt from the SoCo Promotional Models who were refusing to stay beyond their scheduled time.   But the Promo Models were a big part of the tour’s “Walkout” experience, and she wasn’t going to let them go.  She considered barring the doors and then briefly toyed with the idea of some serious threats, but at the end of the day, Allison just used her wit and charm and talked the models into staying longer.  It was a lot like herding cats…which takes us to Jim Dorroh…

Yes,  there was the extra therapy that Jim Dorroh thought he might need (but thankfully didn’t!) as he managed the 23 members of The Polyphonic Spree on small stages across America this fall.  There was no such thing as a “quick” sound check on this SoCo underCOVER tour.  More oft than not, we found him rolling with the four hour “sound checks” (AKA four hour rehearsals) and frenetically wrangling the band members backstage (AKA “herding cats”).  But, major kudos to our famous Production Manager - he fit the band on stage, made sure it all looked great and at the end of the day, everyone got to go underCOVER with The Polyphonic Spree!

Who knew Brigette Bower (AKA Production Office Coordinator Extraordinaire) was also a makeup artist?   When one of our main speakers at the Renovaré Conference in San Antonio was too shiny under the lights, her inner Esteé Lauder made an appearance.  The client loved the fact that we truly did pay attention to every little detail!  When we jokingly handed the speaker a tube of Rachel Quan’s lip gloss before he presented again, he had a really good laugh (and seriously considered using it)!

It’s no surprise that Brent Walla is our resident DJ Z-Trip Groupie!  However, instead of getting to chill and enjoy watching the tables spin at the Clevelander Grand Opening , Walla spent the majority of Z-Trip’s set kneeling down behind the artist as “Security.”  A few of the special management guests were looking to become a little too interactive with the turn tables and Walla had to protect Z-Trip, his equipment and the guests from mixing it up too much.  Funny thing was, when Z-Trip was asked if everything was okay on stage and if they needed to be moved, his reply was – “No way!  These guys are crazy!  Let it ride…”

As we close out 2009 we want to wish you and yours a Happy Holiday Season and a GREAT 2010!  We hope to see you (and work with you!) in the new year!  Check back with us again soon and see more of what we’re up to!  Drop us a line and let us know what you’re up to as well!

Wishing you all the best in the year to come,

TEAM MOWALLA