Happy New Year!  We can hardly believe it is 2010 – where did the decade go?  We’ve seen many a recap of the past ten years on various news and entertainment shows – all of them involving one piece of trivia or another about major happenings throughout the last decade.

It got us thinking about our own MOTRIVIA… sort of the “did you know?” questions that sum up a lot of the things we do.  Even our own families are oft confused at the various talents we draw upon that form around a concept, brand, marketing strategy or event.  In fact, this past summer, my sister-in-law asked me about all the weddings I must be planning for July.  What????  Other than my own wedding (and that was 15 years ago), it isn’t something I typically do.  Now, if you want sound, stage, lights, programming and the live direction for your wedding because you’ve decided you want to go all out, PLEASE, do give us a call!

So here’s a little MOPEEP MOTRIVIA for our readers:

• Did you know that Mowalla Production Manager, Jim Dorroh, was a panther in his Pre-school Circus Show?  When asked, “What did you do for your part?”  The answer:  “Whatever a panther does…”   Other than stalk and eat other animals, none of us was sure what a panther would do in a Pre-school Circus Show…
• Did you know that Mowalla Program Manager, Rachel Quan, played Mrs. Noah for a 150 member children’s choir program and sang “Have You Ever Kept House in an Ark?”  It’s a long story, but somewhere in my parent’s memorabilia is a photo of me in a toga my mom made out of old curtains from our house.  Now that I’m writing this, it’s a little sad that I wore old curtains…
• Did you know that Senior Program Manager, Allison Knapp’s event management skills were evident at an early age?  During one of her dance recitals you could witness her (on video tape, no less) nudging the other girls when it was their turn to dance.  This was all done with her arm in a cast (she used her cast to direct the other dancers).  The Mowalla Team notes that this gift has paid off for our team numerous times!

And a little MOWORK MOTRIVIA for you as well:

• Did you know how much we love PRODUCTION?  As we’ve been writing the next edition of our blog, and flipping through the memory banks of our early forays into the business, we’ve come to see that all of us have a passion for the production side of things - the lights, the sound, the cameras, the action – all the elements that make for a great show.  So often people think that branding or marketing is merely about advertising in the strictest sense of the word.  But, we here at Mowalla know that it’s so much more than that.  It isn’t just about hanging up a bunch of signage and hitting people hard with a logo.  It’s about how we help a consumer EXPERIENCE a brand or product, or a message.  We’ve become very adept at taking what we know best about our clients and weaving them into every element of an event.

• Did you know that WE DESIGN?  We can set up an ENTIRE SPACE so that it conveys what a product or brand is all about.  And it isn’t just about the stage, although we do a great job of bringing those elements together.  It’s about the FLOW of a space and the ways in which the various areas in it draw someone into an experience.   We recognize that EVERYTHING is connected when people walk into an event, and we design things in such a way that every element is meant to engage.   It’s all about a design that FULLY INTEGRATES every aspect of a brand, product or message.   Events are designed on multiple levels and we are experts at making an event BOTH functional and experiential.  Our creative and practical MOJO is always at work – engaging consumers while also maintaining an operational flow.  Having the operational knowledge and the ability to utilize different components in creating a space that functions well, lends itself to the best experience for a consumer. 

• Did you know that WE PROGRAM & WE SCRIPT?  Events are about messaging – whether it’s for a beverage brand or a non-profit organization– it’s always about the messaging.  So, we don’t just write down a series of things that will happen in a random sequence.  We sit down and think through every aspect of the message and ask questions like “where will this speaker best fit in the session today?” or “what musical act should open this event?” or “is this the right moment to utilize video?”  We work with our clients on the ethos they want for their event and the best ways to create that via the music, the lighting, the order of things, the video and everything in between.

An example:  When one of our non-profit clients was looking for a way to set the tone for their image and brand at their three-day conference, we went to work on understanding how we could best convey that to the audience.  The resulting Run of Show included music sets that established the tone and pre-produced videos we WROTE and PRODUCED that supported the theme and message.  The client liked the videos so much they decided to offer them as a part of their conference video package.

• Did you know that WE DIRECT?  When the show is on, timing and management of many different pieces is critical.  Mowalla can take your script (or write it, as the case may be), outline it minute by minute, work through the blocking of each element and then, like a conductor with an orchestra, provide the live direction that leads to dramatic moments, light hearted moments and everything in between.  It is moments like these that touch consumers or attendees and make a memorable experience for your brand.

We do all we can behind-the-scenes and ahead of time to bring production to a whole new level and we pride ourselves on being able to take our technical expertise and apply it to producing an incredible experience.  In the midst of it all, working on all of the details and elements months in advance keeps us from having one of those “KANYE” moments (we would have loved to have heard the Director on headset that night yelling at the Stage Manager) or the “WARDROBE MALFUNCTIONS” (pretty sure we don’t want to know what the conversation on headset that day was).  Instead, we live for those “SUSAN BOYLE” moments – moments when people aren’t expecting something and suddenly, out of nowhere, they are lifted up, inspired and moved by an experience because people behind-the-scenes worked hard to create just that moment.

What moments have inspired you over the past decade?  As you think back through the past ten years in the world, in your own work and in your life, what have been those jaw-dropping, amazing moments where you have experienced something real, unique and wonderful?  We’d love to hear about your moments!  Maybe some of them have been shared with us (we would be so lucky!).  Send us MOLOVE and tell us about it! Or tell us about some of those upcoming moments for you that we might be able to help with and be a part of!

All the Best,

Rachel Quan for TEAM MOWALLA