Brent Walla

There is a quote… “Chase the passion, not the money”.   Passion is why and how Walla has come to this point in his life and career.   

Born in Parma, Ohio, Brent’s passions grew out of the good ol’ traditional values of the Midwest – loyalty, family, friends and fun.  If you ask him what the passion was that ultimately led to his co-founding of Mowalla, he would tell you it was his love of music and making special things happen.

Brent’s passion for music started at a very early age.  It began with his older sister’s and older brother’s records that he “borrowed” after sneaking into their rooms.  It was their 45s and LPs on a portable turntable that was the start of his love affair with music.  Next time you see Brent, ask him to name his first 45, LP, cassette and CD and he’ll rattle them off for you.  Heck, he might even pull them out and play them for you if you ask nicely.

When asked to wax eloquent about music, Brent’s thoughts are this:

“Music for me is a celebration.  More than that music ‘bookmarks’ my life.  I associate songs to definite points in my life - where I was, what I might have been doing, or where I happened to live.  Music denotes memories for me - some are even sad, but nonetheless they bookmark great memories.  I can be taken back to those points in my life instantly when a song is played.”

Brent’s other passion is making special things happen.  Whether it’s a 20,000 person music festival, a traveling marketing tour or directing a live event, Walla says he is happiest on an event site. It’s the excitement, adrenaline and the pressure of a deadline that really get him going.  And, once in awhile, maybe a shot or two of Cuban Coffee helps aid the process.  

His thoughts on this other “love” of his life:

“I thrive on being in the middle of it all, in the mix – it’s where I really come to life.  Seeing it all come together  – from a paper concept or drawing, imagining the plan and making the design and then working through the details – it’s an exciting process.  However, when I hit the event location, the truck doors open and the concept is transformed into a reality – that is the part of the equation that I find to be the most rewarding!” 

On-site, Brent’s adrenaline really starts pumping when his Radio Call Name goes out over the radio – “HOUSTON DO YOU COPY?”  You’ll have to ask him how he got his alter ego someday.  “GO FOR HOUSTON!”

So how did these two passions come together to get him where he is today?

It really started to take shape late in his high school/early college days.  Walla found himself being the guy that always had a list of everyone’s phone numbers (this was before PDA’s) and when people wanted to host a party or plan an event, they always came to him to get the word out and circle the wagons.  During this time he also started a band, even though he really didn’t know how to play an instrument. “It must have been a bit of the entrepreneurial spirit in me. I figured I would just learn as I went,” he says.  Brent naturally fell into the management role for the band, scheduling band practices, booking dates, making flyers and promoting shows.  Brent admits: “The band was a great time in my life, and I learned many things from those days.  Managing dynamic individuals, organization & details and most of all, I really wasn’t a good musician. I was much better at the other side of the business.”

With that key learning, Walla settled on Kent State University over rock-stardom and enrolled in the Theatre Studies Department.  Having never even worked on a theatre performance before, he told his department advisor he would cover backstage production because it was the class he had already taken. From there he worked on concerts at the university which led to a job for a lighting and staging company.  It was in this job that he learned the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of structures, rigging and lighting design.  Ultimately, he got a position on the university programming board where he was both the Production Manager and the Talent Buyer Chair.  Upon reflection, Brent notes: “I really had the opportunity to cut my teeth within the entertainment and production business before I even graduated from college. And by that time I was over being a technician - I wanted to produce!”

After graduating from college, Walla spent time touring with the Contemporary Marketing Group on the CBS College Tour.  He then moved to San Diego and started working for Rob Hagey Productions as the Production Manager for the 1996 and 1997 San Diego Street Scene.  During this time he launched his first business venture, Boulder Freestyle Productions.  BFP, was an extreme sports demo company that built Vert ramps and produced BMX and Skateboard shows at sporting and special events.

While at RHP, Walla met Chapin Mower working on the “Southern Comfort Rocks the Blues” event that Mower was producing.   From that point the two developed a friendship, but unbeknownst to Walla, Mower was formulating a plan to start his own business.  Their conversations were really interviews to see if Walla could be a potential business partner.  The two eventually started Mowalla, which was originally called Mowalla Music & Sports, Inc.  Their original business plan was formulated on a bar napkin. When people asked them what the company was going to be, their reply was “We don’t know, we will figure it out as we go…”    Mowalla is now eleven years old and has developed a niche in the market place.  A unique understanding of brands and marketing goals mixed with production savvy has allowed Mowalla to execute and deliver results that are on-target.
  
When not “gigging”, you can find Walla spending time with his family, buzzing around the house.  Rarely standing still for a moment, Brent is always up to something.  Whether he’s cooking in the backyard on his BBQ, playing with the kids in the local pool, working on one of his many projects around the house or inflicting self- punishment  by cheering for one of his Ohio-based sports teams  he  constantly finds himself  in the Producer role.  Sometimes the production is at home with a gourmet dinner for six, and sometimes it’s a neighborhood block party.  Other times it might mean putting together a weekend trip with friends.  Brent is always pulling the pieces together to make all of his “productions” an experience. He has to have the right music playing, is constantly adjusting the lighting levels, and insists on having good eats and drinks.  And, of course, he has to have a few décor pieces.  His lovely wife always asks him, “Can’t you just do something simple?”   His consistent answer is “No”.  It’s just not who Walla is.

When asked how he defines success, Walla will tell you:

“Success is a true balance between career and family…  It is not an easy task, but if you can do it, you’ve got something special.”