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TRANSCRIPTION WITH SPEAKERS
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[00:00] SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Countless Podcast.
[00:05] SPEAKER_01: Hello, I'm Mario Tonagusi and this is Edmonton's podcast on Countless Podcast Network.
[00:11] SPEAKER_01: Joining me today is Mike Anderson, president of Trickstar.
[00:14] SPEAKER_01: Thanks for joining us today, Mike.
[00:17] SPEAKER_01: Oh, thanks for having me, Mario.
[00:19] SPEAKER_01: Let's start by talking a bit about Trickstar and what it is that you guys do.
[00:26] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so we produce live events and concerts and festivals.
[00:31] SPEAKER_00: You know, so we're in the business of bringing people together and bringing joy into their lives,
[00:35] SPEAKER_00: your music, your comedy, your speakers.
[00:37] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, we're the fun guys.
[00:41] SPEAKER_00: Tell me how it all got started.
[00:43] SPEAKER_00: Ah, it started 25 years ago.
[00:46] SPEAKER_00: I was going to college at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
[00:49] SPEAKER_00: It's just, you know, 18 year old student minding his own business and then got roped into being a class.
[00:55] SPEAKER_00: Class, class wrapped for the business administration society, then all of a sudden I started planning their parties and next thing I know I was the VP of campus life for the whole school doing all their events.
[01:08] SPEAKER_01: And how long ago was that?
[01:10] SPEAKER_01: When did you start this?
[01:11] SPEAKER_00: Ah, that was 1996.
[01:14] SPEAKER_00: I'm doing it at school and then, you know, once I graduated, they hired me full time at the school to be their entertainment and marketing manager.
[01:22] SPEAKER_00: So I did that for a number of years and then in 2005 I started my company, Trickstar Productions.
[01:29] SPEAKER_00: You know, there was a big need in the market to bring high caliber events to the market and having qualified people to bring that to them and do it in a safe way and entertaining way at the same time.
[01:41] SPEAKER_01: Tell me some of the give me some examples of what you've put on.
[01:47] SPEAKER_00: You know, some of the events we've put on in the past, you know, I started my journey of producing a college party called Uquest.
[01:56] SPEAKER_00: So our mascot was the Uqucowell.
[01:59] SPEAKER_00: So we created a little festival.
[02:01] SPEAKER_00: So it started off with 1500 people.
[02:04] SPEAKER_00: We paid nickel back a couple hundred dollars.
[02:06] SPEAKER_00: Headworn snow fence.
[02:08] SPEAKER_00: So we're out of the back of a truck and then, you know, it eventually grew to three stages, 20 bands, 18 or 8,000 students attending.
[02:18] SPEAKER_00: So it became one of the biggest campus parties in all of Canada.
[02:21] SPEAKER_00: And then, you know, as my journey continued, you know, we've been a part of the Big Valley jamboree.
[02:25] SPEAKER_00: We've been a part of great cop festival.
[02:27] SPEAKER_00: We've been a part of Klondike Days soundtrack music festival to tourism activations down in Drum Heller, working with the Badlands Ampitheater.
[02:37] SPEAKER_00: They're bringing entertainment to some of their slower times.
[02:42] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it's we've done it all from big concerts to helping Red Bull crash dice to do their activation.
[02:53] SPEAKER_01: So what's the biggest concert you think it done?
[02:57] SPEAKER_00: The Big Valley jamboree by far is the biggest.
[03:00] SPEAKER_00: You know, you're talking about 100,000 people over a weekend and some of the biggest names of country music.
[03:05] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, that that was great, but, you know, setting an event up like that is setting up an infrastructure for an entire city and a field.
[03:13] SPEAKER_00: So it had it was had its own fire department, its own police department, its own sanitation services.
[03:18] SPEAKER_00: So it had to operate as its own city entity because if something were to happen in the city of cameras during the event, you know, it had to be self sufficient.
[03:29] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, people asked us, oh, why does it take you all year to plan an event like that because, you know, it's a massive undertaking to house 25,000 people a day in a safe manner.
[03:42] SPEAKER_01: Okay. Is there something you haven't done that you want to do?
[03:45] SPEAKER_00: Well, the thing I always wanted to do was, was a big large outdoor comedy festival and, you know, we launched that last year.
[03:54] SPEAKER_00: So I don't know if there's much much left that we can do.
[03:58] SPEAKER_00: So, and where's that?
[04:01] SPEAKER_00: So it started off in Edmonton as they called the Green Outdoors comedy festival.
[04:05] SPEAKER_00: So it started off as, you know, we did a lot of country, we did a lot of rock and roll music, we've done a lot of 90s rollback, but there was nothing to celebrate the comedian as a big rock star on a big stage outdoor.
[04:20] SPEAKER_00: So we created this brand and, you know, we're going to launch it before the pandemic hit, but the pandemic gave us the opportunity to find,
[04:29] SPEAKER_00: find two in the whole experience and we launched it last year in Edmonton.
[04:33] SPEAKER_00: And now it's a come, we're about to launch it in two weeks and it's going to come to Edmonton and Calgary for 2022.
[04:39] SPEAKER_00: And then we're looking to expand across the country after that.
[04:42] SPEAKER_01: So, okay. Super then.
[04:46] SPEAKER_01: You know, when you look at this industry, obviously, maybe talk a little bit Mike about the pandemic and the impact that's had, you basically had to shut down for a while.
[04:56] SPEAKER_01: So, I presume.
[04:58] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, the initial shutdown was for 18 months.
[05:01] SPEAKER_00: You know, that was really tough to, you know, not just financially, but the purpose, you know, we lost our purpose for a while, but that didn't stop us, you know, a lot of companies in their industry laid off everybody in one silent.
[05:15] SPEAKER_00: And what we did was we kept everybody employed and we started planning events on what does an event look like coming out of the pandemic? How are people going to feel safe attending an event?
[05:26] SPEAKER_00: And, and you know, we bet on that and we won that bet. And, you know, we're one of the first organizations in all of Canada to come out of the pandemic and host a major festival last summer.
[05:38] SPEAKER_00: So, we put together an event called together again and also the great outdoors comedy festival, which ended up being at the North Northland old Northlands race track.
[05:47] SPEAKER_00: We tried to find the biggest footprint we could to, you know, accommodate social distancing.
[05:53] SPEAKER_00: So, when we reinvented the whole event experience, we noticed there's a couple of couple things that we need to figure out.
[05:59] SPEAKER_00: How are we going to keep people apart from each other? Well, and what are some of the biggest touch points and some of the biggest touch points were the merchandise tent and then also the bar lineup.
[06:09] SPEAKER_00: So, so, you know, as we work through the whole process, we figured out the best way to keep everybody separated is if we give people place to sit and, and be six feet apart from each other.
[06:22] SPEAKER_00: So, we went to Costco. They were great partner and we bought every table in Costco, post a post we bought 14 hundred tables. So, so we placed these tables in the field.
[06:32] SPEAKER_00: They're six feet apart from each other and they all had a barcode on them. And these barcodes were geoteched.
[06:39] SPEAKER_00: So, when people took their cell phone, they scanned it. They were able to put the drink order in the merchandise order, but they're credit card information and inform an insider.
[06:48] SPEAKER_00: They're order arrived at their table. So, people didn't have to wait in line for 30 minutes for drink. They didn't have to wait in line for 45 minutes for their band t-shirt. It all just came to them and it changed the experience where people want that VIP experience.
[07:05] SPEAKER_00: So, that was their biggest feedback was, well, once COVID's over, this can't go away. We don't want to see a show any other way.
[07:12] SPEAKER_00: So, we were making plans to sell these tables after last summer's events. And so, what we did was we, you know, we listened to what the people wanted and we were doing a bit of a hybrid of that, this coming year, we're making the announcement tomorrow.
[07:25] SPEAKER_00: So, what we did was, you know, we did a lot of things, you know, about our together again concert series is, you know, people want that VIP experience, but they also want the option to maybe go and, you know, stand in front of the stage the way they used to.
[07:35] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, hopefully that the worst of COVID's over and we can start finding some normal service summer that, you know, you could start choosing your own adventure in a sense.
[07:45] SPEAKER_00: You know, do you want the VIP experience at your table with your cohorts or do you want to, you know, go rock out to your favorite band at the front of the stage.
[07:52] SPEAKER_01: So, do you think people like just like absolutely craving the experiences like that now, especially after going through what they've gone through for the last two years.
[08:03] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think so. Like when we launched last summer, like people, like, we, you know, we did more business in one week than we did in some of most years.
[08:14] SPEAKER_00: You know, so that that just told us there was just this craving for entertainment and, you know, with us being walked down again for the last six months, you know, I, you know, I think people take for granted of, you know, the ability to go and hang out with their friends, you know, meet up, watch their favorite band or their favorite comedian and, you know, bring back that joy to their life that that's been missing.
[08:42] SPEAKER_00: You know, I think a lot of people have gone through some really tough times these last years and, you know, we want to be able to be the, you know, the group that helps make that connection again and, you know, bring happiness and be part of, you know, bringing, you know, positivity to people's mental health and, you know, and their well being because, you know, I think we all need some good news and some joy brought back into our lives.
[09:08] SPEAKER_01: Most definitely so Mike when you were going to Nate, what did you think you were going to become?
[09:16] SPEAKER_00: I know originally I wanted to take radio and television, but they told me my marks.
[09:22] SPEAKER_00: So I took, so I took business because my mom said I needed to take something or she was going to kick me out of that.
[09:28] SPEAKER_00: So I went to college blind, just, you know, just taking studies and, you know, a career found me accidentally.
[09:39] SPEAKER_00: I stumbled across it and, you know, I'm really thankful for that.
[09:44] SPEAKER_00: You know, so I've been doing what I love to do since I've been 19 years old.
[09:47] SPEAKER_00: So it's, you know, I've been really lucky, but, you know, there's been some sacrifices.
[09:52] SPEAKER_00: Like, let's never be able to go do that Europe trip or travel the world or go backpacking.
[09:58] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, I'm hoping I could do that in my later years.
[10:02] SPEAKER_01: So what do you like about being an entrepreneur?
[10:08] SPEAKER_00: Every day is different.
[10:10] SPEAKER_00: You know, there's a lot of challenges.
[10:13] SPEAKER_00: You know, and especially these last two years, you know, we've lost, you know, 98% of our business.
[10:20] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, I think the positive of those I was we survived it and looking back on how we survived it and how we did it as a team.
[10:29] SPEAKER_00: You know, it was really remarkable and to see all of our other friends were entrepreneurs who went through similar situations.
[10:37] SPEAKER_00: It's like, you know, it's quite remarkable that, you know, we were able to get through this and, you know, being told, you know, your business isn't viable.
[10:48] SPEAKER_00: You know, we need you to shut down.
[10:52] SPEAKER_00: And so that was tough, but that was rewarding.
[10:55] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I think why I got into business and why I continue to do what I do is, you know, we bring happiness to people.
[11:03] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, it's, you know, there's no better feeling than being able to put a smile on someone's face.
[11:10] SPEAKER_01: So, on the flip side of things, what, what don't you like about being an entrepreneur?
[11:17] SPEAKER_00: Yeah. Well, these last two years.
[11:22] SPEAKER_00: It's got, it's at double it sword.
[11:24] SPEAKER_00: It's, you know, you're at the, you're at the mercy of, you know, the market.
[11:31] SPEAKER_00: You know, you know, what's going on in the world of people's attitudes.
[11:35] SPEAKER_00: How are they're feeling?
[11:37] SPEAKER_00: You know, if people are, you know, are afraid and scared that translates into ticket sales, you know, if people aren't willing to go out.
[11:46] SPEAKER_00: But, you know, if you could catch the momentum where people are feeling good, they're encouraged to, they've got steady income, you know, you know, we're a great catalyst to that as well.
[11:57] SPEAKER_01: You know, when you look at the back at the last two years, what do you think you've been some of the most important lessons from a business standpoint you've learned through this challenging time?
[12:10] SPEAKER_00: The biggest one patience, you know, not a very patient person.
[12:16] SPEAKER_00: And so, so we, the art of patience is very important because we couldn't start announcing things about the summer or even what's coming up this summer until people were ready to hear it.
[12:31] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, hearing some good news from government officials and from the chief medical officers, so the different provinces, you know, if, if the temperature wasn't right and people weren't feeling like there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
[12:44] SPEAKER_00: We would have just put things on sale and they wouldn't have sold so being a patient and, you know, we were ready to go with our events as soon as September 2020.
[12:53] SPEAKER_00: So we started planning April 2020 and we were ready to go September 2020 and we didn't launch until June 2021. So that was a lot of patience to just hold on tight and, you know, don't get distracted and make sure that, you know, we do things right because, you know,
[13:12] SPEAKER_00: the people don't feel safe and they don't feel the confidence in your product.
[13:16] SPEAKER_00: They're not going to buy it and that's a lot of companies.
[13:19] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly. So as a business owner and entrepreneur, over the years, you looked at anybody in particular as examples to follow our books, they read or, you know, where have you sought, you know, sought for information and, and, you know,
[13:42] SPEAKER_01: inspiration about being an entrepreneur.
[13:45] SPEAKER_00: Well, probably my favorite book and it's the operating system of my businesses traction by Gina Wickman now.
[13:52] SPEAKER_00: It's just fantastic.
[13:54] SPEAKER_00: The tools they have in one book and with some of the videos and a comp that come with it, we were able to put some structure in our business and make everything flow and make sense and come back to, you know, our core values and, and our processes.
[14:09] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it's a step by step, almost toolkit on how to run a business.
[14:15] SPEAKER_00: And then I think the other great resource I was able to find was the entrepreneurs organization, you know, we've been a part, I've been a part of you for 10 years now.
[14:26] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I started off in their accelerator program and then graduated into their regular program and, and, you know, being informed with other like minded business owners and then taking
[14:40] SPEAKER_00: up their mentorship program for the last five years has been, you know, amazing.
[14:45] SPEAKER_00: You know, there's some great business people in this country and being able to tap into that and, and that knowledge and listening to not just the success stories, but also listening and doing the takeaways when things went wrong.
[14:57] SPEAKER_00: And I think that gave me the tools to, you know, to get over the last two years was like, okay, you listen to some of the stories and when oil crashed and, you know, taking those lessons and how they relate to what's going on in my industry right now, you know, it's a process.
[15:15] SPEAKER_00: What would you think?
[15:18] SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
[15:18] SPEAKER_01: So, you know, you obviously have a pretty fun job.
[15:23] SPEAKER_01: Looking from the outside, looking at fun job. So do you manage or are you able to attend every event that you put on?
[15:34] SPEAKER_00: Before the pandemic, I didn't.
[15:37] SPEAKER_00: I went to, you know, as much as I could, but I, you know, I kind of took for granted some of the great things we were doing and, you know, since we've launched out of the pandemic.
[15:47] SPEAKER_00: I've been to every single event.
[15:49] SPEAKER_00: I've been there from start to finish 18, 20 hours a day sometimes and just enjoying every moment and then also going out there, people's events and just me and supporting them and, you know, making sure, you know, that the industry rallies around each other and supports each other as we come out of this.
[16:07] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, I'm really blessed to, and I will never take for granted, you know, sometimes it might be five events in a week and, you know, it's, I'd rather go to an event and sit my basement.
[16:20] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
[16:22] SPEAKER_01: So, you know, all the events of your own that you've attended.
[16:28] SPEAKER_01: Do you have a favorite?
[16:30] SPEAKER_01: Of my own.
[16:31] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[16:33] SPEAKER_00: The great outdoors company festivals, my favorite.
[16:36] SPEAKER_00: And we're about to launch is, you know, it's going to blow people away.
[16:41] SPEAKER_00: You know, and I believe it's going to be the second biggest comedy property in the country.
[16:46] SPEAKER_00: So outside of just for laughs.
[16:48] SPEAKER_00: So, I'm really excited for it.
[16:50] SPEAKER_00: I'm a big comedian, the enthusiast.
[16:53] SPEAKER_00: I've been, you know, I've been booking comedians for 25 years.
[16:55] SPEAKER_00: Just in a pub at, in college to casinos to, you know, now, now big festival stages.
[17:03] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, the art form of being able to string words together with facial expressions and timing is quite an art to get a reaction of joy and laughter from people.
[17:16] SPEAKER_00: So, I really respect that art form and, you know, I think it's funny.
[17:21] SPEAKER_01: You mentioned just for last because I'm on the daily habit of watching it on my on Facebook and every one of the few episodes here and there and it gives me a chuckle.
[17:31] SPEAKER_01: Man, I think, you know, that's that's thing right.
[17:34] SPEAKER_01: So, we're so craving laughter these days, but after what we've been through.
[17:38] SPEAKER_01: So, that'd be great.
[17:41] SPEAKER_01: So, tell me a little bit about yourself.
[17:43] SPEAKER_01: What do you do outside of your business?
[17:46] SPEAKER_01: What are their interests you have?
[17:47] SPEAKER_00: Well, well, I stumbled into hobby about four or five years ago.
[17:53] SPEAKER_00: You know, I never ran before in my life.
[17:55] SPEAKER_00: I started going to Orange Theory and then I, you know, I made a declaration that it was in the middle of March that in August, I'm going to run a full marathon.
[18:05] SPEAKER_00: And so, yeah, so I never ran more than two kilometers in my life and, you know, I spent 18 weeks training for a full marathon and I ran 42 kilometers.
[18:14] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, where was that?
[18:17] SPEAKER_00: It was in Edmonton, you know, the Edmonton marathon and, you know, that was probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life with most rewarding outside of, you know, my company and being a parent.
[18:30] SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it's amazing what the human body can do when you put your mind to it.
[18:34] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I've been ran a full marathon since, but I love doing half marathon. So it's a really, you know, that that's a new passion of mine is, you know, going to travel different cities and and running and exploring, you know, what those cities have to offer.
[18:49] SPEAKER_00: I've got one coming up in Nashville.
[18:52] SPEAKER_00: So get to mix a little business and pleasure with each other.
[18:55] SPEAKER_00: So I've got an office in Nashville as well as the Nashville Rock and Roll.
[19:01] SPEAKER_00: Marathon takes place in April. So looking forward to that.
[19:04] SPEAKER_01: Super. Yeah, I used to as well run Marathon's a long time ago, though, and don't do any running anymore, but it was a period of my life there that, you know, I did Calgary Ottawa, Seattle and Honolulu.
[19:19] SPEAKER_01: And, but I found, you know, out on by yourself, you know, outdoors and running.
[19:26] SPEAKER_01: Did find you get a lot any inspiration doing that because I found that I always said million thoughts and ideas with my head.
[19:35] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's, you know, you become friends with yourself because you're out there for hours and hours training and running these marathons is like, you have no one.
[19:46] SPEAKER_00: You know, I mean, what yourself to be with and those ideas and that energy flows.
[19:52] SPEAKER_00: You know, one of my favorite parts of it outside of the ideas that pop into your head is, you know, just exploring the beauty and the nature and.
[20:01] SPEAKER_00: And as you know, connecting with with these areas, like I fell in love with my city that I grew up in that I have no idea parts of these cities existed in the River Valley and these trails.
[20:12] SPEAKER_00: It's quite remarkable what running can connect you with.
[20:17] SPEAKER_00: So I'm I'm I'm cheering cherishing these these last couple years.
[20:22] SPEAKER_00: Okay, super. Then any other interest?
[20:26] SPEAKER_00: My kids keep me pretty pretty active.
[20:30] SPEAKER_00: So keeping up with three girls is, you know, is, you know, rewarding and challenging at times.
[20:40] SPEAKER_00: But you know, I look going to Orange Theory. I love.
[20:44] SPEAKER_00: You know, I look traveling. So getting back and exploring the world. It's going to be important.
[20:49] SPEAKER_01: So how important do you think that is for for people that own businesses to have that kind of balance and have other interests where they're not literally 24 seven.
[21:03] SPEAKER_01: You're focusing on their job.
[21:06] SPEAKER_00: Oh, I think it's very important.
[21:09] SPEAKER_00: You know, we need it's hard to put your business on the shelf and yeah, and and and step away from it and you know, even during during a tough day at work just being able to go to the gym and, you know, escaping for an hour is, you know, what were problems before,
[21:29] SPEAKER_00: before running or before that workout or just kind of left left at the door and you kind of forget about it afterwards and it's kind of a mind reset.
[21:38] SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, if it's playing guitar, if it's playing a game of golf, if it's, you know, going to see a movie, it's, it's, it's a timeout for our brains to really, you know, really concentrate on ourselves.
[21:54] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, we all need a break and our businesses will be waiting for us when we when we come back.
[22:03] SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, exactly. Well, thanks very much, Mike, for joining us today.
[22:09] SPEAKER_00: Oh, thanks for having me, Mario. I really appreciate it.
[22:11] SPEAKER_01: I like that was Mike Anderson, president of Trickstar. I'm Mario Tonigusi. This has been Edmonton's podcast on Canada's podcast network. Thanks for joining us today.
