The Live Experience Brand Behind Channing Tatum’s Biggest Movie

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You're listening to Fandom Unpacked from Situation, the series where we unpack modern fandom with some of the brightest minds in sports and entertainment.
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I'm producer Peter Yagecic, and our host for today's QA is Situation CEO and founder Damian Bazadona.
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Our guest today is Vincent Marini, president of content and production at Free Association Live, and the executive producer behind Magic Mike Live, the hit live entertainment experience that has grown into a global stage brand with long-running productions in Las Vegas, London, and soon to be New York City.
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Vincent, thanks for joining us.
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Damian, how about working your magic and getting us started?
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Vincent, thanks for doing this.
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You know, you've worked across theater, residencies, television, digital, and live production.
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Take us inside the, I'd say the unifying tenets of work that you produce at Free Association Live.
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Yeah, well, Damien, first of all, thank you.
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Thank you for having me.
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I really, really appreciate the opportunity to talk a little bit about Free Association Live and Magic Mike and all of the fun stuff that we're that we're working on.
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I think that there's a there are a few things.
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I think the first thing is we have this sort of relentless focus on the audience experience.
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I mean, I'm sure we'll get into this a little later, but our view is that we want our audiences and fans to have an emotional connection to the work we do.
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And whether you know it's a live show, an experience, a television show, an online initiative, whatever it is, it all comes back to doing things that are going to in some way move the audience and also just move them to act, move them to come see our show, come to our venue, stream our television show.
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And, you know, in a fragmented entertainment landscape, I think it's a high bar to get audiences to take action.
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So I think that audience experience is at the center of everything we do.
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But then I think that, you know, the second thing is we really see ourselves as storytellers.
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And I think while that's related to the first thing, we tend to only work on projects that we think are going to be able to have a narrative backbone that gets us excited and gets our audiences excited.
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So we generally don't do things that don't have some kind of narrative backbone.
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And then I think the third thing, which, you know, is kind of the foundation of everything we're doing with Magic Mic is that more and more we see ourselves as a company that is sort of standing at the fusion of hospitality, live entertainment, and guest experience.
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So this idea of being able to control as many customer touch points as possible to create this very sort of unified 360 experience, regardless of the medium, I think that is definitely driving a lot of the new IP that we're working on in the coming years.
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What is it about the live experience part that that of the piece of the IP that like film and TV simply can't?
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Live is not the easiest of the bunch.
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And you guys invest heavily in it, obviously.
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Um, like why why live?
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Like, what does that do for the brand?
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Well, I want to be careful here because uh obviously a great TV show or a great film can obviously bring people together.
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I mean, there's no question that, you know, some of the most influential um pop culture items that have happened over the past 50 years are because of, you know, films, television shows, sporting events, et cetera.
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But I think that there's something unique about live entertainment, which is that I think that it promotes community in a way that none of those other experiences truly do.
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In fact, for various reasons, I think that those experiences are walking further and further away from joint experiences because of our devices and because of the quality of the experience you can have in your own home.
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But but live entertainment is still something that you are meant to experience with other people.
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And I think that that that experience with other people is as much, drives as much of the excitement around lineup entertainment as the actual piece that you're watching.
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When I think about all of the best experiences I've ever had in a in a live entertainment venue, it has always been because of the reaction of the people around me.
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And I felt like I was part of something.
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And I think this idea of creating of live entertainment and live shows promoting this idea of community and bringing people together is the thing that differentiates it now.
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And I think will become an even more important differentiator in the future.
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I I listen, I totally agree with you.
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And I feel like it's never been an easier time to stay at home on your couch.
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And you know, and at the same time, it's probably never been a more important time to get off your couch.
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It's just you look at mental health and how people are sort of feeling about themselves.
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And so, like these two like really powerful forces are at play.
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Um, and and I what's the difference?
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How would you think about the difference in fandom around obviously the wildly successful films and now the wildly successful live experience?
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What's the difference of the fandom, the relationship?
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How many people in the venue, for example, when they go to the live show, do you think have seen the films?
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I'd love to just talk about a little bit of the relationship between those two.
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It's a great question.
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I mean, I feel like in some ways, fans are fans and um, you know, they react the way that they react.
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But I will say that what we do find is that that, first of all, the the people that are coming to Magic Mike now, I would actually wager that the majority of them um are not coming any longer because of the film.
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I think that that over the past decade we've established a brand.
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Um, that brand definitely, I think, carries a lot of weight.
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And while I think the films are an incredible um calling card for us, I think that over time we've sort of moved past just being sort of a live extension of the films.
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But I I will say that I think that one of the biggest differences is in the level of commitment that I think it takes for people to spend hundreds of dollars to come out and see a live piece of entertainment.
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I feel like it, you know, going to a movie or watching a movie on a streaming service is one thing.
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But but bringing your friends together, spending hundreds of dollars to go out together to have an experience, I think shows a level of commitment that's well beyond just kind of watching something on television or going to a movie theater.
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So I think that that what we find is that the people that are coming to the live shows have high expectations.
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I mean, they want to see something special.
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They want to have a unique experience.
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And there, you know, unless you're able to meet them at that level, um, I think that it's very easy to find yourself disappointing them.
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So I think we're that's why when I talk about the audience experience, I say that it's really paramount for us because we know how much of a sacrifice it is for people to spend their time and their money to come and see a live show.
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And I think that if they're going to do that, we have to set the bar very, very high for them.
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Well, look, the the show is part magic of my life, part spectacle, part nightlife, part comedy, part the wish fulfillment.
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How talk, take, take me into that universe, though.
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You talked about a little bit of the intentionality.
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How intentional are you about designing the experience from the audience point of view rather from just sort of the stage outward?
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And you guys are obviously the announcement about this real this killer New York City space that you're going to be opening.
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Um, and I heard you say, like, just which is you said the hospitality and the experience are actually much harder than just doing the show itself, which is like true, right?
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Like take just uh take us into the world, the intentionality, maybe just talk to the lens, maybe of just the lens of New York or whatever, however else you want to approach it.
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Yeah, I mean, I think, look, at our heart, at the heart, we a lot of us are show people.
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We've been doing shows our whole lives.
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I mean, before, you know, before getting involved with Magic Mike Live, most of my life was spent do directing and writing musicals, plays, concerts, et cetera.
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So I'm I kind of grew up in that world.
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And I think that um Magic Mike Live, the show itself, it's a wonderful show.
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It's a phenomenal show.
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But there are a lot of phenomenal shows in New York.
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Some of the best live entertainment in the world happens in New York.
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So, from our perspective, while we are we want to deliver a great show, we know we can do that because we've, you know, we've we've done that all over the world.
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I think what's much harder is sort of delivering a unified experience that makes the audience feel like everything we're doing is intentional and everything we're doing is in service of their needs and in service of their experience.
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And look, we would not have gone through the years of development and all of the cost it takes to have a building on the corner of 47th and 8th, you know, one block from Times Square, to just put on a show.
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That was never the goal.
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I think what we wanted to do was take every lesson that we've learned over the last 10 years about how to treat our audience, how what our audience was looking for in an incredible night out, um, and how to enhance um the wonderful show that we have and bring that together in one sort of unified venue.
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And in this venue, we literally are responsible for and own every part of the process, everything from the ticketing to the food and beverage to the lounge and bar to the way people are greeted and who's working at the venue to the sh when you go into the venue, just the kind of seats you're sitting in.
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And, you know, where you could be sitting on a couch or, you know, at the bar or at a cabaret table or in an easy chair.
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And we're we're trying to make this venue feel like an extension of our home, that this is our home, and we're inviting the audience into our home and we're treating them like the most important guests that we've ever had at a dinner party.
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So the idea here is, and I and I listen, it's a it's a high bar.
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And I'll tell you, most of the last three years has not been spent designing the show.
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It's been spent designing an experience that hopefully will help elevate Magic Mike in the market and give us a legitimate chance to compete for people's entertainment dollars.
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I'm very excited to see it.
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I mean, I you it's it's um now.
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I feel like I'm overselling it.
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Now that's all right.
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Now I've made the bar too, now I've made the bar too high.
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But I but I I mean it.
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Like we, our entire team is so focused on this, and it's such a big part of how we see the future of our company that I feel like, you know, Magic Mike is in New York is going to be the culmination of 10 years of learnings.
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And I think we're we're ready, we're ready to reveal it to the world this fall.
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Hey guys, Damien here.
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I just want to take a quick moment to say if you're enjoying this podcast right now, odds are you're in the business of selling live experiences.
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And if you don't know my team at the advertising agency situation, you most definitely should.
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Aside from just being an awesome group of human beings, they're a global team of professionals covering a brand base in sports, arts, theater, culture, museums, or any live experience that requires people coming together.
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Big, small, all shapes and sizes of brands.
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You can hit them up at the information below in the show notes.
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Uh, Peter.
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Yeah, thanks, Damian.
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We did get a couple of listener questions uh over at fandomunpack.com.
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Uh and Vincent, the first one I think will will hopefully kind of be useful to a lot of our listeners who may have heard of Magic Mike Life, but but haven't had the experience yet.
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The question is, what do people usually misunderstand about the show before they see it for the first time?
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How much time do you have?
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Um, so I I think I I think that this is like this is like the most important question that I ever get asked.
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And and I think the easiest way to say it is that Magic Mike Live is not what you expect it to be.
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I think that there is a misperception that the show is like a traditional, you know, mail review or strip show, um, which is sort of similar to some of the other brands that have been in the market for the last 30 or 40 years.
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And I can tell you that it is, it could not be more different than that.
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It is literally as different as Cirque de Soleil is from a local fair.
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That's how different it is.
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And I and I think it's it's there's a variety of reasons why.
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I'm gonna say, yeah, listen, it has amazing looking guys who are among the best dancers in the world.
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You know, they've danced for everybody from Beyoncé to Britney to Madonna and everybody in between.
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Um, but it it the show also is actually incredibly funny.
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And it has a really, really strong and I think empowering message for everybody that comes to the show, male or female, it does, it doesn't matter.
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And I've listened I've seen the show, it has to be a thousand times at this point.
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Um, and um I can say that taking the the guys taking their shirts out of it, every time I am there, I am amazed at how entertaining and fun the process is of being in that room for this production.
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It's one of those things, guys.
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Like I was I was thinking about this the other day.
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I have I have probably directed or produced maybe 60, 70 shows in my career.
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And people always say, Well, is Magic Mike the best show you've ever done?
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I I'm not sure I can say that it is necessarily the best show that I've ever done, but I can say this.
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It is the show that has that special magic that you only find once or twice in your life.
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I can't completely explain it, but I can tell you that having been in audiences all over the world, from, you know, Las Vegas to London to Berlin to Sydney and everywhere in between, there is something about this show that is just magical.
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And I say to people, if you're intrigued, if you if you love to laugh, if you love dancing, if you love to be in a this, in a room where everybody is having the time of their life, this is a show you have to check out because it is not what you think it is.
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Well, the box office doesn't lie.
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And you've been successful, seriously, you've been successful across the globe.
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And I think that's usually a communication of from audiences of how they're responding to it and that's specialist.
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How do you how do you so you guys obviously getting someone in the door once um, you know, you get them out of curiosity, fine, right?
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But the harder part is getting people to talk about it, to bring friends back, even can you get it to a ritual where people come back?
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What have you learned about, like, how do you think about repeat fandom uh uh getting people back into the door, or do you really not even really think of it that way?
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Because it depends you know, I'm just curious how you guys think about the the connection to the fans ongoing.
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It's so interesting.
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I I feel like that that while repeat fandom actually is very important to Magic Mike Live, it's not something that we talk about all the time.
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Um, I think it's more something that as the years have gone on, we have realized is becoming increasingly important.
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So we have begun to focus on it more.
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I would say, though, that there are a few things that that play into this.
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One is what I was talking about earlier, which is if you want people to come back, you need to treat them like you want them to come back.
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So that means again, giving them an experiencing of coming to your venue that makes them feel welcome and not like they're a number, but like they're a person, and that you actually value them and value the fact that they have spent this money to come and experience this with you.
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So I think that's important.
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I also think that social media, especially amongst a certain generation, is incredibly important to help create connections with the performance.
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We, I think I would, I think it's safe to say that the work that our social media teams do around Magic Mike, helping to connect the show and the people in the show with fans is a big reason for our ongoing success.
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Most of what certain people consume is really happening on their phones.
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And if you're not there in the right way and you're not producing organic, interesting content, then I just think that you fade into the background.
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So I think having a strong connection, social connection, digital connection with our show and our performers is also important.
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And then I think that the final thing is we like we we're constantly reimagining parts of the show.
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You know, we're constantly looking at adding new numbers and changing the aerial routine and adding new music and doing things that will make the show consistently stay sort of fresh and interesting.
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Because we we we think as pop culture evolves, the show has to evolve.
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So we do our very best to also keep it as fresh as we can.
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And I think, you know, as we move into New York, I can honestly say that it is probably going to be the most unique production of the show that we've ever done.
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All right, let's build on that because that's one of my that's that's one of my questions here.
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So you've developed, I mean, obviously you've been in major markets from Vegas to London.
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How do you protect kind of the core DNA of the experience while giving each production in each city, its own identity?
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New York is going to be different than Las Vegas, right?
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So, like, how do you think about how does that come together?
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Well, I think that there's a couple of things that we have in our favor there.
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I think the first thing is that a lot of this, when it comes to the the actual core DNA of the show, a lot of this did come from Channing.
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I mean, Channing had a very specific vision for what he wanted to create.
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And when we met way back in, well, it's been over a decade now, the the challenge was he wasn't, didn't know how to get that vision to the stage, but he knew what he wanted to create.
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And then I was able to work with him to bring some of the theatrical people and the show people into his world.
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And he brought some of the choreographers and and and designers that he loved to work with, and we formed this very unique special family.
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But I think that that it's important that we all spent that time together back in 2016, 2017, because we kind of all were indoctrinated into what it is that that core DNA for the show actually was.
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So even when we go and make changes to the show, because also, you know, Damien every single venue we design designed for this show is totally different.
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They're completely different venues, but yet they are all Magic Mike.
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And I think the reason for that is because we've had the same creative team that started on day one, still working on this a decade later.
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And all of those people have a really keen understanding of what it is that makes the show special and unique.
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And regardless of how we execute that, we all kind of viscerally understand when something is or is not Magic Mike.
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Yeah.
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Uh, Peter, the listener question?
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Yeah, we've got another one here.
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Um, Vincent, what lessons have you learned from producing Magic Mic Live that you can't wait to try with future productions that uh aren't connected to this specific IP?
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Hmm.
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You know, that's that's an interesting question because my first instinct was to answer it one way, but I I think I'm gonna answer it a slightly different way, which is, you know, uh I've done a lot of productions over the years.
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I've worked with a lot of people.
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And, you know, when you get this sort of magic in a bottle that we have with Magic Mike, um, I think that you realize that you are going to be spending the next 10 years of your life with these people that have created this with you.
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And having done a lot of shows with all different personality types and all different kinds of people, I can honestly say that the reason that this show is as successful as it is is not because of just me or because of Channing.
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It's actually because of the incredibly talented creative and design teams and the employees that work on this show.
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And we've done a really good job of keeping that team together.
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And we're like a family.
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We think of each other as family.
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And I think what it's really driven home for me is that no matter what production I do in the future, you know, life is just too short to work with people that suck.
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So I think, I think that the lesson here is, you know, get make sure that the people that we have doing these projects with us are the kind of people that share that sort of love for the audience and share that sort of selflessness that comes along with having to sort of serve the audience.
00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:48.880
And when you have those people, it's it doesn't feel like work.
00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:55.039
It it feels, it really does feel like getting together with great friends and family and building something special.
00:21:55.039 --> 00:22:09.839
And I can say that no matter what project we do in the future, regardless if it's whether Whether with this group of people or a different group of people, I think we're all committed to making sure that we work with the kind of people that share our ideals and share our vision.
00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:13.759
Hey guys, Damien here.
00:22:13.759 --> 00:22:22.640
If you're listening to this podcast, I'm gonna bet that you're probably thinking about how your team works and adapts right now in this new technology landscape.
00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:31.599
That's why the one person I always point people to is my co-host, right here, Peter Yajisic, and his company, a Mind at Work Consulting.
00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:38.799
They run smart, tech-infused workshops that help teams build new skills and actually put ideas into action.
00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:42.960
Peter is way too humble to brag, but I have no problems bragging for him.
00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:47.599
So if you're serious about what's next, talk to a Mind at Work Consulting.
00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:49.599
More in the show notes below.
00:22:49.599 --> 00:23:00.480
You know, I have to tell you, I feel like every person that I've met in your ecosystem, you really do surround yourself with just good people.
00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:07.440
They're just like the nice warm people who obviously have an eye for how to create successful productions running as long as you guys have.
00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:16.319
Um I stand in awe at your ability not just to, I wouldn't say even just scales, to evolve the brand over this period of time coming into New York is not easy to do.
00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:18.160
So uh truly.
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And so it's it's very impressive.
00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:23.680
Um and and so as a last question, and just thank you, Vince, for doing this.
00:23:23.680 --> 00:23:24.400
You got a lot going on.
00:23:24.400 --> 00:23:25.039
Of course.
00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:32.160
Um and um I want to end on you guys, you've seen a lot, you guys continue to trailblaze.
00:23:32.160 --> 00:23:38.720
What kind of live experiences do you think audiences are gonna start demanding more of that in your mind you're starting to plan for?
00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:44.400
Or maybe honestly, you may not even plan for it, but you're just like, I know we're gonna have to figure this out and it's on the horizon.
00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:44.960
Yeah.
00:23:44.960 --> 00:24:01.119
Well, I I'm gonna try to say this in a way that that that gives proper respect to what's out there now, because I am in nowhere trying to say that what exists in the world and all the work that people have done in experiential entertainment um is not is not worthwhile.
00:24:01.119 --> 00:24:09.680
But I will say that, you know, if you look at some of the traditional shows um in New York or on the West End, the reality is that they're really good.
00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:15.039
Like one of the reasons that people keep going is because they're really good.
00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:20.160
They're really impressive, exciting works of art.
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Um, and I and I think that for various reasons over the past 10 years, it has become clear that the audience wants to feel like they are part of the show.
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They are part of the experience, that that what is going on is not just happening in front of them, but it's also in a way happening to them.
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But it's been, I think, very challenging for many artists and producers to create work that rises to the level of those traditional shows.
00:24:51.359 --> 00:25:04.480
I I haven't seen a ton of stuff out there where the narrative and the emotional experience lives up to what is currently on Broadway or in the West End.
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And I think that I truly believe that people do want to feel like they're part of the show.
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They do want to feel like they're immersed in the world that they're that they're experiencing.
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But if we're going to get that right, we have to raise the bar on the quality of those experiences to a level that rivals the traditional Broadway and West End show.
00:25:27.920 --> 00:25:43.359
Because in my experience, I've seen some really cool stuff, but I've seen very few things where I felt moved, or where I, or I, where I was crying, or I was laughing so hard I couldn't stop laughing, or where I felt like I want to spend more time in this world.
00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:45.200
I want an extension of this world.
00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:56.240
So I think from our point of view, I think that whether we we do a traditional musical, which we may very well do in the in the near future, or we do something that's completely different.
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I think that we're going to try to present those things in a way that makes the audience feel like they are connected to the material and really try to deliver a powerful experience that is on par or maybe in the future even better than what traditional live entertainment has been able to deliver.
00:26:16.480 --> 00:26:17.119
What a mission.
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Think about it.
00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:26.000
Like the idea of wanting people to leave it as a way of saying, I want to spend more time in this world, is kind of like, I guess, I suppose the holy grail of live experiences.
00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:27.119
Um I think so.
00:26:27.279 --> 00:26:28.000
I I think it is.
00:26:28.000 --> 00:26:37.039
I think I think I think it's possible, but I think in order to do that, we can't forget that at the end of the day, people want great stories.
00:26:37.039 --> 00:26:38.960
They want to feel something.
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They want to experience something.
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They want something great.
00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:46.480
And just having them be in something does not make it great.
00:26:46.480 --> 00:26:58.160
So we have to make sure that we're that we are really doing the kind of service to them that um the other shows have spent, listen, you know, decades or hundreds of years working on.
00:26:58.160 --> 00:27:02.240
I feel like there's an opportunity there, but we have to go out and grab it.
00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:03.119
I agree.
00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:03.839
Well said.
00:27:03.839 --> 00:27:09.200
I think that one of our tenants of the uh when we start with the project is is this an experience worth experiencing?
00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:09.519
Yeah.
00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:11.680
It could be an experience, but is it worth experiencing?
00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:13.359
And that's it, it's not an easy bar.
00:27:13.440 --> 00:27:20.640
Uh it is a very high bar, and uh, it's something that we'll be working hard on, and hopefully Magic Mike in New York is the first step in that journey.
00:27:20.880 --> 00:27:23.359
I'm I'm sure it will be, no doubt.
00:27:23.359 --> 00:27:25.200
Uh, Peter, you want to take us out?
00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:28.319
Yeah, that is gonna do it for this episode of Fandom Unpacked.
00:27:28.319 --> 00:27:30.000
Thank you, Vincent and Damien.
00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:40.240
If you liked what you heard today, please check out all the great QA interviews we've done over at fandomunpack.com, or by searching Fandom Unpacked and following the series in your podcast player of choice.
00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:42.960
We'd also love for you to rate and review the show while you're at it.
00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:45.119
That really helps us find new fans.
00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:47.279
We're gonna be back in your feed in a couple of weeks.
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For the entire Fandom Unpack team, I'm Peter Yajisic.
00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:51.839
We'll see you next time.