It’s Monday, 2nd of August 2021 and we’re just about to re-open the doors at Zap! Entertainment after the 18 month COVID shutdown. The big question is, will there still be a need for this business and the service it provides? Both Jude and I think there will be…and we reckon it’s time to focus on opportunity rather than negativity.
So, that’s why we’ve decided to take a deep breath and jump back in to whatever’s left of the live events / outdoor entertainment sector here in Scotland.
Jump in and help rebuild.
However, before we start, we want to thank the folks at Event Scotland, Clacks Council, SLC, Creative Scotland, The Scottish Government and GCC who’ve helped us keep our production company afloat over the most brutal period this industry’s ever experienced. We’d also like to express our gratitude to the NHS, to Key Workers, the Emergency Services and the numerous individuals who sent us messages of support, thanks and positivity over the past year and a half …love and respect to all of you!
Going forward, we hope we can return to business as usual…although, the way we do business is pretty unusual.
For those who’ve never worked with Zap! before – yes, we supply entertainment (presenters, bands, street theatre, comedians, world famous artists and a lot of exceptionally talented people you’ve never heard of before) and yes, we deliver production facilities (build stages, rig PAs, supply audio/lighting/tech services, crush barriers etc) …but we do all of it in a slightly different way to everyone else.
It’s important to us that the events we produce bring positive benefits to the communities we serve by 1) entertaining our diverse, multi-cultural audiences, 2) generating footfall (and subsequently income) for the businesses in those areas and 3) employing as many Scottish-based suppliers as we can, thereby helping to maintain/rebuild/grow economies.
We liaise closely with local business organisations ahead of our events to ensure minimal disruption to their livelihoods and, where possible, encourage local charities and community groups to fundraise/increase awareness at our gigs.
And, as part of our commitment to home grown talent (artists, technicians, and suppliers), we also positively encourage/hire as many new creatives, performers and trainee production people as possible.
Over the past 14 years, by hiring Zap! and the artists/suppliers we rep (many of whom work as educators, firefighters, surgeons, lawyers, psychologists, clinicians and research scientists in their day jobs, btw), your business has helped:
- numerous individuals pay their way through college, university, master’s degrees and PHDs
- given many people “a start” in the events and entertainment industries
- put food on countless tables
And for all of that, we’re grateful and we thank you!
So, let’s press the restart button on this thing and see if we can make it happen for another 14 years…and – as we do that and move on from here – let’s keep this one-liner from the irrepressible RuPaul front of mind: “Stop trying to be a solo artist and think about how what you do (or don’t do!) affects others – we’re all connected, we all have an impact on one another.”
Alright, let’s open up and see what happens next…
