Brian Hurley spills the tea on live event media management, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right clients, maintaining a calm demeanor, and building effective, adaptable teams for successful live events.
Key Takeaways:
- Client Selection: Choosing compatible clients to boost confidence and efficiency.
- Staying Calm and Adaptable: How to keep your professional face on when dealing with unforeseen production challenges.
- Team Preparation: The value of hiring skilled staff and building a collaborative pre-event strategy.
Resources Mentioned:
- Brian Hurley: LinkedIn
- Hurley Media Group
- Alysse & Libby: Bios & LinkedIn
Quotes:
- “Not every potential client is the right client for us, and that’s okay.” – Brian Hurley
- “If you feel yourself getting brought down by somebody else near you, it’s incumbent upon you to put out what you want everybody else to feel.” – Brian Hurley
Listener Challenge:
This week, focus on incorporating a ‘pre-event huddle’ approach in your team meetings to align efforts and prepare for potential challenges. Share your experiences with us on social media using #BEATSWORKINGEVENTS.
Connect with Us:
- Website: www.beatsworkingpodcast.com
- LinkedIn: @BEATS WORKING Show
- Instagram: @beatsworkingshow
- Facebook: @Beats Working Show
- YouTube: @BEATSWORKINGPODCAST
Support the Show:
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BEATS WORKING is a platform on a mission to redeem work—the word, the place, and the way. We believe that work is the most honorable act in the universe, and through inspiring stories and practical insights, we want to transform the way people think about work and help them discover greater fulfillment in their lives. We invite you to join us as we build community through sharing and actively demonstrating what we learn.
If you have a show idea, feedback, or just want to connect, email producer Tamar Medford at tamar@workp2p.com.
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Transcript
The following transcript is not certified. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors. The information contained within this document is for general information purposes only.
Brian Hurley [00:00:00]:
We had one sound guy trying to put a microphone on Sierra, but she was wearing, like, a very low cut, cleavage, like, dress. And he was so nervous because he didn’t want to touch her boobs. And so. So I was, like, trying to manage him. Like, hey, she’s a professional. You can hand her the mic and she can clip it on and all that kind of stuff. And like, oh, okay, right. And then as.
Brian Hurley [00:00:25]:
As that’s being handled, the other one comes up. He’s like, hey. So the bro in the suit downstairs got him all mic’d up. He seems a little impatient. I was like, yeah, that bro downstairs is Andy Jassy. He’s the new CEO of Amazon. This is his first ever interview. Be cool.
Brian Hurley [00:00:44]:
But that’s my favorite thing about events in media is when you know the people who work in media are so much fun, and I love it when they get exposed and, like, very professional people get exposed to them.
Libby Sundgren [00:00:58]:
Welcome to Beats Winning the game of Events, where we share stories and strategies to turn any event or life moment into something unforgettable.
Alysse [00:01:09]:
Events are wild, and the people who work in them are some of the most resilient humans on earth. If you know, you know.
Libby Sundgren [00:01:16]:
So come with us behind the curtain for a look at their most memorable experiences.
Alysse [00:01:21]:
As they say, the show must go on.
Libby Sundgren [00:01:24]:
So.
Alysse [00:01:24]:
So let’s get on with the show.
Libby Sundgren [00:01:31]:
Brian Hurley, we’re really excited to have you today on Beats Working Winning the game of Events.
Brian Hurley [00:01:38]:
I’m so excited to be here because.
Libby Sundgren [00:01:40]:
You know, I love to talk about parties.
Brian Hurley [00:01:42]:
Like, all I know you like to talk about parties.
Libby Sundgren [00:01:44]:
I love to talk about parties. And I just want to start. I just want to start right from the get. I want to go. I want to go straight to the most delusional budget item anyone’s ever asked you to do that. Obviously, they had no idea what it was really going to cost. What is the single most delusional thing you’ve been asked to do? Not by me, though. It has to be by somebody.
Libby Sundgren [00:02:09]:
I don’t know.
Brian Hurley [00:02:09]:
I don’t know the single. Every time, and I’m not alone in this, but every time when somebody goes, oh, this is going to be a great partnership and you’re going to get great exposure, it means it’s about to be followed by, like, can you do this for free? Or can you do this for, like, $1,500 or something like that? Like, and that one is just. I’ve gotten pretty good at just exiting the conversation politely at that point. So that’s. Yeah, That’s. That’s the number one thing of just like, hey, you know, I just can’t dedicate the kind of staff and the kind of equipment that you need, and I don’t want to disappoint you. So I think you might call the local university, find some interns, and have a nice day. Ouch.
Brian Hurley [00:02:57]:
Zing.
Libby Sundgren [00:02:59]:
Zing. What’s the most delusional thing you’ve ever seen at an event? Something crazy and unexpected, you know, like, I don’t know, parrots flying across the stage of the Paramount, Something like that. I’m just making that up. Obviously delusional.
Brian Hurley [00:03:16]:
I’m not quite sure. There are times where I have to just look around and go, like, this is my life. I was this. This past winter, we do this. We do this. It’s every year it’s a disaster, but it’s one of my favorite gigs. Every year we work with the Mammoth Film Festival down in Mammoth, California. And it’s always a disaster because every year it’s in March in Mammoth, and that’s just blizzard season.
Brian Hurley [00:03:41]:
So two years in a row we’ve had, like, the first year was 50ft of snow in the week that. That we were doing it. And then last year was a lot more tame. It was only 20ft of snow. But we were recording all of the red carpet and, you know, and media panels, and we were using this kind of abandoned mall in Mammoth as our HQ for. For all the media stuff. And the power went out. And I’m sitting there and Jaleel White Urkel is.
Brian Hurley [00:04:16]:
Is sitting next to me, and we’re snowed in and there’s no power, and I have no idea what we’re going to do, much less get a live stream out or anything like that. And I’m just like, I’m going to die in this abandoned warehouse with Urkel and how is this my life today?
Elise [00:04:34]:
Did you ask him to give you a little. Did I do that before. Before you kicked the bucket?
Brian Hurley [00:04:40]:
The poor guy hears it all the time. Like, he’s so. He’s so cool about it. But we definitely, like. We definitely had some PAs drop things on. On purpose and go, oh, shoot, did I do that? And then, like, scurry off before he could, like. But he’s super. He’s.
Brian Hurley [00:05:01]:
He’s a super nice guy. And you just like, I always wonder when I meet these, you know, famous people or people of note, what it’s like to be them and have people just walk up to them and know them so well, you know, and then Be like. And then the poor guy, like, probably gets chased around all the time getting asked if he could do the. Did I do that voice? And all that kind of stuff. So, like, I try not to because I try to be really cool around celebrities and I’m definitely not. Like, I’m definitely a nerd.
Libby Sundgren [00:05:35]:
I would. I would think that you could. You can roll CO for a bit, but you can’t. Like, you’re eventually going to crack.
Brian Hurley [00:05:41]:
I’m eventually. I’m going to fanboy on everybody. Yeah. And so. But no, that was. That was probably the most. I don’t know if I’d call it. It was the delusional.
Brian Hurley [00:05:50]:
But it was definitely like, what fever dream am I in right now? That I’m just like, you know. And John Stamos was the next interview. So it was just. It was a weird. It was a weird time. It was a weird time.
Elise [00:06:04]:
What was. What’s your coolest celebrity encounter? You know, or just memorable celebrity encounter?
Brian Hurley [00:06:11]:
My most memorable celebrity encounter is Robin Williams and Bobcat Goldswith. So I used. This was. This is. This was in my stand up comedy days. We did a show at the rebar in Seattle. You were a stand up comedian for like five years. Yeah.
Libby Sundgren [00:06:31]:
You didn’t know that?
Brian Hurley [00:06:32]:
Yeah, I wasn’t any good. I wasn’t really good at it. There’s a reason I do marketing now.
Elise [00:06:38]:
What’s your name again? Brian Hurley Standing.
Brian Hurley [00:06:41]:
Yeah. No, this was. This was forever ago. This is right after college and they were in town doing their father of the year movie. I don’t know if you ever saw. It was a great movie. But he came to this tiny little show at the rebar in Seattle and it was so much fun. I don’t think I even said anything.
Brian Hurley [00:07:03]:
I didn’t nerd out. I just sat in the booth with him as they told stories and was just in awe. And that was. I think he passed away shortly thereafter. I mean, it wasn’t too far after that that he passed away, but that was my coolest. Like, wow. Like, I’m in awe of you, celebrity. Here’s a.
Brian Hurley [00:07:23]:
Here’s another fun. Another fun. Just. I don’t even know if this celebrity story. But my sound guys, and I love these sound guys, they’re super talented guys, but they remind me of the crew from Wayne’s World. Do you remember the guys who would sit in the back, like, hey, bro. You know, like just long hair, flannel, you know, whatever we were just wearing.
Libby Sundgren [00:07:43]:
Right now, like that?
Brian Hurley [00:07:44]:
Yes, exactly. The. We had one sound Guy trying to put a microphone on Sierra, but she was wearing, like, a very low cut, cleavage, like, dress. And he was so nervous because he didn’t want to touch her boobs. And so. So I was, like, trying to manage him. Like, hey, she’s a professional. You can hand her the mic and she can clip it on and all that kind of stuff.
Brian Hurley [00:08:11]:
And like, oh, okay, right. And then as. As that’s being handled, the other one comes up. He’s like, hey, so the bro in the suit downstairs got him all mic’d up. He seems a little impatient. And I was like, yeah, that bro downstairs is Andy Jassy. He’s the new CEO of Amazon. This is his first ever interview.
Brian Hurley [00:08:33]:
Be cool. It’s like, okay. But that’s my favorite thing about events in media is when, you know, the people who work in my world is like, I sometimes I touch events, but it’s very media focused. Right? But the people who work in media are so much fun and very, you know, they’re just their own thing altogether. And I love it when they get exposed and, like, very professional people get exposed to them. Right. Like, it’s a funny world that you live in where some guy who smells like weed is miking up Andy Jassy. Right?
Elise [00:09:12]:
Oh, for sure. So, I mean, they have to, like, you gotta fly by the seat of your pants a lot in media and events. And those Wayne’s World guys, they know how to do it, you know, they’re flying high.
Brian Hurley [00:09:30]:
Literally.
Elise [00:09:31]:
Get it?
Brian Hurley [00:09:32]:
Not all of them are. Not all of them are.
Libby Sundgren [00:09:34]:
I’m just kidding.
Brian Hurley [00:09:36]:
I’m definitely not drug testing, though, so. But no, I mean, it’s. That’s the fun part is, you know, the personalities that come with these highly skilled positions. Sometimes it’s just, all right, let’s throw them in. I think, you know, Elise and I, from the sales side of things, we like to present. Here’s what we’re going to present ourselves today. And then when it comes to production or the actual events, you know, all right, here’s my. Here’s my parade of Muppets.
Brian Hurley [00:10:06]:
Let’s do this. Right, so. And I’m one of those Muppets, for sure.
Libby Sundgren [00:10:12]:
You’re definitely. Okay. What is. You know, events are like the wild, wild west. Everything that could go wrong usually does. And it’s usually the things you’re not expecting. But there’s always a twist. We just talked about how you have to be kind of quick on your feet.
Libby Sundgren [00:10:28]:
You have to, you know, which is why, you know, you find that a Lot of people in media and events do have very good sense of humor and because they have to be real snappy, snarky, just keep rolling with it. What’s your go to strategy for handling the unexpected twists?
Brian Hurley [00:10:47]:
I have a lot of thoughts on that. Yeah, yeah, no, I’ve got a lot of thoughts. I mean the unique thing about events and production in general is like you’ve got the client actually sees the process and what’s getting made as it goes, right? And in an event, in a live broadcast, something will go wrong throughout the day. At least one thing will go wrong throughout the day. These are complex events and there’s a million different things happening. You’ve got human beings pressing buttons. Something’s going to happen that’s unexpected. So what we try to do and it’s been really effective is we have just a pre event roundup, right.
Brian Hurley [00:11:29]:
And we kind of took this from sports teams like football teams who do their little huddle before a game to get each other pumped up and, and talked about, I talked about what’s going on in the game. So you know, it’s hard to do especially as like some people are working on, on different areas of the building but getting everybody that in my team is going to be interacting together. So camera, audio, I get the client in there too and we just have a quick roundup and we’re not meeting about everything because everything’s planned at this time. But it’s just a, hey guys, let’s just make sure we get our heads straight. Let’s think about all the work we’ve done up until now to plan this as well as possible. Now we all know going into this that it’s live and something, something random is gonna go wrong today. And really the success or failure in this event is going to be how we respond to that issue, right? So if we jump in it and we take care of it and we laugh a little bit and we move merrily on our way, that’s a success. If we let it break us and we panic and then there’s a, a cavalcade of panic, that’s when things are going to be, that’s when, that’s when we’re going to run into some trouble and that’s where things can go south.
Brian Hurley [00:12:43]:
So having the client in that little roundup, it, it just reminds everybody that this is an event and anything can happen, you know, on the negative side, especially like, you know, if you, if you’re like, if you’re talent, right, and there’s an audio or there’s an audio glitch, or there’s a. You know, they were expecting their teleprompter to work, and all of a sudden the teleprompter stops working or whatever. Gremlin gets into the system. If that talent feels exposed, they’re going to start either saying something off camera, which looks awful, or they tense up and, like, it just kind of kills the vibe of the overall production. So, like, being able to just set the tone of, we’re going to roll with this. And so if there’s an audio issue, the host just goes like, perfect example, we had Brett Davern, who was our host, down in Mammoth, when the power was going out. So the power to the soundboard would go out, but the cameras were still picking up and he was just rolling with it. And it was fun.
Brian Hurley [00:13:42]:
People were enjoying the broadcast and it was actually usable footage at the end to repurpose into other stuff. So, like, just setting the tone of, like, knowing, hey, guys, this is an event. Let’s not take ourselves too seriously. We’ve worked really hard and we’re professionals to get here to right now as the event’s starting. And then the rest is up to the universe here. Like, we’re gonna have some unexpected things happen right now. That doesn’t. That doesn’t mean, like, we don’t.
Brian Hurley [00:14:09]:
We don’t take blame for things if, like, we weren’t prepared. That’s not an excuse for not being prepared. And if something happens, it goes on the. We gotta make sure this doesn’t happen again kind of thing. But, like, we all know exactly, you know, look, you can have. You can. We’ve had ships come in with the wrong, like, ships coming in in the port of Seattle, and they used a frequency we’ve never heard before that created interference with our microphones, right? Like. Like, you can’t plan for that sometimes.
Brian Hurley [00:14:38]:
So you just gotta roll with it. And so it’s. It’s those kinds of things and making sure that the relationship with the client is one that’s not like somebody with a clipboard staring at you, going like, I’m going to murder you. And more like, okay, what do we do now? Let’s jump into this and go right?
Elise [00:14:54]:
I love a clipboard. So I hope you’re not talking about me.
Brian Hurley [00:14:56]:
I am not talking about you at all. Every event person loves clipboards. But you guys know what I’m talking about though, right? Like, I think we’ve all been in those positions where the event manager, or whoever that is, is stressed and maybe doesn’t know how to handle stress in the moment. And so, like, without guidance, they’re not going to know what to do. So if we go, like, hey, something’s going to happen, you know, and we can laugh it off and keep moving and keep things positive. Just giving that kind of instruction gives that person a little. Gives everybody just a little bit of freedom to. I don’t know, to kind of move through the moment and get through it.
Libby Sundgren [00:15:35]:
I was working in an event last week. I’m not going to say what event or where. I’ll just say that I was over 2,000 people, and there was a lot of mix up between the will call and the VIP ticket areas. And the gal that was managing the will call ticket booth area was very stressed, very high strung, out of breath, frazzled, you know, running everywhere. And it was really interesting to watch how her energy was contagious. Like, everybody else had been so chill, even though things were going wrong, until her energy came in. And then it ra. Then everybody else’s energy started to go up and off and it.
Libby Sundgren [00:16:18]:
Not in a good way. And it was like, everybody just needs to take a beat. Like, this is not. This is tickets. We’re not actually saving any lives here, right? Like, take a beat. But it was really. It was really. Because it’s not.
Libby Sundgren [00:16:30]:
It wasn’t my event. I was just there helping. So it was really interesting, kind of as a bystander, to watch how other people’s energy can so quickly change the level in the room.
Brian Hurley [00:16:41]:
Well, it is. It’s. It’s. You know, I coach my son’s little league football team, right? And we’re constantly telling them on the. On the sidelines, hey, how you react to a situation will inform how your teammate acts, right? And attitude is contagious across the board. So if you feel yourself. If you feel yourself getting brought down by somebody else near you, it’s incumbent upon you to put out what you want everybody else to feel. So if you’re feeling stressed, somebody’s.
Brian Hurley [00:17:10]:
Somebody has to have the bandwidth to basically counteract that energy, right? But this just comes back to everything I learned as an adult, or everything I use as an adult, I learned as a kid in either little league or kindergarten. And life’s pretty much that simple. But to that point, Elise, you know, when we’re not doing our best, you know, the people who work with us, the people on my crew regularly, and. And this is, you know, for production, even if it’s not a live event for production, it’s. It’s the same thing. It’s a high stress event type day where there’s a bunch of different things going on. And I think one, you have to be quick to circle back to. To people and go, hey, I was a little harsh there.
Brian Hurley [00:17:54]:
I was just stressed. I need. I was just running through that and just when, when recognizing that we’re stepping in to go back and clean it up a little bit.
Libby Sundgren [00:18:01]:
You’re really good at that, actually.
Brian Hurley [00:18:03]:
I’m very good at that. And stepping in the shit.
Libby Sundgren [00:18:06]:
Yeah, you’re good about better.
Brian Hurley [00:18:08]:
Never. Nobody’s a better apologizer than I am.
Elise [00:18:11]:
Because I’ve had to learn one of the best.
Brian Hurley [00:18:14]:
Right? But then also, like, just, just setting a tone too, of going like, hey, sometimes you gotta just listen to the words that are coming out of my mouth and not the tonality that they’re coming out with. Because, you know, there’s, there’s going to be times where we’re just. We’ve got four different people that need to hear four different things in four seconds. And you should always be polite, but sometimes you’re not. And having the people around you not have thick skin, because I don’t want to tell people have thick skin so I can verbally abuse you. It’s just having thick skin knowing that everybody’s stressed and trying to get to the right end goal, I guess. I don’t know if that makes any sense whatsoever.
Elise [00:18:56]:
It does because we have a saying at work, P2P called assume goodwill, which I have found immensely helpful because I am somebody. This might shock you. I love a good exclamation point in an email. I really try to, like, put out all the friendly vibes so that everybody knows I’m on your team. I’m friendly. And a lot of people just don’t email like that. They are to the point and they’re short. And I’m always.
Elise [00:19:25]:
It’s been a real struggle for me in my career to not be, you know, put people on a list that send me those short emails with periods and no exclamation points and no emojis and no greetings or, you know, sayonaras signatures.
Libby Sundgren [00:19:42]:
Anyway, your millennial is showing right now, Libby. You’re millennial.
Brian Hurley [00:19:46]:
Yeah. You’re millennial. Yeah, I definitely have sent you those emails.
Elise [00:19:51]:
No, I don’t need that. I know, but assume goodwill I have found really helpful because I give people a lot more grace and then my feelings don’t get hurt as much. I mean, you guys, I couldn’t sell campfire candy as a kid because I’d cry when People said no. So, you know, like, thick’s got real thin skin here. See through, basically.
Libby Sundgren [00:20:15]:
I’m curious, Brian, how do you, knowing all of this, do you have any tips or tricks that you do to prepare yourself or even your team leading into an event the night before the morning of. Like, do you, how do you prepare yourself? Not saying it happens perfectly all the time, but you’ve been doing this long enough now there’s gotta be some practices that you have to get yourself centered before you go on the stage, so to speak.
Brian Hurley [00:20:41]:
Yeah, when I know that I’m gonna have a stressful day. And first of all. So first of all, I hire people who are better than me at all this stuff. You know, Brandon, who runs production for us, takes lead site for a reason. He’s better with people than I am. Right. Quite frankly. So like, know your, know your path and you know my.
Brian Hurley [00:21:03]:
When it comes to the actual event, I should be client side and then basically be a floater for anything that’s going on. But Brandon is taking the lead, and Brandon’s taking the lead because he’s a nicer human being, understands, you know, exactly what needs to get done and knows how to explain things well to the entire crew. So that’s the number one thing. But anything, I think before going into a stressful day, there’s, there’s a lot of things that I try to do or should do, you know, a lot of that is just going to be making sure I get out of bed with the right mindset. And so if, you know, if, whatever people need to do to do that, if it’s a, if it’s a prayer, if it’s meditation, if it’s a workout, if it’s anti anxiety drugs, like jump on it and take care of it. But I think everybody knows their, their what they need to do to take care of themselves. For me, it’s, it’s a workout, quick prayer, meditation, and then I gotta get on with my day. And usually that puts me in the right headspace.
Brian Hurley [00:22:03]:
It’s hard though. I mean, like, I think we’ve all been in those situations where we’re midstream in a stressful day and we just have to take a beat, you know, whether that’s just go to the bathroom and just not even. Not to go to the bathroom, but to just sit in the corner and go, all right, cool. And then back at it. Right. And I think too, what’s, what’s important to know for everybody is, is, you know, we keep talking. I feel bad, I feel like we’re talking about the most negative things, but like when we’re in those stressful days, like just knowing that the day will end and everybody’s going to be fine, you know, like it’s.
Libby Sundgren [00:22:41]:
I don’t, I don’t actually, I’m not taking this conversation as negative at all. I think my biggest takeaway of all your different answers today is that the importance of having self awareness doesn’t mean you’re perfect at it and you catch it all. But if you don’t have any self awareness, this kind of industry is not, is going to be wildly uncomfortable. Right? So it’s that being able to realize when you had a tone that you didn’t intend or it came out sharper than it needed to be, or you know, any of those things, it’s when you make the messes because you will. It’s the cleaning it up as promptly as possible. So that’s what my takeaway is from what you’re saying.
Brian Hurley [00:23:17]:
A hundred percent. It’s funny, we had my son’s conference yesterday. I didn’t get to go because I was working, but my wife came back. She was so proud of Jack because he was his big goal. And his big goal was, well, I just want to be a better classmate and a better friend to my friends. And he’s always good at that stuff too. And I’m just not going to take over a podcast to brag about my kids. But he’s a good kid and, and the teacher asked him, well, what’s something you can do to do that? And he said, well, I can just be more confident, right? And I think that’s.
Brian Hurley [00:23:49]:
And I was like, dude, that’s what I think every organization needs. Because when you think about the temper flare ups or the defensiveness in the moment or, you know, whatever it is, that’s just somebody who’s worried about looking bad and looking dumb in front of whoever they’re important people are. And so like also just knowing that you’re qualified to be there, you’re, you’re confident in what you’re doing and if something goes sideways, it was outside of your skill set. But that doesn’t mean that you’re not qualified to be there because that was outside of your skill set. And so just being able to approach any stressful situation with confidence can, I think, avoid a lot of those traps to begin with as well.
Elise [00:24:34]:
So anyway, props to Jack for giving us advice.
Brian Hurley [00:24:38]:
The kid’s been going to AA meetings since he was like three, so he knows the language.
Libby Sundgren [00:24:47]:
Ryan, how do you? We talked about the beginning of event, we talked about the middle of event. How do you, when an event is over and it’s wrapping, like what, what do you do? And how does that play in specifically around video and media where your expertise lie? Like what do what, what does wrapping an event look like for you?
Brian Hurley [00:25:05]:
When we’re doing events, it’s usually one team doing live streams and then another team doing selects. So taking out those fun moments that are happening throughout the live stream and then incorporating those into social promos or social media recaps and things like that. So really what we do is, is, is as the event run wraps, we’re getting our live streaming team to set down and pack up for the next day. But then that’s just getting started. The day is really just getting started at that point for the editing team who’s then putting these selects together. And especially for event based clients, they need this right away, they need it that night, they need it the next morning. Because it’s not evergreen content. That content isn’t going to be that useful, you know, a couple days from now.
Brian Hurley [00:25:55]:
So then it becomes the, you know, the editing all night kind of thing. And those folks are ready for it. They’ve. They knew, they knew what they were getting into. And so it doesn’t stop until we actually deliver that to the client and the client puts that out on social media. Then we’re done. Right? That’s one part of it, I think. You know, for any event like these week long events that we’re doing this kind of stuff for, there’s this energy and it’s fun and it’s this summer camp type vibe, slash super stressful type vibe.
Brian Hurley [00:26:29]:
And everybody’s kind of feeding off of the energy of that. I don’t find that the right time to start recapping and talking about what went well and what didn’t. I think I give everybody a high five. I’m not a hugger. I congratulate people for the hard work that they’ve done. I thank them and make sure that they feel really good about the work that they’ve done and that they’re leaving. But then I want them to go home and just unwind a little bit, like get out of the headspace. And when we do recap meetings, we’ll do them two weeks later, three weeks later, while everybody’s had a chance to basically like come down from the high a little bit and then realize like, hey, that weird thing that Elise and I got into on Tuesday afternoon about the balloons didn’t matter.
Brian Hurley [00:27:15]:
So that probably doesn’t need to be discussed. Right? So, like, you know, it’s kind of like, gives everything just a chance to just cool down a little bit, and then we can go into the recap and. And everybody can kind of. There’s no. There’s not as much emotion into those recap calls of what went well, what we could do better, and all those kinds of things. People have a pretty realistic view of it, and they’ve slept, so they’re. They’re not, like, wound way up and raw.
Elise [00:27:42]:
So how do you gauge success then? We know that something can go wrong, and it always will, and there’s always hiccups. But what is. I mean, what’s the marker of success for. For you and for your team when you’re working with a client?
Brian Hurley [00:27:58]:
For everything we do, not just events. My gauge of success is if that person hires us again. You know, there are lots of good people out there. And I always say it’s really easy to sell something once it’s. It takes a professional to sell something over and over and over again to the same person. And so, you know, like, catastrophes can happen. They don’t happen that often, but they can happen. And I think it’s how, you know, if I’m the client and I see something go down that wasn’t in the plans, I sit back and I go, okay, did these people prepare? Yes or no? You know, how did they respond? You know, did they respond well or did they respond poorly? And if I’m the client and I go, these guys weren’t prepared, and they responded like trash, I’m not hiring them back.
Brian Hurley [00:28:49]:
If I’m the client, I go, these people prepared. And then they responded, well, I’ll probably hire those people again because I trust them. And that was something that was outside of their sphere of influence. But that’s always the big marker is, do we get hired back again? And then when we don’t get hired back, having the. It’s not a fun conversation, but having the courage to call the client and go, hey, I noticed you didn’t hire us back. I’m not complaining about that. Can you just tell us a little bit about why that might be?
Elise [00:29:18]:
Oh, that is such a hard question to ask.
Brian Hurley [00:29:20]:
And then shutting up and listening. Right?
Elise [00:29:25]:
So why don’t you want to buy my campfire candy?
Brian Hurley [00:29:29]:
Please tell me Libby is crying in the corner.
Elise [00:29:39]:
Oh, my gosh. That is. That’s a very good tip. But, man, that makes me kind of melt inside a little bit. But I’m gonna get some courage from you. The next time I don’t get hired for something. I don’t know what that would be.
Libby Sundgren [00:29:54]:
Just have some confidence, Libby. Just like Jack.
Elise [00:29:56]:
See, Just like Jack.
Brian Hurley [00:29:59]:
Just like Jack.
Libby Sundgren [00:30:01]:
Everything we need to know is Jack do. What would Jack do? WWJD oh my gosh, Brian, we believe at work P2P it ain’t bragging if it’s true. So what is one? I know you have many, but what is one career achievement that you are incredibly proud of besides obviously having a moment in time that you worked with myself and Libby?
Brian Hurley [00:30:25]:
So I will say that the team that we all met on, for folks listening, we all worked at King 5 together a while ago. And I think that staff is probably one of the best staffs that’s ever been compiled in media. And I still like, the salespeople were phenomenal, the promotions people were phenomenal, the producers were phenomenal, the community relations were phenomenal. It was just a fun place to work and a fun vibe throughout that. So that was great. I will say my biggest achievement right now is just where my life is right now, right here. Right? And I. Okay, so this is not bragging if it’s not okay.
Brian Hurley [00:31:07]:
So I’m gonna brag it, I’ll brag.
Libby Sundgren [00:31:08]:
It if it’s true, my friends.
Elise [00:31:10]:
True, man. Yep.
Brian Hurley [00:31:11]:
So right now, and it took a long way, it took a long time to get here. I left King about five years ago. You know, I worked in some different business partnerships and there were some really good things about those and some things I learned about myself that, that, you know, didn’t work out. And it was a painful process going off on my own. It was a really painful process. It was really scary. And right now I’m at this place in my life where I can’t. I have nothing bad to say about any of the clients I work with.
Brian Hurley [00:31:39]:
I’m really lucky to work with cool clients. And a lot of that just comes with, you know, enough time to just attract the right people and then they refer like minded people to you and then those relationships stay and grow. But like right now, my day in, day out, you know, my wife Cassie does a lot of producing for us and acts as a producer. A lot of the times I’m trying to get her to come work full time, but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to be that handcuffed to me all the time. And then, you know, Brandon, who I mentioned earlier, who’s, who’s our creative director and oversees production, you know, he’s my best friend from college. So, you know, my day in, day out life is surrounded by people I truly love. And we’re working with good clients and it’s working right now. You know, sometimes when life just gets on plane and feels like, okay, we’re surfing this wave and that’s where we’re at right now.
Brian Hurley [00:32:33]:
And so it’s not like a slam dunk, big client kind of answer, but you know, just right where I am right now. If I could bottle this up, I would.
Libby Sundgren [00:32:45]:
I’d also like to just do a little shout out to Brandon and his stellar Lego collection. Like, I love zooming with that guy because I just, I’m like, can you just move a little to the left so I can stare at your Lego collection?
Brian Hurley [00:32:58]:
Yeah. He and Jack talk about Legos quite a bit.
Elise [00:33:01]:
Yeah, that just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy. I’m so happy for you.
Libby Sundgren [00:33:06]:
Yeah, me too.
Elise [00:33:07]:
Blessed.
Brian Hurley [00:33:09]:
Look, there are chapters in life where the seas are rough and there are chapters of ease in life. And I think right now, knock on wood, I’m in a chapter of ease. And I have to remember what this feels like and why we’re doing this when, you know, things go off the rails and life happens.
Libby Sundgren [00:33:26]:
But I think, you know, you talked a lot about working with clients that you really like and then getting referred to more like minded clients. That means that you did turn down some clients that you knew weren’t. Weren’t right. And that’s sometimes hard to do as an entrepreneur because that’s money, right? That’s, that’s. And. But it gets to a point where you realize money is really not the only factor. And I think a lot of people in events are not doing it for the money because the time and the passion that’s involved, there’s no real dollar figure sometimes you can attach to that.
Brian Hurley [00:33:58]:
Well, I’ll even. So I’d say yes. And then I’d counter that a little bit, Elise, in that like, I make less money when I work with those pain in the butt clients. And it’s. I make less money because no matter what I say, the expectations are never managed. Right? Like I can’t work with people I don’t communicate well with. And so they’re. If they’re expecting something and I’m still grabbing them by the ear and saying, I can’t give this to you and they’re still expecting it, that’s going to create a lot of revisions.
Brian Hurley [00:34:29]:
That’s going to create a lot more editing hours. It’s going to create a Lot more crew hours. Sometimes it’ll create wasted advertising dollars. So like I’ve found that even from like, yes, absolutely. That decision is made for my own just mental well being because I want to go to sleep at night and I want to wake up happy. But also the added benefit to that is, is good business. Is good business. Right.
Brian Hurley [00:34:52]:
So, you know, I end up having more profitable relationships with people I like because I don’t have to keep doing the back and forth and I don’t have to waste a bunch of. I mean, you know how it is. You can have those at email in the morning. That just ruins your day.
Libby Sundgren [00:35:08]:
Oh yeah.
Brian Hurley [00:35:09]:
And like you’re not going to be productive if you’re trying to sell another client or if you’re trying to get through another project even after you’re done dealing with that person. So no, we try to fight. We, we don’t try to. I fire about one client a quarter and it works really well for me.
Libby Sundgren [00:35:26]:
So, you know, but that’s Dan Rogers, the owner of work P2P. He does as well. Like we’ve let a lot of clients go since I joined the team two and a half years ago. And at first I was like, what are you doing? Since when do we turn money away? But I actually understand it now and it makes a lot more sense when you realize something is not a right fit all the way around.
Brian Hurley [00:35:48]:
Yeah, the first time you do that, it’s a leap of faith because you’re just going, well, how am I going to replace this person? But the absolute truth is is you replace it and then some with the right person too. And then it just. And again back to confidence. Just gives you that confidence of knowing like, I don’t have to be treated that way or. And sometimes these people aren’t bad people. They just operate so differently that it’s just like, you gotta know, like, look, I tell my guys all the time there’s 8 billion people on planet Earth right now and 7,900,000,099,9, whatever. Don’t need to be our client. Right.
Brian Hurley [00:36:27]:
There’s just, there’s certain people who operate really well with us and there’s certain people who don’t. And if they don’t, that’s okay. That doesn’t make them a bad person. It just means they’d be happier with a different vendor. So if somebody’s listening to this and just goes, Brian’s a pain in the ass, I probably shouldn’t call him, call me. I’m not that big of a pain in the ass. That’s my little. That’s my advertisement today.
Elise [00:36:47]:
He’s not.
Libby Sundgren [00:36:49]:
He’s great. And Brian, where can our listeners find you?
Brian Hurley [00:36:55]:
Easiest way to find me is hurleymediagroup.com h u r l e y media group.com and you can book an appointment with us and we can talk about your project and see if there’s a fit.
Libby Sundgren [00:37:08]:
Love it and love you. Thank you so much for sharing your time and your wisdom with us today.
Brian Hurley [00:37:14]:
All right, well, thank you guys. This is a pleasure and I always enjoy talking to you. So good.
Elise [00:37:20]:
We’ll have you back. We love you.
Libby Sundgren [00:37:22]:
Thanks for listening to Beats Working, Winning the game of events, where we explore what it takes to to make moments unforgettable.
Elise [00:37:29]:
If you’re leaving with a little more inspiration, a little more perspective and a big side ache from all of the laughing at our funny jokes, then we’ve done our job.
Libby Sundgren [00:37:38]:
Beats Working is a work. P2P production if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review us on your favorite podcast platforms.
Elise [00:37:48]:
Your support helps us keep the magic going.
