Celebrity Access Profile
INDUSTRY PROFILE
Bruce Weinstein
Bruce Weinstein
Celebrity Access
Posted: February 21, 2008
Posted: February 21, 2008
By Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
Bruce Weinstein, the general manager and executive producer of the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, N.Y., is a well respected and well seasoned player in the entertainment industry with nearly three decades of experience. His hands-on style in production, finance and management has made him a "must have" on many major entertainment events, having worked in live, corporate, feature films and television.
Bruce joined Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in 2006, the venue's inaugural year. This brand new facility, 90 minutes from New York City, is situated on the original and adjacent land of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, contains four venues ranging in size from 35,000 down to 132 and includes a museum on a retrospective of the 1960's and its impact on the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
During the past two seasons Bethel Woods has presented nationally recognized cultural and contemporary performers, including The New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Wynton Marsalis, Chris Botti, Audra McDonald, Dave Brubrek, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Brad Paisley, Willie Nelson, Manhattan Transfer, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Bob Dylan, Chicago, America, Widespread Panic, Lynyrd Skynyrd Levon Helm, Phil Lesh & Friends, Earth, Wind & Fire and George Benson at the Pavillion The facility also provides the opportunity for local and emerging artists to perform at select concerts and events. It also hosts a series of community and education events
The 16,800-seat outdoor performing arts venue and the soon-to-be-opened Museum at Bethel Woods are set within nearly 2,000 bucolic acres. The main pavilion covers 4,800 seats with another 12,000 on a natural sloping lawn while offering unique backdrops including the original festival site and the majesty of the surrounding Sullivan County countryside.
Other venues at the center opening this year include the Terrace Stage, a 1,000-seat roman-style outdoor amphitheater, the Events Gallery that seats 450 and the 132-seat Museum Theatre. There is also the Harvest Festival, a craft and farmers' market and the original Woodstock site, which holds a permit for 30,000 concertgoers to attend major musical events and festivals.
Fresh out of college from the State University of New York at Brockport 1978, armed with a B.S. in broadcasting and television production, Bruce broke into the music industry working as a touring lighting tech for Jethro Tull, The Clash, Ted Nugent and Reba McEntire, among others. Those gigs were followed with production managing stints for Bob Dylan in 1986 and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1986. He also spent six years as the tour/road manager for Stiletto Ltd., Barry Manilow's management and production company 1981 - 1986 with Manilow and other acts that Stiletto managed, including Richard Marx.
After six years of touring, Bruce decided to get off the road and spent several years as the manager of show production / technical director for Disneyland in California. He was responsible for the direct supervision of all talent, production and stage managers for the theme park. He also negotiated union and supplier contracts and oversaw the mounting, operation and completion of all Disneyland shows and events, both in the park and on tour.
He left Disneyland in 1990 headed to the Big Apple and enjoyed a six-year tenure at Radio City Music Hall as the director of production finance which was part of the Entertainment division, where he budgeted, controlled and tracked more than 1,000 concerts and events that appeared at Radio City, on Broadway and other venues where Radio City was promoting. He also created and supervised a talent and event coordination team. He also produced two events for President Clinton and the Democratic National Committee with Whitney Houston, Kenny G in Washington, DC and Barry Manilow, Woopie Goldberg, David Letterman's band in New York.
In 1996 he joined Mandalay Entertainment to become vice president of finance and operations for Mandalay Entertainment's "Live!" business. He oversaw the "Live!" divisions, show and indirect budgets and preparing them for submission to prospective artists and management, as well as the monitoring and approval of all associated costs stemming from entertainment productions for the company. He also worked as the Studio Rep for the motion picture "Gloria" starring Sharon Stone and directed by Sidney Lumet.
He remained at Mandalay until 1998 when he left to become vice president / general manager / executive producer at GF Entertainment, (a not for profit company and a division of the Alan Gerry Foundation). It is here that Bruce utilized all of his talents to build and operate a multi-million dollar outdoor venue on the original Woodstock site in Bethel, N.Y. for the summer music festivals of 1998 and 1999, including the "30th Anniversary of Woodstock." He was also part of the executive committee.
In January 2000, Bruce opened up his own company, Rettbros Entertainment, where he produced, staged or was the lead financial person on many productions, including EMC, Inc. International Company Meetings; "Sting" - Live in Central Park in 2000; Macy's / NBC July 4th Fireworks Show (five years); "U2" Hi Def DVD Shoots (2002 and 2005); "Dust" - feature film; MTV 20th Anniversary Show; MTV Video Music Awards; HBO's "Def Poetry" (six seasons); HBO's "Robert Klein Live" and other live and television events; including acting as a venue feasibility consultant to MTV Networks.
In 2001, Bruce lent his consulting services to Creative Battery / AEG Live and joined full time in 2002 as the vice president of Production and Operations. This start-up New York studio concentrates on developing properties for the stage, television, music and film. He oversaw all aspects of each show's production, including line producing of various projects. Company projects included: "The Color Purple" on Broadway; "Elaine Stritch at Liberty" on Broadway, U.S. tour and an HBO special; "Dame Edna - Back With A Vengeance" on Broadway and San Francisco engagement; "Clifford The Big Red Dog" touring family show; Queen Latifah's jazz and R&B CD "The Dana Owens Album;" "Noah's Ark - The Untold Story" animated motion picture; "Helen of Troy" stage show; and others.
Bruce joined Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in 2006, the venue's inaugural year. This brand new facility, 90 minutes from New York City, is situated on the original and adjacent land of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, contains four venues ranging in size from 35,000 down to 132 and includes a museum on a retrospective of the 1960's and its impact on the 1969 Woodstock Festival.
During the past two seasons Bethel Woods has presented nationally recognized cultural and contemporary performers, including The New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops, Wynton Marsalis, Chris Botti, Audra McDonald, Dave Brubrek, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Brad Paisley, Willie Nelson, Manhattan Transfer, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Bob Dylan, Chicago, America, Widespread Panic, Lynyrd Skynyrd Levon Helm, Phil Lesh & Friends, Earth, Wind & Fire and George Benson at the Pavillion The facility also provides the opportunity for local and emerging artists to perform at select concerts and events. It also hosts a series of community and education events
The 16,800-seat outdoor performing arts venue and the soon-to-be-opened Museum at Bethel Woods are set within nearly 2,000 bucolic acres. The main pavilion covers 4,800 seats with another 12,000 on a natural sloping lawn while offering unique backdrops including the original festival site and the majesty of the surrounding Sullivan County countryside.
Other venues at the center opening this year include the Terrace Stage, a 1,000-seat roman-style outdoor amphitheater, the Events Gallery that seats 450 and the 132-seat Museum Theatre. There is also the Harvest Festival, a craft and farmers' market and the original Woodstock site, which holds a permit for 30,000 concertgoers to attend major musical events and festivals.
Fresh out of college from the State University of New York at Brockport 1978, armed with a B.S. in broadcasting and television production, Bruce broke into the music industry working as a touring lighting tech for Jethro Tull, The Clash, Ted Nugent and Reba McEntire, among others. Those gigs were followed with production managing stints for Bob Dylan in 1986 and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1986. He also spent six years as the tour/road manager for Stiletto Ltd., Barry Manilow's management and production company 1981 - 1986 with Manilow and other acts that Stiletto managed, including Richard Marx.
After six years of touring, Bruce decided to get off the road and spent several years as the manager of show production / technical director for Disneyland in California. He was responsible for the direct supervision of all talent, production and stage managers for the theme park. He also negotiated union and supplier contracts and oversaw the mounting, operation and completion of all Disneyland shows and events, both in the park and on tour.
He left Disneyland in 1990 headed to the Big Apple and enjoyed a six-year tenure at Radio City Music Hall as the director of production finance which was part of the Entertainment division, where he budgeted, controlled and tracked more than 1,000 concerts and events that appeared at Radio City, on Broadway and other venues where Radio City was promoting. He also created and supervised a talent and event coordination team. He also produced two events for President Clinton and the Democratic National Committee with Whitney Houston, Kenny G in Washington, DC and Barry Manilow, Woopie Goldberg, David Letterman's band in New York.
In 1996 he joined Mandalay Entertainment to become vice president of finance and operations for Mandalay Entertainment's "Live!" business. He oversaw the "Live!" divisions, show and indirect budgets and preparing them for submission to prospective artists and management, as well as the monitoring and approval of all associated costs stemming from entertainment productions for the company. He also worked as the Studio Rep for the motion picture "Gloria" starring Sharon Stone and directed by Sidney Lumet.
He remained at Mandalay until 1998 when he left to become vice president / general manager / executive producer at GF Entertainment, (a not for profit company and a division of the Alan Gerry Foundation). It is here that Bruce utilized all of his talents to build and operate a multi-million dollar outdoor venue on the original Woodstock site in Bethel, N.Y. for the summer music festivals of 1998 and 1999, including the "30th Anniversary of Woodstock." He was also part of the executive committee.
In January 2000, Bruce opened up his own company, Rettbros Entertainment, where he produced, staged or was the lead financial person on many productions, including EMC, Inc. International Company Meetings; "Sting" - Live in Central Park in 2000; Macy's / NBC July 4th Fireworks Show (five years); "U2" Hi Def DVD Shoots (2002 and 2005); "Dust" - feature film; MTV 20th Anniversary Show; MTV Video Music Awards; HBO's "Def Poetry" (six seasons); HBO's "Robert Klein Live" and other live and television events; including acting as a venue feasibility consultant to MTV Networks.
In 2001, Bruce lent his consulting services to Creative Battery / AEG Live and joined full time in 2002 as the vice president of Production and Operations. This start-up New York studio concentrates on developing properties for the stage, television, music and film. He oversaw all aspects of each show's production, including line producing of various projects. Company projects included: "The Color Purple" on Broadway; "Elaine Stritch at Liberty" on Broadway, U.S. tour and an HBO special; "Dame Edna - Back With A Vengeance" on Broadway and San Francisco engagement; "Clifford The Big Red Dog" touring family show; Queen Latifah's jazz and R&B CD "The Dana Owens Album;" "Noah's Ark - The Untold Story" animated motion picture; "Helen of Troy" stage show; and others.
Experience & Advice
Never underestimate the immediate need of the guests. Always be prepared to go with plan "B" or "C" because despite how much planning and research, plan "A" might need to be altered in a heartbeat.
Do concert-goers get a chance to walk around the site where the Woodstock Festival was located?
On certain occasions the original field will be open for concertgoers. The field will also be open for an up coming tour as part of the Museum at Bethel Woods experience late this spring.
Where do you draw your concert-goers from?
They come from all over Sullivan County, Orange County, Ulster County, Rockland County; Eastern New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Westchester County, New York City, and some from Long Island.
Has it been difficult getting the amount of performances you projected when the site opened?
We have no problem getting the number of performances that we want to present each season. The difficulty in the first year was that we were an unproven venue with respect to the production expertise, guest experience and marketing. This will be our third season, and each year gets easier as we have a perfect record of providing the best experience for the acts and the patrons. The first year we wanted to take baby steps and present nine shows which we did; in 2007 we wanted to present 15, and we did 16; in 2008 with the additional venues coming on line we're projecting upwards of 39 shows. Due to our location, weekend plays are better suited for maximizing attendance.
Do you miss being on the road?
Of course I miss being on the road but would never want to do it full time again. The most extended time I was out was 13 months straight. I do get out now and then as a producer, technical producer or staging supervisor during the off season from Bethel There are many years where I was out for a few weeks at a time: VMA; Elaine Stritch at Liberty tour; The Color Purple out of town sit down prior to Broadway and a fund-raiser for President Clinton.
Do I miss production?
Not really as I still stay very much involved at our venue for all shows. I also work on some other shows throughout the year on the slow season. I'm currently working on some television specials that hopefully will emanate from Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.
First concert attended
Sly and the Family Stone at Madison Square Garden, 1971.
First concert worked
Roy Buchanan at Nassau Community College, 1974 - chairman of concerts.
First industry job
Lighting technician at Electrotech in California.
Career highlights
College of Barry Manilow Productions - Touring PA through year round as tour manager 1981 - 1986; lighting technician for The Clash, Yes, The Jacksons, Ted Nugent and Jethro Tull 1983 - 1987; The Jacksons--production manager/road manager for Bob Dylan 1987; Tokyo Music Festival 1986; Super Bowl Half Time Shows--Michael Jackson Super Bowl XXVII Jan 1993--production finance; Diana Ross, Super Bowl 1996, XXX Jan 1993--production finance; event producer for President Clinton 1992; Opening & Closing Ceremonies for World Cup Soccer--1992 coordinating producer executive producer of the Day In The Garden festivals 1988 & 1999 Creative Battery 2001 - 2006.
Career disappointment
Never toured in South America or the Soviet Union.
Greatest challenge
Convincing the Secret Service that it was OK for President Clinton to be on a stage in the round in the center of the room at the Washington Convention Center.
Best business decision
To stay in the business and learn all aspects of it.
Best advice you received
Continue with your calming influence and supportive ways, and everyone will want to work and support you.
Best advice to offer
Learn it all and never forget your roots.
Most memorable industry experiences
Hands down: working as the staging supervisor for the Tribute To Heroes Telethon for the 911 victims and their families.
Favorite restaurant
Decasse - Monaco.
Favorite hotel
Ritz Carlton - Grand Cayman.
What friends would be surprised to learn about you
That I really do enjoy my off time, whenever that is.
Industry pet peeve
People only return the calls when they need you.
Office paraphernalia
Many phones, gold records, concert posters, pictures of my family and multiple digital cameras.
If I wasn't doing this, I would be...
...on a boat in Martha's Vineyard.