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WHAT’S HOT

PROJECTION CONNECTION p. 63

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plsn.com • FEBRUARY 2016 59

Stephen Gudis is one of those select peo-

ple in Nashville that you can truly call a

“Man about Town.” There’s nobody that’s

been in the live event biz around Nashville for

any length of time who hasn’t crossed paths

with this guy. While the same can be said about

most seasoned touring veterans on the music

scene, one thing that sets “Gudis,” as he’s affec-

tionately referred to, apart is that he’s worn just

about all the hats…

Raised outside of the Knoxville area, he

was in the music business before he graduat-

ed high school. Like many, he started out in

a band, as a drummer. But he soon found he

could make more money booking the band

than playing in it.

By the time he was 17 years old he was book-

ing shows around the University of Tennessee

under his own agency. Upon graduation he

went to work for a radio station in the promo-

tions department. When tours came through

Knoxville he became the local promoter rep,

before the term existed in the music business.

He found creative ways to get the job done, in-

cluding renting limousines from the local funer-

al home to chauffeur stars. Within a few years,

Gudis had worked regional tours with Sonny

and Cher, Blood Sweat and Tears, BJ Thomas

and The Grassroots, to name a few.

PLSN: What was you first full-time job?

Stephen Gudis: I took a job working for

the Lashinsky Brothers’ National Shows. They

were concert promoters. I moved to Charles-

ton, West Virginia to represent the shows they

booked. I was responsible for hiring the sound

and lighting for every gig we promoted. There

were no backstage caterers at the time, so I had

to find a way to handle the catering riders. This

often meant I was just trying to scrounge up

some good local food.

Sounds like a lot of work.

Touring was a different animal at that time.

Back then a tour might carry a road manager,

a soundman and a single backline tech, if you

were lucky. We would do about a week’s worth

of gigs all over the Southeast with a band and

then they would head out with the next pro-

moter in another region. I would move on to

the next band entering our region

Is it true that you have worked with Charlie

Daniels for decades now?

I used to work for Joe Sullivan, his first

manager. I’ve known Charlie since his first big

record and worked with him on the first Volun-

teer Jam and many, many special events since

then. In the early days, we had six semis full of

gear, which was huge back then. Most recent-

ly, I stage-managed the 40th Volunteer Jam in

Nashville. The CDB are like family to me.

But eventually you left West Virginia and

came back to Tennessee?

Yes, I returned to Knoxville and started my

own entertainment services company. I went

on tour with the likes of Waylon [Jennings] and

Willie [Nelson] as a stage manager, promoter

rep and “jack-of-all-trades.” Then Knoxville host-

ed the [1982] World’s Fair, and it was a huge

opportunity for me, serving as one of the En-

tertainment Directors. That experience opened

many doors for me, and in many directions.

But still catering to the entertainment busi-

ness?

Yes, I did a bunch of television work just as

all the Country Music Award shows were gain-

ing in popularity. I ended up doing a lot of dif-

ferent work in Florida. I did film work for what

was referred to as Hollywood East, in Orlando.

I did gigs like Roller Jam shoots and New Year’s

Eve shows from Sea World. Shows that were

connected to TNN [The Nashville Network].

By the late 80’s you migrated to Nashville?

In 1989, I started working with Pace Con-

certs, which booked the shows at Starwood

Amphitheater. I became the in-house produc-

tion manager. Pace concerts booked shows all

over the Southeast, so I also traveled for them

as a promoter rep.

How long were you at Starwood?

I worked there for four years straight.

By 1993, sponsorship for tours had come

around in a big way. Productions got big-

ger, as did festivals. In the mid 90’s I got in-

volved with working on these giant Country

Fest and Rock Fest shows that would play

on huge speedways in Atlanta and Texas.

I’m talking about close to a quarter million

fans attending a single event. Today, we see

this often, as festivals keep popping up ev-

erywhere, but back then a crowd that size

was unheard of. As the production manag-

er, I was involved with every facet of those

shows. A company called TBA opened in

Nashville about that time, and they helped

bridge corporate sponsorship with live en-

tertainment. They had a lot of divisions, and

I found myself called on for lots of their proj-

ects.

How did your current company start up?

I opened The Production Dept., LLC in

1995. We handle a wide array of productions,

including large music festivals, corporate con-

cert events, record label promotional events,

Farm Aid, and most recently, the Dailey and

Vincent show with Travis TV for RFD TV.

Does that mean you are off the road your-

self?

Not sure that will ever happen, because I

still love touring. Last year, I helped my friend

(country star) Jamey Johnson transition after

leaving his record label. This included every-

thing from helping him with the selection of a

new agent, tour managing, production man-

aging, and more for six months.

What has the Production Department

been up to in Nashville this month?

This month we’re deep into Hockey down

here in Nashville. The NHL is holding its an-

nual All-Star game here. Our Arena is right

downtown, and we have an Exhibition Hall

at the Music City Center that will feature the

Honda Concert Stage. I am serving as the pro-

duction manager for that stage.

The Production Department seems to have

their fingers in a lot of pies.

I like to think there’s no event we can’t

handle with the support of our many produc-

tion partners. In addition, we are fortunate

to work on a variety of projects. We produce

fundraisers and charity shows. A big part of

my job is consulting with band managers and

agents on every facet of the live event busi-

ness on behalf of their artists. If there’s one

thing I’m known for it’s using my skills, experi-

ence and relationships to keep an eye on the

bottom line and cut the best deals, minimiz-

ing costs and reducing stress for my clients.

That’s kept me gainfully employed for over 40

years.

Stephen and his wife, Beth Anne Musiker, reside

in Nashville. You can reach the Production De-

partment, LLC. at proddept@gmail.com.

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Nook Chats with The Production Department’s Man About TownBy NookSchoenfeld