Team BarthaJanuary 4, 2017

Krystie O’Brien: Natural Born Producer

Krystie O’Brien has been working in event production for over twenty years. From calling the shots to the coordination of the little details, a great producer is invaluable and we’re lucky to have Krystie on the job. But going from literal hoops to figurative hoops wasn’t easy, and she’s learned many best practices along the way. Things like “asking the right questions helps you shape the experience” and “thinking outside of the box can lead to big results.”

From proposal to onsite execution, Krystie works tirelessly to ensure that our team has worked together to create a show-stopper of an event. She’ll think of it all, whether it’s creative concepts for your custom set or keeping everyone on time and on budget.

Read on to learn more about Krystie and find out what she still finds the most exciting about producing events.

What have you learned from producing events that has shaped the way you work with clients now?

I have learned the devil is in the details. You have to be a good listener to find out exactly what experience the client wants to create and then drill them with questions. Clients don’t always know what to ask.

What’s the craziest/most memorable hoop you’ve had to jump through for an event?

I once had to demonstrate how 4 cardboard boxes can hold the weight of a certain model of BMW. This was a presentation to an executive to get more R&D money to put toward this new shipping package technology. I had to sneak over to the executive’s house, take a photo of his license plate and get the exact model of his car. We then rented the same model of car, created a fake license plate and lifted this car on a giant crane and set it down on top of these boxes. This was done as a video and the executive thought we really used his car.

What’s something many clients forget when planning an event that you make it a priority to remember?

The size of and the availability of the room/venue we are designing for, loading into and executing from.

What part of producing an event is the most exciting for you?

The live aspect! Sometimes it’s months and months of planning that boils down to 2 or 3 days of a show that is live. It’s a huge adrenalin rush and I still get just as nervous today as I did 20+ years ago when I first started this career.

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