Author: George Ohan
I’d like to share a few stories of my experience of being a Tour Manager for the GIs of Comedy: Land & Sea Tour 2014 through
Europe and the Middle East.
In LIFE and SUCCESS we can’t (CAN NOT) go from A to Z without a bunch of steps in between. I hope that this BLOG
can help a person that might be searching for that next level of hidden knowledge or experience to advance their life or career. It might be a simple habit adjustment, like taking
daily notes and using a physical planning guide that opens your eyes to
something new, or this blog might help you to validate that you ARE in fact doing the right things. A *SUCCESS
NOTE, might be one of the steps that I personally took to get to where I
am. Keep going!
Playa del Rey, CA –
SEP 2014
I work as the Veterans Outreach Coordinator for Metanoia
Films and I focus on distributing our documentary film called “Brothers At War” (Executive Producer,
Gary Sinise) to military veterans and their families. This film is used with a journaling session and group
discussion process, for resiliency training and reintegration workshops across the
United States. I am proud of the
work that we continue to accomplish with this program because it is a real
solution to many problems that affect our troops. Brothers At War
makes the things that are hard to talk about, easy to talk about. (www.BrothersAtWarResiliency.com)
*SUCCESS NOTE – While
in college at The Los Angeles Film School, I was originally hired as a Production
Assistant by Metanoia Films to carry sandbags on productions that benefited
severely wounded veterans. The
Gary Sinise Foundation used these videos to raise funds to build smart homes
for our troops. I kicked butt,
they called me back to help with future projects. Every gig is an audition for your next gig.
As I’m hanging up the Metanoia Films office phone with the
Kansas Army National Guard my cell phone starts to ring with “Thom Tran” on the caller ID. Thom Tran……….the voice of CBS Radio,
the founder of GIs of Comedy, US Army Grassroots Advisory Board member, former
US Army Staff Sergeant, Purple Heart SOLDIER, Thom Tran!?!?!? Yes, that guy. Until someone calls me or I happen to
see them by chance I never really know how much I “like” a person because it’s very hard to create that kind of
natural excitement. (I suppose if
you’re an actor it is easier?)
I’ll let you know right now, I WAS
excited and looking forward to what was coming next.
In the world of entertainment
business many people have many titles, and frankly sometimes it’s just too
hard to explain it all to someone that doesn’t live “the life” on a daily basis.
The reason I say that is because I’ve never held a title of “Tour Manager” before this phone call,
but out of the thousands of qualified people in Los Angeles, I was the one
getting the job offer. As
surprising as the job itself was, getting the offer did not surprise me
at all. I say this in the most
humble and confident way possible.
I was confident in knowing that Thom was calling the right person, no matter what the job
was. I was happy to know that
people in Hollywood think highly enough of my skills and reputation that
they would offer a position of such great responsibility to me without previous experience in this
particular field. Integrity, Competence, and a Positive
Attitude …….almost everybody likes that!
One thing was certain, Thom knew that I was a busy person,
but he didn’t know exactly how busy I really was until he called me. Thom asked, “Hey buddy, what do you
have going on? Like, in November?”, and luckily I had my planning guide
on my desk ready with an answer. I
started to read back some of the things that I had “going on” and the list
included: Brothers At War, trying to graduate college before December,
preparing to move my business to Puerto Rico in January, volunteering with the
at-risk youth of InsideOut Writers, moving out of my house in Newport Beach,
production meetings for projects currently being produced, and a few more
things that I can’t think of right now.
Naturally, Thom assumed that I’d be too busy to take on another gig, but
that’s not in my charter to pass up work, if it’s possible. My father gave me some advice many
years ago, ”Always make yourself
available to the world.” I did
just that. I made myself available
by working harder than I’ve ever worked to get everything taken care of properly before being able to take the
job. (www.InsideOutWriters.org)
*SUCCESS NOTE – I had
to take double classes at school and take an online course while overseas on
the tour to meet the requirements for graduation. The excuses are irrelevant. If you’re not offering solutions, you might be part of the
problem.
I took several meetings in Los Angeles with Thom to discuss
the project and locations of our events.
This is when 95% of anyone that I knew tried to talk me out of doing this gig. Our mission would be to work with Armed
Forces Entertainment and provide some comedy relief to our forward deployed
troops overseas. Israel, Egypt, and Jordan were on our
schedule and let’s just say the situation over there was less than perfect, as
it was being reported by the American news media. This was not about fear for me, this was about bringing
some joy and happiness to the troops that have to be there weather we show up or not. Clicking the “Like” button on some
random Facebook post about supporting troops actually doesn’t get seen by the
troops that are deployed without social media. However, being there and physically making a difference in
their lives is something that I wanted to be a part of. I accepted the honor of managing four
really great guys that I’ll introduce you to in my next four blogs. P.J. Walsh, Jody Fuller, Benari
Poulten, and Key Lewis are all military veterans that provided the comic relief
for this tour. I’ll share one blog
for each person.
Tour Manager Responsibilities
Included, but not limited to:
1.
Contacting all location liaisons
2.
Lodging & Meals
3.
Airline itineraries
4.
Ground Transportation
5.
Travel payments
6.
Media transfer nightly to Los Angeles
7.
Photography & Video production
8.
Updates to Armed Forces Entertainment daily
9.
Security concerns for each region
DISCLAIMER:
I am not a “writer” as it relates to people that write
professionally. I am a guy that
likes to help people and connect people with information. I hope that my blogs can give some
insight into the entertainment industry and my personal experiences navigating
through these waters. Along the
way, if a person happens to find my work and it helps them get better, then my
job is done. Enjoy!
Very Respectfully,
George Ohan
Instagram - @GeorgeOhan
YouTube - /OhanGeorge
#EDMG #EightDeltaMarketingGroup #EightDeltaGlobal
#GIsOfComedy #ArmedForcesEntertainment #LifeAtLAFS #AFE #VFT #GeorgeOhan #Ohan
#EntertainmentBusiness #Military #Veteran
*BLOG 1 of 5 series - 1st Stop ITALY.
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