Beyond the Spotlight

Jon Diener

The point of this podcast is simple. We want to pull back the curtain and bring you backstage, beyond the spotlight, to give you a glimpse into the world of folks like you and me who are working in the trenches of the music, theater, and entertainment industries. They may not be household names, but they are key players in bringing to life the shows we all enjoy. Over the last 41 years, your host Jon Diener has worked as a musician, producer, recording engineer, videographer, editor, motion graphics artist, and photographer. He's spent most of his life around people working hard behind the scenes and wants to learn more about their journeys and share their stories with you.

  1. Ep. 045: Matthew Rifino - Sound Mixer, TODAY Show

    07/01/2021

    Ep. 045: Matthew Rifino - Sound Mixer, TODAY Show

    When Matthew Rifino picked up an acoustic guitar at 5, a 30 year love affair with music began. 3 years later, he convinced his grandfather to buy him a four-track cassette recorder and Matthew would sit for hours recording and overdubbing. He started recording his first band at their first rehearsal and honed his basic recording chops by trial and error. Matthew and his friends threw themselves into the NJ Hardcore and Punk scene of the mid 90's. Forming an indie label and throwing shows, Matthew wanted to be immersed in the music community.  Channel surfing after school, Matthew stumbled upon a show being filmed at a recording studio only one town over from his house! He showed up at their door and told them he wanted to learn how to record. Matthew lucked out and the owner Tee DiMura took him under his wing. It was an old school 16 track analog 70's studio with floor to ceiling shag carpet and the smell of cigarettes in the air. Matthew spent all four years of high school afternoons learning as much as he could about recording and mixing. It was Avatar Studios (The Power Station) that gave Matthew his first real taste of what it’s like working with big names in the music industry. At 19-years-old, he scored a 3 month unpaid internship that turned into 4 years on staff at this legendary facility.  Everyday, Matthew was in awe while learning from Grammy winning engineers and producers. Al Schmidt, Jack Joseph Puig, Michael Brauer, Jason Corsaro, Neil Dorfsman, and Rich Costey were some the greats he got to watch perform their craft. The years he spent at Avatar still influenced the rest of his life. After 4 years, he wanted to make the move to freelance. Matthew had a couple of indie records lined up and then by a chance meeting he got a gig mixing monitors for the NBC Today Show. He had never mixed anything live before but got thrown right into the fire on his first show mixing Elvis Costello. At the same time with an inherent gravitational pull towards his recording studio roots he signed on as a staff engineer at Granite Alps Studios in NJ and later as Chief Engineer at Fenix Studios in Staten Island, NY. During that time, Matthew worked with Living Colour, James Blood Ulmer, Bernard Purdie (Steely Dan, Aretha Franklin, Hall and Oates), Wu Tang Clan, Wyclef Jean plus lots of independent rock and pop artists. While at Fenix, he also had the opportunity to mix jingles for television, radio, as well as tracks that would end up in major motion pictures. At just 27, Matthew took on the role of Broadcast Music Mixer for the NBC TODAY SHOW. Mixing the 5.1 Surround Sound on air-mixes that millions watch daily along with millions of streams on the net. During his time at NBC, Matthew has worked with a cornucopia of artists such as Adele, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews Band, Robert Plant, Fleetwood Mac, Lady Gaga, Sting, Aretha Franklin, Taylor Swift, John Mellencamp, among many others. After a few years away from the record business to focus on television, he could not resist the urge to get back into the studio. Having recently completed his personal mix room "Stone House Studios”, Matthew has started mixing records again. His goal is to be able to deliver high quality mixes to all his clients. Guest Links: https://www.mattrifinomusicmixer.com/ https://www.instagram.com/rifinomatthew/ Support the show

    39 min
  2. Ep. 043: Mark Clark - Tour Manager / Production Manager / Tour Accountant

    06/11/2021

    Ep. 043: Mark Clark - Tour Manager / Production Manager / Tour Accountant

    Mark Clark has worked in the touring industry for over 10 years. He got his start in his home state of Alabama, driving artists at music festivals, and is currently based in New Orleans. Mark has managed tours throughout North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and Europe. In his day-to-day work, he oversees a 360-degree advanced process, from show advance, to tour accounting, to settlements, visas, production, logistics, press, and all the ins-and-outs of the vital show day process. Some of Mark’s notable previous clients include American Authors, Kayzo, TOKiMONSTA, NGHTMRE, Snails, Savoy, and Boombox.  Co Host, Tour Management 101 Mar 2020 – Present Location New Orleans, Louisiana, United States Tour Management 101 is an educational resource for anyone learning the ropes in the live events industry. We host a weekly webinar on Zoom, and YouTube with industry pros and provide free material and templates on our website.   Tour Management / Production Management / Tour Accounting Mark Clark Touring LLC Self-employed Jan 2019 – Present Location New Orleans, LA Full 360 tour advance, management, and show execution. Domestic and Worldwide. Freelance Professional Tour Manager Sep 2013 – Present Guest Links: http://www.markclarktouring.com https://www.tourmgmt.org/ https://www.instagram.com/markclarktm https://www.instagram.com/tourmgmt101 Show Links: http://www.beyondthespotlightpodcast.com/ https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheSpotlightPodcast https://www.instagram.com/BeyondtheSpotlightPodcast Support the show

    43 min
  3. Ep. 042: Angelique Mark - Production Coordinator

    06/01/2021

    Ep. 042: Angelique Mark - Production Coordinator

    Angelique Mark has amassed over two decades' experience traveling the globe, working with a variety of musical acts in rooms ranging from small clubs to stadiums. Her work focuses mainly in: logistics; immigration; accounting; and high-level time management, often under the most stressful of situations. Most recently, Angelique has been working as a mentor through Grammy U and the Well Dunn organization, helping young people learn about the world of live shows and touring.   Production Coordinator The 1975 Jan 2020 – Present   Production Coordinator Mumford & Sons - Delta Tour Feb 2019 – Mar 2020   Production Coordinator Il Divo - Timeless Tour Aug 2018 – Dec 2018   Production Coordinator Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Apr 2017 – Aug 2018   Artist Transportation Manager Okeechobee Music Festival Feb 2016 – Feb 2017   Production Coordinator Il Divo - Amor y Pasion Tour Sep 2016 – Nov 2016   Wardrobe Mistress Culture Club - Tribes Tour Jul 2015 – Jul 2016 Location US/CA/MX/JP/PH/AU   Staff Transportation Coordinator Mysterland Music Festival May 2015   Production Coordinator Arcade Fire - Reflektor Tour Oct 2013 – Aug 2014 Location US/UK/EU/S America/Australia/New Zealand/Japan   Assistant Tour Manager My Morning Jacket - Bob Dylan Americanarama Tour Jul 2013 – Aug 2013 Location North America Production Coordinator Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials Tour Jun 2012 – Dec 2012 Location US/UK/Europe   Production Coordinator The Black Keys - El Camino Tour Oct 2012 – Nov 2012 Location New Zealand/Australia   Wardrobe Mistress Erasure - Total Pop! and Tomorrow's World Tours Mar 2011 – Oct 2011 Location US/UK/Europe/S. America   Additional Artists Toured with 2000 – 2011 Location US/UK/Europe Cirque du Soleil - Kooza (Dresser 1) Boy George/Culture Club (Tour Assistant) Gavin Rossdale/Institute (Merchandise Manager) Paul Oakenfold (Merchandise Manager) Jewel (Merchandise Manager)Fuel (Merchandise Manager) Cheetah Girls/Miley Cyrus (Merchandise) Vanessa Hudgens (Merchandise Manager) Corbin Bleu (Merchandise Manager) Guest links: Angelique on LinkedIn Angelique on Instagram Support the show

    33 min
  4. Ep. 041: Marty Hom - Tour Manager, Production Coordinator

    05/21/2021

    Ep. 041: Marty Hom - Tour Manager, Production Coordinator

    TOUR EXPERIENCE Present ROLLING STONES – Tour Manager 1997 - Present FLEETWOOD MAC – Tour Manager 1999 – Present BARBRA STREISAND – Tour Director January 24, 2020 MUSICARES PERSON OF THE YEAR HONORING DOLLY PARTON - Co-Producer 2010 – Present SHAKIRA – Tour Director 1997 - Present STEVIE NICKS - Tour Manager Dec ’15 – Nov ‘16 BEYONCE – Tour Director/Producer Formation Tour 2012 – Present VAN HALEN TOUR 2012 & 2015 – Tour Manager Feb '14 – Dec ‘15 LIONEL RICHIE - Tour Director 1997 - 2001 Jan 2013 – Dec 2013 ALICIA KEYS – Tour Director - World Tour 2010 & 2013 Aug ’02 – Jan 2010 BETTE MIDLER – General Manager “The Showgirl Must Go On” Las Vegas Residency Aug ’05 – May ‘07 CIRQUE DU SOLEIL DELIRIUM TOUR – Tour Manager Dec ’00 – Dec ‘01 BACKSTREET BOYS – Tour Manager Oct ’00 – Nov ’00 LENNY KRAVITZ – Tour Manager Aug ’99 – Dec ‘99 RICKY MARTIN - Tour Manager July '99 - Sept '99 BONNIE RAITT, JACKSON BROWNE, SHAWN COLVIN, BRUCE HORNSBY - Tour Manager May '99 - Sept '99 BONNIE RAITT - Tour Manager/Accountant Sept '98 – Aug ‘99 LIONEL RICHIE - Tour Manager/Accountant April ‘95 - 2015 BOSTON - Tour Manager October 1996 CHRIS ISAAK - Tour Manager/Accountant August 1996 CELINE DION - Production Manager April ‘96 - May ‘96 SHANIA TWAIN - Tour Manager Apr ‘95 - May ‘95 JIMMY BUFFETT - Tour Accountant Jan '93 - Sept '94 JANET JACKSON - Tour Manager June ‘89 - Sept '92 PAULA ABDUL - Tour Manager 1985 BILL WITHERS- Tour Manager / Accountant GUEST LINKS: Musicares NEWS ARTICLES / INTERVIEWS ROLLING STONE https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/music-in-crisis-marty-horn-tour-manager-rolling-stones-stevie-nicks-995835/ BILLBOARD https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5915668/tour-managers-of-foo-fighters-the-rolling-stones-fleetwood-mac-swap-wild-tales POLLSTAR https://www.pollstar.com/toptourmanagers/marty-hom-141383 NEW YORK TIMES https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/17/archives/10-months-1-million-and-100-headaches.html Support the show

    30 min
  5. Ep. 040: Aoife Ahern - Tour Manager, Production Coordinator

    05/11/2021

    Ep. 040: Aoife Ahern - Tour Manager, Production Coordinator

    Aoife Ahern has a huge amount of Project Management experience, having been a Global Producer, Tour Manager, Production Coordinator, Advance Manager|Artist Relations and a Talent Booker. She has advanced many large scale festivals (80,000+ capacity) such as Oxegen Festival to Kaaboo Festival. She has also been a promoter's rep and a production manager for a huge number of shows, as well as promoting weekly shows of 2000+ capacity. Aoife has toured with artists such as Prince, Beyonce, Jay-Z, One Direction, Arcade Fire, Chris Brown, Gavin Friday, The Waterboys, Billy Ocean, Sting, Madonna plus many more. During this time, she has performed roles such as Tour Manager, Production Co-ordinator, and VIP Facilities Manager. Aoife manages and co-ordinates large volumes of information - from budgets, crew, travel, logistics, riders, content, schedules, visas, dressing rooms, ground transport, merchandise & VIP management. She has also worked with a vast array of international talent, promoters, founders, entrepreneurs, agents, TMs, suppliers, venues & crew over the years. Tour Management Tame Impala Jul 2019 – Present   Facilities Manager | One Direction | Chris Brown | Beyonce | Jay-Z | Sting | Madonna Live Nation | VIP Nation 2015 – Present Duties Include:Facilities Manager for all VIPs daily.Coordinating all Early Entry Tickets daily.Coordinating all Hot Tickets Entries daily.Liaising and managing security and queuing systems.Managing all signage for Early Entries & Hot Tickets.Managing of all ticket booths, ticketing, wristbands and staff.Daily brief with security, venue and Live NationManaging of all VIP Merchandise.Daily reports for Live/VIP Nation.Setting & Running of office.Troubleshooting, managing all issues that arose. Tour Manager Gavin Friday Jul 2011 – Present Managing budgets based on fee for each show.Booking and managing logistics, such as travel, accommodation, ground transport. Coordinating with press department and accompanying artist to all press calls. Drawing up of all riders based on requirement of traveling party and foreseeing their implementation at each show. Managing of all crew and touring party.Arranging work permits for non EU band members in relevant country. Coordinating all aspects of production.Dealing with cash and payment. Liaising between management, agent, promoter and band to make sure that everyone has information required to make each show a successful event.Liaising with Event Control to ensure that all health and safety matters are adhered to for safety of band and audience. Production Coordinator Prince May 2014 – Present Location European / Canadian & American Tour Booking of hotels, flights & ground transport for all Crew.Arranging Visa for all Crew.Managing and organising of artist catering.Designing daily menu for artist.Managing of Dressing Rooms & Riders on a daily basis.Signage for Backstage Area.Assisting TM/PM with production requirements.Running & assisting in production office.Dealing with crew, suppliers, management, venues and artists needs on a daily basis.   Senior VIP Nation Event Manager | International Tours VIP Nation Europe | Live Nation Oct 2018 – Sep 2019 London, United Kingdom Michelle Obama, Mumford & Sons, Blackpink, BTS, Phil Collins, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel. Guest links: https://www.facebook.com/aoife.ahern https://www.instagram.com/aoifelike/ Support the show

    28 min
  6. Ep. 039: Rayna Zemel - Playback Engineer, Producer, Composer

    05/01/2021

    Ep. 039: Rayna Zemel - Playback Engineer, Producer, Composer

    Passionate and extroverted, Rayna’s varied background gives her a unique perspective as well as an ability to engage people from all walks of life. Before graduating with a degree in Political Science from the University of Vermont, Rayna grew up at the intersection of multiple cultures. As a child, Rayna was raised between three worlds - She could be found at a Baptist church in Camden, New Jersey with her grandmother, at synagogue in Philadelphia with her mother’s family of Jewish academics, or at St. Columba’s episcopal church in Washington D.C. Rayna decided to pursue a career in the music industry and moved to Los Angeles, where she eventually ended up working in the touring industry as a playback engineer with artists such as Logic, Pentatonix, Due Lipa, Iggy Azalea, Hailee Steinfeld, The Lonely Island, Lana Del Rey, DJ Khaled, and more. Additionally, she is a music composer who's work has been featured in over 75 television shows, movies, and commercials. The events of 2020 led her to pursue her passion for documentary photography. Rayna has documented over 50 protests in the Los Angeles area, her work and efforts are featured in the short film “We Can’t Breathe”. Producer / Music Director Winters Rock Entertainment Sep 2018 – Present Business development, talent scouting, on-site photographer, and post-production audio mixing. Producer: “We Can’t Breathe” (2020)Composer: “We Can’t Breath” (2020) Producer: “Storm” (2020) Composer: “Beyond the Edge”(2020) Composer: “Letters to Liam” (2019) Music Supervisor: “Letters to Liam” (2019) Playback Engineer Pentatonix Inc Jan 2020 – Present   Playback Engineer DUA LIPA LIVE LLP Nov 2019 – Jan 2020   Playback Engineer / Programmer Hailee Steinfeld Aug 2019 – Nov 2019   Playback Engineer & MIDI Tech Lana Del Rey Mar 2019 – Nov 2019   Pro Tools Playback Engineer The Lonely Island May 2019 – Jun 2019 Ableton Programmer / Playback Engineer Dua Lipa Apr 2019   Ableton Programmer / Playback Engineer Gunnar Gehl Oct 2018 – Dec 2018   Ableton Programmer / Playback Engineer PRETTYMUCH Jul 2018 – Sep 2018 Ableton Programmer / Playback Jun 2017 – Aug 2018 Ableton Playback / Programming Troye Sivan Mar 2018 – Apr 2018   Ableton Playback Operator Lil’ Wayne Sep 2017   Playback Designer & Programmer Saint Motel Dec 2016 Director of Vibes | Producer | Mixer Math Club Music Jun 2016 – Oct 2016 Electronic Creatives Feb 2016 – Mar 2016 Ableton playback for Iggy Azalea. Electronic Creatives Title Tour Manager / Production Manager Niykee Heaton "The Bedroom Tour" 2015 Oct 2015 – Dec 2015 Tour Manager Production Manager Ableton Playback Operator: Kiesza Jan 2015 – Oct 2015 Product Ambassador / Tester Livid Instruments Nov 2014 – Jan 2015 Guitar Wing MIDI Controller Product Ambassador for the Greater Los Angeles Area. Recording Arts Instructor The Los Angeles Film School Jul 2011 – Sep 2014 Instructor - Beginning and Advanced Music production in Pro Tools, Ableton, and Logic.   Producer/Engineer Kops & Robbers Jan 2010 – Jan 2012 Guest Links: https://raynazemel.com/ https://www.instagram.com/rayzemel/ https://www.twitter.com/rayzemel/ https://www.wintersrockentertainment.com/ Support the show

    41 min
5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

The point of this podcast is simple. We want to pull back the curtain and bring you backstage, beyond the spotlight, to give you a glimpse into the world of folks like you and me who are working in the trenches of the music, theater, and entertainment industries. They may not be household names, but they are key players in bringing to life the shows we all enjoy. Over the last 41 years, your host Jon Diener has worked as a musician, producer, recording engineer, videographer, editor, motion graphics artist, and photographer. He's spent most of his life around people working hard behind the scenes and wants to learn more about their journeys and share their stories with you.