The other night I took the stage for a very important Awards Ceremony after being introduced as if I were the greatest performer in the world.
Plugged in my iPhone which runs my 40+ music cues before my hour long Show.
I introduced the first song and….nothing.
My phone was frozen.
I laughed nervously and fidgeted with it.
And then I tried to shut it off to reboot.
Wouldn’t slide touch off.
Oh. My. Gosh.
The pit in my stomach was beyond anything I’ve felt in a while.
AV Team began scrambling, ran up and checked all the connections.
I told them it was the phone and handed it to them to try and troubleshoot as I said to audience, “Well, this is a great way to start a show, whatdya say?”
So I launched into my speaking message The Promise.
Audience is laughing good and loud. Show will go on…without music I guess.
15 minutes later AV guy runs up, hands me the phone, somehow it’s working – I ditch the speech material and blast into the show music.
Standing ovation.
All is well that ends well.
This was the first time I’ve taken the stage without a backup iPod in my pocket. Not sure why I forgot it this night.
This was the first time I’ve worked with this AV Team, and they knew I was scrambling and helped a stranger on stage not die up there.
The client paid for a great show and got it, but not without the dudes behind the scenes making the music player finally start to work.
Here’s to the (generally unrecognized) AV Teams that work tirelessly to care for everyone on stage, where seconds feel like hours when things aren’t clicking, bits aren’t sticking, and electronics aren’t responding.
Tonight they went from AV Team to my Promise Kept Work Family.
These guys were stunned as I handed each of them a crisp $100 bill TIP as a Thank You for being my Emergency Triage TEAM for a night.
Talk about doing your job and going above and beyond, these men were going to battle with me and I’m so grateful for their grace under pressure.
What Promise have you kept to The Family in your work lately?
~ jason hewlett
Jason Hewlett, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional), CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, is a Keynote Speaker for the largest corporate events in the world. His primary message, The Promise, is essential for Leadership, Management, Sales, Marketing, Direct-Sales Companies, and is a combination of engagement and entertainment meets inspiration. Jason has even received standing ovations from IT guys. He has been acknowledged as life-changing by Conference Attendees, C-Level Executives and Hollywood Elite. jasonhewlett.com
Please click here to learn about how Jason Hewlett, Speaker Hall of Fame, introduces the opportunity for you, or someone you love, to have the gift of learning how to create a Career From the Stage and begin moving toward fulfilling a lifelong dream as a full-time speaker, performer, or entertainer.
To hire Jason to speak at your next event, inspire and uplift, entertain and engage, please contact Karen Harris at jasonbookings@cmispeakers.com
14 Responses
That’s a great story
Thank you Bryan my friend, hope you are well!
I love this story! It seams that when it comes to Presentations there always seems to be issues we end up having someone bail out out of. These men a and women are the unsung heros.
Totally right, Ryan, thank you for reading. I know this – your Work Family knows you appreciate them – they’ve told me! You’ve got this thing down!
Jason,
I love this! There are always so many unsung heroes that create the magic of some show. I was in television broadcasting for years – and believe me, it takes a team, working together seamlessly to get the news on the air when the clock strikes the top or bottom of the hour. The on-air person gets the attention, but the people in the studio and on location who make us look good, sound good, and weave all of the pieces of the show together are the real heroes. Thank you for this wonderful message – and so glad all went well!! BTW, saw you at Influence last year – you were sensational!!!!!!!!
Oh my goodness Diana, what an honor to hear from you. Thank you for the compliments on Influence, that was a great event. And yes, so right about TV and any other show, it’s amazing how overlooked those that really make it happen can be. Continued success!
Beautiful tribute. And, the important folks behind the scenes are always there for us.
Thank you Jeri Mae! Great to hear from you! Yes, so awesome those that serve without much recognition always are.
I was there and saw the whole thing- they (AV Superstars) and Jason killed it leaving many in the audience wondering if the whole thing was perhaps part of the act. The experience was electrifying – when promises are kept – good feelings and strengthened relationships are the result.
Thank you Kirk, it was honestly horrifying knowing your family was there to see that all go down, but I am grateful the AV Team took care of me! Great seeing you!
I love this story, Jason. So often behind-the-scenes support crew are ignored and forgotten…until something goes wrong. You set a great example in putting them first and giving them recognition for when things go right!
P.S. I also like the note about you having a backup iPod. Having backups and duplicates is the kind of thing a person who always keeps their promises does!
Thank you Dave, totally true, we need to always be grateful for the essential behind-the-scenes team.
Great ‘light from the darkness’ testimony Jason!
As you and I both know all too well, the Sound Crew ( AND All the other ‘behind the scenes’ teams ) can ‘make or break’ any show or event no matter how great of a performer or speaker you are. You’re awesome and so are all our ‘Unsung Heroes’ (like my wife!).
Awesome to hear from you, Larry, one of my favorite entertainers. Thank you my friend.