2011 San Francisco 49ers Season Entertainment

This year e2k is proud to celebrate its 40th year producing entertainment for the San Francisco 49ers.

Highlights so far have included a Football Fiesta with over 150 mariachis, folklorico dancers and charros; a Youth Football Night; a dramatic Opening Day celebration of the 10th Anniversary of September 11th, featuring a giant flag covering the entire field, national anthem by multi-platinum recording artist Brian McKnight, and a halftime concert by Plain White T’s; an 80’s Throwback Day with halftime performance by Wonderbread 5; and the 49ers Salute the Fleet celebration featuring the finest bands and pageantry our Armed Forces have to offer.

The first half of the season also saw the debut of two new Gold Rush uniforms, a new Sourdough Sam costume, the release of the all-new Gold Rush cheerleader calendar, and a Junior Gold Rush program with over 200 aspiring young cheerleaders.  We are also pleased to welcome back the very talented D.C. Abramson as Sourdough Sam.  He is joined by a new assistant Mike Marqua. And of course, starting off the season 4-1 is the real accomplishment!

Looking ahead to the second half of the season, highlights include our Breast Cancer Awareness game; a tribute to the 70th Anniversary of the Tuckeegee Airmen, including a partnership with Lucas films that will bring actors from their new movie and the original airmen to the game; a full stadium card stunt to honor Veteran’s Day; Hall of Fame Day featuring the induction of R.C. Owens and Roger Craig into the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. 49ers Hall of Fame; Fan Appreciation Day; and Monday Night Football where the 49ers will salute our local stars of American Idol with a halftime concert starring Thia Megia, James Durbin and Stefano Langione.

e2k is pleased to continue our incredible partnership with the 49ers, and work closely with them on providing a first-class gameday experience.

49ers Entertainment is Directed by Lorie Murphy.  Video Board is directed by Steve Whiting and Dan Wilson.  Show producers are David Sanchez and Jasmine Hall.  The Gold Rush is Directed by Erin Olmstead and Kristin Ortega. Niner Noise is directed by Dave Gibbs and Ryan Odello.   Game music is provided by Adrian Cavlan.  And gameday field directors are Brad Robinson, Emily Tatad and Mike Austin.  Special thanks to Sound on Stage, Pyrospectaculars and all of our production partners.

Childrens Health Council Benefit Concert with Bruno Mars

e2k produced a benefit concert for the Children’s Health Council, featuring pop star, Bruno Mars, and the indie folk band, Blind Pilot.

The e2k team, led by Mike Brady and Erin Olmstead, transformed the polo field at the Atherton Circus Club into an intimate concert venue with bleacher seating, a special Under 21 Zone and VIP seating in front of the stage.  The beautiful summer evening provided the ideal setting for a special show.

The show was preceded by an elegant VIP reception, featuring a variety of food stations and bars.  Erin and David Gill worked with the CHC committee to decorate the area with a festive California picnic theme.

The on-site team included, director, Michael Olmstead, David Sanchez overseeing the Under 21 Fan Zone, Jasmine Harris coordinating volunteers, Meghan Harris overseeing the event look, Shannon Ellis managing talent, and Kelly Norris managing the entrance area and will call.

Children’s HealthCouncil (CHC) takes children and families from alone and lost to hopeful and grateful. The children we help struggle with autism, ADHD, depression, anxiety, learning disabilities, developmental delays and other challenges that put their well-being and our community’s health at risk.  E2k was pleased to have the opportunity help bring their annual fund raising event too life.

Special thanks to Jim Santucci, Bren Leisure and Quin Whitman.

India Meets Iberia - A Magical Night at Shalimar

E2k produced the wedding engagement party for at Shalimar (the name given to the home of Romesh Wadhwani) on Saturday, July 2^nd. Building on the cultural heritage of the bride and groom, the event created a fusion of Indian and Spanish culture.

The spectacular menu, created by Romesh with Amber India chef, Vital Shetty, featured twenty five different fusion delicacies. The signature drink, called the Shalimar Salud, provided the perfect summer combination of champagne, mango rum, ginger liquor, cognac with mango puree and Valencia orange juice. Catering production, service staff and table design were provided by Meme Pederson and the team at Taste Catering. All of the waiters were dressed in Indian or Spanish costumes.

As guests entered the party through the “Secret Garden,” they were greeted by models in Spanish and Indian attire, flamenco guitarists playing on top of a flowing fountain, and a table/tambura duo playing for a Spanish senorita. Gypsy Dancers then directed them to the reception around the pool.

For the reception entertainment, e2k created two production numbers with fusion choreography by Erin Olmstead.  These numbers were interspersed with Paso Doble and a Flamenco duets. Music for the opening portion of the event was provided by the Santa Barbara-based quartet, Luna Gitana.

The cultural juxtaposition shifted at dinner with Indian music provided by the the Sangati Center from San Francisco. As the desserts went down, the energy increased with two hours of non-stop dance music by Los Angeles-based, Impuse. The fourteen-member group presented a concert-like tour of genres spanning six decades. The dance floor, made of plexiglass covering over the pool, was jammed with party-goers in a colorful assortment of formal Indian and Spanish attire.

The e2k project manager was Laura DeGood with production support provided by David Gill, Trisha Ricci, Mike Brady and Michael Olmstead. The beautiful event program was created by e2k Art Director, Meghan Harris. The magical event lighting was designed by Mickey Fimbres from Impact Lighting, and sound for two stages at opposite ends of the pool was provided by Sound on Stage.

The 2011 Fiscal Summit: Solutions for America’s Future - Sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation

Michael Olmstead recently directed the 2011 Fiscal Summit, sponsored by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation in Washington D.C.  The one-day conference was focused on the U.S. debt that has now reached astronomical levels and threatens the economic security of our nation.  

The innovative event featured a high-profile line-up of speakers including President Bill Clinton, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), President Obama’s Director of Economic Policy, Gene Sperling; Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels interviewed by Washington Post Columnist, George Will; and Senators Chambliss (R-GA), Crapo (R-ID), Durbin (D-IL) and Warner (D-VA) interviewed by PBS NewsHour Senior Correspondent, Judy Woodruff.

To provide the framework for the discussion, the Peterson Foundation commissioned six think tanks, the American Enterprise Institute, the BiPartisan Policy Center, the Center for American Progress, the Economic Policy Institute, the Heritage Foundation and the Roosevelt Campus Network to prepare reports outlining their recommendations for reducing the debt.  These presentations were displayed on three large screens with the organizational leaders, animated graphs and bullet point highlights.

Reflecting the urgency of the event subject, the event attracted significant media attention with live coverage by C-Span and news representation by every major news outlet.

Olmstead worked with Executive Producer, Chris Wayne, e2k Associate Producer, Danny Huebsch, and the team from Futureview, Inc. led by David Hanrahan to produce the event. Click Here to to learn more about the summit.

On May 14th, 2011, TEDx hosted its second conference featuring a new roster of impressive and engaging speakers who explored the emerging concept of Living by Numbers for a curated audience of Silicon Valley thought leaders.  Curator, Ron Gutman invited e2k to assist with the on-site production, with Michael Olmstead producing.   The conference was one of the most successful TEDx events ever - not only for the over 800 people who gathered for the event at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, but also for over 350,000 people from over 50 countries around the world who tuned in online to watch the livestream on Justin.tv.

TEDx Silicon Valley gathers some of the world's leading thinkers, makers, and doers to discuss social innovation. Located on Stanford's campus and hosted in partnership with the Center for Social Innovation , a center at the Stanford's Graduate School of Business   educating leaders to solve the world's global problems, it is a day of stimulating presentations, discussions, entertainment, and art that sparks new ideas and opportunities for all involved.