APOPKA, Fla. — The events industry is on red alert. You might remember when a few thousand venues and theaters turned red last month for the Red Alert Campaign (#WeMakeEvents), bringing attention to how the COVID-19 pandemic is this shattering the livelihood of those in the biz.
But in On The Town report, Spectrum News met an Apopka man who shines light on folks behind-the-scenes, and how they are struggling just as much.
1. Cosmo Wilson, Apopka, is a concert lighting director. His love for the industry started back in 1976 at a KISS concert in Lakeland. “I wanted to be a rock star,” he smiled. “I saw that and said, ‘That's what I wanted to do.’ He started out by tuning guitars for bands. He soon became a stagehand. Eventually, he landed the job as the Rolling Stones' lighting director.
2. After the Stones, Wilson moved onto another household name. “I've been with AC/DC for 30 years now. So they're my family.” Wilson has had one gig (see #5) since February 2020, as the pandemic was starting to create this new worldly dimension. “A lot of people don't realize how many people it takes to put on a show,” he says. “You're talking about ushers, food service people (without jobs.”
3. “We don't want a handout. We want to work,” Wilson insists. According to the Red Alert Campaign, 95 percent of live events have been cancelled due to COVID. “I would much rather be in Europe with Aerosmith right now ... The government basically said, ‘You're done. You can't do this.’”
4. According to WeMakeEvents.org, 77 percent of people in the live events industry have lost 100 percent of their income, including 97 percent of 1,099 workers.
5. The one gig Wilson was able to land during the pandemic (so far) was a mighty huge one. Wilson played a huge part in lighting the 9/11 tribute in New York City this year.
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October 10, 2020 at 09:43PM
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5 Things to Know About the Entertainment Industry - Bay News 9
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