Today my adventures take me to Salt Lake City! A work gig and the opportunity to perform with some of the NBA’s finest performers and entertainers. Seems pretty standard, but the truth is, it’s the best time to figure out what skits & ideas are working in other markets. It gives me creative opportunities to experiment with acting range and physical comedy that I would not be authorized to try in my home market. Also, many of these guys are seasoned businessmen with many different avenues to network and collaborate with.
Lunchtime is great chatting time. We eat a little, but mainly its time to catch up with my colleagues. “How’s the family?”, “How’s the body feeling a quarter of the way through the regular season?”, Any new toys or gadgets? Oh and plenty of talk about the last time someone had an epic fail. Maybe I’ll save an entire blog post for that topic. Just Kidding!
A Handful of performers from around the country are in Salt Lake City ranging from LA to Charlotte. These interactions may not seem like much, but they are very helpful to establish my own voice and trends in the entertainment industry. For fun, a ski trip to Park City or a casual visit to the Winter Olympics training facilities to play on some of the slopes and courses. Eating at some of the trendy new hipster restaurants. Getting coffee and ordering the Utah Jazz Bear special. Now that is team commitment! Even coffee shops have items honoring one of the cities premiere performers. Salt Lake is littered with talented performers and have a vibrant art scene. Definitely one of my favorite Western Cities in the United States and a gem in the Rockies.
The next stop is Denver, Colorado. To celebrate a legend in the sports entertainment world. Rocky the Super Mascot has been a staple in the Denver community for a life time and then some. Staying power, influence, creativity, and work ethic are few words that come to mind when I think about this performer. The rare art of physical comedy perhaps? I’m not sure, but I do know that its fun to watch. Not knowing what’s he going to do next just leaves you on edge throughout the act.
Also while in Denver, I was able to catch up with another legendary performer and owner of Acrodunk Jerry Burrell. “The GodFather”, but not the type you typically would think of. He’s a pioneer of acrobatic slam dunking, a discipline I started training in 2008. Acrobatic slam dunking is one of the most exciting acrobatic sports entertainment disciplines that combine basketball and aerial acrobatics. Three sixty dunks, front flip dunks, creative passes, and acrobatic sequences that can raise a sellout crowd in seconds. It’s fantastic!
Overall, Denver was a magical place for me on this trip. Even the smoggy clouds hovering over with the sun trying is best to break through had me in a mesmerized state. Magical in a sense of a vision or prophecy coming to life, a manifestation proving true. That kind of magical.
