KAABOO week is upon us and the San Diego socialites are gearing up for the big event to be seen at for the weekend. KAABOO itself is so much different than any other festival out there. Unlike it’s older predecessors (Coachella, EDC, etc.) this event is vastly different as it’s not just music centric. KAABOO boasts high end food options, comedians, stellar art displays, VIP areas unlike anything you’ve seen before, a demographic that spans a few generations and a music lineup that’s just as eclectic a mix as if you put my Spotify library on shuffle. So I wonder, how did we get here? Who created such a different event and why?
To help answer some of these questions, I was able to sit down with one of the masterminds behind the company that produces the event, Jason Felts, co-founder of Virgin Produced - Virgin’s entertainment arm of the company. Here we get to take a look into the culture and thinking that powers KAABOO and a little bit about the man himself.
How and why was KAABOO created?
The vision for KAABOO was created by my partner Bryan Gordon. As a live music lover and entrepreneur himself, he identified an opportunity in the live music experience to create an experience that combines music, comedy, gourmet cuisine and contemporary art, all with the amenities that make for a more comfortable event that appeals to everyone, regardless of their age. With this vision, he set out to identify the right location to hold the event, and the concept was born with our first event taking place in 2015.
What's the relationship between KAABOO and Virgin Produced?
Virgin Produced is the entertainment arm of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin brand. It’s focus is around the creation and production of forward-thinking and highly engaging content, including films, TV series, branded entertainment and advertising. Virgin Produced overseas all creative content, strategy, production and distribution for its live entertainment sister company, KAABOO. Virgin Produced creates content for KAABOO throughout the year, and distributes the content to over 100 million viewers per month across its aviation, airport, hotels, entertainment and mobile channels worldwide.
What makes KAABOO different from other festivals out there?
The multiple diverse experiences at KAABOO sets us apart from all other "festivals". KAABOO is more than just music. I believe we appeal to many senses: attracting music lovers, comedy enthusiasts, foodies, art collectors and many others based on the well-rounded programming that KAABOO offers its guests. The level of amenities and guest hospitality makes this an event that is enjoyed by a very wide demographic, even seeing multiple generations in the same family attending.
On the artist side, what makes KAABOO a festival big artist like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pink want to work with?
KAABOO really makes it a point to treat our artists (as we do our guests) with an extraordinary level of hospitality and amenities. Virgin Produced is the 'intel chip inside the KAABOO computer' which powers the artist relations experience, overlaying its 40 years of artist experience, relationships, hospitality and customer service backgrounds and industry trust / respect into the KAABOO program. KAABOO's artist relations strives to create a concierge-style approach with our artists and members of the industry. I believe if our artists and partners are happy, our guests will sense that. It's all perpetual.
What makes Virgin produced different from other companies in the space? What do you do different that gives you the edge?
Similar to KAABOO, Virgin Produced is forward thinking and never derivative around its content of entertainment experiences. We focus on creating content that is going to directly attribute to an ROI, and reinforce our brand as a consumer champion. We like to do things differently and constantly challenge ourselves to exceed consumer expectations.
There's a lot of talk about 'The Virgin Way' when it comes to running a business. What does that mean for you?
The Virgin Way and The KAABOO Way have a shared and consistent vision as independent, entrepreneurial brands, focusing on consumer hospitality and creating an overall positive experience. Both brands focus on an outward facing mission to be consumer champions, with exceptional customer service, quality entertainment, and health and safety.
How do you facilitate a positive work environment that attracts and retains staff ?
At Virgin Produced and at KAABOO, my partners and I put our people first. We have a shared sensibility - if your people are enjoying what they do, having fun, have flexible work environments, they will take care of the guests in a more genuine and impactful way. We place significant focus on ensuring that the brand is seen as different and forward-thinking to the public, but also internally from a culture perspective. We place emphasis on connectivity between team members and creating a cohesive, creative team mentality.
How do you approach leadership at Virgin Produced?
Everyone works as a team - although there are defined roles and possibilities, we operate collaboratively across the entire organization. Our office environment is communal, where everyone works together in shared space and gathers for group consistent meetings on all areas of the business. We promote a healthy live/work balance and focus, which creates a more productive work environment.
Bonus Questions
What is the biggest mistake you’ve made as an entrepreneur?
I believe the biggest mistake I’ve made as an entrepreneur was sometimes leaving too much on my own plate versus delegating some of it out across my organization. It is a common fault of founders / CEO’s, I’ve learned where one wants to control the entire execution of the company vision. As I’ve grown in my career, I’ve worked thoroughly on hiring a team who are highly skilled and compliment the company vision - thus improving on the art of delegating.
What do you know today that you wish you would have known when you first got started as an entrepreneur?
Investing your own equity capital in a business reinforces your commitment to your company and its mission. It also aligns your investors / partners interests with yours. Nothing says “we are on the same team” than writing a personal check. Even if its small.
What's one book, podcast, quote or resource you'd recommend for Entrepreneurs out there looking for inspiration and advice?
Two quotes that have inspired me as a leader and entrepreneur are both by our Virgin Founder, Sir Richard Branson:
“I don’t think of work as work, and play as play, its all living”
AND
“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat people well enough so they don’t want to"
I'm very fortunate to have the founding partners (Bryan Gordon & Seth Wolkov) in KAABOO share the same sensibilities as Richard and I.
Jason Felts, Co-Founder of Virgin Produced
Are you headed to KAABOO this weekend? Comment below with the artist or experience you’re looking forward to seeing the most! See you guys there!