Meet Matthew Thomas | CEO – Talent/Event Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matthew Thomas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?

That’s a great question! And being a father of two young boys is a tender topic for me.

First, a very loving, nurturing, and supportive environment for them to learn about the world around them and learn about themselves. The first few years for children are so critical as their brains are developing, and the security of that love and support gives them that sense of safety they need.

Second, having a structured schedule from the moment they awake to the time they go to bed is also very important for their internal development and building a routine that also helps them feel stable and safe.

Finally, helping them develop healthy self-confidence and a strong work ethic. We help them with their schoolwork, and they see us doing our work around the clock. We also take them with us to work events when we can, so they can see what it is that we actually do when we go off to work. Exposing them to my industry – events and entertainment – is fascinating for them, and I hope one day one or both of my boys will have a desire to step into the business and ultimately take the reins.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Thank you, I would love to.

At All Stage Productions, we specialize in providing top-caliber talent and entertainment, production services, and event logistics management for our clients’ events in Atlanta and throughout the country. Our top priority is making that process very simple, smooth, and streamlined for our clients. Finding and securing the right talent for events can be very challenging, and our experience and ability to secure any artist through a painless process is what sets us apart.

Our talent ranges from international recording artists, celebrities, and screen actors to premium national, regional, and local entertainment. The best thing about what we do is that we are responsible for bringing life and energy to events!

I’ve been in the industry for almost 30 years and originally started as talent myself, as a singer and guitarist in my own and other bands that performed for many years around the Southeast. This offered me a great deal of experience with not only performing in front of an audience and learning how to read and connect with an audience, but also how the setup process works, as well as giving me considerable knowledge about sound, lighting, and overall event production.

This led to me pursuing a career with a large talent agency that had an office here in Atlanta in 2005, and I spent close to 17 years learning as much as possible about the industry and producing top-caliber talent. I became one of the owners of that company as well, and after many years, decided it was time for me to strike out on my own and start All Stage Productions.

The first 6 months were incredibly challenging, but our first full year was incredible, and we’ve been building on that momentum ever since.

The biggest takeaway going through it all is how important believing in yourself, what you are doing, your product, your abilities and talents, and persevering through the frustrating and difficult times is to success. Starting a new business is not for the faint of heart. It requires a lot of determination and grit. Having a family with young boys also requires maintaining balance. My boys are now 5 and 7, and there is so much to their daily lives that I do not want to miss and want to be there for.

My goal is to continue providing the very best in entertainment and event production to our clients and continue to be the best dad and husband I can be at the same time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a great question and in a city such as Atlanta, where there is so much to do and so many great restaurants and wonderful activities to do, especially during the spring and summer. Wow, where to start.

Being in the music and entertainment industry, I’d love to be able to take them to a show. Depending on what talent was performing in town, I’d plan to catch a show at The Fox or The Tabernacle. Also being an athlete, there is our amazing new indoor stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, our State Farm arena or up at The Battery for a game.

Activities that I would definitely want to squeeze in would be going to the Aquarium. It’s an amazing facility and love taking my boys there.

For dinner, one of my favorite places is Chop’s. The lobster bisque is the best…the best Jerry! (For all the fellow Seinfeld fans.) Fox Brothers for some bar-b-que, patio in Midtown for some cocktails. It’s endless. Great question!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Wow…this is a tough one right out of the gate. There have been so many that immediately come to mind that deserve a great deal of credit in the amount of support, guidance, love, and encouragement, they have provided me during my journey of starting my own company.

Industry colleagues have been tremendously helpful and supportive. The Live Events Industry is a very tight-knit group of professionals and over the years, we have all grown very close to one another and want to see one another succeed and prosper. With so many colleagues also being small business owners, talking through challenges they have faced during their time in business, learning about some of the mistakes they have made, how they overcame them, and how they would have avoided them now having that hindsight. Clients who stood by me and stayed with me when I stepped out on my own and started a new company from scratch. My friends and family have been incredibly supportive.

My accountant has been an incredible help to me in laying the best financial foundation for my company and answering endless questions about how I should approach a variety of financial elements of day-to-day business operations and bookkeeping practices for developing a financially healthy company from the start and maintaining that as the company grows.

There are so many to mention, and so much research and books that I have read on business and leadership over the last several years, that I could not even come close to expressing my gratitude to them appropriately. It’s been incredible and very touching.

Website: https://allstageproductions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allstageproductionsllc/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewthomasmusic/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allstageproductions