The Value of Experience in Live Entertainment

Hello friends and colleagues,

I’ve been reflecting lately on the evolving landscape of live events, and more specifically, the role of creative direction in shaping experiences that truly resonate. After nearly three decades in this field, it’s clear to me that the need for thoughtful, strategic creative leadership is more important now than ever before.

As many of you know, today’s audiences are looking for more than entertainment. They want meaning, connection, and something that feels curated with intention. In that spirit, I wanted to share a few thoughts about why hiring a seasoned creative director can make a measurable difference when planning headline entertainment, designing a custom show or immersive experience.

This isn’t a pitch. It’s a perspective shaped by experience, and offered in the spirit of collaboration.

Creative Direction Is About More Than Vision

The title “Creative Director” is often associated with the visual, the conceptual, or the theatrical. Those are certainly key aspects of the role. But in practice, it's also about orchestration, team alignment, and making sure that every element of the experience supports the story being told.

When I step into a broader producing role, that creative vision expands into full-spectrum execution. As a “Creative Producer”, I take responsibility not only for the concept, but also for how that concept is brought to life, through talent sourcing, technical direction, scenic design, budgeting, and on-site logistics. It's about translating creative ideas into real-world impact, while leading a collaborative process that allows every partner, performer, and technician to succeed.

In any live show, there are multiple moving parts: talent, choreography, timing, messaging, technical design, and guest flow. Without someone guiding the bigger picture, even the best talent can feel disconnected from the event’s purpose.

The Creative Producer helps ensure the entertainment is not only beautiful or exciting, but also integrated into the rhythm and story of the event. This includes everything from opening performances that reflect brand values to transitions that support the emotional arc of the evening.

The Shift From Booking to Designing

Over the years, I’ve seen a growing trend toward direct access to entertainment. With digital platforms, planners and clients can source performers, watch reels, and even book headline acts independently.

This makes sense in many scenarios, especially when the entertainment is standalone or straightforward. But when the entertainment is part of a larger event strategy, when it needs to support a message, brand, or emotional outcome, that’s where a creative producer or director brings added value.

Booking is about access. Design is about context.

My role is not just to source talent, but to understand how that talent fits into the broader vision. How will the energy shift before and after the act? What are the sightlines? What does the audience need to feel at that moment? How will the visuals, music, and lighting work together?

These questions don’t always get asked when entertainment is booked as a plug-and-play solution. But they matter. They are the difference between an act that entertains and a performance that elevates the entire event.

Headliners Are Just One Piece of the Puzzle

When it comes to headline entertainment, the role of a producer or creative director is often underestimated. Once the artist is booked, the assumption is that the job is done. But in reality, that is only the starting point.

Producing a successful headliner moment includes managing contract negotiations, technical integration, communicating with agents and artist management, and ensuring the artist’s team is fully supported. It also includes collaborating with the broader production team to ensure timing, messaging, and stage design are all aligned.

In short, you are not just managing a performance. You are building an experience. One that needs to feel seamless, intentional, and aligned with the evening’s goals.

This is especially important when clients are investing significant budgets into name talent. A creative producer helps protect that investment by ensuring the performance does more than entertain. It connects.

Experience Isn’t Just About the Resume

With over 30 years in the entertainment industry, I’ve worked across many formats, from theme parks and touring shows to nonprofit galas and corporate events. I have helped develop and open theme parks for Disney and Universal, produced orchestral collaborations with major symphonies, and led entertainment for large-scale events in biotech, pharma, and lifestyle sectors.

But what I value most about that experience isn’t the name recognition or the volume of shows. It’s the pattern recognition. It’s the ability to walk into a ballroom, read a program, and understand instinctively what kind of performance will land well. It’s the awareness of how people experience live entertainment in real time, and how that experience changes based on lighting, timing, audience energy, or even the time of day.

It is also the trust that comes from being able to anticipate problems before they arise and help the team feel supported from concept through showtime.

Collaboration Is Still the Secret Sauce

I’ve always believed that great events are a product of great collaboration. That belief shapes how I approach every project.

When I work with clients or planners, I try to show up as a creative partner, not a vendor. I listen closely. I ask questions. I offer ideas, but I also protect the client’s vision. My goal is not to put a personal stamp on the event. It’s to elevate what the client is trying to achieve and offer the creative and logistical framework to get there.

That might mean designing a custom show from the ground up. It might mean working behind the scenes to produce headline entertainment. Or it might simply mean helping a team navigate the creative unknowns with a little more confidence.

The Bottom Line

If your event calls for entertainment that does more than just fill a slot, and if you’re crafting something with nuance, complexity, or emotional impact, then bringing in a seasoned creative director can provide real, measurable value.

It’s not about over-producing or adding unnecessary layers. It’s about bringing the right expertise to the table at the right time, and designing performances that support the broader vision, the brand, and the audience experience.

I’m always happy to be part of that process. And I’m always eager to collaborate with others who care as much about the outcome as I do.

If you're working on something that needs a fresh creative eye, or a partner to help shape and support the entertainment side, I’d love to connect.

Warm regards, 

Mark Howell Founder & Creative Producer

Mark Joseph Creative