Darren Olarsch
President
On the Move Entertainment
Instagram: @onthemoveevents
How did you go from graduating with a degree in Archeology, to starting a wildly successful entertainment business with an impressive Rolodex of clients, including Nike, KPMG, Spotify, and the NFL?
While getting my degree at Michigan, I used to DJ parties, although I think I was paid in beer. After school, when it dawned on me that I really wasn’t too keen on digging in the desert with my bare hands searching for old treasures, I made the decision to open On the Move way back in 1993. I had no idea at the time that it would grow to the business we have today. There wasn’t really any one single moment that we can attribute to our growth; it was very much a long, hard, and steady effort that just seemed to gain momentum year after year.
How do you and your team dream up such immersive and experiential entertainment?
We have an amazing Creative Director, Raquel Giberstein (aka “Rocky”), she is at the heart of almost all of the incredibly unique acts that we have produced over the past many years. Our music director, Gabe Otero, is a genius at curating music along with these acts.
We also have weekly creative meetings with our full team. These meetings have no boundaries and every idea is welcome. We have really come up with some incredible concepts just by brainstorming with each other.
We also work with clients around the world, so some of our ideas may come from one part of the world where it may not have been seen in another.
In addition your talent roster of bands, DJs and hybrids of the two, On the Move offers a wide variety of speciality entertainment with diverse acts like aerialists, live event painters, and synchronized swimmers. Where do you find your talent?
Years ago, we used to have to scour the industry (even before the internet!), to try and find really unique performers. These days though, we get unsolicited submissions from performers of all kinds, and once we see something that catches our eye, we look to develop and refine the act so that it’s perfect for our clients.
Our network of amazing talent is pretty vast right now. We’re blessed to have so many great people spreading the word amongst other artists.
You’ve pivoted to offer “Socially Distanced” entertainment. In what ways does this kind of entertainment differ from what guests might traditionally see at celebrations?
Right now the term “micro” wedding or event is the hot term. In reality, what it simply means is a smaller ensemble that’s suitable for a smaller audience. We’ve always had great ensembles that fit this description, so that hasn’t been a hard transition. The hard part, is trying to stay totally “Covid Safe,” as nothing can be more important to us than keeping our artists and family safe and healthy. We’ve fabricated many plexiglass screens and guards, and instituted some great policies to help keep things socially distant at our events.
If you were to leave us with something to think about, what would it be?
Well, my parting thought would be one that goes a bit deeper.
I think our world is at a truly fragile point right now. Our society is so deeply divided, and our amazing city is being ripped apart at the seams. I truly can’t wait for the Covid restrictions to ease, and the daily threat of this virus to dissipate so that we can get back to work.
I’m saying this not just because it has affected so many amazing artists so tragically, but because music and entertainment is one of the best healers out there. Celebrating and gathering with friends and family is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Once we can truly get people celebrating again, I think our society can truly start to come together again.
(Told ya it was deep!) 🙂
Click here to learn more about On the Move Entertainment.
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