SPECIAL FEATURE
Photo by C. Michael Stewart, cmichaelsphotos.com
MEDIA EVENTS USA:
JOHN GRANTZ AND THE ART OF THE SWIRL by Julie Engelhardt
Louisville hosts some of the best entertainment and performances in the commonwealth, from star-studded concerts to beach bashes, and everything in between. Attendees are treated to incredible events that keep them talking for weeks. While the finished product may look effortless, these performances take a great deal of planning and execution. Enter Louisville native John Grantz, owner of Media Events USA. Those familiar with Grantz know he’s the “go-to guy” who has the insight and skills to make these occasions memorable. Grantz’s foray into event planning began while he was in his mid-teens, and he says he’s always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Grantz attended St. Xavier High School in the 1970s, which is when his event business began to blossom. He started out working as a DJ, playing at his high school’s mixers, which eventually led to 10
with some bands,” he says. He soon went on to take on a larger role in the business by renting halls, booking bands, working as a DJ, and marketing to the college crowd. “I became a one-stop shop for providing entertainment,” Grantz says. “I could do everything from conceptualizing an event to making sure it was cleaned up afterwards.” Louisville’s Largest Beach Bash. Photo by Mark Sickles.
a mobile DJ business, playing at schools such as Sacred Heart, Trinity, Assumption, and Male. After high school, Grantz began to study law but changed course, studying advertising and marketing instead. His entertainment acumen began to expand while in college. “I did marketing for a few nightclubs, and I was working S U B S C R I B E
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Soon after, his career segued into working for a couple of radio stations that hired him to produce their events. “I was sort of freelancing, and I continued doing that, and just started from there.” What are some of the shows Grantz has produced? He helped create Louisville’s Largest Beach Bash on the waterfront before the area was completely developed. “What I did in the beginning of the summer when they were in the process of developing the waterfront, I took
F R E E !
