COMPANY PROFILE: CUE2CUE

WITH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PUTTING A HALT TO THE COMPANY’S REGULAR WORK, CUE2CUE’S GARETH HULANCE SPEAKS TO TPMEA ABOUT CHANGING TACK INTO THE WORLD OF VIRTUAL EVENTS AND THE LESSONS HE AND THE TEAM HAVE LEARNED IN 2020.

A familiar name in the global entertainment market, cue2cue’s body of work is wide reaching, having provided stage managers and show callers on a huge range of events, from conferences to Olympic ceremonies, working regularly with some of the world’s top agencies including Film Master, Five Currents, Jack Morton Worldwide, BWS, People and Black Skull Creative. In the Middle East, the company has worked on the Dubai World Cup, Saudi National Day and The Special Olympics World Games 2019, to name but a few.

“The goal of cue2cue is to provide clients with some of the most experienced stage managers and show callers from across the world, capable of working on a huge variety of projects,” stated Founder, Gareth Hulance.

With over 20 years of personal experience working in theatre, ceremonies and live events as a show caller, production stage manager and show director, Hulance created cue2cue at the start of 2012 and has since grown the team.

However, like many in the field, cue2cue had to adapt quickly, with most of its clients having to resort to virtual events in 2020. “It’s something that up until this year, we did not have a great deal of experience in,” admitted Hulance, while reminiscing on the strange year that 2020 has been. “Before this year, during a normal event, we would check in with the streaming team who might be working alongside us but, to be honest, this often just meant cueing them in for certain moments – not much more than that.”

With streaming and virtual platforms being the only option now at clients’ disposal, the cue2cue team collectively decided to turn their

Opposite; WSJ Council - Event Concept.

efforts to providing a solution to help companies navigate this burgeoning new events space.

“One thing that we learned during several projects is that you still need a team of people to deliver a successful event,” stated Hulance. “Many businesses have now realised that this style of event is much more than a Zoom call with PowerPoint and, to put together a successful event, you need to have a full team in the same way you would for a physical event.”

Hulance went on to recount some of the experiences that he and some of the team had witnessed while working in this field. “We have found our stage managers have had to become well versed in the technology, so they can answer any technical questions the speaker may have before going live,” he recalled. “Stage managers are therefore working more closely with the technical teams than they were previously, as we rely on them as our support during this process.”

The cue2cue Founder explained that although most clients have become more than used to video conferencing platforms throughout 2020, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they were ready for a broadcast-style performance.

“We found in many instances that some speakers were more nervous than they would be stepping out on a stage in front of a live audience,” he commented. “Speaking to a crowd you can’t see is a strange experience.”

This led cue2cue to change its approach to this style of project, surrounding one goal – “to make speakers feel as comfortable as possible”.

Hulance explained: “It becomes a balancing act of giving them information in their in ears but at the same time, not overloading them, as this can put off those that might not be used to it.

“We have also worked with the technical teams to suggest ways that the speaker’s return screen can be set up with comfort monitors and clocks, and having a visual feed to the stage manager while prepping them to go live puts them at ease and proves much more personal than just a voice, for example.”

Hulance noted a closer relationship with presenters and speakers in virtual events than there would normally be in a physical event. “These virtual shows definitely feel more like a television show,” he commented. In normal circumstances, as a show caller, the stage manager would be the one on stage talking to presenters and producers, leaving the caller to talk with the tech crew, but now the stage manager roll is involved primarily with the speaker on boarding.

“This comprises checking they are logged into the platforms correctly, they are seeing all the correct feeds and that their environment including lighting and location is sufficient,” outlined Hulance.

“Once this is done, the stage manager can then do their more typical show brief before they get sent to the virtual stage platform. Once there and in rehearsals, most of the communication is often set up to be just by the show caller, as multiple faceless voices would be confusing for even the most seasoned of presenters.”

The type of audience for these events has also changed the approach of Hulance and his team. “One of the big lessons we have learned is that you can’t get away with anything,” he laughed. “With a physical show, if there is a

cue2cue’s Founder, Gareth Hulance; Huawei Press Event - INCA Productions, photo provided by Daniel Sims; The cue2cue teams on site in Asia.

technical issue, we have several contingencies, so the audience doesn’t notice. The MC might have to speak a bit longer or you play some music and then catch up later.”

However, with an audience glued to their computer monitor or phone, the smoke and mirrors that any show caller or director usually has in their back pocket diminishes significantly. “If there is an issue, it becomes very noticeable very quickly, so it’s even more important to have a clear plan of action for every minute of each virtual event.”

The studio setups the cue2cue team has worked in comprise of both physical sets and green screens, but Hulance explained that fully virtual shows are becoming increasingly common. “These are often busier and more complex as clients are seeing what can be done to make the event more dynamic,” he commented.

“As an example of this progression, one of our first shows this summer had, at the most, four separate Zoom feeds coming into the platform to be transmitted as a four-panel setup on screen,” Hulance recalled. “The show we are currently in pre-production for has over 30.”

The cue2cue Founder expressed to TPMEA how “fantastic” it was to be back on site during these hybrid shows. “There are still challenges to keep COVID-19 safe, but you really appreciate the – albeit distanced – face-to-face time with the rest of the crew,” he said.

The cue2cue team has also turned its hand to several other COVID-19 safe events, including a drive-through physical press event for Huawei with long-term clients, INCA Productions.

“We put on 11 shows in one day, with the guests driven through Printworks in London, stopping at various stages for live actor-led demos, presentations and the opportunity to try out the new phones with a background of fantastic light and sound displays,” Hulance commented, describing the project.

Looking ahead, Hulance sees the UAE as one of the most likely destinations for a return to physical events. While at present a travel corridor is in place allowing travel between the UK and the UAE without the need to quarantine, even if that were to change, it wouldn’t put him off the prospect of taking the job. “At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I stated that if travel for a job meant a few weeks quarantine in a hotel room, I will still take the job – I’m somewhat of a workaholic,” he laughed, commenting on the adjustment from an average of over 60 flights per year to just five in 2020.

However, until live events return, the digital events space remains an exciting one for Hulance. “As a company, we have been really fortunate to be working over the past few months. It was certainly not the year we had planned, but we would like to say thank you to our clients we are currently working with, including Anna Valley, Beings Digital, Event Concept, INCA Productions, Momentum Worldwide, Private Drama, and Wise Productions,” he concluded. “We are so thankful to them for their continuing trust in cue2cue teams to deliver their shows.” Photos: cue2cue www.cue2cue.uk