With an address in the heart of the New Brunswick, New Jersey's bustling downtown, the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) was always envisioned as a cultural hub -- a premiere arts destination for the tri-state area. That vision became a reality on September 4, 2019 at the NBPAC Grand Opening celebration.

The building of NBPAC was spearheaded by the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO). The project was a collaboration between numerous public and private organizations and was supported by many prominent New Jersey figures, including New Brunswick's own Mayor James M. Cahill.

For nearly two years, New Brunswick eagerly awaited the completion of one of "the most significant urban development initiatives in New Jersey." As the brand-new performing arts center began to take shape, DEVCO called on our sister company, MediaCutlet, to bring the NBPAC Grand Opening gala to life.

NBPAC Grand Opening: Our event production services

To produce an event of this scale, we needed the help of the wider Hurricane Productions/MediaCutlet team. In total, we mobilized 17 of our staff members and contractors to provide a variety of services leading up to and during the Grand Opening gala.

Promotional assets

Prior to the event, David Costantini took professional headshots and property photos for NBPAC's Playbill and press packet. These materials highlighted the NBPAC staff, its member companies, and its two state-of-the-art theaters, named for notable patrons of the New Jersey arts community.

Guest experience and client support

Chelsea Rutkowski handled staffing needs and client communications for the Grand opening, and supported NBPAC staff during the event to ensure an incredible experience for their guests.

Living wall and 'Purple Carpet' photo activation

When your guest list includes the city Mayor, the county Freeholder Director, the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, and the State Senate President, you roll out the red carpet -- or the Purple Carpet, in NBPAC's case. Several of our team members, including Nick Nittoli and Vincent Velasquez, designed and assembled a living hedge wall with a custom NBPAC logo and floral decor. This activation served as a celebrity-style photo op for guests as they arrived at the gala.

Official event photography and videography

To truly capture the details of a live event, you need to be everywhere at once. That's why we had multiple team members shooting photos and video footage throughout the building during the NBPAC Grand Opening.

The media team included John O'Boyle, Jocelyn Prescod, and Raymond Clinkscale for photography, Michael Struening for video interviews, Corynn Egreczky and David Costantini for event videography, and Tyler Ajamian for aerial drone video.

Audio support

Strato Doumanis worked closely with the MediaCutlet, DEVCO, and NBPAC teams to provide audio support for the event speakers and videographers.

Real-time social media coverage

Nicole Fallon and Sean Peek took over NBPAC's Instagram and Twitter accounts for the evening to provide live social media coverage of the Grand Opening.

Same-day video editing

After directing our video team throughout the night, Markus Robinson produced an impressive three-minute edit of the footage, delivered mere hours after the end of the event.

Have a corporate event coming up? We can help.

While Hurricane Productions specializes in private events, our team offers all of the above services and more for grand openings, awards shows, trade shows, workshops, conferences, and other corporate events under the MediaCutlet brand. To learn more about our private and corporate event production services, fill out the form below or request a custom quote to get started.