Photo: Courtesy of Weston Garret Gonzalez
How he got his start: Gonzalez kicked off his career working in-house at various studios, networks, and streamers. "Higher-ups always recognized my desire and capabilities to operate more as an in-house event producer, and gave me the freedom to produce internally to save on costs versus hiring production companies or agencies. It was not unusual to find me designing graphics and renderings in InDesign or building and painting decor elements," he remembers.
During that first decade of his career, he moved up the corporate ladder and learned the ins and outs of the film and television industry—everything from development and distribution to publicity and marketing. "It was this knowledge of the film and television industry, combined with my expertise in event production, design, and management, that allowed me to launch westhaus and enter a field of veteran companies," he says.
What innovation means to him: To Gonzalez, it's about challenging the status quo and taking calculated risks. "Being innovative is always at the forefront of my mind when producing an event, and a continuous pillar that I push my team to uphold. I think it can become easy to repurpose ideas for events, especially in the film and television industry. The concept of 'industry standards' is too often used as a crutch to avoid taking risks, and I'm proud to say that since launching westhaus I have pushed the limit on countless events."
Some of those events? "I produced the first post-lockdown, non-drive-in, in-person television premiere in Los Angeles using creative concepts to safely execute the event and abide by local regulations that soon became 'industry standards' for networks to host in-person events again. I turned an open-air warehouse and parking lot in Downtown Los Angeles into an immersive premiere that transported attendees into the show's environment. I took over The Met in New York weeks before The Met Gala. I found and rented out the most expensive residential complex in the United States for a premiere after-party," he says. "I've done all of this and more in under four years of operating and in the midst of a global pandemic, and I cannot wait to continue to produce innovative experiences for decades to come."
How he stays inspired: Gonzalez cites open collaboration as the most inspiring part of his job. "I love finding new partners to collaborate with who are not as widely known within the industry," he explains. "When I started producing events fresh out of UCLA, I was given a list of vendors to use and found these companies were churning out the same things for other clients. I started finding my own vendors for things like fabrication, floral design, lighting, and catering who weren't favored by the industry veterans or even particularly known in the world of film and television events."
Gonzalez worked with these lesser-known vendors to help forge a new path, and is proud that many of them are now staples in the film and TV event industry. "As my business grows and my roster of vendors get busier, I look forward to collaborating with creatives and finding new partners to uplift and help make them the next wave of industry favorites," he says.
Career highlights: "Launching westhaus months before the global pandemic really tested and challenged my skills as an entrepreneur. It also allowed me to take risks and approach jobs with a newfound perspective and appreciation for simply being awarded the work," he says. As for his most memorable moments thus far? He cites the premiere of the Starz original series Gaslit, which he and his team produced at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. "Working at such an iconic and historic venue was complicated, exhilarating, and beyond rewarding," he says. 
For the Gaslit premiere, "We did things that had never been done within The Met, such as building a 75-foot-long dimensional red carpet in the museum's Temple of Dendur," says Gonzalez. "The entire event, from the carpet to the screening to the reception, was an immersive experience that highlighted the story and transported guests back to the 1970s."Photo: Andres Krusberg
A more recent career highlight took place this past February, when westhaus produced the premiere for the return of the Starz's hit original comedy Party Down. "We took a more mainstream approach by hosting the screening at Westwood's Bruin Regency Theatre, but we went all out for our carpet design," he says. 
For the Party Down carpet, the team recreated the show's catering van and built unique backdrop moments including real Champagne bottles and Champagne flutes with pink bow ties.Photo: Evan Duning
For Party Down, "Rather than doing what most companies do and hosting the after-party in a tent in Westwood, we found the perfect mansion just 10 minutes away in Beverly Hills. The Palazzo di Amore—once cited as being the most expensive residential complex in the United States—was an over-the-top estate that truly immersed attendees into a lavish party that felt like it was catered by the Party Down crew. Again, this was a challenging venue to operate at and one many companies would avoid, but we loved every second of the production and it paid off in big ways."Photo: Moses Truzman
"Lastly, I want to acknowledge and thank the entire team at Starz for consistently giving me the chance and trusting my team to produce events for many of their large titles," Gonzalez adds. "It's exciting to see a company like Starz champion and uplift the voice of a young Latino- and LGBTQ+-owned company, and I'm always honored to tackle any event for that team."
His vision for the future of experiential: "I'm still in my early 30s and I know I have a long career ahead of me, so I believe I have the privilege and responsibility to shape the future of the events industry," says Gonzalez. "What I aim to do over the next five years is to continue to push the boundaries on innovation while embracing technology, amplifying diversity, delivering authenticity, and enforcing sustainability. I believe these four areas will help in establishing what the future of experiential events can and should be—tech-savvy experiences derived from varied minds to create personalized moments that are mindful of the impact on our carbon footprint."
This feature is sponsored by Spiro, the global brand experience agency for the new now. Spiro delivers culture-bending, out-of-this-world live brand experiences that give all your stakeholders a chance to experience your brand long after your event ends.
