Outfest, the Los Angeles gay and lesbian film festival, kicked off its 26th year last night with a screening of Breakfast with Scot—a film about a closeted gay couple who adopt an 11-year-old boy—at the Orpheum Theatre, and an after-party for 2,200 guests that took over a parking lot behind the historic downtown building. Precision Event Group’s Jason Wanderer, who worked with the nonprofit’s director of operations Kerri Stoughton-Jackson to produce the event for the first time, had to work with lean financial resources. “There was a lower budget this year because of the economy, so it was a bit of a challenge creating something from scratch and also something that we were proud of,” Wanderer says.
In tackling the budgetary restraints, Wanderer, who also had to produce a pre-party for 600 of the festival’s major donors, sponsors, and other V.I.P. guests, decided to combine both the pre- and after-parties into one space. He used about two-thirds of the parking lot for the pre-party, shielding the remainder of the space with drapes. The curtains dropped for the beginning of the after-party, which incorporated the area V.I.P.s had already seen and revealed additional party features, like a black-and-white checkered dance floor and red cabana tents, where restaurants such as I Cugini and the Abbey served small dishes.To perk up the silent-auction area that consisted of 28 eight-foot tables, Wanderer covered tabletops with custom-sewn but cost-friendly linens by Greco Decor. In an effort to offer guests more interactive entertainment options than the music spun by DJ Anna without surpassing the budget, he brought in a few photo booths for a playful touch.
And this year's party resolved another, non-budgetary issue as well: In speaking with former guests and meeting with the nonprofit, Wanderer had learned that everyone felt the long lines at the bars were a major problem in the past. He brought in a large central bar and five satellite bars, an apparently successful solution to the problem, as guests tended to find only a couple of people ahead of them while waiting for drinks.
In tackling the budgetary restraints, Wanderer, who also had to produce a pre-party for 600 of the festival’s major donors, sponsors, and other V.I.P. guests, decided to combine both the pre- and after-parties into one space. He used about two-thirds of the parking lot for the pre-party, shielding the remainder of the space with drapes. The curtains dropped for the beginning of the after-party, which incorporated the area V.I.P.s had already seen and revealed additional party features, like a black-and-white checkered dance floor and red cabana tents, where restaurants such as I Cugini and the Abbey served small dishes.To perk up the silent-auction area that consisted of 28 eight-foot tables, Wanderer covered tabletops with custom-sewn but cost-friendly linens by Greco Decor. In an effort to offer guests more interactive entertainment options than the music spun by DJ Anna without surpassing the budget, he brought in a few photo booths for a playful touch.
And this year's party resolved another, non-budgetary issue as well: In speaking with former guests and meeting with the nonprofit, Wanderer had learned that everyone felt the long lines at the bars were a major problem in the past. He brought in a large central bar and five satellite bars, an apparently successful solution to the problem, as guests tended to find only a couple of people ahead of them while waiting for drinks.
Outfest's and participating sponsors' logos shined on a neighboring building's wall.
Photo: Dale Wilcox
