Why a Product Launch Had Helicopters, Stuntmen, and Food Rations

The dramatic and splashy bash Los Angeles luxury retailer Just One Eye threw at its Hollywood home on December 5 had all the makings of a Tom Cruise action movie premiere. The event was to fête the arrival of the Ulysses Tier 1 disaster relief kit, a product developed by 4Cs Consulting with the help of veteran U.S. Navy SEALs. (A percentage of the proceeds will benefit the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and the SEAL Future Fund.)

Demi Moore, Sienna Miller, Mary-Kate Olsen, Liz Goldwyn, Dita Von Teese, and David LaChapelle represented the Tinseltown set that turned out at the massive 10,000-square-foot rooftop of the historic Art Deco building on Romaine Street—once home to Howard Hughes’s film empire. “We have such an amazing rooftop and it worked perfectly for this event,” said Paola Russo, co-founder of Just One Eye. “The rooftop itself is a beautiful stage and we played around with the technicalities of the sunrise and sunset.”

For the event, Russo enlisted Bureau Betak to create an experience that would be “spectacular, surprising, and impactful.” Bureau Betak principal Alex de Betak and his team began pre-production in April; production started in August.

In keeping with the event’s survivalist theme—it was the launch of a $12,500 survival kit designed to keep its owner alive in the most glamorous way possible, after all—de Betak enlisted the help of 16 stuntmen, 25 dancers, three helicopters, and even an orchestra of 35. “The idea was to create a modern ‘romantic and rough’ performance reveal,” said de Betak. Beyond the dramatic series of events that led up to the kit’s reveal, the producers also paid attention to other details.

As the 250 guests milled about during cocktails, they were served a special drinks menu created by Lucques and a custom-curated food menu prepared by Love Catering. “Bureau Betak requested high-end catering that looked completely ‘un-catered,’” said Hermes Clausz, Love Catering’s owner and events director. Traditional vessels like skewers, spoons, and trays were replaced by ration-style packaging that would not look out of place in extreme wilderness conditions—while remaining sophisticated.

“Once the containers were picked, our chef adapted the menu to each specific container,” added Clausz, whose team made 3,000 rations that were served by waitstaff outfitted in white jumpsuits and accessorized with combat vests and bags. Eric Buterbaugh Flower Design vacuum-packed birds of paradise, vanda orchids, calla lilies, and anthurium for displays at the bars and seating areas.

Once the sun set, organizers cast a swath of purple light across the crowd to signal the start of the live performance. Orchestra members took their seats, three helicopters emerged from above as the music started, and a bevy of stuntmen dressed like Navy SEALs scaled walls and delivered a choreographed dance.

“We wanted our customers to see what we could do, and that we’re capable of bringing different fields together automatically (not just fashion and art), and showing them something different each time,” said Russo. “I wanted people to be surprised.”

Naturally, with an event of this scale, permits and authorizations presented the most tedious challenge—not to mention setbacks caused by, of all things for L.A., rain.