Medium Rare (production company)

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Medium Rare is an American event creation and production company. [1] [2] [3] [4] It is known for creating joint venture live events and broadcasts with celebrities including Shaquille O'Neal, [5] [6] Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce, Dave Portnoy, Guy Fieri, and Daymond John. [7] [8] [9] It is also known for working with Rob Gronkowski to produce the first NFT created by a professional athlete. [10]

Contents

History

Medium Rare was founded by Adam Richman and Joe Silberzweig in 2018. [1] [5] Prior to founding Medium Rare, Silberzweig and Richman worked for event and music festival companies such as SFX, Insomniac, Live Nation, ID&T, and Tomorrowland. [11] [12]

In 2018, Medium Rare collaborated with Shaquille O’Neal to create Shaq's festival - Shaq's Fun House, which featured carnival games, circus performers, and O’Neal performing as a celebrity DJ. The event also featured DJs such as Steve Aoki, A-Trak, Diplo, and Carnage. [13] [7] Medium Rare has produced each iteration of Shaq's Fun House from 2018 until the present. [14]

In 2019, Medium Rare collaborated with Rob Gronkowski to create his own festival - Gronk Beach The first edition took place at Super Bowl Miami in 2019.

Since 2019, Medium Rare has managed DJ Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal's DJ act), and DJ Carnage who has since rebranded as GORDO [1]

In 2020, Medium Rare produced the first Black Entrepreneurs Day in association with Daymond John. [15] The event takes place annually and has featured appearances by black entrepreneurs and celebrities such as: Kevin Hart, Venus Williams, Spike Lee, Tyra Banks, and more.

In March 2021, Medium Rare and Gronkowski released several digital trading cards, featuring Gronkowski's notable Super Bowl moments, as NFTs in 2021. [2] [16] [17] They were the first NFTs created and offered by a professional athlete. [10] Gronkowski's NFTs set records at the time, generating approximately US$2,000,000 and were showcased across major media outlets including CNBC, Forbes , and Saturday Night Live . [16] In May 2021, Medium Rare and The Golden State Warriors created the first NFT offered by a professional sports team. [18]

In 2023 Medium Rare partnered with Guy Fieri to create Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate which became the largest tailgate at the Super Bowl. The event is attended by over 20,000+. [19]

In February 2023, Medium Rare produced four events at Super Bowl weekend in Phoenix, Arizona. These events included Shaquille O'Neal's Shaq's Fun House on Friday night, Rob Gronkwoski's Gronk Beach on Saturday day, Sports Illustrated The Party on Saturday night, and Guy Fieri's Flavortown Tailgate on Sunday afternoon. Over Super Bowl weekend Medium Rare's events welcomed over 30,000 attendees and generated over $10 million in sponsorship revenue. [20] Medium Rare brought these four events back for Super Bowl 2024 in Las Vegas, NV.

On April 28, 2023, Medium Rare launched Kelce Jam in partnership with Travis Kelce. The inaugural Kelce Jam took place at the Azura Amphitheater in Kansas City on NFL Draft weekend. The event featured performers such as Machine Gun Kelly, Rick Ross, Loud Luxury, and others. The event had over 20,000 attendees. [21] The second edition of Kelce Jam took place on May 18, 2024 and featured performers such as Lil Wayne, Diplo, 2 Chainz and more. [22]

On September 23, 2023, Medium Rare launched One Bite Pizza Festival in partnership with Dave Portnoy. The first ever One Bite Pizza Fetival took place in New York, NY and featured pizzerias such as: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, Sally's, Lucali, and 30+ other notable pizzerias. One Bite Pizza Festival returned in September 2024 and sold out both afternoon & evening session. [23]

In 2024 Medium Rare partnered with B. J. Novak led concept "Chain" and brought ChainFEST to NYC & LA in Fall 2024. ChainFEST is the world's first and largest gourmet chain food festival [24]

Productions

YearTitleDescriptionRef.
2018-2024 Shaq's Fun House Annual Festival in conjunction with Shaquille O'Neal [13] [7] [6]
2020-2024 Gronk Beach Annual festival in conjunction with Rob Gronkowski. Has taken place at Super Bowl weekend and NFL Draft [25] [26]
2020-2024 Black Entrepreneurs Day Diversity and Inclusion live stream created in conjunction with Daymond John. [27] [28]
2023-2024Kelce JamAnnual festival in Kansas City created in conjunction with Travis Kelce
2023-2024Dave Portnoy's One Bite Pizza FestivalThe greatest gathering of pizzerias created in conjunction with Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports
2023-2024Guy Fieri's Flavortown TailgateAnnual festival in conjunction with Guy Fieri
2023-2024Sports Illustrated The PartyAnnual Festival in conjunction with Sports Illustrated. Has taken place at Super Bowl weekend.
2024CHAINFestThe world's first and largest gourmet chain food festival:
2020-2021 Sports Illustrated AwardsAwards show [29] [1]
2020 Shaq's Fun House vs. Gronk Beach Livestream show featuring Snoop Dogg, DaBaby, and Diplo [4]
2021Guy's Restaurant RebootLivestream show featuring José Andrés, Marcus Samuelsson, Kane Brown, and Rob Gronkowski. [9] [30] [31]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Longwell, Todd (2021-12-08). "How Medium Rare Embraced New Models to Achieve Growth, From Sports Illustrated Awards to NFTs". Variety. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  2. 1 2 "Agency Medium Rare ready to capitalize on more digital collectibles after Gronk's success". Sports Business Journal. 2021-03-19. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  3. ↑ "Hollywood's New Leaders of 2021". Variety. 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  4. 1 2 Goldsmith, Jill (2020-12-08). "Authentic Brands Acquires 20% Of Event Producer Medium Rare In Deal Brokered By Shaquille O'Neal". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  5. 1 2 Khalid, Amrita (2020-12-08). "How to Master Virtual Events, From the Founders Behind Shaq's and Daymond John's Parties". Inc.com. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  6. 1 2 Lee, Wendy (2022-02-12). "Meet the L.A. company behind Shaq's Fun House Super Bowl party". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  7. 1 2 3 Lynch, John. "Shaq on renting a baseball stadium to throw a Super Bowl party that's 'part music festival, part carnival, part circus'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  8. ↑ "Guy Fieri's Restaurant Reboot: Star-Studded June 12 Live-Stream Event To Give $300K to Restaurants". Total Food Service. 2021-06-04. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  9. 1 2 Herzog, Kenny. "Guy Fieri, Cable's Highest-Paid Chef, Hopes to Save His Industry With 'Restaurant Reboot'". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  10. 1 2 "A clear explanation of NFTs and their potential impact on sports". Los Angeles Times. 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  11. ↑ "A Job Well Done: Medium Rare's Adam Richman & Joe Silberzweig Set Stage For Boutique Crossover Events". Pollstar. 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  12. ↑ "Q&A with Medium Rare - The Producers Behind Gronk Beach and Shaq's Fun House". tixr.com. 2020-02-27. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  13. 1 2 "Basketball Legend Shaquille O'Neal Just Announced His Debut DJ Tour [VIDEO]". Your EDM. 2018-06-26. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  14. ↑ Gardner, Chris (2022-01-05). "Shaquille O'Neal on Crypto Craze and Bringing Shaq's Fun House to L.A. on Super Bowl Weekend". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  15. ↑ Grant, Shawn (2020-10-06). "Daymond John Curates 'Black Entrepreneurs Day' for October 24". The Source. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  16. 1 2 "Rob Gronkowski on selling NFTs of his best Super Bowl moments". CNBC. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  17. ↑ Young, Jabari (2021-03-09). "Rob Gronkowski will sell NFTs of his best Super Bowl moments". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  18. ↑ "Warriors first pro team to launch NFT collection". ESPN.com. 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  19. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (2023-12-12). "Pepsi Teams With Guy Fieri For Super Bowl Tailgate After Ceding Halftime Show Sponsorship". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  20. ↑ https://www.inc.com/graham-winfrey/how-this-tiny-company-is-making-millions-throwing-super-bowl-parties-for-shaq-gronk-and-guy-fieri.html
  21. ↑ "Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce brings the swag to 'Kelce Jam'". FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV. 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  22. ↑ "Kelce Jam 2024 headliners: Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and Diplo". FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. 2024-04-02. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  23. ↑ Zanger, Jesse (2024-09-14). "One Bite Pizza Festival takes over Randall's Island - CBS New York". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  24. ↑ Goldsmith, Jill (2024-05-06). "B.J. Novak-Backed ChainFest Partners With Event Producer Medium Rare". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  25. ↑ "Gronk is bringing the fiesta to Miami Beach for Super Bowl — and may even wear his thong". Miami Herald. 2019-05-19.
  26. ↑ Duran, Jose D. "America's Frat Bro, Rob Gronkowski, Will Host Gronk Beach During Super Bowl Weekend". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  27. ↑ Obialo, Shimite (2021-10-22). "Daymond John Brings Celebrity Flair to Second Annual Black Entrepreneurs Day". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  28. ↑ "Shark Tank's Daymond John Recruits Kevin Hart, Tyra Banks and More for Black Entrepreneurs Day". PEOPLE.com. 2021-09-23. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  29. ↑ West, Jenna. "Sportsperson of the Year Awards Show to Stream Dec. 19". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  30. ↑ Castrodale, Jelisa (2021-05-27). "Only Guy Fieri Could Put Together This Celebrity-Filled Tribute to Restaurants". Food & Wine. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  31. ↑ Leimkuehler, Matthew. "Old Dominion, Kane Brown bring Guy Fieri's 'Restaurant Reboot' special to Nashville". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
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