VStar Entertainment Group

VStar Entertainment Group
Company typePrivate corporation
IndustryEntertainment
PredecessorsVee Corporation
Blue Star Media, LLC
FoundedMarch 14, 1980; 44 years ago (1980-03-14)
Headquarters
Minneapolis, Minnesota
,
US[1]
Number of locations
2
Key people
  • Eric Grilly (CEO)
  • Neil Goldberg
  • (Cirque Dreams president)[2]
ParentAUA Private Equity
Divisions
  • VStar Production Services
  • VStar Costumes & Creatures[1]
SubsidiariesCirque Dreams[2]
WebsiteOfficial website

VStar Entertainment Group is a family entertainment production company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It produced Sesame Street Live, a live touring stage show based on the television series. It has also produced stage shows based on The Muppet Show and Muppet Babies, PAW Patrol, Barney & Friends, Trolls, Bear in the Big Blue House, Dragon Tales, Baby Shark's Big Show!, and Curious George.

History

Vee Corporation

Vee Corporation was started on March 14, 1980[3] from an idea by founder Vincent Egan to produce a live character show just for Sesame Street. At the time, there were only three touring family shows, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and two ice shows, Ice Follies and Holiday on Ice.[4] He based it off his time working for the Ice Follies which had a segment with those Sesame Street Muppets. Egan approached Jim Henson's company and Children's Television Workshop, who were interested. He then found an investor in Gordon Stofer, whose Norwest Growth Fund took half ownership in the company for $500,000. Egan refinanced his home mortgage for $25,000 in additional funding.[1] With the funding, Vee was able to sign a licensing agreement with the Children's Television Workshop for the characters.[4]

The first Sesame Street Live show opened in September 1980 at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington, Minnesota for a five-day run. That show was successful. The following shows in five locations had lackluster attendance costing VEE the profits made in Bloomington. Egan figured that the marketing material was confusing people in those markets as what type of show was not specified. He overhauled the script and marketing while getting his creditors to wait for payments. That Christmas, the show went on to play for four weeks at Madison Square Garden's 4,000-seat Felt Forum in New York City before an audience of 100,000 people.[1]

Around 2000, Egan purchased Norwest Fund's stake in the corporation. He also formed two divisions, Vee Costumes & Creatures and Vee Production Services, to successfully diversify the company.[1]

Blue Star

Sanjay Syal started Blue Star Productions before 1995 to produce trade shows. Where Syal produced over 100 events per year, Syal then formed Blue Star Media in 2011 for the traveling exhibition, Discover the Dinosaurs, which became one of the most successful traveling family events in the country with over 120 event per year. With the success of the exhibition, Syal then proceeded to wind down Blue Star Productions as contracts expired.[5] Blue Star Media then started to look for a partner finding AUA Private Equity, who purchase a share of the company from Syal in early June 2014 via a leverage buyout.[5][6] A tented version of the Discover exhibition was launched in 2014 at two state fairs, New York State Fair, and the California State Fair, and had 14% of total yearly attendance for the exhibition.[5]

VStar Entertainment Group

On April 1, 2015, Blue Star Media, LLC under the direction of Sanjay Syal as CEO purchased VEE Corporation with Egan continuing as a consultant.[5] In 2015, VEE Corporation and Blue Star Media, a producer and promoter of consumer shows and events, became VStar Entertainment Group.[3] In August 2015, the company agreed to partner with the Pro Football Hall of Fame for a mobile tour.[7] In April 2016, Vstar hired Eric Grilly as CEO from Comcast Sports Group.[3]

In November 2016, Sesame Workshop announced an agreement with Feld Entertainment for a new Sesame Street Live show thus ending VStar's arena version in July 2017.[8] The company continues to support and produce other Sesame Street shows at various locations and the United Service Organizations tour while still providing costumes.[2]

In January 2017, Vstar acquired Cirque Productions, based in South Florida. Neil Goldberg, Cirque Productions founder and Broadway director, was retained as president of Cirque Dreams.[2]

Aftermath

On July 5, 2018, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group announced that it was acquiring VStar.[9]

On June 29, 2020, Cirque du Soleil filed for bankruptcy in Canada. Three days later, on July 1, 2020, they filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy.[10][11]

Productions


Cirque Dreams

  • Cirque Dreams Holidaze (2007–present)[2]
  • Cirque Jungle Fantasy
  • Cirque Dreams & Dinner, two Norwegian Cruise Line shows
  • Cirque Dreams Rocks
  • Cirque Dreams Unwrapped
  • Cirque Dreams Revealed

Nickelodeon

Nick Jr.

  • Nick Jr. Live! Move To The Music (2019-2022)

Others

Sports

  • "Honor the Heroes" tour (October 17, 2015-) football Hall of Fame inductees on the tour included Tim Brown, Joe Greene, Charles Haley, Randall McDaniel, Warren Moon and Fran Tarkenton. Tour consisted of four attractions: Legacy Hall, Traditions Stage, Impact Zone and Hall of Fame Locker Room, a store. The hall has holographic busts, football memorabilia and feature multimedia stores. The stage had NFL Films large-screen productions plus "chalk talk" sessions and hourly kids press conferences. The Zone is a football skill and activities test area.[7]
  • NBA Jam

Units

  • VStar Production Services: creates and manufactures exhibits, props and sets for corporate and entertainment events and museums[1]
  • VStar Costumes & Creatures: creates and manufactures costumes and puppets for special events, sports teams and other stage productions.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ A production from the Bear in the Big Blue House: Surprise Party tour was filmed at the Toronto Centre for the Arts in Toronto, Ontario in September 2002, and released on April 1, 2003, on VHS & DVD by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. One Muppet stage show was taped there from October 16–20, 2002. Neither production has been released since Disney's acquisition of The Muppets in April 2004.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h St. Anthony, Neal (December 28, 2009). "Bringing Muppets to 'Live'". Star Tribune. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Weissberg, Brad (January 9, 2017). "VStar Buys Cirque Productions". Venues Today. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d Nakashima, Rebecca (April 6, 2016). "VStar Finds New CEO". Venues Today. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d Hopps, Megan (December 6, 2016). "Dayton resident, creator of Sesame Street Live, dies at 74". Sun Press. ECM Publishers, Inc. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Deckard, Linda (April 7, 2015). "Hello Sanjay, New Owner of VEE". Venues Today. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  6. ^ "The Weekly Wrap: PPG, Southcross, Moody's". Mergers & Acquisitions, Latest News. SourceMedia. June 13, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Suttell, Scott (27 August 2015). "Pro Football Hall of Fame to launch 'Honor the Heroes' tour". Crain's Cleveland Business. Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "'Sesame Street' to Take the Stage". License! Global. UBM. November 18, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  9. ^ Deckard, Linda (July 11, 2018). "VStar Acquired By Cirque Du Soleil". VenuesNow. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  10. ^ "Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group Announces $50 Million in Funding from Existing Investors TPG, CDPQ, and Fosun". www.cirquedusoleil.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Cirque du Soleil files for Chapter 15 bankruptcy in Delaware". Bloomberg Law. July 1, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "A Guide to the VEE Corporation Archives". www.lib.utexas.edu. Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  13. ^ "BABY SHARK® TO MAKE A SPLASH IN "MUST-SEA" NEW PRODUCTION BABY SHARK'S BIG BROADWAVE TOUR! FROM NICKELODEON, THE PINKFONG COMPANY AND VSTAR ENTERTAINMENT, MAKING WAVES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA IN 2024". PR Newswire. September 27, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Churnin, Nancy (January 18, 2011). "Barney and friends celebrate his birthday with a kids' rock concert". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 23, 2017.

Read other articles:

Guadalupa

Questa voce o sezione sugli argomenti Francia e America non cita le fonti necessarie o quelle presenti sono insufficienti. Commento: Solo tre note e totale assenza di bibliografia Puoi migliorare questa voce aggiungendo citazioni da fonti attendibili secondo le linee guida sull'uso delle fonti. Segui i suggerimenti del progetto di riferimento. Guadaluparegione d'oltremaredipartimento d'oltremareRégion GuadeloupeDépartement de la Guadeloupe (dettagli) (dettagli) LocalizzazioneStato...

 

 

Burung pelatuk okinawa

Burung pelatuk okinawa Dendrocopos noguchii Status konservasiTerancam kritisIUCN22681531 TaksonomiKerajaanAnimaliaFilumChordataKelasAvesOrdoPiciformesFamiliPicidaeGenusDendrocoposSpesiesDendrocopos noguchii Tata namaSinonim taksonSapheopipo noguchiiProtonimPicus noguchii Distribusi     Wilayah persebaran EndemikPulau Okinawa lbs Burung pelatuk okinawa (Dendrocopos noguchii), (ノグチゲラcode: ja is deprecated , きーたたちゃー, Noguchigera) adalah burung pel...

 

 

Magistrat

Artikel ini sudah memiliki daftar referensi, bacaan terkait, atau pranala luar, tetapi sumbernya belum jelas karena belum menyertakan kutipan pada kalimat. Mohon tingkatkan kualitas artikel ini dengan memasukkan rujukan yang lebih mendetail bila perlu. (Pelajari cara dan kapan saatnya untuk menghapus pesan templat ini) Artikel ini perlu dikembangkan agar dapat memenuhi kriteria sebagai entri Wikipedia.Bantulah untuk mengembangkan artikel ini. Jika tidak dikembangkan, artikel ini akan dihapus....

WRFY-FM

Radio station in Reading, PennsylvaniaWRFY-FMReading, PennsylvaniaBroadcast areaBerks CountyFrequency102.5 MHz (HD Radio)BrandingY102ProgrammingLanguage(s)EnglishHD2: Spanish/EnglishFormatAdult contemporarySubchannelsHD2: Tropical music Rumba 92.3OwnershipOwneriHeartMedia, Inc.(iHM Licenses, LLC)Sister stationsWRAWHistoryFirst air dateSeptember 23, 1962Technical information[1]Licensing authorityFCCFacility ID69562ClassBERP10,000 watts (analog)400 watts (digital)[2]HAAT246 mete...

 

 

Kabab barg

Iranian grilled meat dish This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Kabab barg – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Kabāb-e Barg-e Barre (Lamb), with Jujeh Kabab (Chicken) Kabāb-e Barg (Persian: کباب برگ, Kabāb-e Bar...

 

 

Chevrolet Series AB National

Si ce bandeau n'est plus pertinent, retirez-le. Cliquez ici pour en savoir plus. Cet article ne cite pas suffisamment ses sources (juin 2022). Si vous disposez d'ouvrages ou d'articles de référence ou si vous connaissez des sites web de qualité traitant du thème abordé ici, merci de compléter l'article en donnant les références utiles à sa vérifiabilité et en les liant à la section « Notes et références ». En pratique : Quelles sources sont attendues ? Comm...

Seventeen (South Korean band)

South Korean boy band SeventeenSeventeen in June 2022L-R: Woozi, Seungkwan, Mingyu, Jeonghan, Vernon, Hoshi, The8, Dino, Joshua, DK, Jun, Wonwoo and S.CoupsBackground informationOriginSeoul, South KoreaGenres K-pop synth-pop hip hop R&B EDM Years active2015 (2015)–presentLabels Pledis Geffen[1] Universal[1] Spinoffs BSS Members S.Coups Jeonghan Joshua Jun Hoshi Wonwoo Woozi DK Mingyu The8 Seungkwan Vernon Dino WebsiteOfficial website Seventeen (Korean: 세�...

 

 

Stasiun Ōdate

Stasiun Ōdate大館駅Stasiun Ōdate pada Nov. 2023Lokasi1-3-1 Onari-chō, Ōdate-shi, Akita-ken 017-0044JepangKoordinat40°17′16.8″N 140°33′23.4″E / 40.288000°N 140.556500°E / 40.288000; 140.556500Koordinat: 40°17′16.8″N 140°33′23.4″E / 40.288000°N 140.556500°E / 40.288000; 140.556500Operator JR East JR Freight Jalur ■ Jalur Utama Ōu ■ Jalur Hanawa Letak402.9 kilometer dari FukushimaJumlah peron1 peron samping + 1 p...

 

 

Chukauni

Nepalese salad ChukauniA bowl of ChukauniTypeSaladCourseSide dishPlace of originNepalRegion or statePalpa district, GandakiCooking time 20 minutes to 30 minutesMain ingredientsPotatoes, dahi, salt and spicesIngredients generally usedOnion, chilies Chukauni (Nepali: चुकौनी) is a Nepalese side dish that originated around the Palpa district of western Nepal.[1] It is made from boiled potatoes, yogurt, onion, coriander and spices. It is a popular type of salad and ea...

Noren

Noren di pintu masuk onsen Noren (暖簾, のれんcode: ja is deprecated ) adalah tirai kain yang dipasang di pintu masuk ruangan atau bangunan di Jepang. Noren biasanya memiliki satu atau lebih belahan vertikal dari bawah hingga ke atas. Noren biasanya digantung di pintu masuk toko, rumah makan dan tempat pemandian umum (onsen dan sentō). Noren yang dipasang pada toko atau rumah makan biasanya bertuliskan nama toko atau rumah makan tersebut. Tempat pemandian umum di Jepang mudah dikenali d...

 

 

The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience

1993 compilation album by Various ArtistsThe Beavis and Butt-Head ExperienceCompilation album by Various ArtistsReleasedNovember 23, 1993Recorded1993GenreAlternative rock, hard rock, heavy metal, hip-hop, funk rock, grunge, comedyLength59:27LabelGeffenProducerVariousBeavis and Butt-Head chronology The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience(1993) Beavis and Butt-Head Do America: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack(1996) Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic[1]Calgary He...

 

 

Mathenay

Cet article est une ébauche concernant une commune du département du Jura. Vous pouvez partager vos connaissances en l’améliorant (comment ?). Le bandeau {{ébauche}} peut être enlevé et l’article évalué comme étant au stade « Bon début » quand il comporte assez de renseignements encyclopédiques concernant la commune. Si vous avez un doute, l’atelier de lecture du projet Communes de France est à votre disposition pour vous aider. Consultez également la page...

Task Force Tarawa

Insignia of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade Task Force Tarawa (TFT) was the name given to the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was a Marine Air-Ground Task Force commanded by Brigadier General Richard F. Natonski[1] that was attached to the I Marine Expeditionary Force during the course of the invasion and was most notable for its participation in the heavy fighting in the city of an-Nāṣiriyyah. During its time supporting Operation Iraqi Fr...

 

 

Myname 1st Single

Myname 1st SingleAlbum singel karya MynameDirilis1 Juni 2012 (2012-06-01)Direkam2011GenreR&BDurasi13:40BahasaKoreaLabelH2 MediaKronologi Myname Myname 1st Single(2012) Myname 2nd Single(2013) Singel dalam album Myname 1st Single Hello & GoodbyeDirilis: 1 Juni 2012 Myname 1st Single adalah album singel debut dari grup Idola Korea Myname. Album ini dirilis pada tanggal 1 Juni 2012, oleh H2 Media dan didistribusikan oleh Kakao M. Setelah perilisan singel debutnya Message pada Ok...

 

 

Grandes Chroniques de France

Medieval illustrated manuscript Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, with Chancellor Nicolas Rolin and the future Charles the Bold, accepts his copy of the Grandes Chroniques de France from Guillaume Fillastre on 1 January 1457. As often this presentation miniature is in the book itself, which is now in St Petersburg. This book contains the Burgundian version for later periods. Clovis I of the Franks, Clotilde and his sons, 14th-century The Grandes Chroniques de France is a vernacular royal com...

God the Father

Title given to God in various religions Not to be confused with Godfather. Raphael's 1518 depiction of Prophet Ezekiel's vision of God the Father in glory God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first Person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, Jesus Christ the Son, and the third person, God the Holy Spirit.[1] Since the second century, Christian creeds included affirmation of belief in...

 

 

Elias of Cortona

Elias BonusbaroBornc. 1180Bevilia near Assisi, ItalyDiedApril 22, 1253(1253-04-22) (aged 72–73)CortonaOther names Elias Bombarone Elias Cortonensis Elia Coppi Elias of Cortona Brother Elias Elias of Cortona[a] (c. 1180 – April 22, 1253) was a close associate of Saint Francis of Assisi and one of the earliest followers to join the newly founded Order of Friars Minor. A lay brother, he rose to positions of significant leadership within...

 

 

ニューディール政策

ニューディール政策英: New Deal左上: 1933年、ニューディール政策の一部であるテネシー川流域開発公社が法律に署名。右上:ニューディール政策を主導したアメリカ合衆国のフランクリン・ルーズベルト大統領。下部: ニューディール政策の一部である公共事業促進局が雇用した芸術家の1人が描いた壁画。期間1933年 - 1937年場所 アメリカ合衆国原因世界恐慌 大統領 フ�...

Pale Moon

Free and open-source web browser For other uses, see Pale Moon (disambiguation). Pale MoonPale Moon 32 running on macOS SonomaDeveloper(s)M.C. Straver[1] Moonchild Productions[2]Initial release4 October 2009; 14 years ago (2009-10-04)Stable release33.3.1[3]  / 10 September 2024; 22 days ago (10 September 2024) Repositoryhttps://repo.palemoon.org/MoonchildProductions/Pale-MoonWritten inC, C++, Cascading Style Sheets, JavaScript, XML U...

 

 

昂船洲

22°19′00″N 114°08′00″E / 22.3166667°N 114.1333333°E / 22.3166667; 114.1333333 從環球貿易廣場眺望昂船洲 從西九龍眺望昂船洲 紅色標示昂船洲在香港的位置 昂船洲（英語：Stonecutters Island[註 1]，亦有寫作Stonecutter's Island[註 2] （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆），或以粵音拼音讀作Ngong Shuen Chau[註 3]），曾稱盎船洲及向島，位於香港境內，原為九...