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Rock The House Acquires Zone Entertainment

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Welcome To The Family

matt raddicelli jeff dick cleveland mitzvah

Photo by Making The Moment Photography on location at MOCA Cleveland

Rock The House Entertainment Group, Inc. is pleased to announce the acquisition of Zone Entertainment, a boutique entertainment company specializing in Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and school dances.

This announcement marks a significant benchmark in the history of both companies and is consistent with the goals and trajectories of their individual growth. Rock The House and Zone Entertainment have very similar beginnings making the perfect storm for this partnership. Both companies have shown mutual respect over the years with very open dialogue.

Rock The House Entertainment Group, Inc. is the parent company that owns and operates the Rock The House, Selective Sound Entertainment, and now the Zone Entertainment brands within Northeast and Central Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.

Rock The House, an industry leading event production and entertainment company has rapidly grown since its inception in 1999. Rock The House has been recognized by the International Special Events Society, CBC Magazine, SBN Magazine, and Today’s Bride Magazine for unparalleled creativity and commitment to world-class customer service.

Founded in 2006 by Jeff Dick, Zone Entertainment has quickly become an entertainment leader in Northeast Ohio specializing in youth-based social events. Throughout the past seven years, Zone Entertainment has achieved a dedicated clientele, including many of Northeast Ohio’s largest public and private educational institutions, and exceptional growth in the areas of Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrations.

As a boutique entertainment company, Zone Entertainment has prided itself in its ability to custom tailor each event to meet their guests’ specific needs, an extensive staff training program, and groundbreaking creativity within the special-events market. None of that will change; Zone Entertainment will continue to operate as an independent brand within the Rock The House family of companies with Jeff Dick remaining as President and overseeing all day-to-day operations.

rock the house matt radicelli mitzvah

Photo by Making The Moment Photography on location at MOCA Cleveland

Rock The House will independently continue as an industry leader promoting the RTH-branded, youth-based events inclusive of educational events, Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrations, and community events. Rock The House will also further its agenda to expand operations and design efforts within the Corporate/Non-profit, Wedding, Production, Rental, Retail, and Installation divisions of Rock The House.

While both brands will operate independently within their respective locations, this acquisition will lead to higher quality and increased efficiency for clients of both brands. Through an expansion of specialty products and services, shared operational resources, and combined creative collaboration, both Rock The House and Zone Entertainment look forward to continuing to exceed clients’ expectations and bring new and reimagined special-event concepts to our region.

Matt Radicelli, Founder/Owner of Rock The House:

“While participating in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, I saw an inspiring quote: ‘Anyone that can be your competitor, can be your partner’. Over the last several years, Jeff has built a first-class company that is well respected in the event community. We look forward to fostering Zone’s continued growth. All of our clients will benefit from this acquisition… more energy, more diversity, and more creativity.”

Jeff Dick, Founder/President of Zone Entertainment:

“Both Rock The House and Zone have extremely talented professionals on each crew and bringing the teams together will create an ultimate recipe for success, innovation, and opportunity.”

“Keeping our guests’ best interests in mind, we are excited to be able to offer all of the positives this collaboration has to offer, while keeping the personal touch the brand has become known for. Zone will now be able to further expand its offerings to include RTH-exclusive products and services, provide a larger backup network if/when needed, and accelerate growth of the Zone brand and quality with the added resources Rock The House has to offer.”

For More Information:

About this executing acquisition: Call Rock The House’s Marketing Director, Nick Borelli, at 440.232.7625 or e-mail him at [email protected]

About Rock The House: visit RTHGroup.com

About Zone Entertainment: visit ZoneCleveland.com

About

Rock The House Entertainment

Founded in 1999, Rock The House is a leading entertainment and production company located in Oakwood Village, Ohio. With 120 members on the team, the Rock The House family of companies produced over 1,000 corporate, non-profit, tradeshow, social, and educational events in 2013. Rock The House is known for its principles of creativity and world-class customer service.

Zone Entertainment

Founded in 2006 by Founder/President Jeff Dick, Zone Entertainment has established itself as one of the region’s premiere entertainment and production companies. Specializing in high-end and innovative Bar/Bat Mitzvah events and school dances, Zone continues to exceed its clients’ expectations.

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Who is Rock The House?

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Answer: Creative Event Professionals

Rock The House was founded by Matt Radicelli in 1999 as a small, home-based business.  Over the years, the company has developed into a full entertainment production service catering to more than 1,000 events each year. The secret to our success has been our unparalleled creativity and commitment to world class customer service. We have been recognized with nine CBC Magazine Connector’s Choice Awards, five SBN World-Class Customer Service Awards, and six International Special Events Society (ISES) Ohio WOW Awards. These awards are important bench marks because it shows consistent recognition of our industry leading products, services, and customer service.

In 2006, the company expanded beyond its walls and moved to a new home in Oakwood Village, Ohio.  The custom-designed building houses offices, comfortable meeting areas, a demo room, an equipment warehouse, and a unique culture that stimulates creativity, close relationships, and a welcoming environment for both clients and staff. The 2011 acquisition of the wedding entertainment company, Selective Sound Entertainment, further diversified our talent pool with professionals with over twenty years of event entertainment experience.

There is always something to celebrate and our staff’s goal is to make your celebration memorable. Each member of the Rock The House team contributes his/her unique talents and personality to make up a diverse, energetic, and dynamic group. You can count on us to provide exceptional service and entertainment at every event. Find out more about what makes Rock The House special – www.RTHGroup.com

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XBOX One Launch Party – Microsoft Store

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Celebrating Gaming at Beachwood Place

Microsoft pulled all the stops on November 21, 2013 at 10:00pm EST all over the world as they released their next level of console, the Xbox One. No true product launch is complete without music, lighting, food, and energy and Cleveland was no different. The launch party in New York City featured a live performance from Macklemore; the LA party lucky attendees saw DeadMau5; and Cleveland fans at the Beachwood Place Microsoft Store were entertained by Rock The House!

Countdown to the Xbox One Launch

Hats off to the Microsoft Store because they did it right. Pizza, Pepsi products, Doritos…they know gamers! With giveaways, raffles, and game testing, these gamers got the true launch party experience. By adding “Xbox green” lighting to wash the walls and live mixing, the whole experience got elevated.

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Key to the Cure 2013

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Saks 5th Avenue & Cleveland Clinic Team Up

On October 17th, we were selected to help contribute production, a photo opportunity and entertainment for “Key to the Cure“. This fundraising event was put on by the Cleveland Clinic and Saks 5th Avenue to help raise money and awareness for women’s cancers. A cocktail reception with drinks from Society Lounge, live entertainment, a fashion show, makeovers, and exclusive swag all on one night only at the Beachwood Saks Fifth Avenue.

Here’s what Cleveland Clinic’s Laura Hoffman had to say about our contribution:

Rock the House continues to amaze me with their ideas for events I am working on with them.  RTH’s creativity, endless energy, and passion for producing outstanding events really showed through at Key to the Cure.  From the moment you pulled in and saw the large pink ribbon illuminated on the building, you knew you were stepping into a remarkable event.  Saks Fifth Ave. looked beyond amazing, the music set the vibe for the evening, and the guests loved having their picture taken at the step and repeat.  Beyond just the ideas they bring to the table, the RTH staff are always positive and never say no.  They always make it happen and make it ROCK!

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Neil Leeson & Be Seated Holiday Open House

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Starting The Holidays Off Right!

We were honored to help designer and florist, Neil Leeson celebrate the holidays with his clients and friends on November 19, 2013. His holiday open house showed visitors the latest in event design, rentals, and trends at their very spacious showroom. An event industry veteran, Neil knew just how to take care of his guests! Hors d’oeuvres, wine, signature floral mocktails, desserts and coffee made for a true holiday celebration. Neil’s Decor and Floral Retail Store also had a variety of boutique offerings that would make amazing holiday gifts (including Bacon scented Man-Candles!).

We were honored to be asked by Neil to accent his designs with lighting. Guests knew immediately they were at the right place with the red lighting accenting the building’s facade. Washing his showroom walls in light created the event atmosphere he was looking for that helped put everyone in the mood. Our wireless pin spotting lights accented the aspects of Neil’s design and Be Seated‘s rentals that he wanted to really pop. Tying everything together was new pieces of L’nique’s contemporary linens.

Working with someone like Neil is great because he knows exactly what he wants and we just make it happen. Working hand in hand with high level collaborators elevates everyone’s efforts and gives our clients the best possible experiences.

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Team Member of the Month: Steve Tanruther

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VP, CFO & MVP

rock the house

Steve is the true renaissance man within the Rock The House team! Having daily job responsibilities that range from chief advisor to founder/owner Matt Radicelli, managing the full financial state of the company, as well as being the IT guru and Technology expert. Steve also chooses to expand his role away from his desk by spending time in the warehouse, on events, and side by side mentoring staff members. He is one of the few people on this earth that that has the ability to walk his dogs and read 3 or 4 newspapers before breakfast, finish a very completed Profit / Loss Statement by lunch and then spend his afternoon 40′ in the air rigging chain motors for a large event in order to give the rest of the team a break, before a quick trip the Aikido Studio for a work out, a bite to eat at a new upcoming restaurant and then to House of Blues to rock out to a great band, and despite what Steve says about his dancing skills, anyone who has joined him for a night a Mega-80’s knows that he can bust a move with the best of them. We can’t even fit all of that in a sentence without it being a high run-on but Steve makes it all seem effortless.

October is always one of the busiest months of the year at Rock The House, and this year was busier them most. Steve made sure to embrace his role as SR VP by setting an excellent example for all staff by working hard to complete his day to day tasks and also stepping in to help all other departments. By participating in sales meetings, stopping to pick up equipment on his way from and too work, and helping to project manage events on the weekend he shows everyone that a title doesn’t exclude you from doing things outside your responsibilities. Through all this month he wasn’t just “doing” but he was stopping to teach, advise, and mentor newer staff members in the process working to build a stronger more well rounded RTH team.

We hope that staff members see what it is like to truly love what you do and to always keep your skills well honed. Steve spends most of his time in the office because that is where he is needed. Its second nature to jump in a lift to hang a lighting truss, mix a few microphones from a mixing console he has never seen, and has no problem helping with event positions that may not be the most glamorous, like running feeder, or packing a truck.

rock the house cleveland

They say an elephant doesn’t forget, well we would put any elephant up head to head against Steve in a contest of institutional memory. He has been around from day one, and had a long career in AV before Rock The House. He is the guy on the team who had been there and done and makes sure we learn from the mistakes of the past. RTH Founder/Owner Matt Radicelli met Steve when he was leading the electric slide at a Twinsburg High School Dance in the early 1990’s. After a short conversation, Matt realized that Steve was also a touring sound engineer. For a company like Rock The House that spends almost even time working on Production and Entertainment you must have a leadership team that has spend time within each department. We at RTH also pride ourselves as a technology based company, and Steve makes sure to always stay on the cutting edge of technology from custom building the RTH server to managing all of the soft and hardware for all staff members, laptops, mobile devices, and work stations.

One question we ask ourselves of those we are considering for the Team Member of the Month is: “How does this person go above and beyond for Rock The House?” COO/Creative & Talent Director, Ryan Konikoff attempts to answer this one when it comes to Steve:

“If you would ask Steve this, he would say there is no such thing as going above and beyond, when something needs to be done, someone does it. If he is there he’ll do it – that’s how we grow and get better….so maybe that answers the question.”

Congratulations, Steve! You are the team member of the month on the busiest month of our busiest year…so far!

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Best of Cleveland 2013

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Celebrating Cleveland

Cleveland Magazine‘s Best of Cleveland Party was one of our signature corporate events in 2013. There are a number of reasons why we consider this event one of our very special corporate events. One reason is that we consider Cleveland Magazine and their parent company, Great Lakes Publishing, one of best corporate clients due to the multitude of events we’ve worked on together as well as variety of services they’ve purchased from us. Another reason this event really stood out was the chance to be surrounded by the very best company’s in Cleveland. Everywhere you looked at this party you would see local brand success stories which gives you a lot of pride being counted in their number.

The biggest reason we were so excited about this event though was why we were chosen for this project. The team at Cleveland Magazine were looking for something different this year and those are circumstances where we really shine. This annual event has sold out at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for years and is one of the most talked about parties each time. A new venue was needed in order to grow attendance but it’s always hard to compete with the experience of the Rock Hall. The historic Public Hall of Downtown Cleveland was chosen for it’s size, flexibility and stage. It was our job to make this space feel like a real party while increasing guest experience. These types of “problems” are what get us up in the morning!

Speaking of the best, we were just one piece of the puzzle that made this event such a success. Event designer Joe Mineo of Something New Event Design once again transformed Public Hall. His talent for transforming the same spaces into totally different party venues is legendary. Like we mentioned, the deck was stacked in our favor on this one. Rentals from Event Source created lounge areas at the event that took advantage of the larger floor plan this year’s event had. Sherri Foxman’s Party 411 Events provided entertainment inside the VIP area that has not been seen in Cleveland and we expect nothing less from them! Another mainstay of great parties in Cleveland also knows their way around Public Hall and that’s Executive Caterers. With over 1,000 discerning guests in attendance, it was vey impressive how much food was available at all times. This truly was the Best of Cleveland!

This event not only celebrated the very best Cleveland businesses but also benefitted Breakthrough Schools of Greater Cleveland (the highest-rated network of public charter schools in Ohio). To help this cause, Rock The House managed the Text To Pledge efforts during the party. Guests were urged to donate through their smart phones through custom media we designed that was displayed on screens throughout the night. The trend of smaller donations from larger volumes of people is really changing how non-profits operate at events.

Another new feature of Best of Cleveland 2013 was our Social Media Displays. We moderated and pushed social media messages from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Vine that used the #BestOfCLE hashtag to our screens to increase engagement. Hundreds of messages were seen all over which included messages about sponsors and vendors at the party.

Besides these new offering, Rock The House provided the corporate event production services were are known for. Lighting and drapery created the boundaries of the Spa West VIP Lounge where guests could take advantage of their massages, live jazz and piano music, as well as an open bar. In addition, we provided lighting and sound for the party’s main musical entertainment from Faction,  RadioActive Band, and DJ Donkis. We also provided photo opportunities for guests on the floor of the event as well as the VIP Lounge. Cleveland Magazine is one of our best corporate customers for our Green Screen Photo Magic because they understand the impact of branding a favor that guests really love holding on to.

A variety of services, a client that let us be creative, and vendor partners that are all at the top of their fields…Cleveland Magazine understands what it takes to host an event put on by the best of Cleveland for the best of Cleveland.

public hall event production rock Cleveland Magazine Party Public Hall best of cleveland party 2013 public hall party ohio production

Sponsor:

Entertainment Sponsor:

PHOTO BOOTH SPONSOR

VIP ENTERTAINMENT SPONSOR

 

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COSE Small Business Convention Day 1

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Business Pitch Competition

Rock The House is at Kalahari Resorts for the Council of Smaller Enterprises  (COSE) Small Business Convention all week. As a Gold Sponsor, Rock The House is committed to the cause of COSE which is growing small businesses like us in our region. As the Audio/Video/Production company for the event, we are thrilled to have a client like COSE who has let us do what we do best – create lasting experiences for guests at our events.

The first day is the soft opening of the convention and centers around one of the week’s most exciting features – a business pitch competition where $40,000 in cash is given between four finalists. These finalists had to go through a few rounds to get to this live competition to see who has the best pitch and to win the grand prize of $20,000! Have you ever seen the TV Show Shark Tank? That’s the style of this competition but the drama was heightened because this was live in front of some of the best entrepreneurs in the region. The finalists shared many traits in common but the most compelling was that each of these business ideas were personal. These business owners were faced with very real problems at different points in their lives and created creative solutions with sustainable growth models. They did their homework and it was a VERY tight race.

What made this competition so prestigious was the level of judges that COSE put together. Judges included

I’m sure you are dying to hear who the finalists were and what place they came in. Well, the judges found the contest so close that they offered the finalists the opportunity to split the $40,000 evenly if they unanimously came to that consensus. They opted to go for it all and the judges verdicts came to pass.

The four finalists were:

4th Place -Deb Stanzak founder of Ron Wear, clothing with ports, made to enhance the quality of life through comfortable and dignified fashion.

3rd Place – Nichelle N. McCall founder of Bold Guidance, software that makes college applications easy for students.

2nd Place – Erika Boll founder of The Toasted Oat which is a VERY tasty gluten-free granola snack.

1st Place – Daniel Mansoor founder of GiveNext. GiveNext is an easy way for donors and nonprofits to manage charitable giving.

Rock The House is honored to have provided the sound and lighting for this really exciting competition. This is only the first day of what is shaping up to be a very exciting week at Kalahari.

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Key To The Cure

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Saks Fifth Avenue’s “Key to the Cure” kick-off party!

The “Key to the Cure” kick-off party is Thursday, October 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Saks Fifth Avenue Beachwood store. Rock The House is proud to be the production partner on this important fundraising event.

Tickets can be purchased online for $50 which includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to Cleveland Clinic and a $25 Saks gift card to be used towards a future purchase.  The kickoff party is your chance for a fabulous and fun evening out while supporting a great cause.

Enjoy complimentary makeovers, salon and spa services courtesy of Dino Palmieri Salon and Spa, Ladies and Gentleman Salon and Spa and ‘do Blow Dry Bar.  Colin Lively, celebrity hairdresser, will also be on hand to give styling tips and demonstrate fall hair trends.

The event will also feature “The Best of Cleveland” food and beverage vendors including Washington Place Bistro, Sushi Rock, Crop Bistro, La Strada, La Dolce Vita, Saffron Patch, and more!

Each guest will leave with a goodie bag filled with treats from Panera Bread, Executive Caterers, Bonbon Bakery & Treat Shop, Anna in the Raw, Saks Fifth Avenue beauty samples, and more!

Complimentary valet will be provided.

Tickets for the kickoff may be purchased online at giving.ccf.org/keytothecure for $50 ($25 is tax- deductible).

The first 200 ticket purchasers will be entered into a drawing for a beauty basket valued at over $1,000.

For more information on the event or to purchase tickets, call Hallie Bram at 216-292-5500 Ext. 202.

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Team Member of the Month: Alex Kay

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DJ & A Lot More

One of the most uniquely trained members of Rock The House is October’s Team Member of the Month – Alex Kay. Chiefly known as a DJ and yet he’s probably taken on every different entertainment position possible with RTH. His standing as a DJ is so well known because he’s furthered his career and training beyond the needs of most event disc jockeys. As a club DJ, Alex has his thumb on the pulse of the latest music almost before anyone else at the company. His suggestions for songs on playlists have become invaluable. He is the only DJ at RTH that uses Technics at signature events that require live mixing which in and of itself is really something.

cleveland lighting mgk

Alex’s career has flourished for the same reason RTH has. He’s never satisfied with where he is at and continues to learn new skills that have taken him all over the country. As a lighting designer, he works with a broad range of event types at Rock The House including weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Corporate Events, and School functions. He’s applied his craft and love of live events as the lighting designer on multiple national tours with national recording artist Machine Gun Kelly. Alex picked up invaluable experience from those tours which allowed us to pick up MGK as a client.

Alex lists one experience with his last tour as one of his favorite with Rock The House.

“I think one of my favorite RTH memories is either when Steve and Ryan (RTH CFO & COO) drove to Detroit before a MGK show to deliver a Platinum Spot lamp. After the show we had a chance to go out for dinner.”

What Rock The House means to Alex is evident in his words:

“What I enjoy most about my contribution to our clients events is creating an atmosphere thats ideal for them. Whether its draping an entire room, building a giant stage and filling it with an awesome lighting rig, or just setting up something basic for a small wedding; as long as our clients are smiling thats all that matters. Being part of RTH has meant a lot to me. I’ve learned a lot of things that have undoubtedly allowed me to further my career to lead larger events and go out on tour, and also made some good friends through working at RTH.”

Alex’s passion for pushing to get better and better is something that the whole company benefits being around. He looks at every part of our operation and is always thinking about ways we can do more for our clients. We’re lucky to have someone who lives and breathes entertainment and we’re all made better by his contributions.