Hosting in-person events is what drives Seth Dolan and Eric Faamausili of
Los Angeles’ Gladiator Productions (gladiator.productions). Given that California is still not allowing any type of gathering, no matter the size, the pair find it has been disheartening.
“We really love IRL (In Real Life) events, so not having events has made us anxious,” Dolan said, “which is why we decided to find ways to bring people together by stepping outside the box.”
In January, Gladiator Productions helped produce an interactive and in-person event for the launch of Ole Henriksen’s new Lemonade Smoothing Scrub that transformed a vintage ice cream truck into a mobile event destination experience. “It was a refreshing start to the new year,” Faamausili said.
“We made it an event, but it wasn’t an event,” Dolan joked.
Events delivered to your door
For the launch, Dolan and Faamausili retrofitted a circa 1974 ice cream truck, which then made scheduled stops to Ole Henriksen’s VIP guests’ homes where they were treated to a selection of custom cocktails, a lemon vegan sorbet, and a gift box which included Ole Henriksen lemonade drinking glasses, matching sweatshirt and sweatpants, and a full-sized bottle of Lemonade Smoothing Scrub.
“We knew we had to have fun with these ingredients,” Dolan said, “and the experience needed to embody the product. Using an ice cream truck just felt like something cheeky and fun. I mean, we basically celebrated summer in the middle of winter.”
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For Dolan, the highlight of the event was being able to see people in-person again.
“We pulled up and it was an immediate party,” he said. “You could see the joy on their faces because none of us had seen anyone in weeks. The stress of the past few months melted away.”
Keep it fresh
Given California’s strict guidelines on events, Gladiator Productions did their due diligence to ensure they were operating safely and legally.
In terms of California guidelines, since they weren’t having people gather at an event, the Ole Henriksen launch fell under delivery service guidelines, and since many of the stops would be used on social media they also fell within brand marketing and filming guidelines.
“We were able to produce something in a completely COVID-proof way,” Dolan said.
Since safety was the first priority, advance testing was completed for all crew members working the event as well as daily check-in and temperature screenings that took place every morning. During the event, social distancing was maintained and all staff wore full event-branded PPE at all times. Guests were also required to wear face masks and provided branded Lemonade Smoothing Scrub face masks. Both Dolan and Faamausili are also COVID-19 Safety Compliance Certified On-Set Coordinators and are able to quickly identify and negate any potential risks.
Since the Ole Henriksen event, Gladiator Productions has been approached by so many other people who want to produce something similar.
“This was a great jumping off point for us,” Faamausili said. “We’re always going to try and keep the fun while always breaking the mold.”
Dolan agrees. “Instead of thinking about an event you once did, do something completely new and different,” he said. “If outdoors is the best place to play, how do you make it fun, interesting and exciting? How do you bring people together in creative and unique ways?”
