Extol Magazine Celebrating Southern Indiana is a local publication that covers stories about businesses people places or events throughout the cities of New Albany Jeffersonville Clarksville Sellersburg and Louisville KY
Issue link: https://extol.epubxp.com/i/497401
Southern Indiana residents Chris Hughes and Brent Rogers, co-owners of Sounds Unlimited Productions of Jeffersonville, "do Derby" at the star-studded Barnstable Brown Gala. The duo and their team are responsible for the production of the Derby Eve affair. produced by SUP) and said, 'I want you guys to make this room cool.'" So they did. "For us, on this side of the river, it was like, this (party) is what you see on TV and all of the craziness that you see about people gathering outside on the front lawn (to watch celebrities walk the red carpet). Tat's all we really knew about it," Hughes said. "We had such a little, bitty part, but it got us in the door." Te next year, SUP was invited back to the gala to light the poolroom again. Tis time, they brought new lights and updated technology, but this time they also helped light the main area of the event. Te band – which is made up of musicians from the Kentuckiana area who have to be ready to play just about any song a celebrity guest might want to perform – "loved it," said Hughes, "and all these top name celebrities, when they came on stage, (for the frst time), they were lit well. Instantly, we made a splash." But the party had an impact on Rogers and Hughes, too. While the raucous revelry was certainly a main focus of the gala, the purpose – the passion – was to raise money for diabetes research. "We wanted to be a bigger part of it because it had a purpose," Rogers said. "Tis was not just some big A-list party. Tis was a party that meant something." Particularly, to Tricia Barnstable Brown, whose husband Dr. David Brown was diagnosed with diabetes in 1989. He died in 2003. In the year's that followed, Tricia and her family committed themselves to raising even more money to battle the disease, which led to the creation of the Barnstable Brown Kentucky Diabetes and Obesity Center in Lexington. "We've donated $10.5 million in the last eight years to our center," said Tricia, during a recent visit to her gorgeous home on Spring Drive. About six years ago, Hughes and Rogers decided to keep their costs as low as they could to help the gala raise as much money as possible, but another company came in and promised to put on a bigger, better show. "Te bottom line is we were outsold" and weren't asked to participate in the gala, "but the Monday after Derby, we were rehired," Rogers said, with a smile. "It was a learning experience for us," said Hughes. "Here we were trying to keep it dialed back because it was a nonproft, but we learned you can take the production value up, make it a better event and it can make more money." While the other company promised to increase the production value of the Derby Eve party, "they didn't," Rogers said. "We got our hands back on it, took the production value up and they raised more money." Happy celebrities and guests equals a better gala equals more money for diabetes research. It also equates to a thrilled party host in Tricia Barnstable Brown. "Chris and Brent are efcient and fabulous. Just fabulous. Tey get it done. I have a rock solid team," she said. "I've got all the confdence (in them) in the world. If they say something is going to get done, it gets done, which is one of the most important things you can bring." A LOOK INSIDE One of the benefts of producing the exclusive event is getting up close and personal with celebrities. "Do we have stories?" Rogers laughed. "Yes," Hughes said, nodding his head. "We have stories." Kid Rock is the "most talented person I've ever been in the same room with," he added. Joey Fatone is one of the nicest. "He can sing anything. He's so amazingly talented," Rogers said. "Guy Fieri was awesome," Hughes added. So were Brooke Shields and Clay Walker, Gene Simmons, Dierks Bentley, Barry Bonds, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Johnny Gill from New Edition and the list goes on. One year, Jimmy Fallon, who was a part of the cast of "Saturday Night Live" at that time – "Tis was before he was Jimmy Fallon," Rogers said – was asked to perform on stage. Tey coordinated with the band, and soon, Fallon took the stage to sing "Roadhouse Blues" by the Doors. "Meanwhile, Brent's like, 'Did you know he could sing? Can he sing?' We had no idea," Hughes said. "So, Jimmy Fallon takes the microphone, turns away from the crowd in true Jim Morrison fashion and the band goes into what was about a 10 minute version of