COMPANY PROFILE -

Backstage Creations is the originator of the Celebrity Gift Lounge concept, giving brands backstage access at television award shows and specials. We created the very first lounge in the 90’s and perfected this brand-building concept to its current status.A hybrid between the gift bag and the green room, corporate clients are given an exclusive opportunity to personally introduce their products and services to the Performers/Presenters in a room called "The Retreat". Celebrities visit "The Retreat" to interact with brands and learn about products featured by participating companies. This provides brands backstage access that was previously unattainable.

For many companies, these personalized experiences are more effective than placing products in gift baskets. "The Retreat" offers clients the opportunity to meet with celebrities directly, introduce their product lines, get immediate feedback and let each celebrity choose the items they desire.

Evolving into a multi service company, Backstage Creations provides numerous product placement opportunities for our clients ranging from our Retreat events to corporate gifting programs, charitable partnerships, individualized celebrity placements and more.

Our clients have included major corporations such as Blackberry, Fendi, Palm and Cold Stone Creamery as well as up-and-coming designers eager for the exclusive opportunity to personally introduce their products and services to celebrities.

Karen Wood - President/Founder

Backstage Creations was created in 2000 by Karen Wood, formerly a talent coordinator on over 50 award shows including: the Grammy, Emmy, SAG, Billboard Music and MTV Awards. She understands the needs of both her producer and celebrity clientele and blends this with her contacts in the publicity world to create the most innovative sensation to hit the award show circuit. Her vision has conceived a new way of marketing that is effective and brings consistent results at every event. By some odd twist of fate, Karen, as the biggest chocoholic of the office, has managed to attract what seems to be the most chocoholic staff in Los Angeles. Her dedication to client satisfaction has set Backstage Creations apart and maintaining the company’s reputation is her top priority. She takes workaholic to new levels, often found in the office from 7am to 9pm. She manages to squeeze in yoga and Pilates classes a couple of times a week (and lunch, if she remembers) and adores bringing yoga into our office loft (her dream office space manifested, loft and all). Despite her drive and focus on the company, every once in a while she will let her inner party girl, from the days of award shows in Europe, back out on staff outings in Miami and New York, where she lets loose after an out of town show. Her other love is travel with Larry, her understanding and tolerant boyfriend. Since the inception of Backstage Creations, they have still managed to squeeze in trips to Bali, Hungary, Belize, and Mexico for much needed and much deserved vacations.

EVENT SPECIALISTS

Kerry Dray was born and raised in Tampa, Florida but knew early on she was meant for the West Coast. While working towards her Special Events and Communications degree at Florida State University, Kerry sought out life in LA with her first internship at Backstage Creations several years ago. From there, her true passion for events has lead her to work on corporate, social, sport, non-profit, and red carpet events across the country. She loves to travel and experience new things, moving 23 times in 23 years, from Tampa to Los Angeles to San Francisco and everywhere in between. Born for the event industry and all things social, Kerry has a knack for making fast friends with our wide array of contacts. She is a big Tampa Bay sports fan (Go Bucs, Rays & Lightning!), and lover of all sports in general. She loves to throw out random facts about her life, like her Dad is a Ninja and her cat's favorite toy is a fake mustache. You can count on her to always work hard, and play harder.

Staci Oba, also a born and raised Southern California girl, is our resident fashion expert. She has a background working at fashion PR firms and with a number of Hollywood stylists. Staci spent a year and a half in New York, where she honed her skills working on events such as New York Fashion Week and working on press kits for apparel brands. Coming back to Los Angeles, she majored in Communications at the University of Santa Barbara. She is a huge fan of the LA Lakers and loves attending games at the Staples Center as well as attending concerts and music festivals. Staci’s closet is enviable, with an admitted weakness for gorgeous purses, the perfect way to top any ensemble.

Jaime Spinner is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a focus on Communication Studies and Business Marketing. She was raised in the mid-west, but she is a perfect fit in Southern California with her blonde hair and love of the beach. With past work experience at a public relations firm and a movie studio, she has an interest in talent coordination and trend spotting. She has a country music obsession, wears her cowboy boots with pride, and her favorite events are music related. Jaime has a knack for making new friends wherever she goes and is a die-hard Cubs fan and believes that one day they will actually make it to the World Series.

CHRISTINA CONSALVI – Vice President Creative Services & Talent Relations

Christina joined the Backstage Creations team in 2004 upon graduating from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School where she majored in Public Relations with a minor in Communications in the Entertainment Industry. She is a born and raised Southern California girl, and with Hollywood just around the corner, always knew she would do something with entertainment, but unlike many, was certain she wanted to be behind the scenes. She loves the creative process of formulating new ideas for clients, and making so many intricate details come together to form an event. A champion of our charity projects, she also loves creating interesting new ideas to tie our product clients and celebrity events to worthy causes in unique ways. She is a dedicated Trojan football fan, and can be found wearing some combination of cardinal and gold quite frequently. With an affinity for designer shoes, she enjoys the fact that every new event is an excuse for a new outfit. Her favorite color is glitter.

PATRICK JORDAN   Security

Patrick Jordan has been with the Backstage Creations team since 2004. He is our trusty security guard, manning the door of the Retreat at each of our events. He comes from a background of working as a bodyguard for celebrities like Xzibit and other high profile individuals ranging from diplomats to CEOs. He has also worked security on many high profile events ranging from award shows like the Screen Actors Guild and Grammys, to movie premieres and parties. He is a huge 49ers fan and also loves martial arts as well as all types of music. He loves spending time with his wife and two kids.

NANOU – Production Specialist

 Nanou (yes, it’s just Nanou. Like Madonna. Or Cher.) was born in France where she studied Beaux-Arts; she is a true artist at heart. She left France for Torino, Italy where she lived for 1 ½ years and worked as a Graphic Designer, she then, lived shortly in Morocco prior to coming to the United States. Nanou originally came to Backstage Creations in 2001 and now acts as our Production Specialist. She utilizes her expertise on the visual and technical aspects of building a “Retreat” from décor to lighting as well as acting as the resident “MacGyver,” fixing little challenges with things at hand like a hair tie and a paperclip. Traveling the world, meeting people, discovering cultures and speaking foreign languages are her strongest passions.

OUR EVENT TEAM

Backstage Creations has a dedicated support staff of individuals who work with us on site at each event. Our team does it all, top to bottom, from talent and media hosting to breaking down boxes, and all with a sparkling smile on each of their faces. Many of them have between 5 and 10 years of event experience. They love wearing matching outfits.

Boo - Office Manager

Peanut retired a couple years ago and passed the torch to Boo. Often seen lounging in the front office, Boo runs a tight ship. Make no mistake, Karen may be President, but Boo is really the one in charge here! Generally preferring to oversee duties he has delegated to others, he manages to keep things running smoothly at Backstage Creations. No nepotism here, he worked his way up the ladder with answering phones and chasing tails and has graduated to unabashedly demanding petting and afternoon walks. In order to keep his staff in line, he often uses the tactic of begging to sit on laps, just to make sure they're plugging away at their emails. He has a fondness for mid-day treats and watching Karen at the helm of the business.