14-F
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
ATTENTION: Ryan Smoot, City Manager
FROM: Elizabeth Oba, Director of Planning and Building Services Kathryn Brun, Associate Planner
SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to ratify Amendment No. 1 to Agreement File No. 774.1, between John Giries and the City of Bellflower, regarding the use of Town Center Plaza,
9847 Belmont Street, and a portion of the City-owned parking lot (APN 7109-010-914) to host a comedy event.
DATE: February 26, 2024
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This action would ratify Amendment No. 1 to Agreement File No. 774.1, which was executed by the previous City Manager, Mr. Jeff Stewart, with John Giries for the use of the City-owned properties located at Town Center Plaza, 9847 Belmont Street, and a portion of the parking lot (APN 7109-010-914) to host a comedy event. This Amendment retroactively extends the term of Agreement File No. 774.1 to allow Mr. Giries to utilize City-owned properties to host “Comedy Fest 2024,” which will be held on August 24, 2024.
The event is similar to the previous Comedy Fest event that was held on August 26, 2023.
RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL
1) Ratify Amendment No. 1 to Agreement File No. 774.1, in a form approved by the City Attorney; or
2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.
FISCAL IMPACT
The commercial hourly rental rate for the Town Center Plaza is $320 . A total of $1,920 in facility rental fees will be paid to the City (six hours for the comedy event). A security deposit of $1,000 will also be collected.
BACKGROUND
On May 22, 2023, the City Council authorized Agreement File No. 774.1 between the City and the owner of The StandUp Comedy Club, John Giries (“Applicant”), to host the first annual Comedy Fest (“Event”) on City-owned properties located at Town Center Plaza (16521 Adenmoor Avenue) and two parking lots (9847 Belmont Street and APN 7109 - 010-914). The Event was held on Saturday, August 26, 2023.
1 Staff Report – Amendment No. 1 to AFN 774.1
February 26, 2024
BACKGROUND – Continued
On December 7, 2023, the Applicant submitted plans to host the second annual Comedy Fest on Thursday, August 22, 2024, through August 25, 2024. Performances will take place on Saturday, August 24th, with Thursday, Friday and Sunday used for set up and break down of the Event stage. The City-owned parking lot at 9847 Belmont Street will be closed to the public and portable restrooms and cleaning stations will be placed on the property. Adenmoor Avenue will be closed to through traffic to accommodate the pedestrian traffic of attendees and Oak Street will be limited to residents only past the driveways to the City-owned parking lots. Seven parking spaces within the City-owned parking lot (APN 7109-010-914) will be designated as accessible parking spaces for the event.
The Applicant expressed their desire to obtain approvals for the 2024 Event in order to book performers well in advance of the Event. Given that the 2024 Event is similar to the previous event, staff prepared an Amendment to the original Agreement and the previous City Manager executed it. Amendment No. 1 would extend the term of Agreement File No. 774.1 to include the dates for the 2024 Event. Otherwise, the terms of the Agreement are identical.
Additional information about the Comedy Fest Event is provided in Attachment B.
It is recommended that the City Council ratify Amendment No. 1 to Agreement File No. 774.1. The fully executed Amendment is provided in Attachment A.
ATTACHMENTS:
A. Fully Executed Amendment No. 1 to Agreement File No. 774.1...... ........................... 3 B. Fully Executed Agreement File No. 774.1…………………………………………………9 C. Documents submitted by the Applicant ..................................................................... 19
2 3
GIRIES,
5 6
7 8
9 10
11 12
13 14
15 16
17 18
Saturday, Aug. 24 2024
hi
Benefits
for the
City
•The 2nd annual ComedyfestLA will be
bigger and better! We plan on bringing in
more nationally recognized talent to
activate people to buy tickets in advance.
•Bringing entertainment to the city
helps attract more patrons to the
downtown.
20 Testimonials
from 1st Annual
Jeff Smith (Bellflower Chamber)
“What a great event!”
Aida Rodriguez (Comedian)
“Amazing experience and fun time”
Antonio Saba (Patron)
“Great food and comedy”
Richard Martinez (Patron)
“A lot of fun, thank you.”
Cynthia Cortez (Patron)
“Thank you for bringing this
to Bellflower”
Photo taken at first
annual comedyfest LA
21 When the gate opens at 4:00 there will be a DJ playing music and people can walk around to see merch
Vendors and get food, drinks and early seating.
The green room next to the
stage will be a 10’ x 10’
canopy with walls
The existing ramp near the stage will
be available for any ADA performer
VIP Tables and chairs
General Admission Seating
8’ blackout barrier fencing
Trash areas
LED Display
Power cables
2nd AnnualComedy Fest Schematic
• 700 - 900 seats
• Overnight securit y
• Canine Team at entrance
• Walk-through metal detec tor
• 2 full bars
• Merch vendors
• Catering Trucks will be parked on Adenmoore St.
• Green room next to stage for performers to get ready • DJ with lighting
• On-site team for trash
Hours: Gate opens at 4:00pm
Show star ts at 7:00pm
Ends at 10:00pm
GreenRoom
VideoCamera
ee
STAGE (existing)
Po
The portable LED will be displayed on the side of the stage and will be on a trailer with wheels.
The LED will be renting from a licensed company and will have the proper certifications and will adhere to LA county regulations.
LED Portable display
vo
Port-a -potty,
Cleaning Stations
And Trash bin
Our plan is to have multiple port-a-potties on the
Adenmoor Ave corner lot with full service hand
washing stations.Also a 40 yard bin would be
placed on the south corner of Adenmoor.
We will have ADA compliant available as well.
25 2nd Annual Bellflower Comedy Fest
With the success of the first annual festival we wanted to increase seating up to 900,we realized the venue is capable of 200 +more extra seats.
Food trucks vs Food Vendors:We realized that the food trucks attracted more customers than regular food canopies located on-site and are easier to dispatch after the festival.The food trucks also created less waste and presented us with zero setup and tear down unlike food vendors.With the food trucks located on the side street and parling lot,this will capture more valuable space for additional seating and more ticket sales.
Valuable guest feed back let us know that the ticket price was befitting of a customized cocktail bar vs. canned cocktails. (Explain the spirits and cocktails you will serve, beer, wine, water, etc.)
Changing the location of the stage: This will help in lowering production costs Our plan is to use the LED screen for sponsor logos, announcements, and the live performances to be Displayed on the side of the stage.
26 9
Catering Trucks
Our plan is to have catering trucks on
each side of the festival to offer people
different food options and gives the
patrons choices and spreads out the
people so it is not one sided and can
cause long lines.
27 We will be promoting
on all marketing
materials and on the
landing page where
people should park at
either the Mayne
Street Public parking
garage or the Public
Library parking and
walk to the Plaza
entrance.
Parking
hc
Power Generators
We will have power generators properly grounded according to the code enforcement to provide power to vendors and other kiosks.
29 12
EMT
We will have a trained and certified
EMT
at the event during the duration in case
of any emergency.
https://crowdrx.org
30 Our plan is to have multiple trash sites throughout
the site to make sure there are enough areas to
through away trash.We will hire a service to remove
bags when full and replace with empty ones.
Trash bins will be provided by CR&R
21”x 21”x 31”(40 gallon bag liner)
A temporary 40 yard bin will be dropped off on the
day of the event and picked up after the event.
40 yard bin -$76.per ton
Trash Sites & Bins
yk
Security
Our plan is to have a licensed and trained
security company provide plain clothed and
uniformed officers with a dog team to
patrol the perimeter and a walk-through
metal detector.Security inside and around
the event with radio communication and
The Stand Up Comedy Club interior will
serve as the base for operations.
JR Investigative & Security Services, Inc.
255 W. Foothill Blvd., Suite 205
Upland CA 91786
877-738-5774
[email protected]
PI 26713 PPO 120152 TFF1637 TFB1387
Security Officers Training Facility
Explosive Detection K9 Services
32 Over 30 Years
of Experience
We are licensed and insured private investigators trained in dealing with homicide, arson, burglary and other high-profile offenses.Our security officers are state licensed and trained to handle all security needs. Most of our officers are current or retired police officers or former military. We continue to train throughout the year in new and advanced security tactics as well as diversity and sensitivity training for all situations. We incorporate current state of the art methods and technologies. We stay up to date on the most current professional standards and laws that impact the profession and our clients.
John Ricotta, CEO, of JR Investigative & Security Services, started in law enforcement in 1983, joining the New York State Department of Correctional Service. In 1987 he joined a municipal police department, becoming the first juvenile officer with the department.
He trained under state, local and federal authorities. Ricotta has extensive training in child law, corporate investigations and criminal defense. In 2008, Ricotta relocated to Upland, California and formed JR Investigative Services, a private investigation firm which expanded to JR Investigative & Security Services in 2017. He provides consulting services as well as security analysis and staffing, protecting both property and people.
33 34
Egress Plan
Emergency break
away EXITS
Fire Extiguishers
First Aid
For emergencies call 911
35 Liability Insurance
Coverage
Will be updated for 2024 event
g6
Liquor Liability
Will be updated for 2024 event
g7
We will have foldable chairs for people
to sit on and have a designated area
for wheelchairs /assisted scooters.
Like last time they will be zipped tied
together in accordance with LA county
regulations.
Chair Rental / ADA
gm
21 Fencing the Event
We will have 8’black out fencing around the
venue to keep all patrons inside and provide a
safe environment for the event.There will
be a designated entrance and exit.
The fencing will be removed after the event.
39 Full Bar
We plan on having two full modular bars that will provide alcoholic beverages to patrons, one on each side of the venue, see schematic.
Projected pricing:
Beer $10 / Wine $10 / Cocktails $16
40 CorporateSponsorships $2,500 $5,000 $10,000 $15,000
Basic Gold Premier Elite
4 pack of tickets to the event
Logo displayed on social media
Brand announced by Emcee
Table for 6 in VIP area
Brand to be displayed on all barricades
Brand will be displayed on LED panel either video commercial or static image during preshow Brand will be on all wristbands, 6 monthsof ad play in comedy club, extra VIP table 41 Tiffany Haddish
(Waiting on
Confirmation)
Headliners The line-up for the event will feature headlining comedians that perform nationally and internationally and are regionally recognized.More acts will be confirmed
Whitney Cummings
(Waiting on
Confirmation)
Russell Peters
(Waiting on
Confirmation)
Ken Flores
(Waiting on
Confirmation)42
Willie Barcena
TBD
Feature Acts
Concrete
(Confirmed)
Musical Act
TBD
43 Event
Setup
SET-UP
SCHEDULE
4pM
8AM
7PM
8PM
9PM
10PM
11PM
12AM
1AM
2AM
Entry Permitted
Festival Starts
Clean-up and
Disassembly
EVENT
SCHEDULE
3AM
4:00PM
Festival Ends
2 Days
Aug. 22-23
Aug 24
2024 Break Down
Schedule
Aug 25
2024
4pM
8AM
Event
Breakdown
5pM
44 Mockup Landing Page
www.comedyfestla.com
Domain www.comedyfestla.com has been purchased by us. 45 Support For All
Platforms
IPAD
Android & Apple
Laptop
46 Comedy Fest Ticket Prices
(Suggested)
TICKET TIERS
VIP (closer to stage)$130
General Admission $75
47 Management Team
48 A seasoned executive in areas of security, talent touring, event scheduling, bookings and overall event development.
Currently the road manager for celebrity comedians Tiffany Haddish and Whitney Cummings. Kyle’s expert knowledge is vital in the successful execution of the event.
Kyle Williams – Co Executive Producer
gm
John has been involved with branding and large scale operations for over 27 years, 20 years in publishing and hospitality. He also is the CEO of The Stand Up Comedy Club and has proven experience with strategy, planning and brand partnerships. He has worked with A list celebrity comedians such as Tiffany Haddish, Anthony Jeselnik, Rob Schneider, Brad Garrett, Craig Robinson, Sebastian Maniscalco among others.
His long term goal is to bring an annual festival to Bellflower and create an entertainment destination in the city.
John Giries– Co Executive Producer
hf
Liz O’Neil has been consulting on this project to ensure all guidelines, protocols and possible conflicts are reviewed prior to submitting for approvals.
Elizabeth O’Neil - Consultant
51 3
4 Any Questions?
Contact John Giries
Cell: 562-508-2441
Email: [email protected]
52