Les Garland
Encyclopedia
Les Garland began his career as a radio and television personality and went on to become an influential radio programmers of the 70's, exerting even more influence on the 80's as co-founder/originator of both MTV: Music Television and VH-1. As MTV Networks Senior Executive Vice President, Garland was the executive producer of the first six MTV Video Music Award shows and the historic Live Aid
concert in 1985. Instrumental in the development of the famed “I Want My MTV” campaign, Garland also developed the weekly “Basement Tapes” show featuring unsigned artists competing for a major recording contract. He launched “MTV Spring Break,” which remains a staple of the channel today and created the first “Making Of” and “MTV World Premiere” music videos. Garland received multiple achievement awards during the MTV years, including Cable Ace Awards and Billboard Magazine’s Innovator of the Year.
Following their years together at MTV, Garland and Robert W. Pittman
co-founded Quantum Media, launching a music company and television properties such as “The Morton Downey Jr. Show” and “Streets,” television’s first reality cop show. Garland was the executive producer of the home video release of the classic bout between Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard
and produced a Pepsi
Cola radio campaign in conjunction with BBDO
in the 90’s, enlisting acts such as Naughty by Nature
, Luscious Jackson
, Notorious B.I.G., PM Dawn, Digable Planets
and The Rembrandts
to record the Pepsi Generation jingle.
From 1990-97, Garland worked on the domestic and international launch of the interactive music channel, The Box, acting as senior executive vice president. Responsible for entertainment programming, promotion, ad sales and marketing, Garland oversaw the rollout of the channel from a base of 200,000 homes at its inception to more than 30 million U.S. households and 25 million households internationally. From there he went on to found sputnik7.com with Chris Blackwell
, serving as the company’s president. The site was awarded the Invision Award of Excellence in Entertainment, a Gold Invision for Best Entertainment Streaming Media Site, the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award and was a Webby Award winner.
During the prime years of contemporary music radio Garland programmed KELI/Tulsa, WRKO/Boston
, K-100/Los Angeles and CKLW/Detroit
, the Motor City’s legendary Big 8, which could be heard in 38 U.S. states. Discovered by pop radio legends Bill Drake
and Paul Drew, Garland’s career in radio led to recognition as one of America’s top radio programming executives. He was named one of Rolling Stone
magazine’s, “Music Industry Heavy 100” and was an integral catalyst in the merging of radio's freeform FM sound with contemporary music formats, leading to consecutive Radio Station of the Year and Programmer of the Year awards at RKO Radio's KFRC
San Francisco. While at KFRC Garland won a Clio Award for an eerie promo that has become folklore in the business. Dubbed, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” noisy offices and stores became silent when the late voiceover artist Paul Frees
declared that 610 on the dial could be used as a channel for communication with extraterrestrials. Garland also recorded the DJ voice-over in the Jefferson Starship
number-one song, "We Built This City".
On the heels of his career in radio, Garland was picked by Doug Morris
and Ahmet Ertegun
to head up West Coast operations for Atlantic Records
. During the 1980s, record-setting revenues were achieved through releases from Led Zeppelin
, The Rolling Stones
, Genesis
, Abba
, Aretha Franklin
, Foreigner
, The Spinners, Phil Collins
and many other chart-topping recording artists.
Having held several executive management positions in music industry, radio, music television and new media, Garland is often sought out for speaking engagements. He has appeared at college symposia including an engagement at Brown University alongside Hunter S. Thompson
and Walter Cronkite
, has been a featured speaker at the Billboard International Music Confab, the Montreux Jazz Festival
, the Australian Radio Broadcasters, the New Music Seminar
, the International Music and Media Conference, Austin’s famed South by Southwest
Conference (SXSW) and was a keynote speaker at the ESPN Sports Radio Convention. In June 2003, Garland spoke at the Electronic Arts
worldwide marketing conference before 300 company executives from 48 states. Additionally, Garland is a founding member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
and The Academy of Digital Music Arts and Sciences.
Profiles of Garland have appeared in numerous publications including Vanity Fair
, Time
, GQ, People
, USA Today
, The New York Times
, Newsweek
and Forbes
. Television exposure has included “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” “CBS Morning News,” “Entertainment Tonight,” and even a humorous cameo with Eddie Murphy on the “Late Show with David Letterman.” Early in Garland’s radio career, he was selected as one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Heavy 100’. He has also been featured in Noah Kerner’s "Chasing Cool", Roger Enrico
’s “Cola-Wars”, Barbara and Claude Hall’s “This Business Of Radio Programming”, Bob Shannon’s “Radio Tales”, and Greg Prato's “MTV Ruled The World”.
Garland launched and co-managed Bad Boy
/Arista
pop act Dream, taking the group to double-platinum sales success and securing various endorsement deals for companies including DKNY
, AOL
and Twix
. He signed actor Sylvester Stallone
to BBDO/HBO for Clio-award winning television creative and secured Carson Daly
as celebrity endorser for the 30th birthday campaign of Mr. Coffee as a consultant to Hill and Knowlton.
An early adopter of the Internet and subject of one of its first live interactive interviews in the early 80’s on ROCKNET.com, Garland now undertakes projects in popular mass entertainment through his consulting company, AfterPlay Entertainment. AfterPlay represented the rights to represent the theatrical, television, and home video release of the film, ‘Tribute’, a rock-umentary executive produced by Steven Soderbergh
. Other clients have included Cisneros Television, DreamWorks
, MCA, AOL Latin America, Enigma Digital (acquired by Clear Channel), College Television Network (acquired by MTV Networks), the Dick Clark Company
and RMS Networks, America’s premier provider of customized in-store television networks.
With the launch of the cult favorite, The Tube Music Network, Garland explored new territory with the burgeoning distribution concept of digital multicasting, partnering with Tribune, Raycom, and Sinclair Broadcasting Groups. Those broadcast partnerships landed The Tube in 20 million cable homes.
Through his company, AfterPlay Entertainment, Garland has undertaken new business development for veteran entertainment entrepreneur Michael Cohl
and his new venture, S2BN Entertainment. Abroad, he is developing music-based initiatives with Bacardi
International. In November 2008 Garland booked and promoted the Eagles for the official opening of Missouri State University’s new John Q. Hammons Arena with a sold out performance. Garland executive produced and is the voice of the Tom Petty 2010 Tour radio and TV campaign. AfterPlay Entertainment, in association with DX Agency, guided a unique internet marketing campaign for LPGA Tour rookie Beatriz Recari that won her a spot competing in the Mojo 6 Tournament, played in Jamaica, televised on the CBS network. Les Garland is an advisor to BigStar.tv, a subscription service committed to presenting unique movies on-demand to a worldwide audience. Garland is also artist and music strategies advisor to the founders of Zumba
, the fitness program shared in over 110 countries that blends Latin and international rhythms to provide a full body workout to over 10 million people each week.
Garland's passion for music is equaled by his passion for golf. "He was into golf way before golf was cool,” said PGA Tour Pro Tommy Armour III
. Following his years at MTV, Garland briefly caddied on the PGA Pro circuit for Mr. Armour. Garland, carrying a 7.0 handicap, is former club champion at the La Gorce Country Club on Miami Beach and has been on the lucky side of four hole-in-ones in his career, the most recent being on July 25th of this year. Garland was appointed by the City of Miami Beach to the commission overseeing the renovation of Miami Beach’s only two public golf courses, the Miami Beach Golf Club and Normandy Shores. He was also an owner/founder along with Gianni Versace
, Sylvester Stallone, and Chris Blackwell in Miami Beach nightspot BARNONE.
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
concert in 1985. Instrumental in the development of the famed “I Want My MTV” campaign, Garland also developed the weekly “Basement Tapes” show featuring unsigned artists competing for a major recording contract. He launched “MTV Spring Break,” which remains a staple of the channel today and created the first “Making Of” and “MTV World Premiere” music videos. Garland received multiple achievement awards during the MTV years, including Cable Ace Awards and Billboard Magazine’s Innovator of the Year.
Following their years together at MTV, Garland and Robert W. Pittman
Robert W. Pittman
Robert Warren "Bob" Pittman , is an American businessman and the founder of MTV. On October 2, 2011, Pittman was named CEO of Clear Channel Media Holdings, Inc.. Pittman has also been the CEO of MTV Networks, AOL, Six Flags Theme Parks, Quantum Media, Century 21 Real Estate and Time Warner...
co-founded Quantum Media, launching a music company and television properties such as “The Morton Downey Jr. Show” and “Streets,” television’s first reality cop show. Garland was the executive producer of the home video release of the classic bout between Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
and produced a Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
Cola radio campaign in conjunction with BBDO
BBDO
BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York City. The agency began in 1891 with George Batten's Batten Company, and later in 1928, through a merger of BDO and Batten Co. the agency became BBDO...
in the 90’s, enlisting acts such as Naughty by Nature
Naughty by Nature
Naughty by Nature are a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop trio from East Orange, New Jersey that at the time of its formation in 1989 consisted of Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ Kay Gee...
, Luscious Jackson
Luscious Jackson
Luscious Jackson are an alternative rock group formed in 1991. The band's name was inspired by now-retired American basketball player Lucious Jackson....
, Notorious B.I.G., PM Dawn, Digable Planets
Digable Planets
Digable Planets is an American alternative hip hop trio based in New York City, composed of Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler , Mary Ann "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving . They released their debut album Reachin' in 1993, and their follow-up album Blowout Comb in 1994...
and The Rembrandts
The Rembrandts
The Rembrandts are an American pop-rock duo formed by Phil Solem and Danny Wilde in 1989. They had previously worked together as members of Great Buildings in 1981...
to record the Pepsi Generation jingle.
From 1990-97, Garland worked on the domestic and international launch of the interactive music channel, The Box, acting as senior executive vice president. Responsible for entertainment programming, promotion, ad sales and marketing, Garland oversaw the rollout of the channel from a base of 200,000 homes at its inception to more than 30 million U.S. households and 25 million households internationally. From there he went on to found sputnik7.com with Chris Blackwell
Chris Blackwell
Christopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell is a British record producer and businessman, who was the founder of Island Records, acknowledged as the most successful and groundbreaking independent record company in history. Blackwell has been a music industry mogul for over fifty years...
, serving as the company’s president. The site was awarded the Invision Award of Excellence in Entertainment, a Gold Invision for Best Entertainment Streaming Media Site, the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award and was a Webby Award winner.
During the prime years of contemporary music radio Garland programmed KELI/Tulsa, WRKO/Boston
WRKO
WRKO is a radio station based in Boston, Massachusetts, currently owned by Entercom. Its transmitter is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, next to the Burlington Mall.-1920-1940:...
, K-100/Los Angeles and CKLW/Detroit
CKLW
CKLW is a 50,000 watt AM radio station broadcasting on 800 kHz and located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and serving Windsor and Detroit. Additionally, its signal can be heard as far west as Belding, Michigan; as far east as Batavia, New York; as far south as Edgewood, Kentucky; and as far...
, the Motor City’s legendary Big 8, which could be heard in 38 U.S. states. Discovered by pop radio legends Bill Drake
Bill Drake
Bill Drake , born Philip Yarbrough, was an American radio programmer who co-developed the Boss Radio format with Gene Chenault via their company Drake-Chenault.-Early career:...
and Paul Drew, Garland’s career in radio led to recognition as one of America’s top radio programming executives. He was named one of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine’s, “Music Industry Heavy 100” and was an integral catalyst in the merging of radio's freeform FM sound with contemporary music formats, leading to consecutive Radio Station of the Year and Programmer of the Year awards at RKO Radio's KFRC
KFRC (defunct)
KFRC was a radio station in San Francisco, California in the United States, which made its first broadcast on Wednesday, September 24, 1924, from studios in the Hotel Whitcomb 1231 Market Street. KFRC originally broadcast with 50 watts on the 270 meter wavelength , then moved to 660 kHz. in...
San Francisco. While at KFRC Garland won a Clio Award for an eerie promo that has become folklore in the business. Dubbed, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” noisy offices and stores became silent when the late voiceover artist Paul Frees
Paul Frees
Paul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
declared that 610 on the dial could be used as a channel for communication with extraterrestrials. Garland also recorded the DJ voice-over in the Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The group is a spin-off from the iconic 1960s psychedelic/folk group Jefferson Airplane. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name...
number-one song, "We Built This City".
On the heels of his career in radio, Garland was picked by Doug Morris
Doug Morris
Doug Morris is an American music executive. He is the current Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment. He previously served as Chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group from 1995 to 2011.-Life and career:...
and Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
to head up West Coast operations for Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. During the 1980s, record-setting revenues were achieved through releases from Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
, Abba
Abba
ABBA is the name of a former Swedish pop music group.Abba may also refer to:* ABBA , a self-titled album by the Swedish pop music group ABBA* "Abba ", a song by Christian pop and rock artist, Rebecca St...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
, The Spinners, Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
and many other chart-topping recording artists.
Having held several executive management positions in music industry, radio, music television and new media, Garland is often sought out for speaking engagements. He has appeared at college symposia including an engagement at Brown University alongside Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
and Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
, has been a featured speaker at the Billboard International Music Confab, the Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
, the Australian Radio Broadcasters, the New Music Seminar
New Music Seminar
The New Music Seminar was a series of multi-venue music showcases held annually in New York City, in the month of June, from 1980 to 1995, then relaunched in 2009....
, the International Music and Media Conference, Austin’s famed South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
Conference (SXSW) and was a keynote speaker at the ESPN Sports Radio Convention. In June 2003, Garland spoke at the Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
worldwide marketing conference before 300 company executives from 48 states. Additionally, Garland is a founding member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
and The Academy of Digital Music Arts and Sciences.
Profiles of Garland have appeared in numerous publications including Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, GQ, People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
. Television exposure has included “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” “CBS Morning News,” “Entertainment Tonight,” and even a humorous cameo with Eddie Murphy on the “Late Show with David Letterman.” Early in Garland’s radio career, he was selected as one of Rolling Stone’s ‘Heavy 100’. He has also been featured in Noah Kerner’s "Chasing Cool", Roger Enrico
Roger Enrico
Roger Enrico is an American businessman.Enrico was educated at Babson College.He is the former Chairman/CEO of PepsiCo form 1996 to 2001, and current Chairman of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc....
’s “Cola-Wars”, Barbara and Claude Hall’s “This Business Of Radio Programming”, Bob Shannon’s “Radio Tales”, and Greg Prato's “MTV Ruled The World”.
Garland launched and co-managed Bad Boy
Bad Boy Records
Bad Boy Records is a record label founded in 1993 by producer/rapper/entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, and is distributed by Atlantic Records.-Beginnings:...
/Arista
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
pop act Dream, taking the group to double-platinum sales success and securing various endorsement deals for companies including DKNY
DKNY
DKNY is a label of fashion designer Donna Karan. It is also the name of a clothing store in New York City featuring Donna Karan's associated line.-History:...
, AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
and Twix
Twix
Twix is a chocolate bar made by Mars, Inc., consisting of a biscuit finger, topped with caramel and coated in milk chocolate. Being somewhat smaller in width than other confectionery bars, Twix bars are typically packaged in pairs...
. He signed actor Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
to BBDO/HBO for Clio-award winning television creative and secured Carson Daly
Carson Daly
Carson Jones Daly is an American television host. He is the host of NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly, a late-night talk show that began airing on January 7, 2002. Before his role as host of that program, Daly was a VJ on MTV's TRL, and a DJ for the Southern California based radio station KROQ-FM...
as celebrity endorser for the 30th birthday campaign of Mr. Coffee as a consultant to Hill and Knowlton.
An early adopter of the Internet and subject of one of its first live interactive interviews in the early 80’s on ROCKNET.com, Garland now undertakes projects in popular mass entertainment through his consulting company, AfterPlay Entertainment. AfterPlay represented the rights to represent the theatrical, television, and home video release of the film, ‘Tribute’, a rock-umentary executive produced by Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...
. Other clients have included Cisneros Television, DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
, MCA, AOL Latin America, Enigma Digital (acquired by Clear Channel), College Television Network (acquired by MTV Networks), the Dick Clark Company
Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions is an entertainment production company founded by entertainer Dick Clark...
and RMS Networks, America’s premier provider of customized in-store television networks.
With the launch of the cult favorite, The Tube Music Network, Garland explored new territory with the burgeoning distribution concept of digital multicasting, partnering with Tribune, Raycom, and Sinclair Broadcasting Groups. Those broadcast partnerships landed The Tube in 20 million cable homes.
Through his company, AfterPlay Entertainment, Garland has undertaken new business development for veteran entertainment entrepreneur Michael Cohl
Michael Cohl
Michael Cohl is a Canadian concert promoter, theatrical producer and touring impresario. He is the former Chairman of Live Nation, the largest live entertainment company in the world. Cohl now runs S2BN Entertainment, with offices in Miami and Toronto...
and his new venture, S2BN Entertainment. Abroad, he is developing music-based initiatives with Bacardi
Bacardi
Bacardi is a family-controlled spirits company, best known as a producer of rums, including Bacardi Superior and Bacardi 151. The company sells in excess of 200 million bottles per year in nearly 100 countries...
International. In November 2008 Garland booked and promoted the Eagles for the official opening of Missouri State University’s new John Q. Hammons Arena with a sold out performance. Garland executive produced and is the voice of the Tom Petty 2010 Tour radio and TV campaign. AfterPlay Entertainment, in association with DX Agency, guided a unique internet marketing campaign for LPGA Tour rookie Beatriz Recari that won her a spot competing in the Mojo 6 Tournament, played in Jamaica, televised on the CBS network. Les Garland is an advisor to BigStar.tv, a subscription service committed to presenting unique movies on-demand to a worldwide audience. Garland is also artist and music strategies advisor to the founders of Zumba
Zumba
Zumba is the largest dance fitness program in the world, based on a Latin-inspired dance fitness program created by dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez in Colombia during the 1990s....
, the fitness program shared in over 110 countries that blends Latin and international rhythms to provide a full body workout to over 10 million people each week.
Garland's passion for music is equaled by his passion for golf. "He was into golf way before golf was cool,” said PGA Tour Pro Tommy Armour III
Tommy Armour III
Thomas Dickson "Tommy" Armour III is an American professional golfer.Armour first joined the PGA Tour in 1981 at the age of 21. He has two career PGA Tour victories, winning the 1990 Phoenix Open and the 2003 Valero Texas Open...
. Following his years at MTV, Garland briefly caddied on the PGA Pro circuit for Mr. Armour. Garland, carrying a 7.0 handicap, is former club champion at the La Gorce Country Club on Miami Beach and has been on the lucky side of four hole-in-ones in his career, the most recent being on July 25th of this year. Garland was appointed by the City of Miami Beach to the commission overseeing the renovation of Miami Beach’s only two public golf courses, the Miami Beach Golf Club and Normandy Shores. He was also an owner/founder along with Gianni Versace
Gianni Versace
Gianni Versace was an Italian fashion designer and founder of Gianni Versace S.p.A., an international fashion house, which produces accessories, fragrances, makeup and home furnishings as well as clothes. He also designed costumes for the theatre and films, and was a friend of Madonna, Elton John,...
, Sylvester Stallone, and Chris Blackwell in Miami Beach nightspot BARNONE.
External links
- http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/mtv_oral_history_u4439PcfoC07uSxuokzJtJ
- http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2000/11/mtv200011?currentPage=6
- http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2000/11/mtv200011?currentPage=8
- http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20086163,00.html
- http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2003/oct/09/morgan-does-the-bullying-now/
- http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kfrc/
- http://www.reelradio.com/lg/
- http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117923646.html?categoryid=31&cs=1
- http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A82541
- http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2003/oct/09/morgan-does-the-bullying-now/
- http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/exclusive-how-michael-jackson-s-thriller-1003990525.story#/bbcom/news/exclusive-how-michael-jackson-s-thriller-1003990525.story
- http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-6-the-beat-goes-on/posts/2009-7-4-how-michael-jackson-s-thriller-changed-how-we-hear-music
- http://prince.org/msg/8/180510
- http://books.google.com/books?id=yQsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=Les+Garland&source=bl&ots=0N8k2bR_aT&sig=V1nWSDeDG3WTkfj-zsnIOHvlFSw&hl=en&ei=w6jDStn4EYitlAeYvtHdBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3#v=onepage&q=Les%20Garland&f=false
- http://publicaffairs.missouristate.edu/conference/PastConferences/2007/presenters.asp?id=70
- http://www.blender.com/guide/67173/147fame-had-its-way-with-us148.html
- http://www.thedailyswarm.com/swarm/debunking-myth-michael-jackson-broke-down-mtv-racial-barrier-and-exposing-hypocritical-media-reports-it-daily-swarm-report/
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyJ78iyo48I Huey Lewis talks about KFRC on the Bonnie Hunt Show.