Description

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Unusual brushes with celebrities like Michael Buble and Diana Krall, jungle animals on the loose, bar fights, pyrotechnics gone awry, technical glitches at award ceremonies, and a sweltering outdoor show for UN troops in war-torn Cambodia - these are a sampling of the stories that await within Stumbling Toward Applause. This inspiring book is the first to reveal real-life, backstage experiences within the relatively young industry of special events. With the consequences of human frailty and conversely human determination as the theme, it takes readers from hilarious live, onstage mishaps to the poignancy of an actor's untimely death. Under the surface lurk nuggets of wisdom and lessons about life, business, and relationships.

About the Author

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After twenty-two years in the Canadian Armed Forces serving as an aeronautical engineer, Doug Matthews began his second career in the entertainment industry when he joined Pacific Show Productions, located in Vancouver, Canada, in 1985. This company produced special events and entertainment in Canada and overseas for many diverse clients. For example, these included: original musical theater productions in Barkerville, BC; the millennium First Night celebrations in Vancouver, BC; the annual Leo Awards for BC film and television; and four entertainment show tours for the Canadian Armed Forces to the Arctic, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Cambodia, Egypt, and Israel. Pacific Show Productions was regularly nominated for special event awards both in Canada and the United States and won several under Matthews's leadership. The company was sold in 2004.