When COVID-19 overwhelmed the world in early 2020 and affected the future of in-person, live gatherings, LA TI DO Productions (LTD) came to a standstill like many organizations of its kind. However, LTD's co-founder Don Michael Mendoza refused to jump blindly into the virtual switch the entertainment industry was making without conducting a steady research phase first. LA TI DOnline is what resulted from his decision.
"Just because Coronavirus forced everyone to go online, it didn't mean that the welcomed assumption was that those who finally thought that this was their chance to sing their version of "Rose's Turn" from Gypsy to a forced captive audience was something people wanted to consume," Mendoza explained, "entertainment is still a business, and with the overwhelming amount of new online presentations, I wanted to make sure we made a choice that was not only financially sound, but also attractive to our audiences."
According to Mendoza, the uniqueness of LTD's productions sitting in four different cities presented the challenge of whether to curate programming separately for each market or combine them all into one, regularly scheduled online event. To him, the answer is both.
"Virtual productions and events open the door to limitless possibilities, specifically how many people can participate and where they can tune in from, given that the topic and run time are clearly defined and the technical requirements are well executed so people come back," said Mendoza.
LA TI DOnline officially launches with the company's "LA TI DO - Pittsburgh Virtual Premiere" on Monday, June 8 at 7PM via a Zoom Webinar that will simulcast to the company's Facebook and YouTube pages. The online event will feature local talent and bring in special guests from each of the company's flagship cities including Broadway's Natalie Weiss and Steven Cutts, and Joanna Chilcoat-Fellows from the musical movie cult classic CAMP that Cutts also appeared in.
The subsequent June LA TI DOnline broadcasts come from LTD's Washington, DC franchise with an Instagram LIVE concert session featuring actor Holly Kelly on June 15 at 7PM-EST, then a Zoom Webinar concert with composer Neal Learner's music, rescheduled from March, on Monday, June 22 at 7PM-EST.
"I hope this will keep our LA TI DO Family engaged all across the country for the rest of 2020 until we can come back in person for our 9th anniversary event scheduled for January 2021 in Washington, DC," said Mendoza.
June 8 - LA TI DO Pittsburgh Virtual Launch featuring local talent and special guests Broadway's Natalie Weiss and Steven Cutts, and Joanna Chilcoat-Fellows of the movie CAMP via Zoom Webinar streamed to Facebook/YouTube EVENT LINK.
June 15 - LA TI DO - DC presents The Golden Age of Pride featuring Holly Kelly via Instagram LIVE @LaTiDoDC EVENT LINK
June 22* - LA TI DO - DC presents The Music of Neal Learner with special guests via Zoom Webinar streamed to Facebook/YouTube EVENT LINK
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