Les Garland
Les Garland is an American Entertainment Executive who currently leads mass media entertainment as the Founder and CEO of his company, AfterPlay Entertainment, a boutique, multi-disciplinary consulting practice that, in part, matches world famous talent with world-class brands. Garland was an executive or co-founder of networks including MTV: Music Television, VH1, The Box Television Network,[1] and College Television Networks.
Les Garland | |
|---|---|
 Garland | |
| Born | U.S. |
| Occupation | Entertainment Executive |
| Known for | MTV and Radio |
Radio
In his early days in Radio, Garland was discovered by radio giants Bill Drake and Paul Drew. From there he became the Program Director of four major market radio stations including K-100 Los Angeles, CKLW Detroit, WRKO Boston, and KFRC San Francisco, all during contemporary music's prime.
In San Francisco, KFRC took the place as the top rated radio station in Northern California and was named Radio Station of the Year. Channeling Orson Welles, Garland created a KFRC promotional spot that has since become a part of radio history and also receiving a Clio for it. The promo, titled 'Close Encounters', stunned listeners by announcing that the station would go silent in order to communicate with extraterrestrials.[2]
From KFRC, Garland was hand-picked by label founder Ahmet Ertegun and label chief Doug Morris to manage West Coast operations for Atlantic Records. At that time, Atlantic was home to Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Genesis, ABBA, Aretha Franklin, Foreigner, The Spinners, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and AC/DC.[3]
MTV years
After Atlantic Records, Garland moved back to the east coast becoming the programming head of MTV: Music Television, the world's first 24-hour music channel. While at MTV, Garland set celebrity profiles for ad guru Dale Pon's anthemic "I Want My MTV" marketing campaign. Along with founder, Robert Pittman, serving as MTV Network's Senior Executive Vice President, Garland was executive producer of the first six MTV Video Music Awards and oversaw all elements of programming. He was on the lead team that globalized the MTV brand with distribution into Europe, Asia and Australia. During his time at MTV he was asked to be the DJ voice embedded in the classic hit "We Built This City" by Starship. This impromptu stunt immortalized his voice as the things DJ dreams are made of, while Garland calls it his first number one song.[4]
After MTV / Quantum Media / The Box / Sputnik7.com
After MTV Garland and Bob Pittman co-founded Quantum Media, launching popular television shows "The Morton Downey Jr. Show", "Streets" (TV's first reality cop show), and the legendary Marvin Hagler / Sugar Ray Leonard title fight. Following Quantum Media, he returned to music and television orchestrating the national roll-out of The Box Music Network, the world's first interactive music channel. Garland played an essential role in the channel's domestic and global rollout, handling programming, promotion, sales and marketing.[5] After The Box, Garland found digital music platform sputnik7.com with Chris Blackwell.
Recent years
Today, Les Garland continues to lead mass media entertainment at the helm of his company AfterPlay Entertainment , a boutique, multi-disciplinary consulting practice that, in part, matches world famous talent with world-class brands. Internationally, AfterPlay has contributed to the development of music initiatives for Bacardi International while domestically, Garland secured The Eagles to play for a sell-out crowd at the official opening of the John Q. Hammons Arena at Missouri State University. He orchestrated a unique relationship between superstar artist Pitbull and Zumba Fitness. Garland executive produced and was the voice of the 2011 Tom Petty Tour radio, television and media commercials.
Despite his success in other arenas, music and screens remain Garland's passion. In fall of 2014, Garland co-founded and participated in the international launch of a new television programming service, called QYou, co-developed with former Senior Vice President and Executive Producer of FOX News Corporation, Scott Ehrlich, as well as longtime friend, award-winning music video producer, and former President of Lionsgate Digital, Curt Marvis.
He has appeared at college symposia including engagements at Brown University alongside Hunter S. Thompson and Walter Cronkite, and 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 & Media Conference and Austin's famed SXSW Conference. He also keynoted the ESPN Sports Radio Convention and was guest lecturer at the Electronic Arts worldwide marketing conference. Garland received the first of four invitations to appear in a unique internet lecture on the subject of "Sex, Race, and Rock in the USA" in a class taught by Professor Rebecca Sheehan at Australia's prestigious University of Sydney.[6]
Mr. Garland has appeared in numerous publications including Vanity Fair,[7] Time Magazine, GQ, People, USA Today, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Newsweek, Forbes, Washington Post [8] (May 22, 2016), Rolling Stone (May 1, 2016), Thrillist (Aug 12, 2016), and was recently featured in Billboard Magazine’s Power 100 List (Feb 18, 2017). 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.”
Les Garland still finds time for another personal passion that nearly equals his love of music: the game of golf. Garland has scored five amateur career hole-in-ones, most recent scored in Palm Springs, California. His love for the golf course has translated into his love for the community; Garland has been a guest celebrity for multiple years in the Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament in Palm Springs, the #1 golf tournament in the country that raises record-breaking funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Garland is a celebrity guest player at the Jason Day's Brighter Days Foundation tournament – founded by PGA Tour player, Jason Day, the foundation works to end child hunger in Ohio which Garland supports; He will be returning for his second year as a celebrity guest in the fall of 2019.
Garland recently appeared on Golf Channel with respected expert in the sport, Matt Ginella.[9] On the show, Garland and Matt talk about the best golf courses in the Ozarks owned by Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops and owner of Big Cedar Lodge. Additionally, and purely for the fun of it, Garland occasionally caddied on the PGA Pro circuit for PGA Pro Tommy Armour III. As a former member of the Miami Beach community, Garland helped oversee the renovation of Miami Beach's two public golf courses, the Miami Beach Golf Club and Normandy Shores, appointed by the City of Miami Beach in the early 2000s.
Awards and honors
In his early radio days, Garland was titled Program Director of the Year while at KFRC. He also received a Clio for his creation of the Promo "Close Encounters." Garlands radio career also granted him a place on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "Music Industry Heavy 100." In the 90's while Garland served as Sputnik7.com President, the channel won multiple awards, including a Webby for digital innovation. His accomplishments were acknowledged at the September 27, 2014 38th Annual Mid-America Emmy Awards[10] where he received the Governor's Award for Lifetime Achievements. This EMMY was presented to Garland by longtime friend and Eagle, Glenn Frey. Stated so eloquently in Frey's presentation speech, Frey proclaimed "He is a true pioneer, and a living legend in our business. Like the song says, to know him is to love him."