Matthew started in the music industry while a student at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, sitting on the Robert Ferst Student Center's Programming Board's Concert Committee. While at Georgia Tech, Matthew helped bring Matthew Sweet, Josh Joplin Band and They Might Be Giants to the campus. He also produced and promoted a "Swing Night" at Georgia Tech's Under the Couch venue. Matthew then got a job as a production runner and assistant with Universal Concerts at their Lakewood Amphitheater venue (now Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater) before they merged into House of Blues Concerts. While with Universal Concerts, he worked on over 40 concerts, including Dave Matthews Band, Fleetwood Mac, the Who, Lilith Fair, Alabama and DMX and was promoted to operations manager's assistant. Matthew also worked for TBA Entertainment's inaugural Hard Rock Rockfest at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

But Matthew left the concert industry to pursue a career in the legal/financial field, as he was unsure of where the concert industry would ever take him in the future. Setting himself up for law school, Matthew took a paralegal position with a prestigious international corporate law firm in New York City, Dontzin Law Firm. It was while Matthew was at Dontzin in early 2000 when he struck up the idea for Green Room Productions, awakening the original passion he had for the concert industry.

After more than a year of research, Green Room Productions, a full-service, talent buying and production agency for the collegiate and corporate marketplaces, was launched in April 2001.

"Whether your needs are concerts, lecture speakers, sports personalities or comedy, Green Room Productions can aid in every step of the process of planning and producing a live performance," says Matthew. "It's also an online marketplace for collegiate institutions and a management firm for emerging artists wanting to break through to a wider audience. "The philosophy behind the management of artists is centered on the collegiate marketplace being a venue for artists to develop their craft and stay true to their music. We currently represent, not exclusive yet, Greenhouse and the Bocks. Greenhouse is a jazz-funk fusion band. The Bocks are a pop-punk band. Both bands are local to Boston.

In addition, in a partnership with CLICK! Visuals, Matthew conceptually designed the innovative tools and research aspects of his brainchild - the Green Room Planner, an online portal where useful and innovative tools are available for student programmers, their advisors, and everyone on campus who is involved in the planning and production of live entertainment. In the course of one weekend, Matthew taught himself the necessary computer programming to launch Green Room Productions' first website.

"Once the user logs into the Green Room Planner," Matthew explains, "the user's calendar is linked to their online databases on the availability and pricing of talent and other pieces of information needed for the research into planning an event. The Green Room Planner stores on the calendar all relevant information about scheduled events on college campuses. It also offers its users additional planning and production functions including information on organizing staff, setting up account settlement information, storage and compliance of rider details and many other capabilities.

"This online application will streamline the processes involved in the planning and production of the events," he continues, "and will offer its users the functionality needed to make their job easier, cost effective and more efficient in the management of the production."

How have the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 affected your business?

As a result of the tragic events on Sept. 11, students, like everyone else in America, are having a hard time moving forward. There are at least four schools (Duke University, Elon College, University of Kansas and East Carolina College) we were working with planning their fall entertainment that decided to hold off for the fall and concentrate on doing a larger show in the spring. Other schools have pushed back their available dates until later in the semester. Schools are also more focused on the security aspects of concerts and large gatherings.

Being a start-up, what is the college market like for bookings?

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't difficult. In particular, there are two competitors that have distinct and established histories in this part of the industry, and it's hard to compete with that type of track record. When you're new, you just have to get your name out there and prove yourself with every show you initially get from schools. You also have to make yourself different from everyone else out there. With the Green Room Planner, and the fact that the employees of Green Room Productions come from a collegiate and production background, not an agency background, we can make ourselves stand out in the market and show there is a new, viable choice for collegiate bookings. We also hope to gain the reputation of being able to produce and promote charity concerts within the collegiate market. We truly consider ourselves the Jerry Maguires of the collegiate concert industry.

First industry job

I started my concert committee programming work at Georgia Tech in the spring of 1997. Three months later, I got the job with Universal Concerts at Lakewood Amphitheater when the production manager, Robert "Dallas" Easterly, gave me my first true break in this business, and I have never forgotten it (or forgiven it, depending on your view).

Career highlight

So far, helping out Mix 98.5's Live and United celebrity auction benefiting the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. I donated a still from the Dave Matthews Band's appearance on "Saturday Night Live" back in 1995. It was autographed by Dave Matthews. The autographed piece brought almost $500. It was nice to do something for the cause. Also, organizing and promoting the "Swing Night" at Georgia Tech was a highlight, as it gave me great experience doing a little of everything. The third best highlight was while I was working in the production trailer for the Hard Rock Rockfest. I got a call from my roommate telling me that I was graduating from Georgia Tech with honors. Rockfest production manager Kenny Deranleau was there to congratulate me.

Career disappointment

We had begun working with the Harvard College Concert Commission in trying to organize a benefit concert to be held at their 30,000+ capacity Harvard Stadium. We were hoping to attract big names and raise awareness for Drop the Debt and environmental causes. We had worked over two months with the student leaders and developed proposals for the Administration and Athletic Department's approval. We had even reached out to artists who the Harvard College Concert Commission had wanted to appear. Although it has not been fully disapproved, the idea has been put on the back burner as the Administration and Athletic Department have decided to not pursue this event for various reasons. If this event can be organized, I think it would be the best and biggest concert the collegiate market will ever see.

Best business decision

There's a tie here--getting back into the concert industry after a brief, soul-searching break from it and going into business for myself. Also innovating the Green Room Planner and deciding to build and roll out now was a good business decision.

Best business advice to share

Do what you love. Have no fear. FDR had it right. There is nothing to fear, even in business, but fear itself. "Balls to the walls," as my business partner, Dylan Jones, would say.

Worst business decision

Not accepting who I was and what I had a passion to do in the professional world. This translated into taking a break from the concert industry for a couple of years pursuing a legal/financial career.

Favorite industry memory/event

While working for Universal Concerts, I met some of the best people in the industry, one of which is working with me now, Tricia Becker, and others being Robert "Dallas" Easterly, Clay Schell, Paul Graham, and Kenny Deranleau. Being asked to work the Hard Rock Rockfest was the pinnacle of my pre-Green Room Productions concert career.

Industry trends you foresee

Although the collegiate booking marketplace has no true assets to sell or merge, I think all collegiate middle agencies will merge into one agency out of the need to consolidate and give colleges a consistent and reliable choice for their entertainment needs. This will grow out of the Internet. I have high hopes for the Green Room Planner, because there is an ever increasing need to have useful organization tools and a consolidation of research information. By offering a system like the Green Room Planner, student activities offices can drastically reduce the time and effort they go through to produce events, increase their knowledge base for research, and book the event itself all online.

Office paraphernalia

One of the best pieces of paraphernalia I had in my office was what I donated to Mix 98.5. I have my favorite picture of my wife and I, my computer, my bass guitar and amp, a replica of a 16th Century king sword hanging on a wall, NACA membership and convention information thrown all around. And oh yeah, I can't forget my stereo and 400 CDs.

What people who know you would be surprised to learn about you

I was an avid ice hockey player until nerve damage in my left wrist sidelined me. I used to be a goaltender. I have a great love for law, politics and social causes. While working for Dontzin in New York City, I helped get Senator John McCain on the Republican primary ballot by doing online petitions, even though I'm a registered Democrat. People also ask why I'm in Boston if I'm from Atlanta. My wife, Keren, is from a town near Boston, and I love the city. Boston has such great flavor.

Industry pet peeve

No question -- schools who pit middle agents against each other. There have been schools that we had talked with doing business for a couple of months turn around and use another middle agent who they have also been talking with doing business. Sometimes, the "other" middle agent is someone they have used for years. I can fully respect wanting to keep a long lasting relationship with a particular agent, but I wish schools would be more above board about any previous relationships with agents. If I have no chance, let me know. In all fairness, there have been schools who were upfront about not "switching" middle agents, and I have appreciated that honesty.

Matthew can be reached at 617-739-0297; e-mail: mcohen@greenroomproductions.net

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