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Partners Robert
Badgley (left) and Brian Diamond have worked on
events for Ocean Pacific and Pepsi, among other
clients.
Photo: Zen Sekizawa for BizBash
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For an Ocean Pacific
campaign launch in Hollywood, the Visionary
Group integrated the clothing company's brand
into the event space.
Photo: Aussie
Guevara
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Opposites
Attract: Robert Badgley and Brian
Diamond say they first discovered they made a
good team while working in the event marketing
division of Bolthouse
Productions. Badgley focused on
production-related responsibilities, and Diamond
handled sales and client relationship
management. “I like getting my hands dirty and
doing the design or actual production behind an
event,” Badgley says. “The partnership’s a good
fit, because Brian’s much more of a people
person than I am, and he’s very good at dealing
with clients, whereas I just like to be behind
the scenes.” Together, they designed and
executed events for T-Mobile, Victoria’s Secret,
and HBO, but when Bolthouse merged with
entertainment group SBE in late 2005, the two
decided it was time for a change. “Things became
a little more corporate, whereas we liked the
boutique-ish company we’d worked for before,”
Diamond says. Each took on freelance event work,
naturally calling upon one another to
collaborate on projects. “At one point, we
thought maybe we should just form an L.L.C. and
try doing this ourselves,” Diamond says. Last
January, they launched Visionary
Group, a full-service event production firm.
Message Makers: “We try to
think of cool and interesting ways to convey our
client’s message or brand, so that the consumer
or guest is really emotionally, physically, or
intellectually experiencing the product,”
Diamond says. “We really showcase the product
within our events, almost glorifying it in a
way, versus just having a model walk around with
it.” For an Ocean Pacific campaign launch last
June at a private Hollywood Hills home, the duo
integrated the clothing company’s brand into the
event space by embedding LCD monitors
broadcasting the brand’s promotional videos into
a skate ramp. For a joint Pepsi and Auto Club
Speedway event last August, they created more
experiential tie-ins, bringing in a
tire-changing simulator, and designing a
tunneled entrance lined with videos of racing
cars. “Brian and Rob set themselves apart by
truly becoming an extension of our team,
collaborating to create a powerful five-star
Hollywood event without losing sight of
budget-consciousness,” says Auto Club president
Gillian Zucker.
Looking Ahead:
“When you throw a party, people go,
have a drink, and then forget they were there,”
Diamond says. “We’d rather create a little more
longevity and an overall experience so that our
clients get more bang for their buck.” Plans are
also in the works to take over a hotel for a
weekend during next year’s Coachella Valley
Music and Arts Festival, where the pair will
offer select sponsors the chance to integrate
products everywhere from the lobby to guest
rooms. —Rosalba Curiel
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