By Judy Brenna, Catering & Events Director, Blue Dog Hospitality Group
That structure that juts out into the sea, paralleling Steel Pier, has changed hands over the years. First it was the “Million Dollar Pier” from 1906 to 1981, then it was refurbished into Ocean One Shopping Mall in 1983, then The Playground emerged in 2015. As we witnessed a slow yet steady mass exodus of the Playground before and during the pandemic, including some of my favorite spots, like Buddkan and One Atlantic, where you could literally stand over the Atlantic Ocean during an elegant affair and get lost in the abyss, a new company emerged, offering an immense value to the entire city: ACX1 Studios. Fun fact alert, you can still have your wedding here. This isn’t new news, I know. I’m just prepping with some background before we get into the nitty gritty. Plus, you guys know I’m a history nerd and I thrive on talking about the evolution of spaces and cities and people and such, so, bear with me, people.
More background! ACX1 Studio’s unique concept includes a mix of retail, restaurants, entertainment, and educational space, welcoming the music and film industries to the resort town. They offer film equipment rentals, crew services, sound stages, catering, and postproduction facilities; a one-stop-shop experience for all your production needs. Their mission is to help revitalize family entertainment and shopping on the Atlantic City Boardwalk while introducing new and exciting attractions, which include television and movie productions, along with social media production spaces for audio and video.
Nitty gritty alert. This week they are hosting “Distro Fest 3”, from November 8th through the 11th, promising an exhilarating celebration of creativity, music, education, and culture. This 3 day event will feature over 50 major music industry speakers, over 70 performers, a music film festival, and epic afterparties each day. Following the success of Distro Fest 1 and 2, this year’s festival will elevate the festival experience with an even more diverse lineup and a host of new activities designed to engage and inspire, including a Music Video Awards Show, honoring best music videos, music supervisors, podcasts, and social media videos to name a few.
Distro Fest was created by music industry vet, Rob Schwartz. His ultimate goal was to build a music festival where his independent distribution artists can play on a major stage with headlining artists, while also building around it to help teach artists in the music industry the potential career opportunities in the entertainment field. Rob is the Co-Owner and Chief Music Officer at ACX1, and also, the co-owner of WHO?MAG Distribution, Governor of the Philly Chapter of the Recording Academy (Grammys), member of the Guild of Music Supervisors, and an international music industry speaker. Needless to say, (in Ron Burgundy’s voice) this guy is kind of a big deal. And Atlantic City is very lucky to have him at the helm.
Distro Fest 3 will feature legendary performers like Pretty Poison, Paul Anthony (Full
Force), Tuff Crew, Mikey D, Dinco D (Leaders of the New School), Gina Thompson, and
more. It will also feature performances by social media stars like Andie Case (1.4
million YouTube subs), Andy Darling and DJ Soulchild AC (both with over 1 million
TikTok followers), and 8 yr old Zoe Erianna (over 660,000 IG followers). Other
performers include EYJAA (Iceland), Chief Reckah (Toronto), VALE!ULB ft. 3x Grammy
winning producer Deezle (Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne), AGT’s Camille K, Vaultt
Music (L. Haggood, Silence Da 5th, Coke, and Grammy nominated Fantom of the Beat), BeyonDaFence Ent. (David Benton, Shay Samuels, and DeeBeeJr.), Gran Centennial, Mill of Fire’s Fire Nation Flamez… the list goes on and on.
Now you’re probably asking yourself, “Why is this festival so important?”. “Why is she talking about this?”, “Who the heck is Deezle??”. Take a breath (in through the nose, out through the mouth, counting to 3), then try this on for size. What ACX1 Studios and Distro Fest 3 brings to this city, and this county, is simple. Expansion. For the arts, for education, and for tourism. All of this is putting Atlantic City on the map for film and music, rivaling other major cities. Yes, this town has been known for a long time for hosting great shows. I have talked in the past about growing up and coming to see major performers at an extremely young age, like Frank Sinatra, George Burns, David Copperfield, Bobby Rydell, Sammy Davis, Jr., Doug Henning, (in the voice of Yul Brenner) etcetera, etcetera, etcetera… But Atlantic City has the potential to be a major powerhouse in the US for music, now that ACX1 is here. Atlantic City was lacking one fundamental thing that ACX1 Studios now provides, a place to stay, build, create, and call home.
Now for some of you, like me, who are of a different generation, and we won’t name which one for fear of aging oneself (et hem, X), reading the names listed above and not recognizing some artists, fear not. This festival ranges in all sorts of music genres. A true to its word 3-day event packed with entertainment, panel discussions, viewings, awards, and afterparties. Distro Fest 3. I encourage you to give it a whirl. Distro Fest 3. And for the concierges reading this, I implore you to recommend this to your guests and clients. Distro Fest 3. Now… If you’re not excited by the time you’re reading this sentence, stop what you’re doing immediately and contact your primary physician.
For more information and to purchase your tickets NOW go to http://www.distrofest.com.
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