If there's one thing I know, it's celebrities.
I don't say that in a self aggrandizing, douchebag way...I say that as someone who's worked intimately helping film industry and seeing how things work behind the scenes for years.
I'm fortunate enough to provide support services for alot of films that come into town during TIFF and have been doing so for the past 5 years.
I've literally worked on hundreds of films and dealt personally with dozens of celebrities during one of the most important times of the year for the film industry. I see what it takes to make things happen and I know what goes on behind the scenes.
And the one consistent thing I can tell you is the larger the celebrity the more they become like an "industry" on their own. This is the case for people like Will Smith (who's brother in law I became really good friends with) and people like Rihanna.
When I saw that the owners of EFS had booked her brother, it was obvious to me (and everyone else) what the end goal was: Book him & hopefully RiRi would show since she was in town for her #ANTIWorldTour concert at the ACC.
A couple other places booked her DJ, her ex-lover Travis Scott's DJ and one place even booked Travis Scott himself. I knew that despite all of that "competition", we had the best shot of having RiRi show up because it's her brother.
The reason I ran so hard with this promo despite not having any guarantees was: I know celebs. The bigger they are, the more they rely on their inner circle for support. And the more they rely on that inner circle, the more loyal they are...ESPECIALLY when it's family. No matter how big the celeb gets, their family tends to still treat them like the same people they knew.
This is Rihanna's "best friend, partner in crime" and younger brother. She ain't gonna miss his party to go see a dude she used to bang or listen to DJs spin that she has on her concert. And even if she did, odds were VERY high that she'd still come through.
Despite not having any guarantees, the owners at EFS took a big risk booking her brother, Rorrey (who was AMAZING himself, very friendly and taking pics with everyone)
And despite the crowd thinning out early (I get it, it's a Wednesday)...the bad gyal herself made an appearance and stayed with us for about an hour.
This is what Toronto needs more of, owners willing to take risks to have big moments. I'm proud to have been part of it. In the immortal words of the A-Team
"I love it when a plan comes together." lol.
KB