By: Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 05/11/24 – Listening to OUTLOUD founder and executive producer Jeff Consoletti, he talks just like a proud father.
And well he should, as he has a teenager and a toddler that are growing up fast.
OK, point, in fact, Consoletti is speaking in metaphors. The “teenager” in question is his live events and entertainment agency founded 15 years ago. It is also the agency that produces West Hollywood Pride and the signature music festival OUTLOUD.
In an exclusive sit-down with The Hollywood Times, Consoletti looked back on the early days of OUTLOUD. Founded in 2020, the festival survived COVID with a clever plan to make OUTLOUD available to as many people as possible.
Click below for our exclusive interview:
“I did create OUTLOUD in 2020 with the intent of it being a live music event, a smaller-scale live music event,” Consoletti said. “Obviously, COVID had some other plans for us that year.”
The event quickly pivoted to a web series that was on Facebook the first year. It was designed to put artists to work and entertain, particularly Pride-goers all around the country, with various artists, during the COVID year.
In 2021, as COVID began to decline and people embraced social distancing and other precautionary measures, OUTLOUD began a new partnership with streaming platform Twitch. The result was a small three-day festival held at the L.A. Coliseum.
“It was a socially distant festival that was live at the Coliseum, that had about 2,500 guests per day that came and enjoyed the show and screened to over seven million people all over the world,” Consoletti said. “That year we had Adam Lambert, Sofi Tukker, Kim Petras, Hayley Kiyoko, and 20-some other artists, most of which were LGBTQ!”
Consoletti had a grown-up vision, but what he got was more of an “infant” at the beginning.
“I remember walking into the Coliseum the first year, and thinking we were going to have 85,000 seats filled in the Coliseum in year one,” he said.
Consoletti chuckled. “Obviously we did not, nor could we with the pandemic.”
Consoletti said he often compares OUTLOUD to JJLA, in their similar growth patterns.
“When you’re building a brand, it’s a trajectory, it takes a minute.” He said of OUTLOUD’s amazing growth over the last nearly five years.
“I’ve always wanted OUTLOUD to be all grown up,” Consoletti said. “I have been fortunate to run my events business servicing clients all over the country for 15 years. And at this point, JJLA feels exactly that way, like kind of grown up.”
“It’s a teenager.”
Aside from the occasional need to “have a little attitude,” for the most part JJLA does its thing.
“People know JJLA, it’s established,” he said. “OUTLOUD, is kind of a toddler, a toddler that’s growing up fast. Just needs a lot of care.”
This year’s lineup certainly reflects JJLA’s high level of care as Kylie Minogue headlines, with Jonelle Monae, Diplo+Friends, and nearly 20 other groups performing over the festival’s two days, June 1 -2 at West Hollywood Park. For information about the festival lineup, go to www.weareoutloud.com
