There on a Warner Bros. back lot were 675 guests, mostly celebrities, roaming among 10-foot elephant topiaries, a 100-foot Ferris wheel, a carousel, a custom-built house of mirrors, bumper cars, and poker tables. New York Street was the site of Ellen DeGeneres' 50th birthday party in May. Pink was the headline entertainer of this carnival-and-casino-themed bash that ended with fireworks, the last one exploding in the words, "Happy Birthday Ellen."
This is just one of the 300 spectacular events that Hillary Harris, the visionary at the helm of Warner Bros. Special Events, plans every year. Not only were there buffet stations throughout the back lot, but hands-on activities as well.
"The more technologically-advanced we get with our BlackBerrys, cell phones, e-mail, the more important it becomes that we give people a sensory experience. I call it party ADD. Gone are the days when you just have lovely food, drinks, and some background music. Gone are the 50-foot buffet tables. Today, it's about having food that is fresh, organic, and healthy, and that is presented in a hip manner. You do three or four things in one buffet, then three or four things in another, and so on. The event has to stimulate all five senses. Attendees do not want to observe entertainment, they want to participate in it," explains Harris. "The ADD event experience these days is not about sitting at a round table in a traditional chair and staying there all night. I can't remember the last event I did that had place cards. It's all about standing up and interacting with each other."
Her team services not only Time Warner and Warner Bros., but also an impressive list of corporate clients that runs the alphabet, from Bank of America to Yale University, with names like Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Nestle, and Wells Fargo in between. Among the nonprofits making use of her expertise are the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the National Kidney Foundation, and the Los Angeles Ballet.
Harris is well qualified to do the job. In the 1980s, she was co-owner and operator of Mixed Grille Productions, a special-event production company servicing the building and development, medical, and entertainment industries. Harris did work for Warner Bros. Studios, becoming its outside event producer and caterer in 1988.
Five years later, she was asked by Warner Bros. management to develop an in-house special events department to meet the needs of the studio. Her success at producing Hollywood premieres, lavish cast parties, themed corporate events and product launches, and dazzling charity fundraisers for Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, HBO, DC Comics, Cartoon Network, and others led studio management to ask her to open the doors of the special events department to outside corporate business.
All-Star Productions
There are more than 72 different Warner Bros. departments Harris works with, from lighting to scenic arts to set construction, special effects, a prop house, and wardrobe. "The exciting part is that the same people who worked on films like 'Ocean's Thirteen' and 'Batman' may be working on your event," explains Harris.
Being part of an entertainment conglomerate like Warner Bros. means Harris can offer her clients cutting-edge technology. She was incorporating green screens into her events before most even knew what they were. (Green screen technology allows for various backgrounds to be inserted behind a subject.) In this case, technicians combine computer generation and green screen technology, and guests become characters in Warner Bros. films and have a DVD waiting for them at the end of the evening.
Harris began her events career as co-owner and operator of Orange County-based catering company, Cuisine/Cuisine. "I was raised in a fine-arts family in Newport Beach. My mom is a choreographer who arranged creative programs for Olympic skaters. Although my dad was the CEO of his own insurance agency, he was so passionate about cooking and wine. They instilled in me a love of food and entertainment. I was catering small dinners, but what I wanted to do were events where there were casts of thousands," she says. And she has succeeded.
Roughly 1,700 guests were in attendance at the launch party she produced for The CW Television Network on the studio's New York Street. It was a very green party in hue, matching The CW's green logo. A 150-foot-long green carpet took guests to the street that had been transformed with activities promoting all 19 shows on the network. Again, interactivity was key, says Harris. Buffet stations relevant to each show were set up along the street.
Guests got manicures and pedicures in a "Girlfriends"-inspired beauty boutique, played games at the "Everybody Hates Chris" arcade, satisfied their caffeine fixes and indulged in mini doughnuts, the scent of which permeated the entire party space at the "Gilmore Girls" diner, and checked out an "America's Next Top Model" photo gallery. For the party's climax, a giant railroad switch was pulled by the famed Blue Man Group to "turn on" the network, and more than 90 personalities from The CW's shows gathered on the main stage. White upholstered lounge furniture created seating and conversation areasa trend that started in the world of celebrity events that has become popular at corporate gatherings as well.
Inspiration Is Everywhere
Not surprisingly, Harris' personal events are spectacular as well. This past February, she threw herself a Moroccan-themed birthday party. "I've been really fascinated with all the colors inspired by this part of the world. The reds, ochers, saffrons, yellows, fuchsias. I have this really long glass table that I designed in my dining room, and on it I created a tablecloth two inches thick made of fresh flower petals that I arranged in a Moroccan pattern using the different colors," she says.
Naturally, she planned games that she and her 10 friends played around the table between courses. She found small old-fashioned Valentine's Day cards in Paris to the Moon, a Costa Mesa, CA, shop with an eclectic array of merchandise. On the back of each, she wrote things like, "Share the experience of your very first kiss," "Share what your dream vacation would entail," "Who is the film star you would like to have a romantic interlude with?"
Everyone who shared got a recently released Warner Bros. DVD as a prize. "Every year I plan my birthday party to be themed around another country. We've 'gone' to Greece, Italy, France, and China. I plan to go around the world," she laughs.
Where does she get inspiration for all the events she plans? Everywhere. "I'll go to a mall to see the new color palettes that are being shown. I look at furniture, dance, theater, fashion. I draw inspiration from everything in life. All you need is one good idea that can grow into a really extraordinary event."
ELLEN DEGENERES' 50TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
Attendance: 675
Celeb attendees: Portia de Rossi (who DeGeneres married in August), host Ryan Seacrest, Gwen Stefani and husband Gavin Rossdale, Janet Jackson, the Jonas Brothers, Tobey Maguire, David and Courteney Cox Arquette, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, were among the high-profile guests.
Decor: All of the lounge furniture was French inspired with textiles in black, white, and red. The main bar, a 360-degree structure more than 20 feet high and 30 feet in length, was designed to look like a circus carousel and three black and white striped canopies with hanging chandeliers housed carnival games. More than 60 custom neon pieces were situated on the three story buildings throughout New York Streeteven spelling out Ellen's name in block letters.
Menu: There were Chinese, comfort food, and vegan offerings; Pinkberry set up a store; Sushi Roku provided sushi selections; and Fry Girl handed out mini bags of fresh doughnuts to departing guests.
THE CW TELEVISION NETWORK LAUNCH
Attendance: Approximately 1,700
Entertainment: Customized t-shirt stamping lounge, "Beauty and the Geek"-Meter, "Pussycat Dolls" Tattoo Club, "The Game" pool tables, "Girlfriends" manicure and pedicure stations, "Gilmore Girls" walk up diner, and a Blue Man Group skit to "turn on" the network.
Decor: A 20-by-20 foot sculpted CW light box and white leather lounge furniture with green silk accent pillows. Specialty "Smallville" bar, 20 feet high by 30 feet long, designed as a glowing Kryptonite structure. Lit stand-up tables with white suede bar stools and lighting showcasing the CW logo.
Staff: Female staff in black cocktail dresses with CW green wigs were a hit.
WARNER BROS. SPECIAL EVENTS, STARRING HILLARY HARRIS
Years in the Planning Business: 25
Her Event Philosophy: More is better; too much is never enough.
Biggest Planning Success: An event planned in conjunction with the Democratic National Convention in 2000; it was the first time Al Gore, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, and Joe Lieberman, the vice presidential nominee, and their families all stood together on stage.
Originally published Oct. 1, 2008
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