The goal of the Joe Andruzzi Foundation’s annual gala is simple, raise as much money as possible to help individuals and families battling cancer. Their goal every year is to tell the stories of people who have been impacted by the foundation’s mission. We came up with the idea of turning the event into a TV show. We started by filming, editing and pre-producing several videos that would go on to be used as segments in the program. The live emcee of the event, New England Patriots announcer Bob Socci was joined on the live stage with JAF’s founders, Jen & Joe Andruzzi. 

The event’s run of show:

• 6:50pm Countdown prior to show
• 7:00pm Pre-recorded red-carpet segment featuring celebrities, athletes and more explaining what they’re wearing and why they support the foundation.
• 7:10pm Opening animation
• 7:11pm Live welcome from the stage
• 7:15pm Pre-recorded sponsor video presented by Davios.
• 7:18pm Event toast and thank you’s
• 7:23pm Pre-recorded “Game Changers” video showcasing the organization’s supporters
• 7:28pm Live ask for supporters 
• 7:30pm Pre-recorded impact story Featuring JAF patient, Julio.
• 7:35pm Live appeal for donations
• 7:40pm Pre-recorded check in with former grant recipient, Carly.
• 7:43pm Live donations and shoutouts from the audience
• 7:47pm Thank you and intro of the band
• 7:50pm Live performance by singer Louie Bello.

 As you can see, the event packed a ton of great content into less than an hour. One part you won’t see in the rundown was the interactivity that also took place throughout the course of the show. The foundation used a platform called “Give Smart” to capture donations and conversations during the stream. Each time a significant donation came in, the hosts were notified by a member of the team. The hosts would then react and thank the donor right on the spot. This made for a perfect “I see you moment” so that the viewers of the show could tell the event wasn’t pre-recorded.

Because there really wasn’t an in room audience, outside of the JAF team, we elected to focus only on the stage design vs. uplights and banners for the entire room. We had marquee lights on the stage, blue uplights on a the background and the event’s “unstoppable” logo on the screens and projector throughout the room. This made for a grand look and feel on the cameras. Lastly, to help with the transition from the main show to the musical guest we designed and assembled a second stage. We did this to allow the singer and guitarist  to get set up while the main show was still taking place. 

The entire event proved to be a success not just because the stream and show went off without a hitch but because th Andruzzi Foundation exceeded their goal. Between donations during the show, corporate sponsors for the night, and the online auction, the event was able to raise around $600,000. Not too bad for an hour long show!