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Live Events Industry On “Red Alert” – Will Light Up Red Sept. 1

OMAHA – On September 1, arts venues across the U.S. will turn their buildings a vibrant, red hue to help push Congress to pass the Restart Act as part of the #RedAlertRESTART campaign.
Sponsored by the #WeMakeEvents coalition, the #RedAlertRESTART campaign seeks to bring awareness to the Live Events Industry that has been shuttered Since March 2020, putting approximately 12 million Americans out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bill Kirby, pictured with his wife, Lauren.

Bill Kirby, Resident Creative and Technical Director at Bluebarn Theatre in Omaha, highlighted some of the statistics that show how hard the economy has been hit by the collapse of the arts sector. “These 12 million people in the live events industry add around a trillion dollars of income to the national GDP each year. That is bigger than the transportation and auto industry.”
Kirby says he hopes this event will bring national attention to the issue so more people can help implore Congress to pass the Restart Act (S.3814) for businesses as quickly as possible and for the continuation and extension of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) for relief to those without work due to COVID-19.
In Nebraska alone, roughly 30 arts venues will light up in support of the movement on September 1, between 9 pm and midnight. The Bob Kerrey Bridge in Omaha will light up on August 31 to start off the week of events.
When asked what this movement meant to him, Kirby said, “It’s making sure that we can extend these unemployment benefits and hopefully get some health benefits for those out of work because it’s a horrible time to not have healthcare. What it also means is that if we can take care of our people now, it will be much easier to come back when it is safe to do so. These are incredibly talented people in the entertainment industry, but we need to take care of them now so they are able to stay in this industry.”

In a news release, Brad Nelms, the director of #WeMake Events North America, said, “The entire live events industry is on the brink of collapse. Without financial relief, many businesses stand to permanently close, and families risk bankruptcy and homelessness.” He continued, “We want to take this opportunity to show the world the scale of what it takes to make live entertainment events happen and demonstrate how much this crisis has affected our community. This is a human issue, not a political issue, and it requires immediate action. While we realize there are a lot of issues going on right now, and other organizations will be staging events on other dates, we feel very strongly we must act now to save our industry.”
Kirby said he encourages Nebraskans to drive around Sept. 1 in Omaha, take pictures of the buildings, post selfies, and use the hashtags #WeMakeEvents, #RedAlertRestart, #ExtendPUA, and #WeMakeEventsOmaha when posting on social media.
“I really just hope people can get out and support our industry. We’re the people behind the scenes. When we are doing our jobs well, you don’t see us, but now we NEED you to see us,” said Kirby.
Kirby said there are lots of other ways to get involved as well.

  • Light up your own home or small business. Whether it’s a single red bulb or an entire house of LED lamps, you can show support right in your own neighborhood. You can sign up here to be credited in the official participants’ list: https://bit.ly/3jxXTAN
  • Turn your profile picture red. Do you have a favorite image from either working or attending an event? Tint it red to show your support: https://bit.ly/3ba6OW0
  • Write your congressional representatives and let them know you support live events professionals. You can find an easy to use form at https://wemakeevents.org to contact your representatives.

For more information, visit the WeMakeEvents website or visit the #WeMakeEvents – Omaha Metro Facebook Page. 

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