Florida based TSC Productions founder and owner, Brendon “Grimey” Grimes passed away on March 15, 2024 at the age of 56 surrounded by his family after a brave fight with cancer.
Born August 24, 1967, Grimes grew up in Chicago and after finishing his schooling, joined the United States Air Force at the age of 19. During the following 20 years of military service, he fine-tuned both his commitment to teamwork and the sharing of knowledge which would serve him well throughout the whole of his career. He was stationed in Europe and received a posting to RAF Lakenheath, situated Northeast of Cambridge in the UK.
When not on duty he worked as a DJ on the base and was also given the enviable task of running the lights that were installed in the social hall. In the beginning of 1997, he put in a call for a service visit from a Martin UK technician and Chris Hale (now with Chauvet UK) was the one to respond. Hale remembers how Grimes was watching every step he made and would not stop asking questions as he was so desperate to learn more about the fixtures and master their operation. This pleased Hale no end, and a friendship was born that would last for decades. Hale and Grimes visited each other from that point on and Grimes would always be armed with American treats – including Hale’s favorite Bud Light – from the NAAFI that you couldn’t buy in the UK.
It was later that year that Hale enlisted Grimes’s help with building the Martin PLASA stand. As a leading manufacturer, Martin were building impressive trade show stands with a team led on the ground by Max Johnson who also became lifelong friends with Grimes. Using his military vacation time, Grimes would travel to London for the PLASA show or Las Vegas for the LDI show helping to create the displays and learning more about lighting and the technology being used, falling more and more in love with the entertainment industry on each occasion.
As his military career continued, he was transferred to Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle where he worked on many campaigns and projects – with one of the more unusual being given a speaking part alongside Pierce Brosnan in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies in a scene where he jumps out of a transporter plane (Brosnan, not Brendon).
However, Johnson also remembers Grimes displaying his true depth of character during the PLASA show of 2001, where the tragic events of September 11th unfolded. Grimes knew right away that things would be changing for him and his ‘lighting gig’ would need to be paused. Whilst loading the containers to send everything to the LDI show, he mentioned to Johnson that he may not make it to that particular show – and then he couldn’t be reached for several months as duty to his country was calling.
Whilst many of his achievements in uniform were kept secret, Grimes was proud and shared tales when he could. In his role as a Loadmaster with the C-130 Hercules planes, he was called upon to design the rigging system required for the operation and deployment of the MOAB weapon that had been developed at that time. A system that is still in active use today.
Fellow veteran and former Martin colleague, Jamey Brock, had known Grimes for more than 25 years and spent many an hour discussing entertainment technology and sharing stories with a definite emphasis on motorbikes. After riding to Hurlburt Field to attend his Air Force retirement ceremony, Brock remarked on the camaraderie and respect that Grimes had earned with everyone right up to the Generals of the unit who were present at the ceremony.
After finishing his military career, Grimes established TSC Productions in Fort Walton Beach, FL something that he had long had his mind set on. TSC is a full service live event production company that serves the panhandle region and beyond with an ethos centered around knowledge, commitment, passion and perhaps a little extra love for any fellow Harley Davidson riders.
In his spare time, Grimes enjoyed going out boating, travelling and riding his Harley with his wife and Frodo, his dog. He was also a sponsor of both the Sinfonia Gulf Coast and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
The one thing that everyone remembers with fondness after meeting Grimes was his love of sharing his experiences and telling stories. He was avid, animated, and passionate. He was always engaged with you, and he will be dearly missed by all those who came to know him.
Grimes is survived by his wife, Nettie Grimes, his parents Jacquie and Ron Grimes, brother Devin Grimes, sisters Jennie Grimes and Heather Hill, his nieces Raven and Dakota and three bonus children, Sean, Sydney, and Aubrey.
A celebration of life will be held from 1pm to 7pm on April 13th, 2024, at VFW Fort Walton Beach, 213 Carol Ave NW, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548 with a small ceremony at 2pm. It will be an open mic event and anyone attending will be welcome and encouraged to say a few words about Brendon Grimes and how their lives intertwined.
