Randy Mayer, Director of Concert Touring for Screenworks/NEP, died unexpectedly Aug. 2, 2022 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 48.
Born Dec. 12, 1973, Mayer grew up in Plymouth, IN, and graduated in 1992 from LaVille Jr-Sr High School in Lakeville, IN. He went on to study criminology/psychology at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1996. His college studies, diving into the study of human behavior, perhaps prepared him for his career in client relations. It would serve him well.
Becky Koester, the former general manager at High End Systems in Austin, TX, remembers how Mayer got his start in the entertainment technology industry. It was in August of 2000.
The company had set up its first mobile phone account, and Koester was dealing with various issues at the local Sprint store. “Randy was the customer service rep — he was so impressive, listened and figured out our issues,” Koester recalls. “I told him if he was ever looking for a job, come see us.”
Fast forward, Mayer came into the office. They were in need of an Inside Sales Rep, and this cellular service rep who just showed up literally answered the call. Koester asked HES VP of Business Development John Wiseman and HES sales veteran Robert Mokry to interview him for the position. “I threw him to the wolves, right?” Koester says. “Randy kept looking out the window and finally Wiseman asked him if there was something more interesting out there. Randy said, ‘Sir, I am so sorry but that’s my brand new Jeep out there. Could I please go put the soft top back on?’ He only had it for two days and one of those unusual downpours of rain came in during his interview. Wiseman got a chuckle out of that, and the fact that Randy called him sir!”
Wiseman remembers interviewing Mayer and the impression he made. “I saw that Randy was engaging, smart and had drive. And I saw his abilities. We threw him into the deep end of the pool, so to speak and I mentored him.”
Sean Hoey, who was a regional sales manager at the time, clearly remembers watching through the window as “the kid from Indiana” got out of his green Jeep and walked through the door. He stood out from that first visit. “I don’t call him a ‘kid’ in a derogatory way, but he came in as a kid, knew nothing about the business, became an Inside Sales Rep, and it was our gravy days, we were making big money and he took to it,” Hoey recalls.
In his first role as an Inside Sales Rep, Mayer took great care of dealers and end-users, learning about fixtures and parts, shipping and service for the lighting and console manufacturer. So a year later, when HES opened its new office and demo facility in Los Angeles, Wiseman put together his West Coast team, giving Mayer the green light to move in December 2001 to work with him in the Van Nuys facility.
Grif Palmer was VP of Sales for the Americas at the time. “Randy was on my team then,” he says. “When we decided to go big in Los Angeles and opened the office across from the Budweiser factory at the 405 and the 101, Randy and Wiseman really blew that part of the country up. We had a fantastic demo room and Mike Hansen was doing all of that with Reina [Evans] as the office manager. Randy was always willing to go the extra mile for his customers and made as many new industry friends as he did new accounts.”
Koester agrees, calling Mayer “a High End success story.” She recalls, “Randy was really instrumental in establishing the L.A. office with John Wiseman. Randy became the face of HES for the Western region—there wasn’t anyone he wouldn’t talk to, never afraid to knock on a door or chase down a lead. He was just the best at communicating remotely with the inside support team and treated them so well. He had a lot of energy and hustle — it was contagious.”
That contagious energy led to his promotion as West Coast Regional Sales Manager, but at times in this role his territory would expand to include Australia and New Zealand. Says Hoey, “When Randy moved into sales out in California, he took off like a rocket. He was never intimidated —even by some of the LDs who could intimidate me! There was not a door he would not open. There was not an office he wouldn’t sit down in.”
Soon Mayer’s world would open up in another expansive way when HES’s newly developed media server product, Catalyst, launched the lighting company into the video world. Mayer embraced the new market that this lighting/video product merged into, with clients now including video companies. When video manufacturer Barco bought High End Systems in June 2008, for the next two years, Mayer worked in his same lighting sales role, while becoming more attuned to video technology.
It was in 2010 when Screenworks President Danny O’Bryen decided to bring in some new talent to relate to the younger lighting designers. “I needed someone who could schmooze the new, young lighting designers,” O’Bryan recalls. He reached out to Michael Brokaw, an agent who represents some of the industry’s superstar LDs, and Mayer’s name came up. So in January 2010, working from his home in Santa Monica, CA, Mayer became a key part of Screenworks. “He was a go-getter. He worked his way up,” O’Bryen says.
Hoey, too, watched the trajectory of Mayer’s career and was impressed. “He was a frickin’ shining star when he moved into video,” Hoey says. “And he always remained humble, at least to me. He never put on airs. And I know he was doing some incredible numbers at Screenworks. He just hit it.”
Screenworks was impressed, too, and it didn’t take long for Mayer to work his way to a new title as Screenworks’ Director of Concert Touring. And in 2022, he booked more than 20 tours for the company, including Sam Hunt, Miranda Lambert, Sting, Old Dominion, and festivals such as Rolling Loud, Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), and more.
“It’s insane!” O’Bryen says, lauding Mayer’s passionate work ethic. “Randy was highly respected and at the height of his career. He was so successful at what he did because he was a people person. You’re only as good as your people, and Randy was the best. He understood our business, took care of our clients, and looked out for our people..”
But while Mayer was successful in business, many friends knew that he viewed success in terms of his family life. Everyone who knew him knew that his wife Jocelyn, and two young sons, were the light of his life. On his social media, concert shots of shows he was working on were outnumbered by images of the family skiing in Mammoth, biking, traveling, fishing, creating art, playing and loving each other. Mayer and O’Bryen also shared a passion for Liverpool FC soccer team, time which O’Bryen now looks back on fondly.
Palmer remembers when Mayer met his future wife along the way. “My favorite memory is being in Santa Monica and having Randy tell me about ‘this girl I met’ and going to dinner with him and Jocelyn at The Lobster on the pier in Santa Monica. They were crazy in love and created a beautiful family. We know not what our last day here is—so Randy’s untimely death should remind us all to savor every adventure and relationship. He was loved by many and will be deeply missed.”
O’Bryen agrees. ““He lived for his family. He was their hero. And he was so likable, a nice guy and he cared about people. He was a member of our family, too—we’re all broken up about this. The outpouring of calls, emails, and texts I’ve received from our people and our clients show me just how much he will be deeply missed.”
Screenworks has established a GoFundMe account to assist Jocelyn and the boys during this difficult time.
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service is in the planning stages, set to take place in the next few weeks. PLSN will keep readers updated.
