Kollaboration Staffers take 5 in Sunny Palms Springs

It takes a lot of hard work from a lot of hard working people to put on shows like Kollaboration and Kollaboration Acoustic each and every year. That’s why the dedicated staff of Kollaboration LA took advantage of the precious few weeks of downtime between the wrap of Kollaboration Acoustic 5 and the gearing up for Kollaboration 11 (11/5/2011 @ the Nokia Theatre) and headed east to the desert oasis of Palm Springs for a weekend of relaxation, bonding, and good food.

The retreat house itself was a site to behold, located in southern Palm Springs right off the Indian Canyon Golf Resort, and fully loaded with modern amenities such as automatic blinds, flat screen TVs in every room, and an amazing sound system wired to play music around the entire house (including the patio and pool decks).

The garage even came stocked with a pool table, a ping-pong table, a whole fleet of bicycles, and even a combination Galaga/Ms. Pac-Man arcade cabinet.

Of course, being a Palm Springs vacation home, the house also featured a private pool and hot tub for all to enjoy. It was a perfect environment for a great summer retreat.

Finally, in what has become a treasured tradition, it wouldn’t be a Kollaboration retreat if there weren’t some amazing food.

In his second year with the organization, Kollaboration staffer and professional chef, Mr. Seong Hwang, successfully transformed the Kollaboration staff from an experienced talent show production team into an efficient kitchen brigade as he directed teams of staff members in the preparation and execution of his culinary vision.

The results were nothing short of amazing with spreads featuring dishes such as fusilli pasta bolognese with garlic string beans, pulled pork sandwiches two ways (traditional and Korean influenced), stuffed turkey meatloaf, and even jalapeno cornbread.

Many staffers agreed that the food alone was worth the trip. Feel like you missed out? Never fear, the next staff retreat is just around the corner. And if this recap has gotten you interested in joining the Kollaboration staff, keep an eye on this website for information on our next staff meeting.

Special thanks to Willy Lam, Christine Kim, Roy Choi, and of course Chef Seong, for their hard work in the planning and execution of this retreat.

What’s step one for putting on one of the biggest showcases in Asian American talent in the nation? Find the talent of course, and that’s just what the hardworking staff of Kollaboration did this past Sunday at the live auditions for Kollaboration Acoustic 5 (to be held Friday June 17, 2011 @ the Ford Amphitheater – tickets on sale soon!). It was a long and busy day, made even longer by the loss of an hour thanks to daylight saving time, but the staff powered through, and thanks to veteran leadership (and a few angry stares) was able to stay on schedule and get things done.

Over forty artists came to the CGV Cinemas in K-Town to perform live in front of a panel of judges for the chance to be a part of the Kollaboration movement and share their talents to the world. Combined with the number of video submissions we received, this was officially the biggest audition for Kollaboration Acoustic to date! Unfortunately, as the new PR & Marketing manager, I conducted the post-audition interviews and I did not get to hear any of the live auditions (which was kind of a bummer). From all accounts though, the talent was impressive and the auditions were a great success. The staff is now faced with the mammoth task of deciding which artists will make the cut and be offered a spot on the lineup for Kollaboration Acoustic 5.

No matter what happens, I’d like to give a big thank you to all of the artists who came in or submitted video auditions for our show. We wish you luck on all of your future endeavors!

Stay tuned for the official lineup announcement coming soon!