In April 2007 Nashville music industry veteran, Danny Petraitis returned to High Five Entertainment where he played an integral role in the presentation of groundbreaking music television events in the early nineties (“The Women of Country” CBS, “This Is Garth Brooks Too” NBC, “At The Ryman” CMT & “The Road” Tribune Entertainment).
Petraitis has more than thirty years experience in the entertainment industry. He began presenting concert events along the Jersey Shore in the mid-seventies. After earning his degree in Arts Management, Theatre & Business in 1979, Danny spent the eighties writing, developing, producing and performing inter-active, creative drama presentations for children by day, while recording and performing with his original rock & soul ensemble by night.
Petraitis relocated to Nashville in 1989 and was at the center of the country music boom in 1990 as Director of PLA Media whose client roster included Brooks & Dunn, Diamond Rio, Lorrie Morgan, Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks and High Five Entertainment among others. In 1992 he left PLA Media as HFE moved their offices from Los Angeles to Nashville and named him Vice President of Artist & Media Relations.
Daniel has made his mark in Music City for nearly two decades as a respected entertainment executive enjoying the privilege of working directly with many of the industry’s most talented production professionals and hundreds of recording artists representing an eclectic range of musical genres from Country, Blues & Bluegrass to Gospel, Rock & Soul. However, Petraitis cites Dylan (16), Carson (13), Sadie (11) and Jed (7) as his greatest creative achievements. 
Today Daniel serves as HFE Production & Creative Development Executive lending his considerable production experience, creative talents and artist relations expertise to the High Five team while developing strategic partnerships with songwriters, artists, managers, agents, producers and record labels to explore collaborative creative opportunities.
Petraitis most recently produced a multi-camera video shoot capturing the legendary Levon Helm’s “Ramble At The Ryman” on September 17th. Danny was also a Producer and provided original theme music for “Into The Circle” the new “Grand Ole Opry” series airing Saturday evenings on Great American Country. Danny’s just completed a pilot for a reality series w/ Manuel the iconic American designer entitled “House of Manuel” and is also developing a multi-media “Tailgate Concert Series” for fans of music & sports. Petraitis is currently in pre-production for the 2008 ASCAP Awards Show (October 13th), an annual event he’s produced & directed for the past seven years.
Petraitis feels extremely blessed to be so busy doing do what he loves for a living. “My hearts’ desire has always been to entertain, enlighten & inspire. I sincerely appreciate the wonderful creative opportunities I’ve enjoyed and hope I’ve honored them in some way. Honestly, it’s a privilege just to get the chance”.
500 Church Street / Suite 600 Nashville, Tennessee 37219 / T: 615. 230. 1360
DanielPetraitis@HFETV.Net

 

Q: What got you into the music business?
A: It was the music… always was… it still is. I recall as a young boy on the Jersey Shore, I was at the Annual Sunken City Folk Festival with my family & friends (The summer of ’67) where I encountered the Reverend Dan Smith. It was such a powerful sight and sound. I was mesmerized. There onstage was this beautiful old black gentleman with a smokin’ band and soulful choir behind him. The man was just beaming with conviction and singing his heart out, when all of a sudden he reaches into his suit pocket…pulls out a blues harp….and changes my life forever. That’s when I first began to understand music’s transcendent power to entertain, enlighten and inspire. Reverend Smith may have been blind, but he helped me begin to see much more clearly.
That experience more than forty years ago continues to have a profound effect on the way I approach this delicate dance between art & commerce called “Show Biz”. A picture of Reverend Dan playing to a bunch of captivated kids sits on my desk at High five Entertainment.

 

Q: Briefly discuss your career path to your present position in the film/video production industry.
A: After my epiphany w/ the Reverend I consumed roots music voraciously. I picked up a blues harp that summer and rarely put it down. In ’75 “I pulled into Nazareth”, formed “The Crazy Chester Band” and played throughout High School and College. In ’79 I graduated from the University of Tampa with a degree in Arts Management & Theatre w/ a Minor in Business. I spent the eighties writing, developing, producing and performing inter-active, creative drama presentations for children by day, while recording and performing with “The Soul Purpose Band” by night (I had a record deal w/ CBS for about fifteen minutes in ’85).
I relocated to Nashville in ‘89 and was fortunate to be at the center of the country music boom in 1990 as Director of PLA Media (Thanks Pam). Our client roster included Brooks & Dunn, Diamond Rio, Lorrie Morgan, Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks and High Five Entertainment among others. In ‘92 I left PLA Media as HFE moved their offices from Los Angeles to Nashville and named me Vice President of Artist & Media Relations.
After leaving HFE in ’95, I briefly partnered in Artist Management w/ my Brother Roger at Murrah-Petraitis Entertainment and then went on to present private events w/ my friend Gary Musick. Among many wonderful creative experiences, we produced intimate performances w/ Bill Cosby, an Arturo Sandoval concert in Vina Del Mar, Chile and a documentary w/ the Russian National Ice in the historic city of St. Petersburg. It’s not been dull.
In April 2007, I was working as V.P. of Creative Development at FAME Records in Muscle Shoals, Alabama w/ legendary record producer Rick Hall and his son Rodney when HFE President and longtime friend, Martin Fischer invited me to return. It’s so great to back at High Five. I feel like I’ve come full circle personally and professionally.
As far as following a “career path”, my 89 year old mother heard me talking on the phone recently and must’ve recognized some of the names mentioned in connection w/ a show I was producing. When I finished the call, she looked at me earnestly and inquired sincerely “Dan, what exactly is it that you do in the entertainment industry?” I just laughed and replied “Whatever it takes Mom…whatever it takes.”

 

Q: What are your main responsibilities at HFE?
A: My main responsibility as a development executive is to explore opportunities within (and outside) the entertainment industry to keep the our award-winning team of production professionals busy producing television series, specials, pilots, live events, award shows, DVD’s and other profitable endeavors. Fortunately for me, our creative approach at HFE (Martin in particular) is extremely collaborative. So I also get to write, produce, direct and even play some blues harp every once in a while. 

 

Q: Discuss some of the present challenges in your position at HFE.
A: One of the greatest challenges in my position is managing my passion, prioritizing and being patient. I’m extremely enthusiastic about creative endeavors and feel blessed to love what I do for a living. I’m actually enjoying my work now more than ever. However, regardless of how strongly I may feel about a particular project, some people just don’t “get it” and that can be very frustrating. Also, with more than thirty-five viable projects currently on our HFE Development slate, it’s crucial for us to prioritize and focus our creative energy and resources where they’ll be most effective. And finally, patience; More often than not, the shows we care most about are the ones that seem to take the longest to make happen.  A dear old friend of mine once told me that “God don’t always come when we want Him to, but He’s always right on time!”

 

Q: What do you consider your most significant accomplishments at HFE to date?
A: In addition to enjoying the privilege of working directly with many of the industry’s most talented production professionals and hundreds of talented artists throughout the years, I am very proud of and extremely enthused about recently reconnecting our company w/ Levon Helm and the Dirt Farmer family in Woodstock.
Levon & I enjoyed a wonderful working relationship together on “The Road” in the early nineties when Levon along w/ Mary Chapin Carpenter, was the “Voice of The Road”. HFE filmed The Band in concert w/ Levon, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and the rest of the guys. “The Road” was a groundbreaking music television show featuring a wonderfully eclectic collection of talented artisans from Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and Mark O’Connor to Bela Fleck, Shawn Colin and James Taylor.  
However, Levon’s “Ramble at The Ryman” we just shot on September 17th was equally inspiring and creatively satisfying. The incredible collection of creative souls like Larry Campbell in the current Levon Helm Band along w/ guest appearances by Sheryl Crow, Alison Krauss, Robert Plant, Buddy Miller, Billy Bob Thornton, Delbert McClinton and John Hiatt, made this event an historical evening of music at The Mother Church that none of us fortunate enough to be there will soon forget.

 

Q: What productions at HFE are currently being developed under your leadership?
A: Martin Fischer and I are currently editing performance and documentary footage from “The Ramble At The Ryman” (A labor of love). We’re working closely w/ Team Levon as well as our friend and associate Jed Hilly (Americana Music Association) to explore the many exciting creative and professional opportunities presented by our collaborative relationship w/ Levon’s Manager Barbara O’Brien and Dirt Farmer Music.
We’ve just wrapped a pilot for a reality series w/ Manuel the iconic American designer entitled “House of Manuel”. We plan to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Muscle Shoals Sound (At the Crossroads of Country, Rock & Soul) in 2009 along w/ a 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Bob Dylan classic w/ “Nashville Skyline Revisited”. We’re very close to securing a presenting sponsor for the “Tailgate Concert Series”, a multi-media online entertainment alternative for fans of music & sports that presents some very exciting long term opportunities for us.
Of course there are a few very cool “double secret” projects in development that I am not at liberty to discuss at this time. Meanwhile I am currently in pre-production for the 2008 ASCAP Awards Show (October 13th), an annual event I’ve been fortunate enough to produce & direct for the past seven years.

 

Q: What demographic audience is HFE trying to reach in their productions?
A: That really depends on our Broadcast Partner. CMT is skewing younger these days. SPEED Channel is largely male, but a surprising amount of women watch our top rated series “Pass Time” and naturally teenagers connect w/ “Drag Race High”. The PBS Pledge special audience we reach for Dr. Daniel Amen’s “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life” can in many ways be remarkably similar to our GAC audience for “Opry Live” (the loyal thirty-eight year old mother of two w/ fabulous taste in television programming). Of course all networks and cable outlets are trying to target that coveted younger demographic. As a father-of-four I believe there’s an unfortunate lack of quality family entertainment and am committed to doing something more than just complain about it.    

 

Q: What criteria are used to determine which projects HFE becomes involved in?
A: Unique creative content, anchor talent and a genuine potential for long-term success are key, but most importantly for me is enthusiasm. When I’m jazzed about a project, I head down the hall and share it w/ Jo Hunt, Tim Weeks, Ray Iddings, Martin, Edie and the rest of our staff. If we’re not excited about our work, we can’t expect anybody else to be. 

 

Q: Is there anything your clients could do to make your job at HFE easier?
A: We’re extremely blessed to be so busy w/ ongoing productions at GAC, CMT, PBS, SPEED Channel and other outlets. Anything worth doing is rarely easy. Solving creative & logistic challenges unique to each project is what we do best.

 

Q: How has the internet impacted HFE as a company?
A: We’re very excited about the opportunities the New Media marketplace presents. It enables us to reach, engage and deliver creative content to an ever-expanding audience. With few exceptions these days, our clients will require that we produce supplemental web content programming in support of their traditional broadcasts. It used to be frustrating for us as television producers to see state-of-the art, high definition, multi-camera productions displayed in substandard video formats on the web, but recent advances in technology are extremely encouraging.     Martin in particular, has always been a bit of a “gadget geek” (I can’t believe I just called my boss a geek) and is responsible for keeping HFE on the cutting edge technologically. I recall being so intrigued by “Tomorrow Land” at Disney World as a boy. Viewing customized, interactive programming on a computer w/ a world of info and entertainment at your fingertips is no longer a wonder…it’s a reality. The future of television is now and HFE is ready.

 

Q: If you are an independent writer of reality and/or TV shows, is there a procedure in place to pitch them to HFE?
A: Yes of course. Jo Hunt and I try to be very conscientious about reviewing all “requested materials” sent to our offices in a timely manner. We can be contacted at 615.321.2540. Patience is a virtue. Professionalism is a must.   

 

Q: The country music industry is currently in a state of flux. What changes do you see happening and why?
A: One of the constants in life is “change”…especially in the music business. It’s cyclical. My experience is that true art flourishes in times of economic despair. I’d say we’re all in for a great creative awakening. Thank God. Bring it on. Regardless of the method of delivery and how the digital marketplace is monetized, we should never underestimate the power of a great song and its’ innate ability to find an audience. There are so many gifted writers, players and artists in Nashville alone and new talent arrives daily. Fortunately mediocrity doesn’t have much “hang time” and real players like Levon, Dylan, Loretta, Delbert, Earl Scruggs, B.B. King and Charlie Daniels stay in the game long enough to remind us all of what it really means to be an Artist. 

 

Q: How will these changes impact HFE business?
A: That’s a great question. Tentative has never been an effective modus operandi for me personally. I believe it’s vital for us to be proactive rather than reactive to the challenges in our business. Clearly, the way people access their entertainment is changing dramatically, but their desire to be entertained remains as strong as ever. Our mission is to meet them where they are and give ‘em a great show. That’s why we’re passionately pursuing interactive new media initiatives like “The Tailgate Concert Series” where music and sports fans can celebrate their favorite artists & teams together online.

 

Q: What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into your industry?
A: The harder you work, the luckier you get. Create opportunities to look, listen and learn about the business of entertainment from experienced industry professionals. Getting into this gig is easy…stayin’ at it is tough. Respect your elders. Remember that it’s called “show” business. So don’t just tell people how talented you are... show them. My advice is to be creative, be resilient, be gracious and most importantly be yourself. Nobody does that better than you.

 

Q: What Are Some of Your Passions / Hobbies?
A: I enjoy being w/ my children, coaching team sports, anyone with a stout sense of humor and soul music of all genres.

 

Q: What is most important to you in life?
A: My faith, my family and my friends.