PALISADES VILLAGE GRAND OPENING | 2018
The world we built
Rick Caruso is one of, if not the biggest, name in southern California real-estate development. When it was announced that the Caruso company’s next big venture would be the aptly named “Palisades Village” located in the Pacific Palisades, we couldn’t wait to start on concepts for the grand opening party.
The concept started with Jeffrey Best asking if we could pitch to the Caruso team using traditional story boards - the type you would reveal during the pitch, like Don Draper does in Mad Men.
With our creative wheel already set in a 1960’s state of mind, we started looking at content from Disneyland during the early days. I’m talking Monorail, PeopleMovers, and Main Street Cinema stuff.
We wanted to keep the “small town” vibe of Palisades Village, but with the flash and detail that Rick Caruso is so calibrated towards. With inspiration from Disneyland’s Main Street, and beachside vibes of Nantucket & Martha’s Vineyard, we felt this perfectly captured the setting.
Concept and ideation
Rick Caruso is a very particular man. During the early months of the planning process, we learned that Rick takes an extremely active hand in his businesses - which is great for us! In fact, Rick literally picked out every type of flower at Palisades Village, and specified where each one went.
We went through many iterations to get exactly to the place Rick wanted, but as the sand fell to the bottom, those gold nuggets started to shine bright.
We wanted guests to literally drive on to the red carpet (we actually did that). Rick was also extremely drawn to an entry moment with wisteria, lavendar, or white roses.
We found our color palette in a more east-coast beachside feeling -sticking with navy blue, ivory, white, and for that wow factor, pops of gold.
The grand opening was designed like a storybook, with a beginning, middle, and end. Guests were naturally sheparded through the various areas as we periodically had sheer curtain unveilings.
Fabrication and scenic
The stage! The stage! Nothing was of greater import to the folks at Caruso than the main stage design.
Once it was confirmed that John Legend would be performing, we knew that the bar had just been set even higher. The original concept was a fabrication of aged antique mirrors to be set into renaissance-style walls, all of which would act as the backdrop for the Grammy-award winning artist.
However, something just wasn’t clicking for Rick. Ultimately, we went with something more theatrical. We ended up fabricating a two-tiered facade, with scalloped crown moulding, four layers of curtains (white, gold, ivory), a black marlite fascia, and a massive “Caruso” marquee sign.
The stage itself was built in under 2 weeks and assembled onsite in less than 24 hours. Base to crown, the facade sat 20’H and 36’W.
The “Caruso” marquee sign was 8’W, 40”H, and weighed nearly 1,000 lbs.
The entry step and repeat was a staggering 30’W, and the wisteria was hand installed by a 10-person floral team.
end result
The Palisades Village grand opening celebration was attended by over 600 guests. THe guest list was a star-studded affair, with celebrities like Charlize Theron, Riley Keough, Michael Keaton, Mindy Kaling, Rachel Zoe, John M. Chu, and Kate Beckinsale all showing up for the big day.
The event was hosted by SNL alumns Billy Crystal and Kevin Nealon, 14k gold awards were handed out to Caruso employees, and guests were treated to a 5-course dinner by Wolfgang Puck.
To cap off the night, freshly minted EGOT performer, John Legend, took to the stage for a 30 minute set backed by a 12-piece band.
Before the festivities were done for the night, guests were treated to lavish fireworks display from the roofs of Palisades Village.
Our team worked tirelessly for 24 hours straight, but I don’t think anyone would argue with the end result. Palisades Village continues to be a high trafficked destination for the westside of Los Angeles.
Creative Design: Paladin Creative | Event Production: Best Events | Venue: Palisades Village
