Today the ACE Agency announced it acquired the OC Music Awards. The Santa Ana PR/events company is taking over from producer Luke Allen (who owns rehearsal studio Gemini Studios) and his father, OC Music Awards executive producer Warren Allen.
The Allens bought the Orange County Music Awards from event producer Martin
Brown in 2008 and renamed it the OC Music Awards. Back then, they hired ACE Agency and its CEO, Ashley Eckenweiler, to assist in the
strategy, direction and production of the event.
In a phone interview, Eckenweiler explained the parties involved thought it would be best for the awards to have an agency behind it. “There are more
resources [for the awards show to use] as it expands and gets bigger,” she says, adding that nothing will change for the awards show. “It's just going from being owned by
individuals to an agency. It's going to remain as it is–about
the community and the musicians.”
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Luke Allen will remain involved as an active advisor for the 2012 event
to ensure that the ownership transition is smooth. He will also remain
on the Awards Academy and advisory board in years to come. In a statement, he said, “We can't think of a better company to
acquire the event than The ACE Agency. Ashley has had such an integral
roll in the success of the event since we took it over. I can't wait to
see how it continues to grow under the Agency's direction.”
The 2012 OC Music Awards will be held at City National Grove of Anaheim
on March 3 with the Showcase Series kicking off January 3 at Costa
Mesa's Detroit Bar.
