34 - Sunday, July 28, 1991 - North Shore News

HIGH PROFILES

An upstart with rock stars

GOLD AND platinum records line Frank Gigliotti’s office
walls. His North Vancouver home houses the guitar Mur-
ray McLauchlan used when he wrote his hit single The

Farmer’s Song.

Such mementoes are reminders
of Gigliotti’s rock and roll past.

Today Gigliotti runs his own
consulting firm. Pan Pacific
<ommunication ine., which
“pecializes in) marketing, public
relations and communications.
And while he is out of the music
business. Gigtotti still remembers
life in the fast lane.

From 1973 to 1986, he worked
as a promotions and marketing
manager for CBS Records Inc.
out of Vancouver. His jab includ-
ed marketing CBS stars.

When they came to Vancouver
for concerts. Gigliotti took care of
them. He arranged media inter-
views; he designed and co-or-
dinated their advertising cam-
paigns.

Gigliotti has worked with such
Stars as Billy Joel, Bruce Springs-
teen, Julio Iglesias, Willie Nelson
and George Michael.

During his years with CBS,
Gigtiotti received eight gold and
four platinum record awards from
various artists, was awarded the
prestigious CBS Promotion Man-
ager of the Year Award and
received a special citation for out-
standing service from CBS Re-
cords president Bernie DeMateo.

[It was a time Gigliotti
remembers well.

“T was a studio musician and a
performing musician and | was
turning into my early 20s and
decided to apply for work at dif-
ferent record companies. Virtually
all of them turned me down,”’
Gigliotti says. ‘‘Then I met a guy
with CBS Records in Vancouver
and applied for a job.””

WIN the Flight of a Life

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

“t kept calling him and going
there every dav asking: *Hev, do
you want to go out for coffee?’
He finality said: “All right, we'll
hire vou and put vou on the
payroll. just to get you off my
back.’ **

Sitting in his office on the cor-
ner of Thurlow and Melville in
downtown Vancouver. Gigliotti
looks sharp in a dark blue suit
and red tie. But when he worked
for CBS, his attire was a litule dif-
Yerent.

“TE would come to work with
jeans on, sneakers and a T-shirt.
That's how it was. It's a business
unlike any other,”* says Gigliotti.

Today, says Gigliotti. most rock
stars stay away from drugs. But.
he adds. that was not the case
when he worked in the business.

‘In the old days they were real-
ly strung out on drugs. They
would just get up on stage and
play. They would actually have to
ask what town they were in.”* says
Giglioui. *‘They didn’t give the
flight attendants their plane tick-
ets, their managers did. They
didn’t book in at the hotel. They
just went from one limousine to
another.’

Asked if people in the music
business did a lot of partying
when he worked for CBS, Gigliat-
ti replies: ‘Oh, sure they did.”*

“We did a lot of business, but
there was a fot of socializing too.
There were parties all the time.

© NAME: Frank Gigliotti

* AGE: 43

* OCCUPATION: President. Pan
Pacific Cammunications Lid.
*RESIDENCE: North Van-
couver,

* BORN: Calabria, Italy.

* FAMILY: Wife. Dorothy, one
son.

* EDUCATION: Masier of mar-
keting; personality development
fram Sales Training Inc.; Cana-
dian Securities Program: Cana-
dian Securities institute.

We got our work done. but in a
very casual way.’

Giglioni says one of the nicest
performers he met was Canada’s
Murray MecLauchlan. who gave
Gigliotti the guitar he used when
he wrote The Farmer's Song.

““f was at his house and he said:
‘Frank I want to give you this for
treating me so nicely over the
years.’ I said: ‘You don’t have to
give me anything, Murray. Just
give me a call when you're in
Vancouver and you'll stay at the
house.”’

But, says Gigliotti. not ail the
musicians he dealt with were as
kind as McLauchlan.

“When thev first started out
they were fantastic to work with.
But then when they became suc-
cesstul and began getting gold re-
cords, they thought they were
God. Some people, like Springs-
teen and Murray McLauchlan,
never lost their heads.

“But others...f just dreaded
the:n coming to town. But as they
got older they began to realize
that they couldn't slap people
around; that the people out there
are the ones who made their ca-
teers and they couldn’t bite the
hand that feeds,”* says Gigliotti.

from The Abbotsford International Airshow

August 9, 10, 11, 1991

You could be a

lucky winner of the
Flight of a Lifetime
with Bud Granley in

his Fouga Majesta

-4 Sky ‘
ircle answer \
et \
. \

; i}

; \
a \
ne \

: \

\
\

‘out entry to

News.
hore uve? J
North Ya" as wow oe
— —_

fighter aircraft!

NEWS photo Paul McGrath

FRANK GIGLIOTTI: The key to being a good promoter is having

a clear vision.

CONTEST RULES

1) Winners will be drawn from all correct
entries submitted by the contest
closing date. Limit one entry per person.
2) Entrants must be 19 years of age or
over, have no fear of speed, back or
neck problems, motion sickness or
other medical problems likely to
interfere with safe enjoyment of the

prize flight

3) Height and weight of winning entrant
may be a restricting factor to comply

with safety regulations

) A waiver of liability will be required

4
from fhe winning entrant
5

» The winner of the Flight of a

Lifetime prize is at the sole

discretion of the judges and will be
selected from the correct entries

submitted.

a Entry Deadline Friday, August 2, 1991 — Winner wil! be notified by phone

time!

/

AIRSHOW TICKETS

Admission

Carioad ...340 (inc. GST}
(Mazimum of 6 people)
Additional peopie in the venicie
will be cnarged $10 per person
Tickets may be purchased at
oarticipating Canaca Sateway
Stores or through Vancouver
Ticket Centre by calling (604)
280-4444. tn store atscount
coupons are availaole througn
Coca Cola Botting ana
Fletcner's Fine Foods.

Box Seating

Enioy the juxury of reserved
trontine Box Seating. Canada
Sateway Box Seating is an
acditronal $70.70 (inc GST}. Pick #
uo your Box Seat fickets in
advance at participating Canaga
Sateway Stores or tnrough f
Vancouver Ticket Centre ai (604)
280-4444. In store aiscount
coupons available tnrougn Coca
Cola Bottling and Fietcher's Fine
Fooas

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