Features
Q’s With: José Tillán, Executive Producer Of The Latin Grammy Awards
– José Tillán
José Tillán describes the pace of putting on the Latin Grammy Awards as a fast-moving experience that starts months ahead of time and, as the production date approaches, making sure every piece is in the right place.
“It’s like being in a battlefield,” says Tillán, who has also produced television shows “Premios Juventud,” and “Premio lo Nuestro,” has several Latin Recording Academy’s Person of the Year tributes under his belt and is also principal of The POPGarage, a media content production company. “We have meetings every hour.”
With veteran producer Terry Lickona, who has co-produced the Grammy Awards broadcast on CBS for years and is executive producer of the “Austin City Limits” music series on PBS, the duo for the first time is overseeing the Latin Grammy Awards.
The show will be broadcast in about 80 countries, airing live on Univision from Las Vegas Nov. 15 with some of the biggest names in Latin music including as J Balvin, Natalia Lafourcade, Maná, and Karol G.
Lickona served as chairman of the board of the Recording Academy from 2005 to 2006 and was previously a trustee for the Latin Recording Academy.
As both producer and executive producer of “Austin City Limits” since 1978, Lickona has been honored for artistic excellence, including an institutional Peabody Award. Tillán also serves on the president’s council for the Latin Recording Academy.
He’s received three Latin Grammys for his production work with Puerto Rican superstar Ricky Martin in 2007, Mexican recording artist Julieta Venegas in 2008, and Juanes in 2012.
In between staff meetings and navigating the intricate production schedule, Tillán took some time to talk with Pollstar about the upcoming show, what it takes to produce it and the international effort to make the program shine.
Pollstar: What is it like for you and co-producer Terry Lickona to be at the helm of an awards show this big?
José Tillán: It’s almost like a relay race. The key is handing off he baton to others while there are all these balls to juggle. I’ve known Terry for years. He knows the intricacies of putting a show like this together. My background is also in producing shows like this, which includes the Latin Grammys, and together we work with the teams and meet many deadlines.
How are the Latin Grammy Awards different from other awards shows?
The Latin Grammy Awards are very complicated. There are many different genres from around the world and you’re trying to showcase them. It’s a puzzle that’s not easy to put together. It’s quite an undertaking that you are building.
How many people does it take to make
the Latin Grammy Awards show happen?
About 300 to 500 people make the show happen and there’s also local people, too, and if you start counting dancers and those who coordinate calls, talent and the people working, it adds up.
What’s your primary role for the Latin Grammy Awards?
There’s a lot of thinking out a plan. Being a negotiator and being a psychologist comes in to play a lot because I am trusted. We want to deliver a good message and deliver it in a timely way.
How do you deal with a live show where anything can go wrong?
I don’t know if I should say this, but we have [an option for] a little delay that has to be reached hard and fast. We have a conversation with the talent about who’s watching TV: It’s 8 p.m. family time.
Will the strong year for women in music be reflected in the show?
It’s been a pretty good year for women and you’ll be seeing a lot of females on stage performing from different genres. We feel confident it’s going to be a very well-reflected show.
What’s this year’s over-arching theme?
We inspire excellence. It’s not about popularity … it’s about the power of music, which is the DNA of the show and that’s exciting for us. We have an amazing team. We want to have a show that has soul and hopefully someone like a 16-year-old who plays the guitar will be watching and inspired to be the next Sergio Vallín from Maná.