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Medium Rare reflects on starting ‘Kelce Jam’ partnership with Chiefs TE Travis Kelce

ed easton jr.
·4 min read

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is a man of the people, especially in Western Missouri, with his constant work in the community and All-Pro play on the football field. The announcement of a second consecutive ‘Kelce Jam’ in Kansas City on Saturday, May 18th, is another example of his giving back and business savvy.

Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Medium Rare founders Joe Silberzweig and Adam Richman about the company’s origins and teaming with Kelce on ‘Kelce Jam.’

“Adam and I met while we were working at SFX Entertainment, which at the time was one of the biggest music festival promoters in the country,” Silberzweig explained. “We were running some of the biggest festivals, and I went on to Live Nation. We got our education almost like a college experience, working for some of the best festivals in the country.

“What we saw quickly was that these events felt a little more original. By working with some celebrities, who are the face of the festival, they can become national media properties. However, the whole ethos is to work with iconic celebrities and athletes’ brands to bring their personalities and DNA to life in a fun and authentic way.”

Since starting their business, the duo has been honored with six Webby Awards, Variety Hollywood New Leaders, Forbes 30 Under 30, and Pollstar’s Next Gen Impact List.

“So [we] started with Shaquille O’Neal, and he wanted to do a late-night carnival with him. For Gronk [Rob Gronkowski], he was over partying at night; we wanted ‘Gronk Beach’ during the day, and so on,” said Silberzweig. “All the properties are 50/50 joint ventures where a celebrity partner has a big say in the look and feel of the event. And you feel that as a consumer, they’re not just getting paid to make an appearance, but it’s their event that they’re very passionate about.”

Since its inception, Medium Rare has become the go-to festival builder for some of the biggest names in Sports and Entertainment. In 2020, its success caught the attention of one of the NFL’s highest-paid tight ends.

Said Richman:

“Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes visited Shaq’s Funhouse in Atlanta in 2020. They were at one of our events. Early on, we formed a relationship with Travis’s managers. After Shaq’s Funhouse, we got to know each other and kept in touch. Travis then came to Gronk Beach and NFL draft Vegas in 2022. Travis grabbed us and said we got to do one of these. For me. We said, alright, let’s think about it. Look, Travis is an active player. It takes away, right? A lot of the calendar year of when you can do it about right, you can’t do a Super Bowl because, hopefully, the Chiefs are gonna be playing there every year; you’re very limited when you can do. We said, holy crap, the NFL draft is in Kansas City next year. It feels perfect and serendipitous that Travis wants to do this; the draft is in Kansas City. We did that last year and weren’t sure what to do for year two. Knowing that one of the main reasons we did it last year was because the draft was in K.C..”

The three-time Super Bowl champion’s success on and off the field has continued to make him a household name. This made the decision to do a follow-up ‘Kelce Jam’ festival this year easy for all involved.

“After the success of year one in KC and just how much bigger profile Travis got in the last 12 months. It was like an absolute no-brainer to bring it back to K.C.,” Richman said. “Normally, we’re like, hey, we have to do it at a Super Bowl; we have to do it at a draft. It has to be tied to a sports or entertainment weekend. And now, just seeing the love Travis encapsulates. It feels like a no-brainer to bring it back.”

Check out their official websites for more information on Kelce Jam and Medium Rare.

Story originally appeared on Chiefs Wire