BOULDER (CelebrityAccess) Don Strasburg, VP and senior talent buyer for AEG Live Rocky Mountains loves his job because he’s able to mix his love for music and musicians with his passion for working in Colorado.
In 2006, Anschutz Entertainment Group opened an office in Denver and wooed away Strasburg, followed by Chuck Morris, and Brent Fedrizzi, the team which had spent 8 years building up Live Nation’s Colorado holdings.
It’s now apparent that Strasburg also loves educators.
It’s been a tough month for American teachers following the tragic Valentine’s Day mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in which 17 people were killed.
In the massacre’s wake, a national conversation about gun control—one spurred and led by some of the surviving high school students and teachers as well as victims’ family members—has been reignited. Debates have expanded to calls to arm teachers.
Strasburg, in considering the Parkland shootings stepped up to directly show support for educators by supplying them with comped concert tickets.
On February 25th Strasburg took to Facebook with a post that read, “Hey, any school teacher friends of mine here? I’d like to stoke some of you with some comp tickets. You sure deserve a lot of love.”
“Sunday night I just had an epiphany,” Strasburg told Amplify. “I thought ‘Why don’t we just let the teachers know that we love them and considering what a potentially tough situation it is right now for them considering our genius president thinks they should be carrying guns to school, which I’m certain doesn’t make them feel very happy. What can we do to show them love?
“I was prompted because I felt like teachers are the most underpaid, often under-appreciated people who are so critical to what is truly important to us, which is our children. The least we can do is reach out and show them we love them and care. This was a little token, a way we could do that.”
Strasburg’s Facebook post was then flooded with requests and with appreciative comments from teachers.
One educator, Lisa Amen Hleovas wrote “This is a beautiful offer! My friend and I teach at a Title I school in downtown Colorado Springs. We work with at-risk kids everyday and this year has been especially challenging! Today we had a shelter in place drill and my students and I used the time to give our thoughts to the 17 students who died in Florida.”
Strasburg immediately received the support of the entire AEG Presents Rocky Mountain staff.
“I’m able to do it, only because of the incredible organization I’m a part of and we’re doing it together,” Strasburg said. “We have a huge team of people who crush it day in and day out to put on all these incredible events. This is about every single person at AEG Presents Rocky Mountains who all want to give something back to the educators in our community.”
“Special thanks to all the ticketing folks who have managed the request, Erika, Jen, Amanda and Allison and of course my right hand Caitlin, Strasburg wrote on Facebook on Tuesday (27). It’s been incredibly special to hear from all types of educators and we hope the gift of music will brighten their day and put an extra bump in their step. At the next show look around you i bet someone close is a teacher. Buy them a drink they deserve it. Music heals , live music brings us all together. We appreciate the honor to help be a part.”
