Previously, Ellis worked at Nassau Coliseum as Marketing Director. “After 6.5 years at The Coliseum in the same role, it was a perfect fit to move to The Paramount in 2011. Having the contacts in the market to hit the ground running made the transition very smooth and our success to this point in a new venue has far surpassed my wildest imaginations,” he said.
Ellis has been at The Paramount for the past 4.5 years, where he oversees all the marketing, advertising and public relations efforts on behalf of the venue. “I started two months after we opened,” he said.
His proudest professional moments include having The Paramount place in the “Top 10” worldwide for club attendance in less than five years since they opened. Other fond moments at The Paramount include Ed Sheeran hosting a surprise concert with only a few hours notice, as well as Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Billy Joel playing a live concert back in 2013.
When asked what sets the Paramount apart from any other venue, he said, “The way we service the artists as well as the guests and our attention to detail. Also the look and feel of the venue during a show is a concert experience that is unmatched across the country.”
For Ellis, a difference exists between working in large vs. smaller/intimate theaters. “Larger venues are easier because most of the acts we booked at The Colisuem were huge, such as Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Elton John. It was much easier to get tickets sold and get PR for the venue. The Paramount is a harder sell as some of the acts we have are not as popular and we don’t have over 40 years of history on Long Island, so we had to build our brand from scratch. We also host nearly 200 events annually at The Paramount vs. only 75-100 at The Coliseum, outside of hockey,” he explained.
Regarding his future plans, Ellis revealed, “I am planning on staying here for years to come as we have a new venue coming online in Baltimore, and plenty more work to do with the Huntington venue to increase ticket sales, event bookings and strengthen our media relationships.”
Most impressive about the Paramount is that it has a new app, radio station and a new location in Baltimore. “The new mobile app launched in 2016 and features video rolls inside the widget icon on android phones, a feature that no other mobile app can offer. The Baltimore project was also announced this year, but is still in the early stages of becoming reality but our ownership group has plans for additional venues in the coming years. The radio studio is coming up on a year old and the reaction from the artists has been off-the-charts and the relationship with our radio partners has been maximized as a result. I expect additional new ventures to be revealed in the coming year as we are always looking to take it to the next level,” he said.
When asked what motivates Ellis from day to day, he responded, “It’s really about selling out shows, getting to experience the best in live entertainment first hand and making sure our artists enjoy their experience in the venue and that we are building the business for years to come by keeping our customers happy.”
He concluded, “It goes with out saying that part of our success comes from our press and media partners covering our events, promoting the stories we have to tell and sharing that news with the world, so we owe those folks (like Markos) much gratitude for supporting what we are trying to do on Long Island!”
For more information on The Paramount, visit its official website.
