There are many day-to-day challenges a regional audio company must contend with, but even Hyacinth Belcher couldn’t have imagined police officers storming her office, hands on guns, ready to draw. Co-owner of Dallas-based Onstage Systems with her brother Chris, she laughs about it now, though surely the “raid” got her adrenalin going.
“We handle a lot of outside events in the brutal Texas heat, and on this particular hot day, we were seeing how our L-Acoustics system would hold up by running it out in our parking lot,” she explains. Then four police cars showed up, as, apparently, people could hear it within a five-mile radius. A couple of the police officers were especially mad, because they had been driving around for three hours trying to figure out where it was coming from. “I came close to getting arrested!” She was charged with a Class E Misdemeanor for disorderly conduct, a charge that was later dismissed.
She smiles and adds: “But we definitely proved the [L-Acoustics gear] can hold up, even in our horrible weather!”
That run-in with the law aside, Onstage System is approaching its 25th year in business and continues to grow and gain not only clients, but awards: In 2009 they received the Parnelli Award for Hometown Hero Sound Company of the Year. They’ve also received a Texas Star Award, and the ISES Esprit award for Best Technical Production for the George Strait concert that opened the new Cowboys Stadium, where they used an L-Acoustics V-DOSC system.
But the company is not looking to the past and, in fact, seems to need some “shades” as it looks to the future. “We just had an employee meeting and we’re really excited about this year,” Belcher enthuses. “We’re picking up in the touring industry, and picking up larger clients in our region. I’m so excited I can’t sleep sometimes!”
The Past
Hyacinth and Chris Belcher grew up backstage as their parents, Charles and Vickie Belcher, ran sound for area acts. “They founded the company in 1978, and they were very much ‘the show must go on’ people, so from age five, we grew up with that mentality,” Belcher explains. “If we were sick, then we were sick backstage. The event came first.”
Hyacinth studied lighting in college, and Chris got additional experience in the staging department of their high school. In 2006, they took over the family business, with Hyacinth as president and Chris as vice president. She admits that while the company was established and doing well, it took about a year for everyone to adjust to new leadership. Helping smooth the transition was the team that was already in place. “Most managers have been here over 12 years. We have a good group of people who are really passionate about what we do here.”
The year 1982 was the beginning of many good things for the company: That’s the year they got a George Strait tour and signed up the Dallas Symphony Orchestra — two clients that are still with them today. For years, they’ve been doing the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime show in addition to other events at that stadium. In 2008, they did Ozzfest. “That was a lot of planning, a lot of fun, and a lot of speakers,” Belcher recalls. Rounding out their project list are corporate events as far away as Seattle.
Today, On Stage Systems has 25 full-time employees and over 100 more on call. “Diversification equals success, and having a crew that can do rock ‘n’ roll, corporate, churches, and the symphony projects works for us. It also keeps us on our toes!”
More recently, when Los Angeles-based Insomniac Events branched into Texas, they turned to On Stage Systems to stage their festivals. “It’s an electronic music dance festival typically lasting two days, and now we’re doing four to six of their events in the region,” Belcher says. “It’s been a lot of fun.” Genre-wise, it’s a bit different. “It’s different than doing a rock ‘n’ roll or country festival — there are a lot more subwoofers involved as it’s a very bass-driven type of music. But as we’re all L-Acoustics, the SB28s [subwoofers] have been great for those events.”
They’ve also been working with the production management group, Staging Solutions, which has brought them more corporate work. “We did quite a bit with their Maxim Magazine Super Bowl VIP party,” Belcher says, noting Onstage Systems’ support for both the 2011 and 2012 events.
Looking Ahead
Changes with the venerable company are afoot, starting at the top: “I’m pulling out of operations and focusing on sales,” Belcher says. “I want to do that while letting someone else handle the day-to-day.”
That change is coinciding with a plan to expand the company’s inventory of gear. “We’re most interested in more L-Acoustics, but it is a bit scary,” Hyacinth says. “We’ll end up taking out a loan, and we haven’t borrowed in a long time. But it’s time to take this step especially as we focus more on sales and the touring market over the next couple of years.”
Upping the ante in the increasingly competitive Dallas market is also a concern. “It is tough here,” Belcher admits. “There are larger companies, and all have good equipment and do a lot of events.” She’s confident, however, that with the right gear and people, Onstage Systems can keep moving forward.
“Part of our success is buying the right equipment. You have to have the right people — we do; we have great audio engineers who are passionate about what they do and they will contribute to our growth. But L-Acoustics has been great to work with. We were one of the first to buy their gear in the U.S., somewhere around 2000, and today, their stuff continues to be unbelievable, and on every rider you see.”
The team at On Stage is also eyeing new consoles, though they aren’t sure of direction they will go with that. “We love our [Yamaha PM]5Ds,” Belcher says. “They are the workhorses of our business. And of course the [Avid VENUE] Profile has been wonderful as well.” Other gear highlights include Sennheiser’s 2000 Series wireless microphone system and PMs.”
Of course, the whole point about investing in new gear is to ensure that “it can’t stay in the warehouse. It needs to go out!” And for that to happen, Onstage Systems keeps its focus on repeat business as well as new customers.
Long-Term Partnerships
“The number-one thing is true customer service and building partnerships,” Belcher says. “Clients today are looking for partners, as opposed to just using a vendor, and the interaction with our staff has always been key to getting and keeping clients. I stress that to our staff, and it’s paid off — of course, that, and hard work!” she laughs. “And just being available and flexible is so important these days.”
Speaking with Belcher, it’s easy to see that part of the company’s success is her deep knowledge, her experience, and perhaps most of her, her easy laugh and amiable personality. But one can’t be in the pro audio business long without noticing there are few women in the business, let alone running companies.
Belcher shrugs off the idea it’s been difficult for her. “When I was younger and was working here in college, I’d get certain comments from the gentlemen like ‘sweetie pie,’ and a long time ago my mom was worried about me running the company because of that, but honestly, it’s never been a problem. For everybody who works here, it’s my vision and drive, not what sex I am.”
She pauses, and adds, “Sometimes I do think it’s great to have a female voice in the room, as it might help work out logistical issues a little better. Women tend to be better listeners — maybe we take that extra moment with people.”
More than anything else, she’s excited about the company’s future and her own. “My favorite part of the business is building relationships with clients and turning chaos into order. It’s all about the puzzle. I love it!”
