STAPLES Center President Talks 20 Years of L.A. Sports
The iconic STAPLES Center in Los Angeles is celebrating its 20-year anniversary this week.
Founded in 1999, the arena has grown into a world-class facility — on par with New York’s Madison Square Garden and London’s O2 Arena — and is now home to four professional sports teams, including the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers.
Yet opening STAPLES two decades ago in the less-than-thriving downtown City of Angels was a risky bet.
“The success of STAPLES Center was never guaranteed,” said Lee Zeidman, the president of STAPLES Center and L.A. Live, an adjacent entertainment center. “Nobody went downtown. It rolled up its carpet and closed at 5 p.m.”
Today, STAPLES draws enormous crowds to its events, which range from basketball to hockey to the Grammy Awards. In total, the arena has held 5,000 events, welcomed 75 million fans, and sold over 20 million beers.
The arena is also gearing up for a major event in the sports world next week: the NBA’s October 22 opening night matchup between the teams that call it home: the Lakers and the Clippers.
“We will be the center of the NBA universe,” said Zeidman, who was the arena's first full-time employee 20 years ago. “It is one of the most anticipated opening night games in the history of the NBA."
Horrific stories coming out of Ukraine, Grammys go down without a fight, and notorious moon dust is going up for auction. Here is all the news you Need2Know for Monday, April 4, 2022.
Julia Riew, a Harvard student, composer, lyricist, and playwright was tired of waiting for a Korean Disney Princess to emerge — so she created one herself. Based on her senior thesis, the musical "Shimcheong - A Folktale" went viral on TikTok, leading to talks with Broadway and Hollywood. Riew joined Cheddar to discuss the excitement around her show and the ongoing push for Asian representation in entertainment. "I think we’re at this really exciting turning point where we’re seeing such an increase in not only interest but also demand for diverse voices," she said.
April Fools’ Day is full of eye-rolling marketing ideas that sometimes make us chuckle, but mostly make us groan. Here’s a roundup of some of the notable products we won’t be seeing on shelves anytime soon.
Between Bells EP Conor White recaps some of the biggest stories of the week, while Baker Machado and Hena Doba test their knowledge, and maybe learn a thing or two. It's This Week in Trivia!
The next generation of investors has a host of concerns about retirement with inflation and broader uncertainty topping the list. Rita Assaf, Vice President of Retirement, Fidelity Investments, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss Fidelity Investments' State of Retirement Planning Study.
Tickets for the hottest Broadway shows are now more expensive than they were even before the pandemic. According to data from the Broadway League, about half of the current productions are grossing more than $1 million a week. Just before Covid shut down the Great White Way, only a third of shows were making that much. But despite the hefty price tags, demand is strong. Ed Butowsky, Chapwood Investments Managing Partner, explains why Americans are still willing to splurge on these experiences, even as prices continue to rise.
Catching you up with what you need to know on Apr 1, 2022, with Ukrainians hoping to flee the besieged city of Mariupol with a ceasefire is in place, President Biden orders the release of oil from U.S.reserves, LGBT activists suing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the "Don't Say Gay" Law, U.S. passports offering an "x" option for gender, and more.
Cristina Lynch, Founder and CEO of Mi Golondrina, joins ChedHER to discuss how she's empowering over 600 artisans from Mexico, what inspired her brand, and advice for female entrepreneurs.
