Garrett Zimmerman desires to carry extra various occasions and crowds to the Pearl and he desires to have enjoyable doing it.
The brand new basic supervisor of Secure Corridor, the 950-person venue constructed out of the Pearl Brewery’s outdated draft horse stables, mentioned he desires to reap the benefits of the partnerships, native music and family-friendly alternatives in San Antonio.
“San Antonio is an exceptional metropolis,” Zimmerman mentioned. “I’ve been right here for a short while, and I’ve beloved each second with each particular person I’ve interacted with.”
Native musical acts are essential, he mentioned. Bringing in bands which might be simply beginning out is a chance to assist the group and catch nice artists earlier than they get larger.
“I’ve an actual deep appreciation for the truth that each band was a neighborhood band at one level or one other,” he mentioned. “Giving these bands a chance is without doubt one of the most essential issues that I can do.”
He additionally desires to reap the benefits of San Antonio’s tradition and geography. There’s a chance to faucet into the Hispanic music scene, he mentioned, and convey Conjunto, Norteño, Banda and different genres to Secure Corridor.
“You possibly can anticipate much more number of occasions. One thing that I haven’t seen a ton of on the calendar is a whole lot of Hispanic-based occasions,” Zimmerman mentioned. “I’d actually prefer to dive into the native market right here.”
Secure Corridor may have a free live performance collection on Sep. 19, 26 and Oct. 10 for Hispanic Heritage Month.
These live shows can be family-friendly, one other essential aspect for Zimmerman. Reveals which might be out there for teenagers will help carry folks in and really feel at dwelling in a venue, he added. Those self same children will then be extra prone to come again sooner or later.
“One of many blessings about being an all-ages venue is that oldsters can carry their 10-year-old with them and so they can see their first live performance, which is one thing that at all times will get me choked up,” Zimmerman mentioned. “A part of doing live shows is you’re making recollections for folks.”
When occasions go effectively for performers and for attendees, he added, that may carry good acts again many times. Secure Corridor will strive to usher in completely different sorts of exhibits than you would possibly discover in Austin, however how San Antonio responds is essential.
“It’s actually about what a market will assist. If folks come to city and the present doesn’t do effectively, they might not come again to city. So the essential factor that the folks [here] can do is be sure that, in the event that they see their artists coming to city, that they get out and assist that present,” he mentioned.
Zimmerman desires to broaden these experiences past the only, round wall of Secure Corridor. The various group of companies on the northern finish of San Antonio’s River Stroll provides loads of methods to match live shows with different occasions and improve native experiences, Zimmerman mentioned.
However he additionally hopes to attach with different venues throughout city.
“I prefer to attempt to discover ways in which venues can cooperate collectively, ways in which you are able to do citywide occasions the place we’re going to make an initiative for a free live performance weekend,” Zimmerman mentioned. “Perhaps we accomplice up with another venues of comparable dimension round city. I’ve seen that sort of stuff occur earlier than, and it’s actually, actually superior.”
These are alternatives he’s created in different roles in different cities.
He served as director of operations for TempleLive and helped launch or relaunch venues in Ohio, Arkansas and Illinois. Earlier than that, he took on a number of roles at Thompson Home, a venue in Cincinnati, the place he grew up.
Zimmerman did “every little thing from bartending, barback, stage hand, ticket taker, bouncer, I ran sound, performed on the stage, you identify it.”
His time within the trade has bred a humble method to his job and dealing along with his employees.
“I at all times inform my employees I’m the least essential particular person within the room. If the safety guards don’t present up, if the ticket takers aren’t there, the sound guys aren’t there, the stagehands aren’t there, we will’t have a present,” Zimmerman mentioned. “I’m the one particular person the place if I don’t present as much as work, every little thing can nonetheless occur.”
His job, he mentioned, is to verify his employees are ready to succeed, take pleasure in themselves after which share these emotions with attendees.
When his staff is worked up to be there and takes possession over the venue, that’s when the expertise turns into actually particular, Zimmerman mentioned.
Since opening in January of 2024, Secure Corridor has hosted Fitz and the Tantrums, Mat Kearney, Kat Edmonson and a wide range of different artists.
