Medium Rare is an American event creation and production company.[1] [2] [3] [4] It is known for creating joint venture live events and broadcasts with celebrities including Shaquille O'Neal,[5] [6] Rob Gronkowski, Daymond John, Travis Kelce, Dave Portnoy, and Guy Fieri.[7] [8] [9] It is also known for working with Rob Gronkowski to produce the first NFT created by a professional athlete.[10]
Medium Rare was founded by Adam Richman and Joe Silberzweig in 2018. Prior to founding Medium Rare, Silberzweig and Richman worked for event and music festival companies such as Insomniac, Live Nation, Livestyle, ID&T, and Tomorrowland.[11] [12]
In 2018, Medium Rare collaborated with Shaquille O’Neal to create Shaq's festival - Shaq's Fun House, which featured carnival games, circus performers, and O’Neal performing as a celebrity DJ. The event also featured DJs such as Steve Aoki, A-Trak, Diplo, and Carnage.[13] [7] Medium Rare has produced each iteration of Shaq's Fun House from 2018 until the present.[14]
Since 2019, Medium Rare has managed DJ Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal's DJ act), and DJ Carnage.
In 2020, Medium Rare produced the first Black Entrepreneurs Day in association with Daymond John.[15] A second one was produced in 2021.[16]
In March 2021, Medium Rare and Gronkowski released several digital trading cards, featuring Gronkowski's notable Super Bowl moments, as NFTs in 2021.[17] [18] They were the first NFTs created and offered by a professional athlete. Gronkowski's NFTs set records at the time, generating approximately US$2,000,000 and were showcased across major media outlets including CNBC, Forbes, and Saturday Night Live. In May 2021, Medium Rare and The Golden State Warriors created the first NFT offered by a professional sports team.[19]
On February 11, 2022, Shaq's Fun House was held on the Super Bowl weekend at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles with 5000 attendees. Performers included Lil Wayne and local businesses such as Pink's Hot Dogs served food.
In February 2023, Medium Rare produced four events at Super Bowl weekend in Phoenix, Arizona. These events included Shaq's Fun House on Friday night, Gronk Beach on Saturday day, Sports Illustrated The Party on Saturday night, and Guy Fieri's Flavortown Tailgate on Sunday afternoon. Over Super Bowl weekend Medium Rare's events welcomed over 30,000 attendees and generated over $10 million in sponsorship revenue.[20]
On April 28, 2023, Medium Rare launched Kelce Jam in partnership with Travis Kelce. The inaugural Kelce Jam took place at the Azura Amphitheater in Kansas City on NFL Draft weekend. The event featured performers such as Machine Gun Kelly, Rick Ross, Loud Luxury, and others. The event had over 20,000 attendees.[21]
| Year | Title | Description | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-2023 | Shaq's Fun House | Annual Festival in conjunction with Shaquille O'Neal | ||
| 2020-2023 | Gronk Beach | Annual festival in conjunction with Rob Gronkowski. Has taken place at Super Bowl weekend and NFL Draft | [22] [23] | |
| 2020-2023 | Black Entrepreneurs Day | Diversity and Inclusion live stream created in conjunction with Daymond John. | [24] [25] | |
| 2023 | Kelce Jam | Annual festival in Kansas City created in conjunction with Travis Kelce | ||
| 2023 | Dave Portnoy's One Bite Pizza Festival | The greatest gathering of pizzerias created in conjunction with Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports | ||
| 2023 | Guy Fieri's Flavortown Tailgate | Annual festival in conjunction with Guy Fieri | ||
| 2020-2021 | Sports Illustrated Awards | Awards show | [26] | |
| 2020 | Shaq's Fun House vs. Gronk Beach | Livestream show featuring Snoop Dogg, DaBaby, and Diplo | ||
| 2021 | Guy's Restaurant Reboot | Livestream show featuring José Andrés, Marcus Samuelsson, Kane Brown, and Rob Gronkowski. | [27] [28] |