By CHAD LAWSON
chad@du2.byu.edu
The Salt Lake Organizing Committee has identified seven companies that qualify to produce the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Games.
The SLOC received 21 applications for the executive director production position after inviting 58 production companies to apply in December.
'We wanted to send out invitations to a lot of companies to see what response we could get,' said Caroline Shaw, a spokesmen for Media Relations for the SLOC. 'We are happy with the response.'
Two of the seven recommended companies are Utah partnerships. They are Salt Lake-based MagicWorks West and Universal/United Concerts. The other five are: Dick Clark Communications, Inc., Don Mischer Productions, Miziker and Associates, SFX Entertainment, Radio Entertainment and Spectak Productions.
'We are happy with the resumes that were sent back by the companies, and we now look forward to hearing their proposals,' said Kent Haslam, spokesmen for the SLOC.
Proposals from the seven companies are due in early May. After a SLOC working group reviews the proposals they will reduce the number of finalists to three. The three finalist will give oral presentations in September.
The SLOC will not release any more information about the companies until their proposals are completed.
A selection group will make a recommendation to the SLOC Management Committee and Board of Trustees for the contract. The executive producer will be announced in the fall of 1999.
SLOC would like to have one producer for both the opening and closing ceremonies to maintain continuity between the ceremonies and share resources for both productions.
The opening ceremonies are set for Feb. 8, 2002, and closing ceremonies are scheduled for Feb. 24, 2002, at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah.