The Resident Good News – March 11, 2020 Issue

The Resident Good News March 11 2020

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The Resident Good News – February 26, 2020 Issue

The Resident Good News Cover February 26 2020 Issue

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The Resident Good News – February 12, 2020 Issue

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The Resident Good News – December 25, 2019 Issue

cover of the resident good news dec 25 2019

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The Resident Good News – December 11, 2019 Issue

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The Resident Good News – November 27, 2019 Issue

The Resident Good New Community Newspaper November 27 2019

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The Resident Good News November 13, 2019 Issue

The Resident Community News

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The Resident Good News October 30, 2019 Issue

The Resident Good News

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Tom Cantone: King of Casino Entertainment

Tom Cantone Mohegan Sun

Tom Cantone, Sr. Corporate Vice President Sports & Entertainment: “Over my total career, I’ve been responsible for some 10,000 shows attended by millions of people, 12 million just at Mohegan Sun Arena, and many making their Casino debuts.”

story & photos by Alexis Ann

If you watched television in the sixties, you’ll remember when that King of Entertainment Ed Sullivan brought the guest stars to television. You may recall the Beatles’ record-breaking first live appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964 at Studio 50 in New York City when seventy-three million people watched that first show. Well, right here in Southeastern Connecticut is our own King of Casino Entertainment, Tom Cantone, Mystic resident. With a 35-year career of bringing entertainment to casino stages, Tom’s a champion at hosting top headliners in Mohegan Sun’s 10,000-seat Arena for the past 11 years, including: Billy Joel, Ed Sheeran, jLo, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, U2, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Kevin Hart, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Jay Z, Luke Bryan and others.

In an interview with Tom Cantone, Sr. Corporate Vice President Sports & Entertainment at Mohegan Sun

Alexis: Let’s talk Korea please. Are you working on lining up entertainment for the Inspire Resort Casino in South Korea?

Tom: We’re three years away from opening. Today, we’re focusing on the venue first. It’s going to be a 15,000-seat major arena, the largest in Northeast Asia right outside of Seoul Korea, next to the Incheon International Airport which will have 100M passengers. We’re a 2-1/2 hour ride from 700M people. Now, that’s called a nice backyard to play in!

Alexis: Who’s at the top of your dream list for the stage?

Tom: As we get closer, we’ll book entertainers who have a global presence. And, for example, who’s hot today, won’t be hot three years from now. Korean pop bands or KPOP is very popular right now in that part of the world. We’ll be doing major sporting events, pageants and all kinds of themed events.

Alexis: So, you’re in the Design Phase of the Arena?

Tom: It’s going to be state-of-the-art design with technology being a huge part of it. Quality of the guest experience is going to be top on the list. This arena is going to be the ‘hub’ of the resort.

Alexis: So, tell me how will it compare to the Arena here?

Tom: The sound system and the integration of the sound to your seat so that you have a better experience listening to the shows. The way that sound is being developed right now is it’s almost personalized to the seat which means that our technology will be first and foremost on our list. Of course, there will be food and beverage services and access to VIP lounges, etc., When you arrive, you’ll enjoy the comfort level of a first class venue.

Alexis: So, you’ll have to attract the top entertainers to fill 15,000 seats, right?

Tom: Yes, we’ll be the new kid on the block but the BIGGEST. With our Mohegan entertainment brand on the world stage and being ranked top in the nation and our partnership with Live Nation Asia, we’ll have a lot of momentum coming out of the gate.

Alexis: Let’s segway into Paramount.

Tom: I’m not privy to Paramount other than what’s in the press release.

In a release dated December 5, 2018

Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment’s multibillion-dollar, multi-phase integrated entertainment resort (IER) currently in development in South Korea, Inspire Integrated Entertainment Resort (Inspire), and Paramount Pictures Corporation (Paramount) announce a strategic partnership to incorporate a Paramount Pictures-branded theme park as part of Northeast Asia’s largest IER expansion underway in the Incheon International Airport’s (IIAC) IBC-III Region.

“We are proud to have Paramount Pictures join us as a strategic partner in the development of our innovative integrated entertainment resort concept,” said Kevin Brown, Chairman of the Mohegan Tribe and MGE Management Board. “With Paramount alongside as we answer the demand of today’s consumers, the Inspire IER model not only displays our commitment to trend-setting in this industry but also demonstrates the Mohegan Tribe’s commitment to growing South Korea’s travel, tourism and workforce development goals, while securing the generational sustainability of the Mohegan Tribe.”

Alexis: How is this expansion into S. Korea going to affect us here in Southeastern Connecticut?

Tom: Operating in five states and soon to be in Canada and South Korea will give us the ability to program hundreds and hundreds of shows and events.

We’ve taken a local brand to a regional brand and now soon to a global brand. The partnerships and relationships that we’ve developed over the years are all combined to give us quite an impact. It’s ironic to hear that the top three arena markets in the world are spoken as: NYC, Mexico City, and Uncasville. We’re the number one casino venue in the world. It’s a real success story right here in our own backyard!

Alexis: When did you start working at Mohegan?

Tom: I started 11 years ago and I’m blessed with the best team on the planet. The tours love coming here and many national tours start here. Bonjovi told me he’ll only rehearse here. When you have those kinds of credentials it’s because of the team. Our team has graduated this program into a global stage.

Alexis: Will some of your people travel to the other properties?

Tom: Yes, they already are. The Corporate Entertainment Team is booking entertainment and this past year, we had 600 shows combined.

Alexis: Where are the properties?

Tom: Washington State, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and here. This year, we’ll be operating two properties in Canada.

Alexis: Wow! You’re going to be Busy!

Tom: Yes, making sure we have the appropriate entertainment calendar for each venue is important for marketing each venue. The entertainment calendar feeds the marketing.

Alexis: How do you keep track of this?

Tom: We’re very organized. We do a lot of deals. Everyday we’re doing deals. The key for us is good timing. So, we’re able to route certain artists that can give us multiple plays at multiple venues.

Alexis: What’s a typical work day like for you?

Tom: It’s always different and that’s why I can’t wait to get here. Every day is unknown to known. We have many meetings. I have a dual role: Mohegan Sun and Mohegan Corporate Entertainment. When opportunity meets luck great things happen and we take advantage of every opportunity to expand the Mohegan brand. What sets us apart from others is our personality and entertainment plays a significant role in that personality.

Alexis: What do you like best about your job?

Tom: The people. We put people first including our team members and the people we do business with. It’s all about the people. If you put people first, product and profit will follow. I’m here a lot to be with them. I do a lot of face time. We’ve created an entertainment family here and everyone feels a part of the family.
It’s a family business that we operate here. Like other family businesses we work long hours. Remember, we never close. Our business is open 24/7- 365 days a year and I make it a point to thank everyone. And, when the tours arrive here, the first thing I say to them is, “Welcome home!”

The Corporate MGE Entertainment Team – From their CT Offices at Mohegan Sun, Booked over 600 shows at all MGE Properties in 5 states in 2018 – left to right Kevin Reilly (Technical Production Manager) Joe Soper, Director of Sports & Entertainment , Steve Cholewa (Director of Operations ) and Tom Cantone – Sr. Corp V.P. of Sports & Entertainment for MGE Properties.

The Resident Good News Feb 6-19

The Resident Good News Feb 6-19, 2019

Happy February!

So, tomorrow’s Groundhog Day and the question is: Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? And, if he does, what does it mean? Way back in the early 90s, I took the trek up to Gobbler’s Knob, Punxsutawney, PA and photographed the cute furry weather predictor.  Thousands of people gathered. I shot photos alongside a photographer from Belgium—we were both shivering in the early morning cold. In keeping with tradition, Phil emerged from his tree trunk home and saw his shadow which meant six more weeks of winter. Brrrrrrr. Let’s hope that on February 2nd, good ol’ Phil doesn’t see his shadow so we can look forward to an early spring bringing warmer temperatures!

Let’s salute Lieutenant Donald R. Maranell on page 4 for being inducted into the prestigious Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame. Yes, Stonington Borough resident and former First Selectman makes us proud joining other local Hall of Famers, including Colonel Robert Simmons 2010; Rev. George Kenneth Carpenter, 2011 and Colonel Linda S. Schwartz 2016.

In case you haven’t visited the recently renovated Naik Family YMCA, Mystic, it’s time to schedule a visit to the most fabulous fitness center on the East Coast. You’ll enjoy the views of the Mystic River while working out on the all new state-of-the-art equipment. Even the new locker rooms are a prized addition to upscale facility on page 4.

Thanks for reading the Resident Good News! Please remember to patronize our advertisers for they’re making the good news happen! Follow us on facebook.

Alexis Ann
editor & publisher,
The Resident