Maloof Sports & Entertainment has signed a partnership with expert sound technician Paul Gilman to market Gilman’s audio technology for arenas and stadiums.
The deal includes an undisclosed investment by the Maloof family in GilmanSound, a small Los Angeles tech firm owned by Gilman, according to Gavin Maloof, Maloof Sports’ vice chairman.
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The Texas Rangers used GilmanSound for a postgame concert.
Photo by: GILMANSOUND |
Gilman, a musician, producer and composer, produces computer software that reshapes sound waves and distributes them evenly in a sports facility, improving the choppy distribution of sound at many arenas and stadiums.
Over the past five years, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros have installed GilmanSound’s technology at their ballparks for baseball games and postgame concerts on the field. The NFL used the system for the 2014 Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium, and in May 2015, HBO used GilmanSound as part of broadcasting the first boxing event at Minute Maid Park.
As Gilman seeks to expand business at sports venues, he’s been looking for investors to broaden exposure for his products and services. Gilman said his deal with the Maloof family should help him make greater inroads with team owners and facilities.
“We want to take Paul’s system to every stadium and arena,” said Maloof, whose family sold the Sacramento Kings in 2013 and who, with brother Joe, is a minority partner in the NHL’s new Las Vegas expansion team. “Teams put so much money into the facility, but they forget about the sound [quality]. Sound is emotion, and that’s what gets the fans going. To me, it’s probably the most important asset of a stadium and arena.”
Over the past two years, Gilman has tried to expand his business but has not had much success beyond the two MLB teams. The Rangers and Astros have praised his system. In other markets, timing has been the issue to fit within teams’ annual budgets for capital improvements, Gilman said.
A few months ago, Gilman found some good luck, in Las Vegas of all places. He was in the final stages of signing a deal with consumer electronics firm Monster when Gilman’s agent, Nancy Nourmand, met Maloof’s mother, Colleen Maloof, at the Bellagio hotel. The women crossed paths again at a high-end hotel in Los Angeles, which ultimately led to Gavin Maloof meeting with Gilman. Maloof attended a Rangers game and postgame concert to experience firsthand Gilman’s technological advancements in stadium sound.
“It was like a concert hall,” Maloof said. “It’s so completely different, it blows you away. Once you hear it, you can’t go back. What we want to do is bring people to the ballpark and let them listen to the sound as well, because it’s tremendous.”
Maloof and Gilman completed their agreement in mid-June. Gilman said he felt more comfortable partnering with the family rather than signing a deal with a large corporation, which could potentially leave him without much control over the business.
Over the next month, Maloof and Gilman have meetings with the Florida Panthers and Miami Marlins. They also plan to market GilmanSound to college football stadiums and minor league ballparks.
