Jon Stoll

John Stoll (1953–2008) was the founder and president of Fantasma Productions, an indie concert promotion and production company. Stoll died at the age of 54 from brain cancer complications.

Early life

Jonathan Edward Stoll was born in Mamaroneck, New York on November 6, 1953 to Marjorie and Lawrence J. Stoll. As a 15-year-old student attending Mamaroneck High School, Stoll raised money for the school through a battle of the bands. He gained experience working backstage at theaters around New York, and at age 18 was managing a rock band. While at Bryant College in Smithfield, R.I., he continued to run stage shows. After he and his parents moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he began promoting concerts at South Florida drive-in theaters. He sold tickets to concerts or films for 3-4 dollars per ticket. These would draw 6,000 to 10,000 people.

Fantasma Productions

In 1985, Stoll founded Fantasma Productions, which promoted concerts, staged trade shows, and published Easy Times, a youth-oriented weekly newspaper. By 1987, Fantasma had grown to 50 employees and booked and managed more than 500 concerts a year. Fantasma Productions expanded to Miami and Fort Lauderdale, then throughout Florida, the Southeast and other major venues, including in Las Vegas.[1] Fantasma was responsible for booking acts for SunFest, Mizner Park in Boca Raton and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood. Stoll bought the Carefree Theatre in West Palm Beach, converting parts of the building into a retail art gallery, sports bar, bistro, and comedy club known as the Comedy Corner. The theatre also hosted the Palm Beach Film Festival and the South Florida Jewish Film Festival every year and began showing foreign films in 1990.[2] After hurricanes in 2005 damaged the Carefree Theatre beyond repair, he bought an abandoned church just north of Southern Boulevard off Parker Avenue, and created The Theatre, another small concert hall.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, by the mid-1990s, Stoll was one of a small number of independent promoters who resisted buyout offers by larger corporations, arguing that the result would hurt business and artists. "I just think it's unfortunate that there are less options for artists," he told The New York Times in 2006. "If you have no options, then you have to deal with one buyer – and whatever they decide to pay you."[3] In 2000, he was named Independent Promoter of the Year at the 12th Annual Pollstar Awards in Las Vegas, and in 2007 he served as president of the National Association of Concert Promoters. In late 2007, Stoll had a stroke that required surgery. On January 12, 2008, at the age of 54, Stoll died of complications from brain cancer.[4]

References

  1. ^ report,AP, Staff; report, Staff; AP (2008-01-14). "Indie music promoter Jon Stoll dies". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  2. ^ "Carefree Theatre in West Palm Beach, FL - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  3. ^ report,AP, Staff; report, Staff; AP (2008-01-14). "Indie music promoter Jon Stoll dies". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
  4. ^ report,AP, Staff; report, Staff; AP (2008-01-14). "Indie music promoter Jon Stoll dies". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-11-09.
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