TheBlaze TV subscribers can watch the full special on demand to get an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the origins of The Man in the Moon, the challenges faced by the production team, the practice of the flag raising, and an up close and personal look at Glenn's life for the past year.
By now, you've probably heard the story of how The Man in the Moon faced tremendous challenges leading up to the big premiere on July 6th. Unpredictable weather and technological difficulties plagued the show during rehearsals, and as a result no one - including Glenn - had ever seen the The Man in the Moon performed live prior to the event. And then just hours before the premiere, storms almost meant that Glenn's company would have to financially guarantee the $600,000 projectors that could have been damaged due to the rain. But what happened just a few feet behind the giant inflated moon as these decisions were being made?
Mark Mabry, one of the producers of The Man in the Moon, documented the events as part of a special that aired on TheBlaze TV on Friday. In the special, he spent a lot of time focusing on the relationship between Glenn and his business partner, Chris Balfe.
Glenn has often compared their relationship to that of Walt and Roy Disney. While Walt was always the creative genius churning out idea after idea, Roy was the one who made sure the company was financially stable. For TheBlaze and Mercury Radio Arts, Glenn and Chris certainly fill those roles.
In candid interviews with Mabry months before The Man in the Moon, Glenn said that his Roy (Balfe) would tell him he needed to "focus on the movies", i.e. the divisions that generated revenue for the company and kept it stable, and not spend his time on his wild ideas that many might view as impractical. But Glenn also knew that Chris would do what Roy always did for Walt when Walt had a big, wild idea: find a way to make it a success.
And that's exactly what happened at The Man in the Moon.
Chris and Glenn decided to go on "God Insurance" and risk the $600,000 projectors to give the audience the best experience possible, and their gamble paid off with a nearly flawless performance.
As soon as Glenn announced to the audience they would be going on with the show, the skies cleared and a rainbow appeared over the USANA Amphitheater. Glenn soon welcomed them to the opening and "first dress rehearsal", and soon the sold-out crowd witnessed Glenn and his companies first big move into entertainment.
The Man in the Moon was dedicated to Patricia Balfe, Chris's mom, who passed away a few weeks before the show. Chris, alongside his brothers Kevin and Colin, had no idea that Glenn dedicated to the show to their mom until they saw the tribute at the end of the show's premiere.
