Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021 | 2 a.m.
SPI Entertainment has long been an influential force in Las Vegas, producing some of the most high-profile shows in various genres, from residencies to innovative limited engagements, while also managing the busy showroom at Excalibur anchored by the popular “Thunder From Down Under” male revue.
Because of his company’s versatility, founder Adam Steck has a unique perspective on the Strip and a sharp understanding of what kinds of entertainment will and won’t work across the Vegas landscape.
“Twenty years plus of doing what we do, being able to wear different hats and have different roles has been quite amazing,” Steck said on this week’s episode of the Sun on the Strip. “
Business has been booming for SPI Entertainment in 2021, in more ways than one. “Thunder” has been doing blockbuster business at the Thunderland Showroom at Excalibur all summer long as the show’s loyal followers have joyfully returned to Las Vegas to re-engage with the experience.
“All the bachelorette parties that couldn’t happen [during the last year], they’re making up for that,” Steck said. “Girls 18 to 80 are coming back, letting their hair down and coming to see the show that’s been successful for so many years, and it’s amplified now.”
On top of that success and the other shows at Thunderland, SPI’s new partnership with the Strat has already created a full slate of exciting productions at the Strat Theater, including the new “iLuminate” and “Banachek’s Mind Games.”
“I never stopped working [during the pandemic]. I’m always plotting and planning how to expand, what shows can go where,” said Steck, who teamed with the Strat after getting a call from the property’s senior vice president of marketing and friend Brad Goldberg. “The property is amazing, it just finished this $100 million renovation and it looks really good and has a great energy. The building is iconic, it has Top of the World, one of the coolest restaurants in town, and the showroom itself is phenomenal.
“For years they only had one show there and I said I’d like to maximize the real estate and the property stickier, so when people go there, they have multiple entertainment options. We set out to have shows at 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., and now those spots are all filled.”
Find this week’s Vegas entertainment news, interviews and more every Wednesday with the Sun on the Strip.
