Exploring Life & Business with Anders Rahm of Raw Cereal

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anders Rahm

Hi Anders, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was always really into music. My Dad gave me a few crates of records, a turntable, speakers, etc. when I was kid, he took me to concerts, I was in bands, etc.

In my 20’s `I went to multiple shows a week, a few music festivals a year, constantly traveling to see live music.

I started working at a creative agency in Milwaukee and started doing some sales work for them. My boss at the time watched a katy perry documentary and was enthralled by the production of her show. He checked the credits for the creative director, Baz Halpin, and tasked me with calling him. I called Baz until he agreed to have lunch with me…I flew from Milwaukee to LA to meet him for sushi. He eventually hired us to edit his sizzle reel, which I personally edited, and help him with pitch decks etc.

I moved to Texas a year or two later and worked in software. All the while, Baz kept emailing me asking for help on small projects. I realized I was miserable in software and really enjoyed working on the creative tasks for Baz and his shows. I sent him an email outlining my new goals, to work in entertainment and he introduced to his colleagues at Silent Partners Studio.

I decided to move from Austin to LA to pursue entertainment and when I arrived I called SPS and Baz and said “I’m here and ready to work!”. A couple of weeks later I got the call that I was getting the chance to shadow and intern on a show…Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl Halftime show.

From there I worked as freelance project manager, growing into a producer, and eventually a creative lead on project. I spent a few years producing shows and projects with Xitelabs in Calabasas, eventually moving to my own work and being hired as Assistant Director for Coldplay’s promo run for their Music of the Sphere’s tour. Shortly after I received a call from Kid Cudi’s team asking for designs for an upcoming festival. So far all of my work had been focused on visuals, content production, real time video, camera effects, etc. I needed a stage designer to help make this Kid Cudi show a reality.

A friend, Steve Primo, had recently introduced me to Cort Lawrence, the designer and creative director for The Strokes. Cort had come from Metallica, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. and was a young designer with chops beyond his years.

We did the Cudi show together and decided to partner up that week, making it official a few months later. Cort proved to be cool under pressure, easy going, and wildly creative…not to mention one of the hardest working people I’ve met. He and I started Raw Cereal with the vision of building a company together, not just making shows.
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Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not been smooth! Along the way we’ve needed to work harder at every step and a big challenge is burnout.

I’ve found that I can push myself to extreme output. Working many 100+ hour weeks on top of constant travel, late night and early morning schedules, and difficult politics. It’s a lot to navigate!

Money is always a question as well. When I first went freelance it didn’t go well, I needed to make a few pit stops at my mom’s house (thanks mom!) before I started to stabilize in my career.

I think that it’s easy to see the outcome of all of the hard work but the output needed to be successful, for me, has been mind boggling.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Raw Cereal ?
Raw Cereal was named while Cort and I were in rehearsals for a Kid Cudi show. Every day we would walk from our hotel to a diner and have breakfast and talk about what needed to be completed that day. Raw Cereal was born from those conversations.

We’re a creative production company focused on live events, content production, design, installations, etc.

Our roster this year has included Morgan Wallen, Calvin Harris, Megan Thee Stallion, J Balvin, Capital One, The Dallas Cowboys, etc.

We’re known for our design and our ability to deliver. This industry is word of mouth and we have done no real outbound effort in the music industry, it all comes our way because we work our butts off and we have amazing friends that want to work with us, and us with them. Nothing gets done alone!

Breaking down design and ability to deliver, we’re known for thinking big on tight timelines. This industry moves fast and we need to be able to scale quickly to accommodate.

We design stages, lighting, LED walls, scenic, etc. everything having to do with a production. We also direct and produce visuals for LED screens and for commercials. Pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in rendered and real time content. We also have a strong background in experience design, installation design, AR/XR, etc.

We’re most proud of our work this year for Morgan Wallen. Building a stadium show with that much going on, delivering a never before seen stage design that’s since been copied across the world, and delivering 12k video content were all achievements to be proud of. The teams involved are truly the best in class, we were just lucky to be a part of it.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Concerts, festivals, clubs, shows, installations, etc. are really about bringing people together for a shared experience. Hopefully an experience that bridges humanity, crativity, and technology to take us to an emotional place, a spiritual landscape to play, cry, laugh, and ultimately find ourselves in awe of our own lives and experiences.

That said, the industry is looking for fan engagement. How do we continue to create spectacles that wow the audience? I think with the inclusion of new tech, realtime, AI, and higher production value at lower costs, we’ll start to see more integrated experiences.

In other respects, fans and experiencers are sometimes asking for something for tangible. They want to be involved, but not too much because not everyone wants to do the work.

All to say, I think the trends will be focused on finding the intersections technology, art, and engagement. Somewhere in there lives a perfect experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rawcereal.com
• Instagram: @raw_cereal @anders_rahm
• Other: https://plsn.com/articles/production-spotlight/morgan-wallen-one-night-at-a-time-tour/

Image Credits
1. Morgan Wallen – Dani Marshall
2. Fred Again – Theo Batterman
3. Machine Gun Kelly – Joe Okpako
4. The Disturbed – Dani Marshall
5. J Balvin at The Sphere – WeFly
6. Converse – Converse
7. Capital One – Raw Cereal
8. Megan Thee Stallion – Luke Dyson