Get to know:Corey Behnke
lead producer and co-founder, Live X
At first glance, it might seem surprising that Corey Behnke, a man who for nearly two decades has helped bring New Year’s Eve in Times Square to a worldwide audience and who served as the streaming architect for the 2020 Democratic National Convention, would choose to expand his New York City-based livestreaming services and production company to Green Bay. For Behnke, the move represented both a homecoming — he was born in Green Bay before moving around the country with his family — and a savvy business play.
Live X pays $50 per square foot of space and $40,000 per month to keep the lights on at its NYC space. In Green Bay, where the company has signed a 10-year lease and is embarking on a $2 million renovation project of 13,000 square feet of space in the downtown Rail Yard District, the price per square foot is only $20. The company also reaps huge savings in the cost of fiber needed for its technologies and services. Behnke, who’s owned a home across from Lambeau Field for the past five years and also runs the Green Bay Packers fan website Cheesehead TV, says the move also provided other benefits.
“We expanded to Wisconsin because of Wisconsin’s lifestyle and Wisconsin’s cost and because of my own roots here,” he says.
While remote broadcasting — and the big-name companies and organizations Live X serves — might sound glamorous, the experience doesn’t always feel that way for the people who work in the field. Behnke says he often performs his job duties inside tiny spaces and his work is more akin to roadie than rock star. Having a location in a place like Green Bay allows the people who are producing shows to live outside a big city and enjoy a less frenetic pace and lower cost of living, Behnke says.
livex.tv
— Jessica Thiel
All that jazz
Jazz Coterie is a curated, pop-up, live music concert series setting out to showcase the finest classic and contemporary jazz artists from across the state, country and around the world. Presented at venues in central and Northeast Wisconsin, including Gibson Music Hall in Appleton and The Howard in Oshkosh, it’s also committed to working with area high schools and universities to offer music students opportunities for masterclass learning and experiencing live jazz performances.
jazzcoterie.com
Accessible eats
This spring, the Aging & Disability Resource Center of Brown County will open the state’s first accessible food truck for workers with disabilities, thanks in part to a $100,000 grant from the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund. The vehicle will be a little bit larger than a traditional food truck and will include countertops of varying heights as well as a ramp for wheelchair users. The truck will include an espresso machine and serve healthy food options. The ADRC also operates Grounded Café at its downtown Green Bay facility.
adrcofbrowncounty.org
Career canvassing
The Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce’s Future Fox Cities Career Expo for eighth- through 12th-grade students will take place March 8-9 at the Fox Cities Exhibition Center. Eighth-graders seeking resources for navigating the career expo will receive career exploration guidance from Junior Achievement, thanks to a partnership with the Fox Cities Chamber. Through the partnership, JA will provide lesson plans and activities for teachers to assist students in their preparation for the event.
foxcitieschamber.com/talent/future-fox-cities-fox-cities-chamber
