Meet the employees working behind the scenes at RockCorps!

Hello.
I’m Yamashita from the PR team.

Last week, on Saturday, September 6, I went to Fukushima for work to help stage the live show for “RockCorps supported by JT”, for which our company serves as the lead secretary of the executive committee.

The moment I arrived at Fukushima Station, a view I don’t usually see opened up before me, and I got carried away in high spirits. At the venue, Azuma General Gymnasium, many people had already arrived from the morning, and a line had formed. Seeing that line made me feel a little proud, thinking, “Isn’t it amazing that our company can put on an event like this…?”
(To be honest, I don’t usually have the bandwidth to feel that way…)

This time, while feeling intimidated by the tense atmosphere of each team after arriving on site, I’ll share a glimpse of what our employees were doing behind the scenes, along with photos I secretly (?) took!

PR work often happens behind the scenes, so it can be hard to understand. The PR team’s movements on the day and the event production team’s work are things you often won’t know unless you’re an employee, so I think they’re valuable to see because you normally can’t! (We can share this because it’s an event we hosted ourselves.)

First, although the show started at 3:00 PM, there was already a line in the morning.

It was hot, so employees were running around right up until the start, sharing guidance on heatstroke prevention.

A senior member of the SNS team.
To post on the RockCorps supported by JT social channels, they were filming the line and the visitors. They always film with a smile, so the people being filmed were smiling and getting into it too! Everyone responded with a smile.

A senior with outstanding design sense

The stakeholder support team.
With many important guests attending, they left nothing to chance in preparing the stakeholder reception desk in advance.

They handled everything with a smile the whole time

These two are in charge of the PR team’s press reception.
Although the event was held in Fukushima Prefecture, some media came from Tokyo to cover it, so they handled it as a two-person team.

The “cute” team

A senior member of the production team.
Always checking the status at each site via intercom and mobile phone.
(Trouble is inevitable at events, but this senior always resolves things flexibly.)

Always calm (and smiling), even during the show

The production/operations HQ before the event began.
They hold meetings and do final checks. All instructions come from here. Even though it was right before the show, they seemed unhurried! That means the preparations were perfect. Impressive!

They led the RockCorps supported by JT project.
How many intercoms are attached…?
Even when busy, they make everyone laugh and look out for others—like the team’s father figure.

You can feel the confidence

A senior was mentoring a first-year employee. It looks fun, but they’re serious.

Because we update it with enjoyment, maybe viewers can enjoy it too…

Two attendants in charge of escorting stakeholders to their seats.
With so many guests, they wore chic outfits instead of staff T-shirts.

Welcoming everyone with a smile♪

First-year employees were also entrusted with their own roles on site.

About six months since joining. Everyone’s expressions have changed, too.

Not an employee, but…
The guitar on the left has NE-YO’s autograph.

The operations team.
The information desk was in direct sunlight, so they were drenched in sweat. They answered questions from guests and from the media filming with care.

On the phone

Sunburned and totally tanned

A moment in the press center (a place where media edit, take breaks, and leave their belongings). A senior PR lead handed out materials to first-year employees and explained PR-related details.

A reliable senior

An employee running the reception (standing buffet party) held before the live show began.

Apparently they forgot the entire script they had memorized…

Stephen Greene, CEO of RockCorps in the United States, who attended the reception.
Interpreting is an English-speaking employee (accompanying as both interpreter and attendant).

Even though we asked at the last minute, they handled it perfectly!

Before long, the show began. The venue was fired up from the very start.

On stage is Kibitan, Fukushima Prefecture’s image character

We’ve been running around for three years to make this project happen in Japan, so watching the opening is deeply moving.
After this, we even received a surprise message from Lady Gaga!

Crying?

Meanwhile, in the press center…
Alongside the event, we were editing and checking the photos we had taken. It was a race against time to meet the newspaper material deadlines.

As the event progresses, it gets busier

The official photographer and an employee in charge of media relations.
The employee in the foreground was focused on arranging one-on-one and scrum interviews, so they didn’t even notice I was taking a photo!

A media relations team that’s great at switching gears

Creating materials to send to the media in the press center.

No time, so fully focused

Selecting the photos taken in the press center.

A second-year employee handling media relations at the camera platform inside the venue (for video and photo shooting). (They’ve really grown dependable.)

First-year employees also worked hard, taking notes on the artists’ comments on stage.

A team strong in web. (Such a rough explanation—I’ll probably get scolded…)
With a little time to spare, they bought something tasty for the other members. They have strong professional pride, and even though there are days they’re sleep-deprived, they’re always kind—someone I truly respect.

Now, shifting scenes to the “Production/Operations HQ.”

Compared to the start, the food donations have increased a lot!
(During an event, if you don’t eat quickly, you’ll get scolded.)

Of course it’s important that participants and stakeholders have fun, but I believe we’re able to work with enjoyment ourselves because everyone on the team is always giving it their all. On the day of the event, some of us had been running on little sleep, but no one showed their fatigue. (It’s our own company, but… I truly think that side of our employees is amazing.)
If we’re going to spend the same time working anyway, it’s better to work with full energy and have fun than to take it easy, isn’t it?

An employee in charge of media relations, escorting during filming.

And with that, the live show ended, and people gradually began to leave. I watched the venue empty out with a quiet, reflective feeling.

There were also employees coordinating scrum interviews with artists and organizers, employees attending to artists, production staff, and more—so there were many different roles, and I can’t introduce everyone. My apologies.

If seeing our employees at work has helped you understand even a little how SUNNY SIDE UP creates “Let’s Have Fun!”, and has sparked your interest in what we do, we would be delighted.

It hasn’t even been a week since the live show, but I feel RockCorps has become a project that will go down in history—for us at SUNNY SIDE UP and for the employees involved.

Please look forward to SUNNY SIDE UP’s continued challenges, driven by employees who want to “Let’s Have Fun!”