Our Team
Carl Freed
CEO, Trevanna Entertainment
Great talent needs good businesspeople, and that’s where Carl Freed comes in. For more than a decade Freed helped grow the concert-promotion division of Metropolitan Entertainment in his capacity as senior vice-president of business development. One of his many coups, securing an exclusive 25-year agreement with New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, changed the fabric of the New York concert scene forever, according to a top industry executive. Other accomplishments include producing the Backstreet Boys’ first-ever U.S. arena/amphitheater tour in 1998; establishing a corporate entertainment division for the company; and developing hip-hop partnerships, which culminated in the Dream Team and super-successful “Up In Smoke” tours, featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Warren G, and Eminem. Freed also negotiated the largest webcast contract in history for Woodstock 1999 and led Metropolitan into the digital age by creating and overseeing www.concerthotline.com.
In December 2002, Carl opened the doors to his own company, Trevanna Entertainment, a boutique consulting firm which provides hands-on services for live musical events. For the past five years Trevanna has produced Hot 97’s Summer Jam at Giants Stadium—the largest-grossing hip-hop show ever, thanks to such artists as 50 Cent, Kanye West, Nelly, Nas, Eminem and Lil’ Kim. From 2003 to 2007, Trevanna teamed up with Spa records to create AVE (Alternative Venue Entertainment), a truly creative venture that brought a unique concert tour to summer sleep-away camps. Headlined by up-and coming stars like Skye Sweetnam and Fefe Dobson, “Camplified” was hailed as the most exciting thing to hit summers camps in a century.
Trevanna prides itself on creating new opportunities in the realm of branded live entertainment that aim to match brands, artists and audiences in new and innovative ways. From small scale venues (BB Kings Blues and Grill) to large venues (Randall’s Island), Trevanna’s expertise in integrating branding messages in live music environments is proven and unparalleled.
Gustav Heningburg II
A pioneer in event production services specializing in the entertainment and sports market, Gustav "Gus" Heningburg II for the past four years has been production manager for Trevanna Entertainment , executing each event with a hands-on, “no excuses” approach. For over twenty-five years Gus has been producing live concerts, special events, awards shows and charity events in the U.S. and overseas, including Jamaica, London, Monaco, and Scotland to name a few. During that time Gustav has changed the live entertainment landscape.
In 1996 Gus opened the doors to his own event production company Bodie Entertainment which since has toured conducting production management and stage management for Jaheim, Sugar Ray, The Ramones, Joan Jett and Clash. A few of his notable clients are Vibe Magazine; which he has been the official event producer since 1993, Revlon Run - Walk against breast cancer, Billy Graham farewell event and New York Yankees Groundbreaking Ceremony.
Melissa Crooks
In the spring of 2007, the stars aligned and Melissa Crooks’s passion for music and entertainment linked her with Carl Freed, Gus Heningburg and Trevanna Entertainment. Since then she’s coordinated 50 Cent’s Five Borough Tour, Hot 97’s on the Reggae Tip, the 1st Annual Angie Martinez Hair & Beauty Expo, Hot 97’s Full Frontal Fashion, 98.7 Kiss FM’s Divas with Heart and The Apollo Big Show Circus.
Previous experience includes client services at Sugar Management, a boutique music video production agency representing a roster of notable music video directors such as Lil X, Gil Green, Melina and Diane Martel. It was at Sugar where she developed an ardor for production and transforming ideas into reality. From Sugar, Melissa went on to The Morris + King Company, where she worked with a wide range of entertainment, tech and consumer clients including Central Park’s Summer stage, Beliefnet.com and Classic Media.
Melissa earned her BS in Entertainment Management from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI and currently resides in Queens, NY.