Bringing Broadway to Atlanta Can Be a Three-Ring Circus

You’ve probably thought of your job as a “three-ring circus” at times.  For local resident Russ Belin that's exactly what it was for more than a decade when he worked as an entertainment manager - and his client was Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus.

“Every day was interesting and a lot of fun,” Belin recalls, “I spent a lot of time with the performers and backstage staff.”

Belin got into sports and entertainment promotion after college, but says his experience working with Ringling Bros. taught him a lot about managing huge numbers of people and all of the moving parts that made up the business of promoting “The Greatest Show on Earth” around the country.  Belin also said that during that time he learned a lot about the circus and its illustrious history that goes back a year longer than one of his other loves - baseball.

“Some of those Ringling Bros. people were fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth generation circus people and they had so much knowledge,” says Belin.

Being a part of the circus as it toured more than 90 cities a year, creating fun and memories along the way, was a source of pride for Belin.  But things are different now.  

Just this week Broadway Across America management announced that it had named Belin as Vice President of the Atlanta region.  Broadway Across America is a premier presenter of touring Broadway productions in Atlanta. 

Yet, as the saying goes, the more things change the more they stay the same.

“I left the circus to join the circus,” Belin laughs, “Because, in many ways, touring Broadway shows require the same type of management.”

Belin says working with the Broadway touring productions is a lot of fun, adding, “It wasn’t a difficult transition.”

The key to his success with both jobs seems to have been to always remember to balance his work with his personal life.

“It’s all about prioritizing,” Belin explains. “I do try to leave business at work.”

But he admits it can be tough and can get a little hectic; handling the logistics of a large touring show as well as promoting the show and getting audiences into the theatre to see the show.  Luckily, Belin has a strong family base of support.

My wife, Kelly, was a skater with 'Disney On Ice,'” says Belin, “and she understands the business because she lived on the road for two seasons.”

Spending as much of his time as possible with their two-year old son, Jacob, is also a priority for both Belin and his wife - going back to the circus days.  It also gave Jacob a chance to be around a lot of the other infants and small children whose families were involved in the circus.  Jacob even got to meet the famous Ringling Bros. clowns a few of times – which was interesting.

“When he was, like, three-to-six months old it was no big deal,” says Belin.  “But when he got to about 18-months, he didn’t want to get that close – he actually shied away from the clowns then.”

Belin enjoys the high energy of a Broadway production as well as the high energy of managing the show when it tours.  And his favorite venue?  Well, he’ll tell you that Atlanta has many great venues for performances, including the Georgia Dome and Philips Arena.  But it seems that his favorite is the Grande Dame of Peachtree Street.

“The Fox Theatre,” Belin says, “with the clouds across the ceiling and the history there – it’s just a special place to see a show.”

And Belin should know, having promoted and been so involed with “The Greatest Show on Earth” for all those years.