Jason Gonzales: #WeAreArgus

We love getting to know our Argus team members and why they love their jobs. Today we chatted with Jason Gonzales, Event Manager for the Ogden Theatre, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, and Assistant Manager for Mile High Stadium. Jason has been with Argus for almost nineteen years, read on to hear his incredible stories!

Q:Hi Jason, tell us a bit about yourself:

A: My name is Jason Gonzales, I was born and raised here in Denver, Colo., am a graduate of Lincoln High School and went to University of Arizona for college. 

Q:What is your current position?

A: I am the Event Manager for the Ogden Theatre, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, and am an Assistant Manager at Sports Authority/Mile High Stadium. In my current job I’m in charge of scheduling staff, making sure people are in the right positions during events, communicating with our client, training our staff on good customer service, and working with our staff to make sure they enjoy themselves and have a good time.

Q: How did you get started with Argus?

A: I started working for Argus eighteen years ago before it was “Argus.” I joined Tom, Argus’ founder, at DNL, and started working shows. I loved seeing the live music and getting to be a part of all the shows. It was a great job that I did part time when I was home from college. A few years in, I got an offer from my manager to start running the Ogden Theatre, and then right away started to manage Fiddler’s Green as well. I never planned to be an event manager, I just sort of fell into it.

Q:You’ve probably met some memorable fans along the way, any special stories you’d like to share?

A: Yes, definitely. There was a country show at Fiddler’s a few years back. It was a scorching hot summer day and I was in the barricade next to the pit by the stage. All of a sudden, I heard someone yelling for help. I had to make my way through a huge crowd of people in the pit to the location where I found a man who was completely passed out. There were too many people in the pit to get the paramedics down there with a stretcher, so I picked him up in my arms and carried him up the stairs of the amphitheatre to the medical aid area. There they were able to revive him and get him the medical attention he needed. A whole year later I was running a training session at Argus and a husband and wife came up to me and asked if I remembered them. I didn’t, but as it turns out, it was the man I had carried out of the pit at the concert the summer prior. They had been trying to track me down for almost a year and finally found me at the training session. They told me that day that if I hadn’t carried the man out of the pit, he likely would have died. He had a rare heart condition that was triggered by the heat and we got him medical help just in time. They both wanted to thank me for saving his life and had both decided they wanted to work for Argus as well so that they could help someone else someday. They are both still working for Argus today! Situations like these make my job so great, I know that I will be there when someone someday might need my help. 

Q: You’ve probably worked at many different places over the years, what is your favorite venue?

A: That’s easy, my favorite venue is Fiddler’s Green. I love the outdoor venue, the great shows, and the general vibe at Fiddler’s. The client is phenomenal and we always have a great time at the shows. This will be my 19th season at Fiddler’s!

Q: After 18 years with Argus you’ve probably had the chance to see some amazing shows. Do any stick out as favorites?

A: It’s really hard to pick a favorite, there have been so many great shows. I think my all time favorite show was Oz Fest, about ten or fifteen years ago at Fiddler’s. Bruno Mars also did an awesome show when he came through a couple of years ago. And then at the Ogden I saw Prince perform, which was a really cool show in such an intimate venue. I like to tell people I made eye-contact with Prince during the show. We’ve had some really cool musical experiences at the Ogden with a wide variety of artists including Corn, Tom Petty, and Alice and Chains. With such a small venue you get a really unique and intimate experience seeing some of these big name acts.

Q: What do you love most about working for Argus?

A: The atmosphere. I’m a different kind of leader than most. I want my team members to be happy and in a good mood when they are on the job. I make it a game to get my staff to smile and laugh. I always try to make jokes, even when I’m in a bad mood. I’ve worked every position at Argus and I know how hard it can be to work outside for long shifts, so I try to make everyone excited about stuff that isn’t always that exciting. If there is a new team member at the Ogden, we do a dance off to get that person excited, feeling comfortable, and having fun. We always have a great attitude and great time the rest of the day. 

Q:What are you most proud of in your work as an Argus Team Member?

A: Making sure people feel comfortable and have a good time at work!

Thanks so much for telling us your stories Jason! What an amazing career at Argus so far! Next time you are at Fiddler’s Green or the Ogden, give Jason a wave! We’re confident you’ll get a big smile in return.