00:00Thank you Ramin for that kind introduction and for that wonderful reel and thank you to everyone,
00:06I'm a little shorter, at Variety and our city national team who have worked so hard to make
00:11this event possible. I am thrilled to see so many old and new friends here at the start of the
00:17season, especially on a Monday morning and I understand this is early for all of you.
00:23But although I spend most of my time on both coasts now, I'm a native New Yorker and Broadway
00:30has been near and dear to me both personally and professionally throughout my life.
00:35This year marks City National's 70th anniversary and for much of that time we have worked alongside
00:43the Broadway community. We're very proud to have earned the nickname the Bank to Broadway
00:49and it is my intention to never give up that name. So in addition to hosting this breakfast for the
00:55past seven years, we've been a decade-long sponsor of the Tony Awards, being supporters
01:01of Broadway Cares and the Entertainment Community Fund and most importantly we've maintained a
01:06steadfast commitment to serving the needs of our clients through all the ups and downs of
01:12the industry. City National's here for you and the Broadway community and we understand your needs
01:19and we're very thankful for your business. And with the support of our parent company,
01:23Royal Bank of Canada, which is the fifth largest bank in North America, we're able to deliver the
01:29personalized service that you expect with the scale and the stability that comes with the Global Bank.
01:36So through the calm and very deliberate, amazing leadership of our Broadway team,
01:41Eric Paikuch, who's here, Rita Marie Pelosi, they're all here, Michelle Gibbons, Roberto,
01:47Larry Yocum, who many of you know, City National has become the proud banking partner behind
01:57over 70 percent of the shows currently on Broadway, which is pretty good stat, right?
02:04Thank you. And make no mistake, this city we all love depends on the success of Broadway
02:12and many of the people in this room. Broadway contributes more than 14 billion dollars to the
02:18economy of New York City and supports around 100,000 local jobs. Broadway continues to be
02:25one of the leader drivers of tourism and I understand we're doing very well on that
02:29on that score this year, often bringing repeat customers back to the theater.
02:34The 2023-24 theater season we saw 12.3 million in total attendance, indicating approximately 90
02:43percent of all the available seats were filled and that compares to last year's 88 percent.
02:49This season I'm optimistic we'll see that the numbers grow again. It is a testament to our
02:54unique understanding of the Broadway community that we're able to call many of you clients and
02:59friends. As the bank to Broadway, we work hard behind the scenes so our clients, all of you,
03:06can continue to do what you do best, create great arts for millions to enjoy. So we're really lucky
03:13this morning to be joined by our co-host Cole Haskola of Oh Mary, as well as conversations
03:19with cast members, directors of Sunset Boulevard, Yellow Face, Maybe Happy Ending, Gypsy, Our Town,
03:25and many more.
03:29you
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