The City of Thousand Oaks announced today that Barry McComb has been named the new Cultural Affairs Director for the City of Thousand Oaks. 

Formerly Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the historic Alex Theatre, Glendale Arts Board, Mr. McComb comes to the City with a broad spectrum of experience in the performing arts, theatre facility management, communications, and business.   McComb worked in that role since 2001.

Prior to his appointment as CEO of the Alex Theatre, Barry McComb was owner and president of Barry McComb Entertainment, a company that secured entertainment for corporate events.  During this time, Barry perfected his skills in financial and performance management, marketing, and operations. 

Mr. McComb also served as the Director of Entertainment for Caesars World Entertainment, parent company for Caesars and Sheraton casino and resort properties, where he booked over 650 engagements annually with a $25 million budget for artist performance fees.

Under his leadership as Director of Special Events and Entertainment for Caesars Tahoe Casino/Hotel, Barry oversaw 5 major entertainment venues totaling over 9,000 seats plus a 16,000 square foot exhibition space.  During this time, he successfully managed nationally televised events such as the CGA Celebrity Golf Championship, Jeep/Eagle Tournament of Champions, major boxing and tennis exhibitions and many more.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Linfield College in Oregon, he also completed certification for Website Development from Loyola Marymount and Auditorium Management from Oglebay School. 

Mr. McComb will officially begin his position with the City of Thousand Oaks in early February. He replaces current Cultural Affairs Director Tom Mitze, who is retiring.

The City of Thousand Oaks Cultural Affairs Department oversees theatre productions for the Civic Arts Plaza, which encompasses two theatres – the 1,800-seat Fred Kavli Theatre and the 394-seat Janet and Ray Scherr Forum Theatre. The performing arts center combines outstanding arts and entertainment with state-of-the-art technology and acoustics. Over 250,000 patrons and 50,000 children attend more than 300 performances annually. The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is funded through a unique public/private partnership between the City of Thousand Oaks and the Alliance for the Arts.

The City houses its own fine art collection and encourages the arts through the Department’s Arts Services Division. Arts Services includes the Thousand Oaks Arts Commission, Fred Kavli Theatre Visual Arts, Thousand Oaks Community Gallery, and Annual Art and Photography Show. The Cultural Affairs Department also provides administration and staffing to the City’s Council on Aging and Youth Commission.

The Cultural Affairs Department currently has a staff of thirteen; Cultural Affairs Director, Deputy Cultural Affairs Director, Technical Services Manager, Box Office Supervisor, House Supervisor, Box Office Assistant, Associate Analyst, Executive Secretary, Two Senior Stage Technicians, Two Stage Technicians and a Senior Theatre Worker. The Department also employs approximately 62 hourly employees and is aided by over 350 volunteer ushers, guides and support personnel, a program administered by the Friends of the Civic Arts Plaza.

The adopted department budget for Fiscal Year 2011-2012 is $4.3 million for personnel, maintenance and operations costs. The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Foundation (TOCAP Foundation) is the 501 (c) 3 non-profit in-house presenting arm of the Civic Arts Plaza, which uses private funds to present approximately 40 performances annually. The balance of 360 performances is constituted by rentals for both professional and community performances.