Bay Area Productions Qualified to Bring You the World of Entertainment
Bay Area Productions was founded in 1984, is an Independent Black-Owned Concert Production / Special Events Company based in Oakland, CA specializing in presenting top quality live entertainment to the urban market both locally and nationally. Co-Founded by Lionel Bea and later joined by team members Janice Cotton, and Carlos Pedraza is the total production team of Bay Area Productions since 1990.
Innovators in Rap and Black Comedy genres, Bay Area Productions produced the first national Black Comedy ensemble tour. Bay Area Productions has proudly produced some of the first concert appearances by Run D.M.C., Beastie Boys, Too $hort, Chris Rock, Janet Jackson, Maxwell, Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx, LL Cool J, KEM, Martin Lawrence, Destiny’s Child, Fugees, Alicia Keyes, Chris Tucker, Will Downing & Rachelle Farrell, N.W.A., Jill Scott, Chris Rock, Lauren Hill, OutKast, Beastie Boys, Cedric The Entertainer, Will Smith and many more. Bay Area Productions Special Events has produced draft parties for Chris Weber, Jalen Rose, Jason Kidd, and more adding a new flavor to the company.
Bay Area Productions has also produced concerts with such legendary artists as; Prince, Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross, Janet Jackson, Anita Baker, Luther Vandross, Frankie Beverly, The Isley Brothers, BB King, Maxwell, The O’Jays, Ray Charles, Beyoncé, Earth Wind & Fire, Rhianna, Anita Baker, Charlie Wilson, Kanye West, New Edition, Barry White, Al Green, Pattie LaBelle, Rick James, Teena Marie, Chaka Khan, The Whispers, Gladys Knight, KEM and many more.
The Bay Area Productions Festival division also produces large annual outdoor events, including: Stone Soul, The Oakland Jazz Festival and Hot Summer Night just to name a few. A staunch supporter of charities Bay Area Productions is a great supporter of EOYDC, Lend-A-Hand Foundation and The Manzanita Group adding life into local charities in the Oakland/Bay Area.
Executive Summary
Lionel Bea
Is the Co-founder & Director of Operations of Bay Area Productions. He’s a 35+ year Entertainment Executive whose duties include booking artist, negotiating contracts, constructing concert budgets as well as creating & developing event concepts. At age 15 Bea worked as a DJ in an Oakland Night Club and as a 16-year-old high school junior Bea started producing High School Dances and never looked back. Bea, a concert prodigy of the world’s most successful promoter, the late great Bill Graham, has been instrumental in the careers of many of today’s top entertainers. By introducing them to the Bay Area music scene.
Janice Cotton
A graduate of San Jose State University with a B.S. in Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations. Ms. Cotton is the Director of Business Affairs at BAP and joined the team in 1984 as an Administrative Assistant and quickly advanced within the company. Her current responsibilities include managing all company finances from distributions to all event settlements, booking concert venues, routing concert dates, insurance liability, Human Resources, Box Office Management as well as day-of-show management. Ms. Cotton has an extensive relationship with over 50 concert venues across America.
Carlos Pedraza
Serves as the Director of Marketing & Advertising Campaigns at Bay Area Productions. He recently joined the company in 2022. His duties include coordinating advertising campaigns & designing marketing plans for all concerts and events. With over 30 years of experience & has directed ad campaigns for thousands of concerts and events in Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Los Angeles and the San Francisco / Bay Area. Prior to joining Bay Area Productions, he served as the Director of Marketing & Special Events for multi-media & entertainment outlets including, but not limited to iHeartMedia, CBS Radio and Bonneville International Corporation.