Some bad news

jay helfert

jay helfert

Shoot Pool, not people
Gold Member
Silver Member
This is a hard post for me to make because it comes after months of preparation and anticipation of one of my most exciting events. I'm referring to the Invitational tournament I had set up for the city of Carson, CA.

All along I made it clear that the prize money was sacred and most be guaranteed 100%, and I was assured by the powers that be in Carson that would be the case. I asked them for a signed contract outlining our various responsibilities and was told by the city attorney it would be forthcoming.

I agreed to help raise money from billiard industry sponsorship to defray the cost of producing the event, and in fact had obtained well over $10,000 in commitments from various sponsors. I had made a personal guarantee that I would get a minimum of ten thousand and I did. This sponsorship money would go toward the purse.

I must have gone to ten meetings with various community leaders, and was continually assured of their dedication to this project. Unfortunately the city attorney informed me a few days ago (just before Thanksgiving) that now there was a problem raising the money. She asked me if I would talk to Manny Pacquiao when I saw him and see if he would like to sponsor our event. Naturally I am reluctant to do that as I barely know the man. I told her that I could not go forward if the prize money was not guaranteed. We are only two months away and I don't want the sixteen players making travel arrangements for an event that might not happen.

So here I am waiting to find out on Monday if it is still a go or not. I'm extremely disappointed because of all the time I put into creating what I'm certain would be a great event for pool. Maybe I had my blinders on and believed everything they told me at face value. I was told more than once that the money would be no problem and here we are two months away and it turns out this is not the case.

I take full responsibility for my part in this and will only add that this is the first time in my life that I ever announced an event and had to cancel it, as may be the case here. I guess I failed this time and for that I'm sorry.

I am making plans for another Los Angeles area tournament that I will do on my own. A couple of years back I inquired here about people joining with me in producing a big tournament in Los Angeles. At the time I asked for investors to come in for one or two thousand each and they would own one or two points in the gross receipts of the event. There must have been twenty positive responses to this and if any of you read this please PM me again. I have an idea for a blockbuster event that no one else is producing at this time. I will be glad to tell you about it in private.

The total outlay for the tournament I have in mind (everything included; tables, bleachers, staff, materials, etc.) will be in the neighborhood of only $60-70,000. I will put up half and I'm looking for partners for the other half ($1,000 gets you one point). I will do all the work in putting this event together and you will be passive investors. Let me know who's interested. Thanks
 
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Post

Hello jay,
Hope it all works out for you.
You have a strong love for pool and we all appreciate what you do and have done for cue sports around the world and especially here in the states.



Thanks again.

Rob.M


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jay helfert said:
This is a hard post for me to make because it comes after months of preparation and anticipation of one of my most exciting events. I'm referring to the Invitational tournament I had set up for the city of Carson, CA.

All along I made it clear that the prize money was sacred and most be guaranteed 100%, and I was assured by the powers that be in Carson that would be the case. I asked them for a signed contract outlining our various responsibilities and was told by the city attorney it would be forthcoming.

I agreed to help raise money from billiard industry sponsorship to defray the cost of producing the event, and in fact had obtained well over $10,000 in commitments from various sponsors. I had made a personal guarantee that I would get a minimum of ten thousand and I did. This sponsorship money would go toward the purse.

I must have gone to ten meetings with various community leaders, and was continually assured of their dedication to this project. Unfortunately the city attorney informed me a few days ago (just before Thanksgiving) that now there was a problem raising the money. She asked me if I would talk to Manny Pacquiao when I saw him and see if he would like to sponsor our event. Naturally I am reluctant to do that as I barely know the man. I told her that I could not go forward if the prize money was not guaranteed. We are only two months away and I don't want the sixteen players making travel arrangements for an event that might not happen.

So here I am waiting to find out on Monday if it is still a go or not. I'm extremely disappointed because of all the time I put into creating what I'm certain would be a great event for pool. Maybe I had my blinders on and believed everything they told me at face value. I was told more than once that the money would be no problem and here we are two months away and it turns out this is not the case.

I take full responsibility for my part in this and will only add that this is the first time in my life that I ever announced an event and had to cancel it, as may be the case here. I guess I failed this time and for that I'm sorry.

I am making plans for another Los Angeles area tournament that I will do on my own. A couple of years back I inquired here about people joining with me in producing a big tournament in Los Angeles. At the time I asked for investors to come in for one or two thousand each and they would own one or two points in the gross receipts of the event. There must have been twenty positive responses to this and if any of you read this please PM me again. I have an idea for a blockbuster event that no one else is producing at this time. I will be glad to tell you about it in private.

The total outlay for the tournament I have in mind (everything included; tables, bleachers, staff, materials, etc. (will be in the neighborhood of only $60-70,000. I will put up half and I'm looking for partners for the other half ($1,000 gets you one point). I will do all the work in putting this event together and you will be passive investors. Let me know who's interested. Thanks
Click to expand...
 
Hoping it goes well for you Jay. I have the utmost respect for what you do and how you do it. Hopefully you get a roll.
 
Sorry to hear your tournament might fall through Jay. I hope all can see (including Barry) how to run tournament/ business. If the monies not there...don't go on. Better luck with the next one. Johnnyt
 
Sorry to hear, Jay, for I know how hard you worked to make the Carson event happen.

Let's talk at the Derby.
 
Class

Thanks to Jay for being up-front on this.

Good luck on the future tourney.

RL
 
All is not lost, as you will get a conclusive answer on Monday! Fingers crossed...

Yes, it's a shame - but at least you swallowed your pride and came out up front so none of the players started to book flights etc... for that, my hat off to you for all your efforts to put on a great pool event. :thumbup:
 
Sorry to hear that jay. Damn i want to hit loto. For sure be involved in tournaments. We need those big corporate guys like pepsi etc involved in this great sport!
 
Honesty

jay helfert said:
This is a hard post for me to make because it comes after months of preparation and anticipation of one of my most exciting events. I'm referring to the Invitational tournament I had set up for the city of Carson, CA.

All along I made it clear that the prize money was sacred and most be guaranteed 100%, and I was assured by the powers that be in Carson that would be the case. I asked them for a signed contract outlining our various responsibilities and was told by the city attorney it would be forthcoming.

I agreed to help raise money from billiard industry sponsorship to defray the cost of producing the event, and in fact had obtained well over $10,000 in commitments from various sponsors. I had made a personal guarantee that I would get a minimum of ten thousand and I did. This sponsorship money would go toward the purse.

I must have gone to ten meetings with various community leaders, and was continually assured of their dedication to this project. Unfortunately the city attorney informed me a few days ago (just before Thanksgiving) that now there was a problem raising the money. She asked me if I would talk to Manny Pacquiao when I saw him and see if he would like to sponsor our event. Naturally I am reluctant to do that as I barely know the man. I told her that I could not go forward if the prize money was not guaranteed. We are only two months away and I don't want the sixteen players making travel arrangements for an event that might not happen.

So here I am waiting to find out on Monday if it is still a go or not. I'm extremely disappointed because of all the time I put into creating what I'm certain would be a great event for pool. Maybe I had my blinders on and believed everything they told me at face value. I was told more than once that the money would be no problem and here we are two months away and it turns out this is not the case.

I take full responsibility for my part in this and will only add that this is the first time in my life that I ever announced an event and had to cancel it, as may be the case here. I guess I failed this time and for that I'm sorry.

I am making plans for another Los Angeles area tournament that I will do on my own. A couple of years back I inquired here about people joining with me in producing a big tournament in Los Angeles. At the time I asked for investors to come in for one or two thousand each and they would own one or two points in the gross receipts of the event. There must have been twenty positive responses to this and if any of you read this please PM me again. I have an idea for a blockbuster event that no one else is producing at this time. I will be glad to tell you about it in private.

The total outlay for the tournament I have in mind (everything included; tables, bleachers, staff, materials, etc.) will be in the neighborhood of only $60-70,000. I will put up half and I'm looking for partners for the other half ($1,000 gets you one point). I will do all the work in putting this event together and you will be passive investors. Let me know who's interested. Thanks
Click to expand...


I rather hear this the Truth instead of post dated checks or the checks are in the mail.



Thanks for being up front and honest.
 
Jay, you've got power in numbers here @ AZB. if you need all of us to pick up the phone & light that Carson switchboard up - it can be done. just give us the contact info....
 
RADAR said:
Sorry to hear that jay. Damn i want to hit loto. For sure be involved in tournaments. We need those big corporate guys like pepsi etc involved in this great sport!
Click to expand...


Jay, I'm sure this is all going to work out for you. From what I see of you in all years past, you are very dedicated and that equates to success at what you endeavor.


As for hitting lotto ... man, if I hit lotto, I'm going for that heated blow up doll.
 
PINKLADY said:
Jay, you've got power in numbers here @ AZB. if you need all of us to pick up the phone & light that Carson switchboard up - it can be done. just give us the contact info....
Click to expand...

I have no doubt we would fill the arena here every day. And GMA would get some great television coverage as well. That doesn't seem to be the problem. It's all the red tape dealing with the various city offices.
 
Probably like almost any other town, one office votes a different brand than the other. Doesn't matter that half the town and business want it. Before they get the job or are voted in it's for the people, once in it's hooray for ME FU. Johnnyt
 
Jay, as always you show yourself to be a stand up guy. Thanks for the heads up as I had pencilled in these dates as a possible holiday destination. With respect, I offer the following comments;

My guess would be that some ‘I am smarter than everyone else’ political trough feeder has decided to learn everything that there is to know about putting on a pool tournament; in particular one that would be attractive to the Filipino community of voters. I would venture a guess that this opportunist discovered that Manny Pacquiao has been supportive of pool in the Philippines and, in an effort to again prove that they are the smartest person in the room, suggested that they could have their Kutsinta and eat it too. Their plan, get this Helfert fellow to leverage his friendship with Dennis, Efran and others to get Manny to put up the money. Whether you knew Manny like a brother or, as you say, only barely knew him it would be wrong to even put him in a position to have to say no.

My opinion is based on a review your previous thread on this subject in context. I have taken the liberty to take your quotes directly from it as follows;




So I just came from a meeting with the Mayor of Carson. The purpose was to iron out the details of the event and each of our areas of responsibility. Bottom line - it's a done deal now and we will be holding this event. The final sixteen players are not confirmed yet, but eight of them will be filipino. The prize money has been jacked $10,000 to $60,000 with first round losers guaranteed $1,250. No one goes home empty!

I'm relieved that all went well with the city council and they approved our event. Now the hard work begins for me, getting all the ducks in a row. My responsibility is anything and everything to do with creating and conducting the tournament. They are providing the location and the financial support. If there is anyone out there who would like to assist me during this event (preferably living in the Los Angeles area) please get in touch with me. I could use two or three good assistants.

This event is made possible by the filipino community in Los Angeles and because of that, eight of the sixteen players will be filipino. It will be broadcast on a Philippine television station as well. I plan to invite four American players and four foreign players.

My sponsorship comes from the filipino community in Carson so maybe you will better understand why I must do it this way.

More good news. Philippine television channel GMA has agreed to televise this event. It will be aired locally in Los Angeles and also via tape delay in the Philippines. They will be televising all fifteen matches. It is GMA 7 in the Philippines and GMA-TV in Los Angeles on the local cable networks.





If Monday’s decision is not positive then I would hope that before accepting this decision the following reminders/points to Mayor and Council, among others, would be made.

They, Mayor and Council, had met with you, had indicated approval for this event well in advance. Based on that, you had, in good faith, proceeded. You have invested time, money and reputation based on their approval and direction. I do hope that if they stick to the, we have to cancel line that they are not only prepared to make you whole for what you have invested in this but also prepared to face the potential backlash from the community they had hoped to cater to when GMA television interviews Dennis, Efran and yourself as you express you disappointment in how this was handled and the effect it has on players who planned this into their schedules only to be derailed by crass political opportunism.

I had planned to send an email directly to the Mayor and Council of Carson City to express my opinion, if needed, after you let everyone know the outcome of tomorrow’s meeting but I cannot get their web site probably because I am from Canada. At any rate, good luck in dealing with them tomorrow, hope it can be resolved.
 
thewhiffer said:
Jay, as always you show yourself to be a stand up guy. Thanks for the heads up as I had pencilled in these dates as a possible holiday destination. With respect, I offer the following comments;

My guess would be that some ‘I am smarter than everyone else’ political trough feeder has decided to learn everything that there is to know about putting on a pool tournament; in particular one that would be attractive to the Filipino community of voters. I would venture a guess that this opportunist discovered that Manny Pacquiao has been supportive of pool in the Philippines and, in an effort to again prove that they are the smartest person in the room, suggested that they could have their Kutsinta and eat it too. Their plan, get this Helfert fellow to leverage his friendship with Dennis, Efran and others to get Manny to put up the money. Whether you knew Manny like a brother or, as you say, only barely knew him it would be wrong to even put him in a position to have to say no.

My opinion is based on a review your previous thread on this subject in context. I have taken the liberty to take your quotes directly from it as follows;




So I just came from a meeting with the Mayor of Carson. The purpose was to iron out the details of the event and each of our areas of responsibility. Bottom line - it's a done deal now and we will be holding this event. The final sixteen players are not confirmed yet, but eight of them will be filipino. The prize money has been jacked $10,000 to $60,000 with first round losers guaranteed $1,250. No one goes home empty!

I'm relieved that all went well with the city council and they approved our event. Now the hard work begins for me, getting all the ducks in a row. My responsibility is anything and everything to do with creating and conducting the tournament. They are providing the location and the financial support. If there is anyone out there who would like to assist me during this event (preferably living in the Los Angeles area) please get in touch with me. I could use two or three good assistants.

This event is made possible by the filipino community in Los Angeles and because of that, eight of the sixteen players will be filipino. It will be broadcast on a Philippine television station as well. I plan to invite four American players and four foreign players.

My sponsorship comes from the filipino community in Carson so maybe you will better understand why I must do it this way.

More good news. Philippine television channel GMA has agreed to televise this event. It will be aired locally in Los Angeles and also via tape delay in the Philippines. They will be televising all fifteen matches. It is GMA 7 in the Philippines and GMA-TV in Los Angeles on the local cable networks.





If Monday’s decision is not positive then I would hope that before accepting this decision the following reminders/points to Mayor and Council, among others, would be made.

They, Mayor and Council, had met with you, had indicated approval for this event well in advance. Based on that, you had, in good faith, proceeded. You have invested time, money and reputation based on their approval and direction. I do hope that if they stick to the, we have to cancel line that they are not only prepared to make you whole for what you have invested in this but also prepared to face the potential backlash from the community they had hoped to cater to when GMA television interviews Dennis, Efran and yourself as you express you disappointment in how this was handled and the effect it has on players who planned this into their schedules only to be derailed by crass political opportunism.

I had planned to send an email directly to the Mayor and Council of Carson City to express my opinion, if needed, after you let everyone know the outcome of tomorrow’s meeting but I cannot get their web site probably because I am from Canada. At any rate, good luck in dealing with them tomorrow, hope it can be resolved.
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I've thought about all that but I'm not by nature a litigious person. I will survive and go on to the next one, whatever that is. I will never give up on promoting pool in one form or another, that's my commitment. My mistake may have been to not insist on a contract early on. They kept telling me that was the next step after one more approval. That went on for the last three months. I guess I wanted to believe and my heart over ruled my head.
 
I had a long talk with the Mayor of Carson today, who has been the biggest supporter of this event. The bottom line is they have not raised the necessary funding to proceed as yet and I'm not willing to wait any longer. What I don't want to see is players making plane and hotel reservations and having to cancel them. That can be expensive.

We left it with the February event being postponed to a later date, if and when they are fully funded. I'm not willing to go ahead until that happens. If anything I will be more careful next time. It's been a disappointing experience, but I won't let it stop me from producing another event in the near future.

There is a good chance right now that the Swanee tourney will be inserted during that same time frame since it's now open. I told Mark G. that I would add more money to bolster the purse.
 
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