EXCLUSIVE: “The other night we had Michelle and Barack, last night we had Tim Walz, and tonight we got a major headliner,” declares Democratic National Convention executive producer Ricky Kirshner of Kamala Harris acceptance speech in a few hours. “So I say, the closing act is pretty good so stick around no matter what time it is,” the political and Hollywood veteran adds of the Vice President’s big night. A multiple Emmy winner and nominee, Kirshner is an alum of Super Bowl halftime shows and the Tony Awards (which he is nominated for in the Outstanding Variety Special category at the next month’s 76th annual ceremony), and has been a part of every DNC since 1992 in NYC.
In an election year where almost everything is as unconventional as can be, the DNC in Chicago is actually a bit of back to the future. Unlike the virtual DNC that Kirshner and team had to scramble to put on back in 2020 , the DNC 2024 is the first in-person gathering for Democratic delegates since Hillary Clinton was nominated in Philadelphia in 2016. Still, among the speeches and testimonials, it hasn’t all been so traditional.
All week long, the atmosphere on the floor of the convention has been celebratory — a DJ even played the right-on-the-nose “Celebration” to dancing delegates on the final night. The music acts have been placed throughout the program — keeping delegates at peak energy. As the final hours of this historic DNC loom, Kirshner chatted with us about the past three ni.