The amount of planning and work it takes to put on an awards show is monumental. Baker Machado sits down with Terry Lickona, a producer and one of the members of the team behind not just one, but two of music’s biggest nights of the year -- the Grammys and Latin Grammys.

The Latin Grammy Awards air November 17 at 7 pm EST on Univision.

Between Bells

Terry Lickona On Producing Music's Biggest Nights

amount of planning and work it takes to put on award shows is monumental. Yeah, I mean, the amount of time and work it takes, but on this show is monument itself. But I sat down with Terry Laconia producer and one of the members of the team behind not just one but two of music's biggest nights of the year. We're talking the Grammys and the Latin Grammys take a look officially. My title is co producer because as you might imagine, it takes more than one or two producers to produce a show, like either Grammy Awards. So, I have been a co producer for the original Grammy Awards show for 12 years, and this is my seventh year as the co producer of the Latin Grammys. I mean, the shows have a lot in common, but also there are some pretty important differences. All right, so let's talk about those because obviously as an insider at the helm and being responsible for two of the biggest nights in music, you know, you've been doing this for over a decade. How do the Grammys and the Latin Grammys, sort of compare what are the differences? Let's start with what they have in common. So, both Grammy shows are peer based awards shows, and what that means is that the artists themselves are the ones who vote for the other artists in each category to be a member of the Recording Academy, either the american or the Latin Academy's, you've got to be a creator, you've got to be a singer, a songwriter and instrumentalist producer, somebody who's actually involved in the creative process and that's what makes the Grammys different from any other awards show and that's why, frankly, they're the most prestigious music award that you can win because it's your fellow peers, fellow artists who are actually doing the voting. So that's what they have in common, what they have different. Well, the original Grammy show has been around, this is coming up on its 65th year, The Latin Grammys, this is our 23rd annual show. So when it started out, the Latin Grammys were sort of like the little sister of the, of the Big Grammy show. But these days, I'd say they're pretty much on an equal part because, you know, latin music obviously is more than it's a latin phenomenon. It has spread and become worldwide. So the differences are in the production other than the music and the fact that hey, the Latin Grammys are in spanish. One interesting footnote is when the latin Grammy show began, it was aired on CBS television and it was in english for the first couple of years before, you know, we figured out that's not such a good idea. So we switched over to a spanish network Univision and began broadcasting the show in spanish and the music is obviously different. There's, you know, there's a different feel to the Latin Grammys just like there is latin music in general. I'm seething in jealousy because both of those shows have some of the best performances you'll see in television. So you have an amazing job as a producer getting that front row seat to seeing all of that. And what has sort of been the most exciting and rewarding aspect of being a producer on both of these shows? Well, one you you said the word performance and that's another key difference between the Grammys and a lot of other awards shows is that they are all live performances. That's that's the emphasis on a Grammy show. You know, one of the best kept secrets on a lot of other awards shows is that the artists are not actually singing or playing music live there often lip sync they're playing to track, okay, you know, that sometimes is necessary for whatever the reason, but the Grammys are different. We take pride in the fact that we present live performances to our audience. Um you know, and I think also the fact that for the latin Grammys in particular every year, we try to come up with a theme. The other grammy show, the american Grammy show doesn't so much necessarily have a theme from year to year. But for the latin Grammys, it feels like it's more of a family because it really is latin music. Latin people around the world are part of a very unique culture. So for instance, this year's theme for the latin Grammys is we're all one big musical family and by that, like any other family. We try to honor the past people who came before we celebrate the President, the new music of today. But we also like to look ahead and break new ground with with new musical trends and and and new artists that are coming on board. And by the way, the Latin Grammys right around the corner thursday november the 17. What surprises can Latin music aficionados look forward to during the 23rd annual Latin Grammys o surprises? Well, you know, there are always surprises even for us because nobody knows who the winners are until that night when we open that envelope on stage in front of tens of millions of people around the world. But without knowing who those winners are going to be, I think I think there's gonna be some surprises as far as welcoming the new generation, the next generation of artists this year. Maybe more than we have in the past and I have this feeling this could be the year of the woman. It's it's been coming not only in latin music, obviously women are finally beginning to get their due female artists for so many years that had to struggle a lot more than their male counterparts. But there is some incredible female talent that has emerged in just the past few years, even in the last year during the current Grammy voting cycle and I think that's going to come across on the show this year and a special thanks to Terry Laconia, a producer of the Latin Grammys and the Grammys. And be sure to watch the Latin Grammys. It's on november 17th at seven p.m. Eastern time on Univision.