Afatia Thompson
Photo from Afatia Thompson
Afatia Thompson has been known for his soothing R&B vocals and island flavor, and this talented artist, who started taking over his parents’ company, Tihati Productions, in 2007, has a lot on his plate in the upcoming year.
“I’ve been fortunate to be able to focus a lot of my time on Tihati Productions,” he says. “With my parents (Jack and Cha) pretty much stepping back from the reins of the company, allowing me to become president and run it, it’s been an exciting journey for me.
“Slowly my parents have been able to step back and kind of enjoy not having to deal with the day-to-day operations.”
Thompson, who was featured on MidWeek‘s cover March 21, 2008, grew up in the entertainment industry and is excited that Tihati Productions will celebrate its 45th anniversary next year.
A big milestone calls for a big celebration, and Thompson gave MidWeek a little preview.
“We’re looking forward to an exciting event that we’re going to produce in Waikiki at the Hilton Hawaiian Village next summer,” he says. “It’s called Tournament of Champions Fireknife Competition.”
This special event will include a concert, pulling in Tihati’s relationship with some of the top artists in the state, as well as the tournament of champions. But this is no ordinary fireknife competition.
“The thing that would make it unique from any other fireknife competition in the world is that it’s an invitation-only competition,” Thompson explains. “The prerequisite to be invited is that you have to be a former champion of another competition within the past seven years. That’s something we’re looking forward to producing and bringing to this island, and being the first of its kind in Hawaii.”
Other than Tihati’s 45th anniversary celebration, Thompson makes sure the company keeps up with its 12 production shows statewide.
“We’re continuing to modify, re-costume and re-choreograph,” he explains. “The trend we’re seeing is a lot of the repeat visits that come back to the Islands, and we want to be able to entice them with something new.
“I’ve been fortunate to be able to write a lot of the music end. Keeping the look of Tihati Productions new is a strategy of ours so the repeat visitors don’t feel like they’ve seen the show before.”
Thompson also wants to make sure the company and its more than 900 employees remain strong in all facets.
“There are so many families that rely on Tihati Productions to support their family,” he explains.
For more information on Tihati Productions, visit tihati.com.
When he’s not busy with Tihati Productions, Thompson spends time with his wife, Nicole, and children Matagi (10), Afatia Jr. (6), Bella (8) and Emelia (2).
