Next Level Productions’ mission is to “reach the lost for Christ through exciting Christian events.”– Cameron Mays
Christian music promoter Cameron Mays has always loved music. It wasn’t until he was 20 years old with two DUIs under his belt that he opened his heart and was rescued by God, which eventually led him to spread the Word of the Lord.
Mays’ first foray as a promoter in the Christian concert world was in 1986. While the concert attendance was underwhelming, he shares, “We had so much enthusiasm.”
He dabbled in the industry for the next few years while holding down a full-time job. Mays recalls having the audacity to reach out to Mylon LeFevre of Mylon and Broken Heart band. As we were setting up, the opening act drove up to the concert site in a banged-up Winnebago, pulling a U-Haul trailer. When they introduced themselves as The Newsboys, no one knew who they were.”
“That night, the concert was a huge success, and we had 74 people accept Christ. Mylon always did an altar call and shared the Gospel. People were waiting in the aisles to give their lives to the Lord,” continues Mays. “For those of us who have been rescued, there is a natural tendency to try and rescue others. That’s what drew me to the Christian concert world, which is a great way to rescue and communicate God’s love.”
By 1992, Mays turned his attention toward his family. He knew that he couldn’t devote the time needed to promote Christian music, so he stopped.
God had other plans. Twelve years later, shares Mays, “I was in my car and felt the Holy Spirit say, ‘Begin doing concerts again. I hadn’t done a show in over a decade, but when I went to my Sunday school class, I met a guy named Scott Shives.”
Mays asked Shives, who was doing missionary work in the public schools, what he thought it would take to draw kids to the Lord. Shives’ response was – concerts.
That’s when all the pieces began to fall into place. Tim Bergeron helped Mays obtain nonprofit status and Next Level Productions was born. “I felt as if that were a confirmation from God,” he recalls.
Next Level Productions’ mission is to “reach the lost for Christ through exciting Christian events.”
Jon Hamilton, Christian FM president, became aware of the work Mays was doing fairly early on. “It’s about the heart and vision for Cameron, who does concerts for one reason – to impact people for the cause of Christ. In recent years he has brought big events to major arenas in larger cities, but then he turns around and brings some of the same artists to Vero Beach and other smaller communities where the events are usually an economic loss. But to Cameron, these losses are a kingdom gain.”
Today, as an industry leader in the Southeast, Next Level Productions promotes top Christian artists, including Casting Crowns, Toby Mac, Chris Tomlin, Switchfoot, Kari Jobe, Michael W. Smith, Third Day, For King and Country and Matthew West.
“Christian concerts are often some of the best-attended events here on the Treasure Coast, which is also true throughout the US. I know of countless testimonies of people who have given their heart to Christ, encountered God in a vivid, life-changing way, or turned away from sin. But it’s also a place where Christian families can gather across denominational lines and connect in a larger worship experience,” shares Hamilton.
Mays “measures” his success in reaching the lost for Christ. “On the day of the concert, standing at the back of the room and seeing everyone worshiping God, it’s the coolest experience you can ever imagine.”
An opening in the Casting Crowns’ concert schedule is a blessing for Vero Beach. They will
perform a free, community-wide concert on May 23 at Riverside Park. As soon as word got out about the concert, there was a “huge groundswell of support,” shares Mays.
For the Grammy award-winning multi-platinum band, Casting Crowns, these events are more like a homecoming.
“We have missed being out on the road and seeing people in person,” says Casting Crowns frontman Mark Hall. “We have been working hard to find a way to go out and worship with folks again in a fun and safe environment. So, we are excited to be able to present ‘A Night Under the Stars,’ a live and in-person drive-in concert. Our hope is that it will be a night like no other. Worshiping together under the stars, singing all our favorite songs. We hope everyone will load up the car and bring the whole family out to a safe and socially distanced live concert event.”
Casting Crown’s “A Night Under The Stars” concert is part of a 30-city drive-in tour presented by Compassion International. For tour or ticket information, visit CastingCrowns.com/tour or go to nextlevelproductions.com.