IDC Events

Event Production & Services

From calling shows for corporate and nonprofit clients at Chase Center and Levi’s Stadium, to planning and producing music and cultural events attended by thousands of people around the Bay Area, Steffen Franz and his team at IDC execute a wide range of events and projects while creating consistent, paid opportunities for independent artists. Over the last six years IDC has partnered with Illuminate the Arts (illuminate.org) to bring free live music to the city, and last year alone produced close to 500 performances and events across multiple concert series.

“IDC has been a game changer for San Francisco. From the start, it was our intention to restore San Francisco’s live music swagger—five years and thousands of free concerts later, the city feels reconnected to live music in a way that continues to grow. My collaboration with Steffen Franz has been transformational, and together we’ve helped shape a new cultural heartbeat for San Francisco.”

-Ben Davis, Illuminate the Arts Founder and Executive Director

With the support of the SF Recreation and Parks Department, Illuminate and IDC have produced concert series at multiple venues, including two in Golden Gate Park: the Golden Gate Park Bandshell and The Whale’s Tail along theJFK Promenade; the Civic Center Soundtrack Series at Fulton Plaza; and the Sounds of the Street Series at India Basin Waterfront Park. Together they have been central to the production of many cultural moments in San Francisco, including all entertainment and live production for the last three years of WELCOME (aka The Lasers on Market Street)during SF Pride; the relaunch event for The Bay Lights in March 2026; and the opening launch events for Naga, the sea serpent in Rainbow Falls along JFK Promenade.

IDC also recently began producing Live on The Avenue with the town of San Anselmo, CA, a concert series that runs 55 shows across two stages from June through September!

IDC Founder Steffen Franz has decades of experience producing large-scale events, bringing his technical prowess and management skills to many national and local brands and non-profit organizations including SONY (SIE); UCSF; Monterey Bay Aquarium; Google; Facebook/Meta; Prometheus; Asana; Figma; Hitachi; City of Hope; and GAP Corporate Summit. Franz also co-produces the annual conference for Women in Product, a major female-focused nonprofit organization, and has been technical director for all AfroTech Executive events.

Steffen has been in the music business in some shape or form since he was 17 years old. Growing up in Manhattan, he started his live production career at the now legendary CBGBs and worked at many of NYC's major clubs including Danceteria, Limelight, The World, and Red Zone. He designed various lighting and sound installations, DJ'd, and even built and ran a few clubs in and around New York City in the 1980s. Founding Positive Sound Massive Recordings (PSM), a 100% conscious reggae record label, in the 1990's. PSM released over 20 albums, and Steffen has produced over 25 albums for other artists/labels as well. He has a catalog of hundreds of songs and instrumentals, many of which have been placed in TV shows, movies, and video games. On top of all that, it's clear that his heart is in San Francisco's parks. He has served as Chair of PROSAC (Park, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Committee) and he's currently President of Friends of Lafayette Park Board.

Steffen knows the music industry inside and out. He expertly, authentically, and respectfully works with everyone, from musicians and technicians to managers, performers, politicians, park rangers, and police. He is detail-oriented while mindful of the big picture, always tying his decisions to a larger vision. He makes smart choices and is cool under pressure, naturally blending talent, sharing opportunities, and building relationships.

For more information about IDC Events please email info@independentdistro.com or call (415) 292-7007.