Hustle Like U Broke

Stu Berk is one of the good guys. From his early days playing guitar in a band for which Matt happened to be the agent, to more recent efforts as a Production Manager, Tour Manager, and even as substitute guitarist in Young the Giant, his efforts are informed by a belief that building respect is a critical component of the concert touring industry. In this episode we talk with Stu about the experiences that helped shape his perspective, his work on the LVL Up Benefit Concert, a new education focused project he champions called EVEN, plus we forecast our inevitable return to work based on recent developments.

In our first podcast of 2021, we are joined by Jen Kellogg, one of the founding members of Show Makers. Jen got her start in the music world at the University of Iowa's SCOPE programming board before joining JAM Productions, then crunching numbers as Tour Accountant for Vans Warped Tour. Along with her work at Show Makers, Jen currently teaches Producing and Touring Live Entertainment at Columbia College Chicago. In this episode we talk about Jen's journey, balancing her love of the road with her growing family, the nuts and bolts of money crunching for an endeavor the size of Warped, and her desire to educate others all along the way.

In this episode the Hustlers tackle the difficult subject of mental health with Dr. Chayim Newman and Zack Borer of backline. Our hosts start by asking questions about the work Dr. Newman and Zack are doing in the music community, before knowingly or otherwise finding themselves in the middle of their own group therapy session.

Kevin Antunes' work as a musical director and designer transcends the scope of instruments and musicians, building immersive sonic experiences for audiences. A 30+ year industry veteran having worked on Michael Jackson's Cirque du Soleil productions, as well as tours with Madonna, Justin Timberlake, and countless others, Kevin offers a unique perspective on live performances. In our episode we discuss methods for taking advantage of the strengths of your team, what it's like curating musical legacies, and pathways for students to take to prepare for joining the industry.

Edwin Hamilton is an industry jack-of-all trades. His company, TSP Inc., offers end-to-end scalable touring services for 100+ member touring parties for orchestras, single artist backpack tours, and all party sizes in between. In our discussion with Edwin we learn how his military upbringing established his focus on precision operations, the nature of touring orchestras, and the values that make a person successful in this industry.

In the wake of COVID, many of our colleagues found opportunities to engage in the political process in ways they might never have considered or been able to before. Today we're joined by Bobby Schnedier (PM), Jim Digby (TM/Founder of the Event Safety Alliance), Rayna Zemel (Playback Engineer), Mariah Kennemer (Live Nation Tour Rep), and Ray Amico (TM/PM) to discuss the different avenues they each pursued to get involved in the 2020 election, the recent vaccine and concert news, and the ways people can continue to be involved.

Paul and Courtney Klimson join Hustle Like U Broke to discuss The Roadie Clinic, a touring personnel driven non-profit dedicated to rebuilding the lives of road crew, instituting best HR practices for tours, offering support for families of roadies, and improving long-term financial outcomes for crew. Matt, Kyle, Chris, and Dallas talk with Paul and Courtney about how the organization started, ongoing efforts to support roadies, and the space The Roadie Clinic intends to occupy in the industry going forward.

Michael Strickland is a fixture in the entertainment industry, as both the founder of Bandit Lites and now the leading advocate for the live events industry on Capitol Hill. As the gravity of the pandemic set in, Strickland began talking with local and national politicians to develop relief efforts, and has been a driving force behind the RESTART Act among other initiatives. In today's episode we discuss his lobbying efforts, his forecast on the business in the coming months, and the philosophy that drives him as both a business owner and the voice of live entertainment in politics.

In the latest episode of Hustle Like U Broke, the hosts talk with Shaun Clair, of Clair Global, and Sean Sturge of Eighth Day Sound, about the recent acquisition. Shaun Clair and Sean Sturge operate as VP of Sales and Global Sales Manager for their respective companies. During the discussion they talk about the fulfilling nature of audio careers, the way the merged company is positioning to not only get through the shutdown but emerge stronger, and the new globally-localized model that is going to power the future of the audio industry.

After a brief hiatus, we're glad to be back with rock star festival director, Emily May Ockenden. Emily handles dual roles as the Director of Production for BWG Live and the Director of Operations for WYH Live. Raised in Australia, Emily got her start with Future Music Group in Sydney as a receptionist. She found her break when 3-months in, the festival coordinator left the company just weeks before the Future Music Festival (a mammoth tour consisting of 13 festivals and 40 sideshows packed into 3 weeks). She returned from her stint as festival coordinator and moved into handling tour logistics for the likes of The Stone Rose, The Prodigy, and Drake. After six years of touring Australasia as the National Touring Coordinator & Head of Artist Relations for FMG, Emily moved to the US, transitioning from logistics and tour management to site development and production design. She recently held the role of Festival Director for Something in the Water Festival, and since the shutdown has stayed active working on virtual events and has expanded her already impressive repertoire of skills to include COVID compliance.