Intro and Festival Work Overview

Nice to meet you Steemit! Y S A here. I thought a short overview of some of my time working at festivals over the past few years would be a fun way to introduce myself to everyone.

Bonnaroo Staff Passes 2014-2016

I had been living in New Orleans for a few years working at restaurants and doing event work wherever I could when in 2012 word came around that a new festival was being put on. Rather than traditional NOLA lineups with stacked with local Jazz and Blues artists, BUKU festival was going to be geared towards a younger crowd. Excited about the fresh modern lineup, I applied to volunteer with hospitality. While the position required more experience than the general volunteer positions, I was banking on my minimal time as a 'stage manager’ during college pushing me through. It payed off. Not only did I get the position, but it turned out that hospitality was short staffed, and if I was up for it, they would give me a full access staff pass in exchange for me working beyond my scheduled volunteer time. I jumped at the chance, and all weekend I was putting together riders, meeting artists, and having all kinds of amazing experiences I’ll never forget.

(Sorry for picture quality, I didn't know how to take pictures back then)

BUKU 2012 Staff Pass

On stage during Skrillex

Me and Avicii

A shot of the main stage crowd

My dedicated (volunteer) work with the hospitality crew at BUKU 2012 landed me a job with hospitality at Jazz Fest

Jazz Fest Main Stage before opening

Jazz Fest Main Stage after opening

...which led to a job at Bonnaroo

...which led to something called IMPULSE (which is a wild story for another time...), which led to… you get the idea.
These days my main yearly festival is Bonnaroo, with varying fests throughout the year depending on who i’ve worked with and who invites me where. In addition to festival work, I make music, take photos, and just generally try to stay creative. I have also traveled to Japan many times and was even lucky enough to help a band on tour through Okinawa once! I’m excited to share some pictures and stories from my past and, even more so, my upcoming future with you all.