Features
Pollstar Live Panel Preview: An Honest Look At Diversity & Inclusion With Jonathan Azu, Noelle Scaggs & More
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This year’s Pollstar Live! conference will revive live as the concert business is gearing up and the return to normalcy appears well under way. With some of the best talent and minds in the business gathering once more in Los Angeles June 15-17, you won’t want to miss the networking opportunities, insightful discussion and, of course, the Pollstar Awards honoring the best from the live entertainment world.
“An Honest Look At Diversity & Inclusion in Live Entertainment,” sponsored by Live Nation, will address how industry influencers can not only make their companies and partners more inclusive but also how those in the industry – or who used to be – from traditionally marginalized groups can avail themselves of opportunities in live entertainment.
Panelists include Live Nation Media & Sponsorship’s Shavonne Dargan, Nederlander Concerts’ Eddie Orjuela, Noelle Scaggs of the band Fitz & The Tantrums as well as the Diversify The Stage initiative, Bao Vo Creative’s Bao Vo, and Culture Collective’s Jonathan Azu, who is moderating.
Pollstar Live! is set for June 15-17 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The conference is the world’s largest gathering of live entertainment professionals and the flagship event for Pollstar magazine. The event features panels with the industry’s top executive and visionaries, multiple networking opportunities and the 32nd annual Pollstar Awards. Pollstar Live! kicks off June 15 with Production Live!, the one-day companion conference that features insightful panels and discussions from industry professionals on all topics related to staging live events including lighting, video, staging and stage management, sound technique, concert production, video, regulations, security and more.
Previously announced speakers include Dayglo Presents founder Peter Shapiro; Maureen Valker-Barlow, EVP Partnerships of Danny Wimmer Presents and President of BrandMark Agency; Helena “Leca” Guimarães international director at C3 Presents; Ant Taylor, founder and CEO of Lyte, Inc.; and agent Sara Bollwinkel of Wasserman Music, whose clients include Billie Eilish, and many more, including UTA’s Ken Fermaglich, AGI’s Adam Kornfeld, KISS manager Doc McGhee and still other industry heavy hitters.
Panelists were previously announced for the Production Live! panel “What I Did On My Summer Vacation: How The Production Biz Stood Tall In The Pandemic,” including Maria Brunner of Insight Management and Musically Fed; Joey Gallagher of Gallagher Staging; Robin Shaw of Upstaging, Inc.; Michael Strickland of Bandit Lites; and Debbie Taylor; production coordinator for AC/DC, U2, Black Sabbath, Guns ‘N Roses and The Rolling Stones.
Production manager/tour manager Bill Reeves and production stage manager Lance “K.C.” Jackson the founders of Roadies of Color – will take part in the panel “Roadies of Color/Inclusivity on the Road & At the Show,” a candid discussion on the critical issue of a lack of diversity in live entertainment. Other speakers on the panel include Tour Forensics’ Dave “5-1” Norman, Rebekah Foster of Ujima Sound Productions, Ltd., and Tina Farris of TF Tours – all skilled veterans of the business of producing live entertainment.
This year’s conference will offer digital passes as a registration option for those who can’t attend the conference in person.
Registration for in-person and digital passes is open now.
Visit pollstar.live for more information.