Can you tell us a little bit more about your dual roles at the non-profit and beyond?
“I am a project coordinator and board member of Women In Live Music. I focus on a few different projects each year for WILM and I am often the face you will see at our UK workshops that we arrange and the tradeshows that we attend! I am also a freelance live sound engineer as well as a full-time course leader at NTU London for the Event Production course. As a course leader, I educate young people to get into a career in the event industry by giving them hands-on experience, introducing them to key companies and highlighting all the different jobs one can do backstage!”
How long have you been with WILM?
“I joined the team in 2021 and have been a member since 2019 and remember seeing Malle Kaas (CEO) and Hannah Brodrick (co-founder) posting in the WILM Facebook group that they would have a stand at PLASA, I attended, met them in person and then started to get more involved from there. I volunteered for the WILMAwards and was brought onboard as a team member and project coordinator and now I am also a board member.”
Have you found that being a senior lecturer at NTU has changed your approach to working in the field?
“Yes and no, yes because I take more time speaking to young people and educating them whilst working at venues, festivals and touring and use any extra time I have to show people my set ups and offer shadow opportunities where I can. No, because my approach in the live field often influences my teaching. For me it is important to still be active in the industry, and every gig is a school day so I bring that back to my students and use it as case studies!”
What steps do you think the industry needs to take to ensure more opportunities are available to women?
“I think we need to promote it more to women as a viable career to have, whether you are young, old, have a family or not. Even if there are more opportunities, we need to make those opportunities sustainable and open to a work-life balance, which not only benefits women but men too! Often, we only talk about touring but there are jobs in the industry that do not require us being on the road but they are often not presented to young women as career paths.”
Why is WILM so important for the industry?
“WILM is currently the only organisation in Europe that actively works to highlight women working backstage in the industry, educating the next generation as well as carrying out research on several topics related to women in the live event industry. We are a place for people to come to for advice, for job opportunities, for acknowledgement of their work and for overall support. For companies on or off the road looking to diversify their crew roster, we offer a crew list containing all of our WILM members that are based all over Europe.”
What is next for you?
“Well, we have the WILMAwards happening on 16 December in London. That is the event of the year for us! We are also trying to fundraise to help us create a sustainable future for the WILM team and our members. We’d love to expand and work more with our industry partners but without the funding we can’t operate at the level we would like to! Outside of that I’m hoping 2026 will bring some exciting opportunities, on and off the road.”
