From The Inside : Vanessa Cohen
From The Inside shares stories and open letters from those in the Industry as we deal with COVID-19.
Vanessa Cohen shares her story on how Covid-19 has affected our industry and her life. Breaking down her multiple roles and how she has reacted over the last few months.
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My story is best explained by breaking it down into sections representing two different but not mutually exclusive facets of the entertainment industry. I am extremely fortunate in that I am able to keep working, I have my health and am part of a very supportive network so this is not a pity party but rather an effort to challenge myself with something I wouldn’t normally do which is to write about myself without a ‘marketing filter’.
Part A: Artist Manager for SEVADER
I manage an electronic production/DJ duo named SEVADER who, like countless others, have been working hard on their music and putting together sets for some upcoming bookings. I have been working with Josh & Sean since September 2019 and in this time we have focused on bringing up their digital presence to a more professional standard, increasing their profile across South East Queensland & further down the East Coast and signing with a booking agent. Each of these activities by themselves or with a lack of strategy would have a marginal impact but collectively we were starting to realise some short-term goals I had identified with the boys. Tick.
Artist management isn’t something you should get into if you’d like to make money fast, in fact it could be referred to as a long-game. If you do happen to come across an act you believe in, on average you will spend several years and your own money to develop them. The rate of return on this is low but once it starts compounding you’re both covering costs and have some walking around money to play with. So far I have invested in flights, accommodation, social media sponsoring and attending conferences with the view of becoming a better manager. Momentum starts to build, you see the plays going up, people reach out to say they dig a track - it’s important to celebrate the little wins.
A few short weeks after a career highlight in the form of their first interstate gig in Sydney supporting Touch Sensitive, the government announced the closure of licensed venues, banned mass gatherings and limited the size of social groups. This led to the immediate cancellation of SEVADERs entire calendar of gigs which we had spent months (and in their case years) working towards.
What we did:
With their immediate income taken away, we did our due diligence and followed up outstanding monies, looked into grants, spoke to other people in the industry and regrouped. SEVADER have several music projects nearing completion including an impending release on an Australian label so the boys have been focusing all their efforts on what they can control - their own output. We are about to roll out a new edition of their Select series which has shifted to a seasonal format and to celebrate this we have collaborated with local artist, the incredibly talented Owlet who the boys met at Arcadia 2019. Over the May long weekend they will also be taking part in a collaborative livestream for Arcadia which is when they would have been playing the main stage alongside the likes of Made In Paris, Luke Alessi and more.
Part B: Promoter [Marketing & Bookings] for Arcadia
I also dedicate at least half my year to working alongside two friends Eddie and Jordan, together we run a boutique music festival located on a private farm 2 hours south-west of Brisbane called Arcadia. The event is something I am extremely passionate about as it provides a platform for up & coming talent to showcase their music to our growing audience. Held annually over the May long weekend, Arcadia was a few weeks shy of its’ fifth installment with our biggest lineup to date when the decision about mass gatherings was handed down.
Initially we wanted to do everything we could to hold on to the months of time already invested, so we submitted a revised permit application stating we would cap our daily capacity under 500 inclusive of performers, volunteers and crew (in line with the directives at the time). Due to the nature of the event being open-air we felt we could ensure appropriate social distancing and still run the event safely. But our plans were ill-fated, the Southern Downs Council advised that in line with the federal government directives they would not be issuing any more event permits. Since that time the restrictions have tightened further so it would not have been an option to proceed regardless but then had a decision to make - do we postpone or cancel?
I advocated asking our topline artists if they would be happy to honour the deposits we had outlaid and willing to revisit a new date later in the year should we find one that was agreeable. Given we have chosen to align ourselves with artists and managers who share the same vision for the Australian music scene, it was no surprise they were all supportive of reactivating the event later in 2020 - provided the restrictions had been lifted. So at the moment we are on hold, and have asked our ticket holders to hang tight while we try to navigate a new date which brings with it several other challenges.
What we did:
In the meantime we wanted to do something to help bring the community together, give people something to look forward to and provide our amazing line up with the chance to share the music they had been working on for the event. Enter the Long Weekend Live Stream. We reached out to artists to see if they were keen to put together a set for the stream and were very fortunate a number of local and interstate names were keen to participate. The event will take place on the Saturday of the May long weekend, streaming these unique artists directly to the homes of their loyal fans and our punters. We wanted to give it a purpose so we also set up an account for Support Acts COVID-19 Emergency Appeal which will accept donations during the stream and proceeds from the sale of our Arcadia T-Shirts.
I also work full-time for an experiential events & marketing agency called Uno Momento.
Luckily the Jobkeeper subsidy was announced by the government meaning I can remain employed and our focus has shifted to working ON the business, not just working IN the business. What does this mean? All the things you typically make last priority like working on your website, collating assets & resources and making sure they are all up to date, upskilling and advancing concepts to present when businesses are allowed to reactivate. Unlike many others I am very fortunate to work for a business that not only sees value in retaining me but has the means to do so until Jobkeeper kicks in.
I also wanted to give a shoutout to some people who have continued to inspire me since all of this began:
Brok Neilsen [Together Agency] - a notorious legend Brok has always been generous with his time including helping multiple artists learn the art of online streaming having taught himself first. We share similar taste in music & his opinion I always value.
Pia Del Mastro [OnePlusOne & Untitled Group] - as one of my mentors I am always appreciative of Pias advice and support but the way she has created opportunities for herself and her artists is inspiring. Plus she loves the odd vino over facetime.
Alex Tate [Fat Cat Music Group] - Alex retained his assistant Cate so together they could continue supporting their roster of artists through this tumultuous time. As a good friend I’ve been lucky to bend his ear more than once about issues I encounter as a manager and promoter and he is always extremely generous with his time and contacts.