Getting To Know Your Pollstar Live! Panelists
Maria Brunner, owner of Insight Management & founder of Musically Fed
Panel: What I Did on my Summer Vacation: How the Production Biz Stood Tall in the
Pandemic (Production Live!)
Date/Time: Tuesday, June 15 at 11 a.m.
Other Panelists: 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.
Maria Brunner – who was honored as one of Pollstar’s 2021 Women of Live and named to Pollstar’s 2020 Impact 50 list as one of the Caretakers – has worked in the music business for more than three decades. While attending Montana State University she became the program board manager for MSU concerts and events and went on to become assistant director of student activities at Everett Community College. After working at Concerts West/MGT III, helping to run the marketing for album releases and tour promotions, she formed Insight Management 28 years ago with a focus on grassroots marketing.
Brunner started started the nonprofit Musically Fed in 2016 in honor of her late husband, who was a proud Vietnam veteran, to repurpose unused backstage catering from concerts and festivals to donate to community organizations comprised of at least 50% veterans and who focus on feeding the homeless, hungry and food insecure.
After the coronavirus pandemic brought live events to a halt and many production professionals suddenly found themselves out of work, Musically Fed shifted its mission to distributing food to help those in the music industry who are facing food insecurities.
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.
Pollstar Live! kicks off 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.
Proudest Moment In Your Career?
Maria Brunner: The year that three of my employees got hired into prestigious careers that they are still in today. Why Everyone Must Go To This Panel? To know that we have it within us to help others, and that as a community, we can accomplish almost anything. The Story You Will Tell? Moving without hesitation to find a way to help those in our industry that needed immediate and continued help by providing food, food product, and essential items. The Story You Won’t Tell? People behaving badly when they knew better. What May Cause Tempers To Flare? We have plenty of egos, plenty of heart, and plenty of wanting to do it our own ways. The Question You Hope Is Asked? How do we keep helping each other? What Do You Dread Most About Going Back To Shows? Egos, senses of entitlement, and the quest for the almighty dollar.
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