You love working in live entertainment but aren’t sure if there’s a place for you in the post-COVID industry… so what do you do? So much has changed in such a short period of time that a lot of workers are filled with understandable anxiety about what the future holds.
On day three of Pollstar Live! 2021, Scott Carmichael (Founder/CEO, Prodigy Search) moderated a panel discussion dealing with the live entertainment industry’s employment landscape as it’s poised to resume full activity. Joining Carmichael’s panel were David Garretson, Special Representative of the IATSE, Natasha Russ, Regional Director, Human Resources (West) at Legends, Nurit Siegel Smith, Executive Director at Music Forward Foundation, and CAPS’ very own Director of Music Tours and Live Events Sales, Jeremy Young.
According to these experts, everything is coming back quicker than expected—live sports, concerts, industry showcases—and in many cases, employers are having a difficult time filling all their job vacancies. For those who are ready, opportunity exists. So, why is there such a hesitancy on the part of the employee? As CAPS’ Todd Dyer explained in our previous blog on Production Live! 2021, the pandemic has had a deep impact on those workers who were displaced and furloughed over the last year and a half. The question remains: do those who’ve moved on want to come back, or will the industry need fresh blood?
CAPS’ Jeremy Young pointed out that the entertainment industry trains you to always be searching for your next job, which makes it unlikely that these workers were sitting around and waiting to be called back. People were forced to pivot in order to survive. For this reason, employers need to do a better job of communicating the benefits of returning to a line of work that some may have left behind. Natasha Russ echoed the same sentiments and reminded the panel that it is important not to lose sight of the strides that have been made in diversifying the pool of talented workers entering the industry.
In an era when many new positions and opportunities are being created, the industry must make sure they’re always up to date with the needs of live events. This means even more positions to fill as some standardized protocols become necessary across the board. As an example of growth, Young pointed out the new need for Covid Compliance personnel and how it doesn’t make sense to simply give the responsibility to someone working the “merch counter.”
A surefire way to bring fresh talent into the industry is to help people get a foot in the door. Nurit Siegel Smith reminded the panel that diversity is at the forefront of the conversation when it comes to hiring and rehiring, stressing that employers must ensure all new DEI initiatives are kept up with and aligned to combat the perception that live entertainment is somehow chasing behind the rest of the industry. The last year has proven that it isn’t enough to think that employers are doing the right thing, they must know. This will have the added benefit of bringing in talented workers that may have been overlooked in the past.
While a lot of necessary and sometimes uncomfortable conversations are being had internally, there is a sense with this group of professionals that the hardships of the past year will lead to a better future. If the hard work is done to reach out and truly take care of workers, old and new, then the live events industry will roar back with stronger bones and greater vigor. And as always, Cast & Crew and CAPS will be at your side to help navigate turbulent times and guide you toward greater success. Live is coming back, and we are ready and excited to meet the opportunities it brings.