Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Amy Kline & Stefan Flower

Hi Amy and Stefan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

My partner, Stefan Flower, and I founded “The Parking Pad” in 2021. Stefan has a background in engineering and skills as a production manager and I have over 20 years of experience in event ticketing and marketing and we established “The Parking Pad” as a platform for promoting music in Dormont, PA, and beyond.

From the beginning, we focused on creating unique and immersive experiences for both artists and audiences. We program a variety of events, from intimate house concerts to larger outdoor festivals, always with the goal of showcasing the talent and diversity of the local music scene.

As “The Parking Pad” grew in popularity, we expanded our reach, collaborating with other local businesses and organizations to bring even more attention to the vibrant music community in Dormont. We began to offer artist development services, helping musicians navigate the industry and reach new audiences. Our mission has always been to bring people together to support music, musicians, and community. In 2024, we placed a Free Little Music Library in front of our house. It functions like the other free libraries across the country but accepts primarily vinyl records and CDs.

Today, “The Parking Pad” continues to be a driving force in the local music scene, with Stefan’s engineering background and production management skills, and my expertise in event ticketing and marketing, playing key roles in the company’s success. Our passion and dedication to supporting emerging artists have helped us to become a fixture in the community, and we look forward to many more years of promoting great music in Dormont and beyond.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

The Parking Pad was facing a serious revenue obstacle in 2024 with the year-long closure of our largest venue, The Hollywood Theatre, which is undergoing extensive renovation. We had to evaluate our skills and pivot to offering sound and marketing services to other local artists and to Dormont organizations. We made up for lost revenue by booking numerous gigs offering sound engineering and equipment, as well as booking and stage management services for local festivals.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

Amy is the founder of Dormont CoronaChoir and Dormont Arts. [As my bio says, I have years of experience in creating interesting viral projects out of hare-brained ideas and bad jokes.] I began my career managing box office and ticketing operations at The Pittsburgh Playhouse, Columbus Association for Performing Arts, and Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild Jazz. In 2015, I moved to the vendor side of ticketing as a client success manager at Showclix, eventually being promoted to director of ticketing implementation for multiple ticketing software products. Currently, I am the director of client success for Activity Stream, an event marketing and data analytics software solution serving the music, sports, and performing arts industry. I have worked with such prestigious clients as Museum of Ice Cream, Ambassador Theatre Group, and ASM Global among others. I served two terms on the board of the International Ticketing Association and speaks frequently at their conferences.

Stefan Flower has an extensive engineering and process background, as well as experience in developing a yearly benefit concert in honor of his uncle. He has been trained in sound engineering at Tech 25, a Pittsburgh area non-profit.

Together, we founded The Parking Pad with a house concert series in our backyard during 2021 to give bands a venue during the ongoing COVID closures and audiences a way to connect with neighbors in an outdoor setting. We felt the loneliness of not having our friends around us enjoying their biggest passion: live music. We wanted to share the passion and joy that live music brings with everyone, and welcome artists and neighbors to come together for a couple of hours of bliss. We presented six concerts that first summer, four in 2022, and in December of 2022, expanded to the Hollywood Theatre in Dormont to produce concerts in a larger setting and present up and coming acts with a goal of raising their profile, and giving artists access to professional sound, lights, marketing, and ticketing. We work with Dormont Arts and Dormont CDC to present free music events in Dormont Parks and indoor spaces. We continue to proudly partner with the Dormont VFW to present one concert per month through the fall and winter. Our music programming has been heard by several thousand people now, both at paid concerts and at free events, and we have raised significant amounts of money for area non-profits working in harm reduction, refugee services, and education. We work with musicians, non-profits, and individuals to consult on marketing, personal branding, and business establishment.

We have built and grown a network of bands, musicians, and venues, including existing social clubs, theaters, and parks, as well as creating our own very popular house venue, to present music at an affordable price within walking distance of most Dormont homes and within a 15-minute drive of most neighborhoods south of the Monongahela River. We are so proud to bring joy to the neighborhood and the Pittsburgh music community at-large, as well as pay bands a guaranteed rate for each show (a rarity in the small venue and club community.) Artists know that they will get fair treatment, open communication, a written contract, and a true promoter working for them at every show. They love to work with us, and refer their friends to us all the time, which is an honor. We are so excited to be considered a destination for musicians, and this year, we featured our first touring artist at our house concert series. We are so honored to be a trusted voice and treasured resource in the community.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?

We opened our business as a response to COVID but it has not impacted our growth or regular business, and in fact, The Parking Pad wouldn’t exist without the COVID lockdowns prompting us to get creative and find ways to support music fans and musicians.

Pricing:

• Ticket prices range from $10 – $30.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theparkingpad.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parking.pad
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theparkingpad