We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lora Tautavicius. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lora below.

Hi Lora, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

My story starts my senior year of college. I went to a big state school in Kentucky (University of Kentucky, GO CATS), where I studied Political Science on the Pre-Law track. It being my last semester, I picked up a job being a bartender at a music venue. And like many of us in the music industry, I absolutely fell in love with electronic music and the community it came with, and what was a weekend job soon sparked to be one of my biggest passions + now full time career.

I spent every weekend at this venue working and had a moment at a show, where I didn’t know much about the industry but I just knew this is exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Before graduation, I decided to tell my parents I wasn’t going to law school, and I was moving to Tampa, FL with one of my best friends (Hayley Horn). That wasn’t the easiest convo, but I knew that it just had to happen. And I was gonna do whatever it took to make sure it worked out.

The summer I graduated, we packed up everything we had, said all of our goodbyes, and hit the road. I moved down to Tampa, with no job, no real plan, but with a growing passion for music. And as much as I wanna say it was easy and fun, it might’ve been the hardest few months I had to experience. I had no job, no friends (outside of my roommate), no idea what I was really doing. It was really discouraging at the time. But I knew it was gonna be worth it. Hayley and I spent the rest of the summer and early fall going to every show, meeting new people to connect with, and social stalking companies to work for. I think I applied to The Ritz in Ybor about 26 times for all and ANY position they had an opening for. And one day, I finally got an email back to come in for an interview. That night Hayley and I spent all night going over interview questions and answers, we were both so determined that I’d get this job, and I did.
Call it timing, call it luck, call it determination. But I finally got my first job in the music industry.

My first year there, was just as I expected. It was fun and it was hard, and every day I learned more and more about the scene. That summer I was honored enough to intern for Disco Donnies and work my first real festival, Sunset Music Festival. And on the last day, when the fireworks went off during the headliner, I knew this was the moment I was waiting for. The risk of moving with no job to a new state/city, the long days manifesting and just waiting for some to take a chance on me. It all just fell into place at that one exact moment.

(my piece of advice? always take that chance on yourself. even if you have no idea what your doing. because with passion and dedication, the world is at your finger tips.)

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Working in music, you kinda have to be a jack of all traits. Im based in Tampa and work every weekend at a music venue down here called the Ritz in Ybor, where i’m the VIP Manager. I lead a team to ensure that when fans come through the doors of the venue, they leave wanting to come to the next show.

My week day job is being a Day-to-Day manager for an artists management company called Vision Artists. I spend most of my time on my computer working through music releases, tour admin stuff, and in meetings with artists.

And when the summer months come around, I hit the road with festival companies like Breakaway, on the Artist Relations team.

All of these jobs are super fun, yes, but require a lot of commitment and hard work. I like to think of it as an oil machine, if one part isn’t working to its full potential, then the overall machine isn’t successful. And in this industry there is so many moving parts, that its crucial everyone is on their A-game.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

GET COMFORTABLE WITH BEING TOLD NO.

jeez, I cant even keep count of the amount of times I have shot my shot and have been denied or rejected. And thats totally ok. whats not ok is giving up on yourself because someone told you no. At the beginning, I heard ‘No’ so much more then ‘Yes’ and if I would’ve given up, I know I wouldn’t be where I am at today. Reminding yourself everyday, that what you are working towards is gonna be worth so much, and taking a chance on yourself will always be the right thing to do. It just sometimes takes others a bit longer to see that in the grand scheme of things. Stay true to yourself and let ‘No’ fuel you to work harder.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Not sure if you would describe this as a resource, but the power of connection is so importnat.

Ask people what they do, why they do it, and how they do it. The power of connection is often brushed over. But truly, might be the most important thing in life. I have been given many opportunities in my career because of one simple conversation with peers. You never will know if you can contribute to an artist or a company without knowing what they are missing. And even if that conversation doesn’t get you the job right there and then, down the road, when that company or artist feels like its missing something for their project. You will cross their minds and they’ll reach out.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loratautavicius
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lora-tautavicius/

Image Credits

Drue Pines, Olivia Wolf, Amy Nguyen