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

Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

I often wonder if I would be better off mentally and physically having normal working hours- going to bed before 2 AM, having longer in-office hours, and not constantly texting, checking social media, or taking phone calls outside of work… but then I remember, I have done it and I hated it! I have been involved in booking bands and DJing at WRUW-FM as a volunteer long before I started at Grog Shop. I am hardwired to do this kind of work, regardless of compensation. Believe me, you don’t want to interact with me at a 9 AM stand-up meeting either, so I think it’s for everyone’s benefit that I work in a venue and not an office.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the Marketing Director at Grog Shop, an independently-owned, medium-sized music venue located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The club has been in business for the last 34 years, originally located up the street on historic Coventry Road- a district that has always embraced progressive counter-cultures and been a home-away-from-home for young people. I do a mixture of traditional marketing (i.e., managing social media, writing press releases, designing flyers, organizing the street team, placing digital ad buys, coordinating ticket giveaways) and being a catch-all for other tasks (ticketing, booking, sound engineer, bartender, lost-and-found manager, recruiter, and internship monitor).

I have been the full-time Marketing Director since 2022, and in that time, I have worked very hard to establish Grog Shop as a national leader in our industry. We train bands on Meta, connect them with our college radio stations, and use our amazing street team to promote their shows. I have organized Zoom calls with local and touring bands that have been around since the 90s and performed in arenas, to explain how to use Meta Business Portfolio, so that they have an easier time marketing all of their shows on a tour, not just ours. It may not be the easiest thing to do, but it’s important to me that I help bands at every stage of their career and leave them better than I found them.

We also have a lot of pride in being a great place for bands to play. Our green room isn’t the biggest (and it’s orange), we don’t have laundry, our bathrooms barely have mirrors, and the stage is about 4 feet off the floor- but bands come back over and over again throughout their careers for the experience of playing at the legendary Grog Shop. Our fans are also the best. I can’t tell you how many reviews we have that cite our friendly bartenders, great sound engineers, the intimate feel of the venue, and our classic dive bar aesthetic as the reason we are their favorite place to see live music anywhere in the country.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Go see a show.

Can’t afford it? We have so many free shows on our calendar and offer plenty of ways to win or earn free tickets to bigger concerts, comedy events, and more that you want to see.

We need to support live music IRL because it is the number one way that artists make a living. 100% of merchandise sales and VIP lift go to the artists that play at our venue. Touring is incredibly expensive. If you do not buy tickets in advance to events, artists cannot tour. Every single one of your favorite artists had to start somewhere. Sabrina Carpenter, Bruno Mars, MGK, Oasis, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Sofi Tukker, Magdalena Bay, Portugal. The Man, Panic! At The Disco, MCR, and countless others have played our venue before they got big, and hopefully one day (if they haven’t already) they’ll return.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of my job, and it sounds so corny, is making other people happy. As a high schooler, I made many core memories at Grog Shop. We are in the business of providing people with the best nights of their lives. We are the place where you can meet your favorite artists who have shaped who you are as a person. We are the place where you can sing away your sorrows, forget your responsibilities for just a few hours, and maybe meet your soulmate in the process. Absolute magic happens every single night, but it only happens because we put in the work to make sure our audiences feel safe, seen, and part of our community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://grogshop.gs/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegrogshop
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grogshop
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grog-shop-cle/
• Twitter: https://x.com/thegrogshop
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/grog-shop-cleveland

Image Credits

Jake Kelly is artist who made our murals.