Today we’d like to introduce you to Maura Marcellino
Hi Maura, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
For as long as I could remember, I wanted to be in the entertainment industry. From wanting to be an actress to a pop rock star to a drummer to a manager to a writer, entertainment has been a dream. I wouldn’t be who I am today without my large family and my friends who have introduced me to such great art! Professionally, I’ve been in the music industry since I was 16 working my way up to the ladder at a concert venue. At 24, I’m a manager of a department.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being an autistic woman who started fairly young does not come without its struggles. I think the thing that upset me and still upsets me is people not taking me seriously. When I was a kid telling people I wanted to work in entertainment, a lot of people told me that I’d grow up and change my mind. Clearly, I have not. I’ve been told many times to find a “real job” since music can’t be a forever thing. I say, “Why can’t it?”
I am a very indecisive person. Telling me to pick just one thing to do when I grow up is daunting and doesn’t have to be true. I struggled with the thought of picking one thing to do forever. Eventually, I realized I don’t have to…at least not right now.
I know that I am so fortunate to have a support system surrounding me that will help me get through the inevitable future bumps in the road.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Something that some people may not think about is sustainability, especially in the live event business. Since 2019,I have worked in live event sustainability. 2019 was the year my venue introduced a sustainability department. I got the email to help out after the first concert if the year and then I fell in love with it and switched departments. My boss took me to work the Van’s Warped Tour Anniversary Celebration in Atlantic City after working for her for less than two months. ( She even recommended me to help out at my local Coldplay concert in 2022 and a political event in 2023).I learned so much that summer and even switched my field of study. Obviously, there was no season for my venue in 2020, but in 2021, I returned and my boss told me she was leaving next year and wanted to put me in charge for 2022.
I had two people confirmed to be on the team when I started. Thankfully, I was in an environmental fraternity and a couple of my brothers joined. I ended up with a team of only five people that year. In 2023, around eight. Now, I have almost 20 team members! That is one of my biggest accomplishments. Seeing this department start at practically nothing to what it is now with new initiatives, awareness, and support only makes me more excited to see what our impact will be in another five years.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I’m a pop culture nerd. My most prominent special interest is pop culture and most of my hyperfixations involve music, tv, and film. It’s no wonder one of my favorite podcasts is Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. His interviews with different kinds of icons make me feel every emotion. I love hearing stories about how they got started, things they regret, lessons learned, and sometimes hearing what it was like behind the scenes of shows and movies I enjoy. Hearing these stories helps me realize I’m not alone.
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