Women of The Disco: Part 11

Anita Sto

Anita is a multimedia visual artist. Born and raised in Rome (Italy) Anita came to NYC in 2008 for an artist residency at the SVA (School of Visual Art) and then decided to stay.. For over 15 years Anita has worked as graphic designer nationwide and internationally, designing most of the time for the entertainment industry (Anita freelanced for museums, movie companies, music platforms) as well as a host of startup and mid-size retail businesses (creating logos, brand identities, marketing, advertising and product launch campaigns and websites).

Currently Anita is a part of the art department team at Avant Gardner, designing flyers of events, maintaining the new website and taking care of the brand identity of the company, providing (public or internal) assets that are in line with the company look and feel.

Anita believes that both her polyhedral professional background and the ability consequently to wear multiple hats have contributed to finding success within her profession.

Advice: Always put passion in what you’re doing, even when things might feel tedious.

Emily Alworth

Emily got involved in college concert and music industry organizations at University of Maryland. She started as a brand ambassador flyering and went on to manage the promoter team for Nu Androids in DC while she was there. The company brought house acts that weren’t stopping in DC at the time and only in larger markets.

After college, Emily then took a marketing agency job to learn transferable skills that she over took to Elements Music Arts Festival where someone took a chance on her as the Marketing Director shortly after school. Working for a company putting on a camping festival and warehouse parties in the city taught Emily a lot about multiple markets and having a small team allowed her to learn and get her hands in everything.

Currently, Emily works as the Senior Manager of Marketing & Partnership Strategy at Avant Gardner / The Brooklyn Mirage. There, she leads full lifecycle marketing campaigns with artists from announcement, presale, on sale, and up until the show and works on paid advertisements, emails, SMS campaigns as well as growing and maintaining partnerships/relationships. A notable achievement that Emily is proud of was leading the marketing for her first Madison Square Garden show this past October and selling out Black Coffee!

Some of Emily’s attributes that have helped her reach success in her career include her ability to maintain relationships and keep in touch with others over a number of years to continue to grow network and reliability/dependability. At the end of the day, people want to work with people they enjoy being around that can get the job done. A little humor goes a long way!

Advice: Be open to roles that may not exactly align with your current skill set. It’s always worth it to shoot your shot even if it feels like a long shot. Don’t be afraid to shoot a DM or a cold email to a company you like for any ways you can get involved or spread the good word.

Gabi King Fernandez

Gabi grew up singing and acting, and has been a music lover her whole life. After college, two of her best friends worked for Goldenvoice and would always guest list her for shows and festivals. After seeing their work lives, she knew she wanted to work in the music industry! Gabi spent 2 years networking with people in the industry and relentlessly applying to any music related job she could find! She kept getting rejected (or no reply), and then finally in 2018, she saw a job posting for the agent trainee program at United Talent Agency. A friend from her sorority worked for the HR manager, so Gabi reached out and asked if she would submit Gabi’s resume. Gabi did not live in LA at the time, but she wanted this job so badly that she lied and said she did, because she wouldn’t have been able to interview otherwise. Gabi had a 10 minute conversation with HR on a Friday, and they asked her to start that Monday! Gabi worked at UTA for 2 years, then transitioned to management, working for a small hip hop management company, then Red Light management.

Gabi has always prioritized her physical, mental and spiritual health, and her journey in the music industry taught her that sustaining her health was crucial both personally and professionally. In November 2022, Gabi’s mom was diagnosed with lung cancer and simultaneously had a brain altering stroke. Gabi was beyond devastated, but she refused to give up hope and continued her holistic practices to the best of her ability. This experience ignited a calling within her, compelling her to do something that felt more fulfilling, and help others understand how a holistic lifestyle serves you during the best times, and saves you during the worst.

Now, Gabi coaches music industry professionals, helping them achieve a healthier holistic lifestyle. Having spent several years in the music industry, Gabi understands how challenging it can be for individuals in this field to prioritize their health and wellness. With their demanding schedules and on-the-go lifestyle, finding a healthy balance can be a struggle. Throughout her years in music, Gabi saw so many talented, skilled people burn out and leave the industry because they didn’t have strategies for sustainability. Gabi’s goal is to help them achieve balance, so they continue to excel at their craft, while prioritizing their physical and mental well-being – mind, body and soul. Check out her website gabikingfernandez.com to schedule a discovery call and learn more about her offerings!

Advice: Be nice to everyone! It’s the right thing to do and it pays off to be a good person. Take care of yourself!! People in the music industry get burnt out quickly, and it is so important to take care of your wellbeing if you really want a long-term career in the industry. Get good sleep, eat healthy, meditate, exercise, spend time in nature and with loved ones, and enjoy your life! Never take no for an answer. Don’t stop until you achieve your goal. Everyone is on their own path, so be patient and know that good things take time. What is for you will be yours, and what is not will pass – trust that the universe will give you what you need. Enjoy the process and enjoy the ride!

Jess Vilonna

Jess started off her career in the hospitality industry. She managed multiple restaurant teams, and later became Director of Marketing & Special Events for TITOU Hospitality in West Palm Beach, FL, where she oversaw three high end restaurant brands, and a handful of French bakery concepts. She always had a love for event production, and knew she wanted to get back to her roots in the arts and entertainment industry, where she had spent her years growing up in dance and theater. After experiencing her first camping music festival in 2017, she knew that this space was not only where she wanted to be, but where she belonged. As luck would have it, later that year Jess was introduced to Michele Servais from DDP through a mutual friend, and Michele offered Jess the opportunity to come on board for Sunset Music Festival on the Artist Relations team. Since then, her involvement with DDP has grown, along with opening other doors which allowed her to become a full time contractor starting in 2021.

Currently, Jess works as a Project Manager for AMB Event Group, where she handles an array of projects ranging from artist and talent relations, creative programming for camping festivals, vendor operations, site experience and more. She has also spent the last two years working on corporate events with experience marketing firm GPJ, as an Associate Producer on their Broadcast Live Production team for Google Next, Workday Rising and Snowflake Data Cloud Summit. No matter the task at hand, Jess can think quickly on her feet, and make game time decisions to get the job done. Her favorite projects are those where she can cultivate creative spaces for festival goers, to enhance their time on site, by adding value to their overall experience.

Some notable achievements include being a host and MC for multiple events during the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, along with working at various festivals and events across the US including Shaq’s Funhouse, Daymond John’s Black Entrepreneurs Day, EDC Las Vegas, Okeechobee Music Festival, Friendship and Above & Beyond’s Group Therapy Weekender. A project which she is most proud of is supporting the Bahamas Relief Cruise, where she facilitated coordination for hundreds of volunteers who provided humanitarian relief to the residents of Grand Bahama Island after the devastating Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Finding success in any profession can be a challenge, but especially so in the entertainment industry, and especially as a female. Jess attributes her success to always being a team player, while being efficient and dedicated to any project. She credits her tenure in the restaurant industry which allowed her to develop versatile management skills, where her strengths evolved in organizational logistics and team building. She also gives a massive amount of credit to both her parents for instilling a strong work ethic from an early age, with the long lasting importance of being a self-starter.

Advice: Stay true to yourself and maintain your authenticity and integrity. Always be adaptable and learn to utilize your skill sets in different ways. Build a strong support network and surround yourself with colleagues and friends who can offer knowledge, experience, guidance and support throughout your career. Be resilient and learn to grow from past experiences – both good and bad, and evolve. Lastly, take the time to appreciate the good stuff. This industry can be draining and exhausting, but oh so rewarding. Take the time to relish in your accomplishments and say to yourself “Damn, we did that!”

Morgan Carafa

During her undergraduate years studying film at High Point University, Morgan discovered her passion for promoting electronic shows when she spearheaded the Monster Energy Up & Up competition for the North Carolina Triad. Amidst the uncertainty wrought by the pandemic, Morgan seized the opportunity to pursue her Masters degree in Strategic Communication while simultaneously laying the groundwork for two entrepreneurial ventures. In collaboration with her classmates, Morgan co-founded The Clubhouse Live, a platform dedicated to delivering top-tier content and live streams for electronic artists. As venues reopened their doors, her own promotion company, The Common Experience, emerged as a unifying force within the Carolina communities. Additionally, she assumed the role of Marketing Manager for Charleston’s highly anticipated new festival, High Tide.

Soon thereafter, Morgan’s expertise garnered the attention of Loud Crowd and Auris Presents, where she began marketing various shows across key cities such as Dallas, Chicago, Charlotte, Charleston, Atlanta, renowned venues like The Caverns, as well as festivals like ARC.

Her path led to an invitation to join the marketing strategy team at Avant Gardner in New York City. Here, she contributes her insights and creativity of the marketing realm to their family of venues, including The Brooklyn Mirage.

Advice: Be a light in this world and your field. Throughout my career, I’ve prioritized building connections, sharing knowledge, and showing genuine care. Cultivating your community can lead to unexpected opportunities, so never underestimate the power of a meaningful connection. Utilize social media as a powerful tool to maintain and strengthen relationships – embrace the opportunity to be a welcoming and recognizable presence!

Rachel Banks

Rachel has always enjoyed the music festival community and has years of experience in hospitality for restaurants. Rachel got the opportunity to be the Artist Lounge Bartender at HomeBass Music festival, and enjoyed the environment so much and wanted to learn more about the industry and explore different departments. Rachel started working anywhere she could and threw herself into learning and creating! Rachel has done a range over the past four years from Hospitality, Artist Liaison, Box office, Site Ops, Artist relations, Transportation and more but has found her passion is in creating the experience for everyone else :)

For Transportation, Rachel makes sure everyone gets to where they need to go! First, she works with the artists and teams to advance their schedules and times for pickups / departures, she builds a spreadsheet of all the scheduled rides for the drivers who will work off of the grid for the remainder of the festival, updating any changes in real time and making sure everything runs smoothly, while making sure the staff is properly taken care of as well!

Some of Rachel’s notable achievements are working for Electric Forest, Groove Cruise, Miami Music Week, EDCLV, and more! She loves working in different fields/ departments to further her knowledge in the industry. Rachel attributes her success in her career to being Organized, communicative, and understanding that everyone holds a role in the industry and working together makes for the best success. As well as enjoying the work she does and holding a good attitude whatever gets thrown her way!

Advice: Don’t Shrink yourself to make people happy, Be yourself and Be open to knowledge, your work ethic and passion will get you to where you need to go!

Tessa Butler

Tessa has always been a passionate music lover, singer and song-writer. While attending Hofstra University in their music business program she decided she wasn’t going to pursue her own artist career, but instead wanted to help other creatives and work within the music industry. Tessa worked various jobs including Brand Ambassador at Webster Hall, Marketing Intern and Production Assistant setting up live shows at Brooklyn Bowl, doing social media and newsletters for a concert photographer and blogger previously known as Nicky Digital, and many more part time gigs. She started working at Kobalt Music Publishing in September of 2018, so Tessa has been there for 5 and a half years now. Outside of her work in music, she also creates community gathering and workshop events in Brooklyn and beyond focused on community, healing and movement.

Currently at Kobalt Tessa looks after the US dance/electronic roster, and works creatively with their global roster of writers, producers and artists. She also works within the pop, alternative, and other genre spaces. Tessa focuses mainly on pitching music from their roster for artist projects, setting up sessions and collaborations and finding new artists and writers to sign to their roster. Tessa is passionate about making sure her clients feel seen and appreciated and getting to know them on a personal level so that she can make sure the sessions she is setting up can be as successful as possible and build real relationships.

Some of Tessa’s notable achievements include signing artists such as Aluna, Kaleena Zanders, ACRAZE, Zeds Dead/Deadbeats, AJ Mitchell, Chloe Moriondo and rei brown. Tessa also works closely with their artists such as Hayden James, Tiësto, Liquid Stranger, Loud Luxury, Ella Vos and many more. Some examples of songs she’s pitched that have gone on to be released include: – David Guetta, MORTEN and Clementine Douglas “Something to Hold On To”, co-written by their writer Tommy Lee James. – Zeds Dead, Hamdi, Warrior Queen “Criminal”, originally written by thier writer No/Me. – Levity, Dem Jointz “Flip It”, originally a demo pitch song by their writer/producer Dem Jointz. – Hayden James and SAYGRACE “Beggin’ You”, co-written by their writer Dan Heath. – Gryffin “Piece of Me”, co-written by their writers Sebastian Atas and Victor Sjöstrom. – CloZee and Ella Vos “Glow in The Dark” and many many more!

Tessa attributes her success to being genuine with creators, always being kind, and making sure people know they can count on you to get things done!

Advice: Don’t be afraid to show up as your authentic self. The best connections and relationships always happen when you’re letting your true self shine.