Career Path of a Live Entertainment Touring Independent Contractor
Colleen's career began unexpectedly when, as a "poor art student," they proactively sought live entertainment experience, leading to a VIP assistant and production coordinator role. This base-level experience propelled their career trajectory, involving diverse tasks like "security, artist liaison, talent sponsorship coordination, production accounting, and artist tour accounting," often as an independent contractor touring with major musical acts such as Beyoncé and Maroon 5.
Entertainment Industry, Networking, Career Trajectory, Production Coordination, Touring Operations
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Colleen Cozart
Chief of Staff to SVP, Touring Operations
Fortune 500 Entertainment Company
Denison University
EMBA at UCLA Anderson Business School
Communications
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Operations and Project Management
Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Proactive Networking: Colleen's career began by directly reaching out to a neighbor in the music industry, highlighting the importance of networking and initiative in career exploration.
2. Versatile Experience: Her roles evolved from basic tasks to encompass production coordination, security, artist liaison, talent sponsorship, accounting, and tour management, showcasing the diverse skillset required in live entertainment.
3. Independent Contractor Experience: Colleen's work as an independent contractor on various tours provides valuable experience in project-based work and adaptability within the dynamic environment of live events.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college and any internships or jobs you had before your current role?
Absolutely. As a poor art student in my sophomore year of college, I reached out to a neighbor who was in live entertainment. I petitioned him, saying I knew he was in the music industry and would love to get some experience. I asked if he ever had internships and if he'd consider me.
He did, and I took him up on his offer. I helped out a couple of weeks out of the year as a VIP assistant and production coordinator, or as a props coordinator for some local gigs. My career kind of grew from there.
I started at a very base level. When I graduated, I became a production coordinator. This turned into all sorts of roles: security, artist liaison, talent and sponsorship coordination, and then production accounting as well as artist tour accounting.
To give you a frame of reference, I tour. I go out on these projects as an independent contractor. My contract lasts only as long as these tours happen. So when musical groups like Beyoncé or Maroon 5 go out on tour, I'm going out on tour with them and fulfilling these job requirements. That's me in a nutshell.
Advizer Personal Links
No