Interviews with INTIX members
Derek Palmer
Like so many others in the ticketing industry, Derek Palmer just happened to fall into it, but unlike most, he almost fell right back out.
Jason Mastrine
Jason Mastrine is looking forward to 2024. Not only does he have a new job — it is one that brings him back into ticketing and the INTIX community.
Julio Alvarado
Julio Alvarado stands as a testament to the power of relationships, seamlessly blending the warmth of family ties with the vigor of professional networks.
Barrett Newman
During his decades-long ticketing career, many things in Barrett Newman’s journey have brought joy beyond measure.
Lucille Pickering
In 2018, Lucille Pickering quit her job as an agency development manager with Google and set out for what she thought would be a three-month-long tour of Southeast Asia.
Garrett Nolan
Garrett Nolan is self-employed as a ticket operations and live event services specialist.
Kaleb Claypool
Kaleb Claypool started out as a pharmacy technician in 2010 and continued to hold various roles in the healthcare industry for the next nine years. Then, he fell into ticketing.
Jon Secunda
Jon Secunda’s ticketing and live events career has spanned nearly four decades, from pro tennis courts to a premier opera house and beyond.
Carol Foreman
Carol Foreman has been with the NCAA Men’s College World Series for over 30 years.
Shawn Robertson
Shawn Robertson has spent 30-plus years in entertainment and live events.
David Thomas
David Thomas has been hailed as one of the world's most successful and influential theatrical producers, on shows that had successful multiple-year runs.
Charles Edinger
Charles Edinger lives a busy but harmonious life in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with Michelle, his wife of 30 years; their four adult children close by; and an abiding faith in God.
Hayley Chapman
Hayley Chapman’s life is rooted in sports and revolves around family — and sometimes, the two have a way of crossing paths.
Jamie Vosmeier
Get to know talented musician and ticketing professional Jamie Vosmeier. Learn about the past jobs and mentors which led him to his career in entertainment.
Brian Arnone
A Greek philosopher once said that change is the only constant in life. Brian Arnone, a seasoned live events executive, advisor and investor, certainly understands that better than most.
Peter Monks
Get to know ticketing legend, astrophysicist, award-winning gin distillery owner and INTIX member Peter Monks.
Elizabeth Hess
Elizabeth Hess has been in the ticketing industry since her very first job as a teenager at Hersheypark.
Andrew Douglas
Andrew Douglas is the Director of Ticketing and Technology at the Mesa Arts Center, just a three-hour drive away from the old homestead.
Liz Kelley
To have a tiger in your tank means you have a lot of vigor, determination, enthusiasm and motivation. And that pretty much describes Liz Kelley.
Jeff Hecker
Jeff Hecker values family, friends, and ticketing.
Toby Baptist
Toby Baptist is Vice President of Operations for LasVegasTickets.com and is always on the move for the job.
Lenore Schwartz Heller
At 75 years of age, Lenore is technically retired, but she still works 60 to 70 hours a week when there is a show to be staged, and she loves every minute of it.
Shayne Ballard
Like so many others, Shayne Ballard stumbled into ticketing. “It is not like I grew up as a kid saying, ‘I am going to work in the box office. I am going to work in ticketing,’” he says. “I did not even think about that being a real job.”
Bruce Bielenberg
Bruce Bielenberg has been a resident of Las Vegas for two decades now, but he has also made his way around the ticketing block a few times.
Deirdre Naff
If this were a movie script, the closing scene would almost certainly be of Deirdre Naff riding her favorite horse into the sunset.
Andrew Bragman
It has been said that baseball is America’s favorite pastime, and it has certainly played a significant role in the life of Andrew Bragman.
Martin Gammeltoft
Do not call Martin Gammeltoft if you need a new fence built. No, he is not being unneighborly; he is just being honest, which is one of the qualities he most admires in people.
Christina Allen
Given that her job includes selling hockey tickets and one of her most treasured possessions is a wooden duck, one could be forgiven for thinking that Christina Allen must live and work somewhere other than where she does.
Julia Elbaum
She may not know the exact number of miles to her favorite vacation destination (New Zealand) or the precise number of times she has traveled across the Hudson River from her home in Troy, New York, to her office in Albany, but make no mistake about it, numbers are Julia Elbaum’s game — and it is a game she is very good at.
Mitchell Klein
“If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere,” or so the lyrics go. And for Mitchell Klein, it could not be any truer.
Esteban Stalgis
“I never give up,” says Esteban Stalgis, Founder and General Manager of TuEntrada. “I like challenges, and I always raise the bar.”
Cary Clark
In ticketing and life, Cary Clark is creating and living for "magic moments." Get to know the chair and host of INTIX 2022.
Tammy Enright
If one were to compare ticketing to horticulture, Tammy Enright would almost certainly spread herself throughout the garden.
Eric Valley
Like so many others, Eric Valley fell into the ticketing industry after selling tickets part time when he was still in university. And what a beginning it was.
Mandi Grimm
When it comes to life choices, you might say Mandi Grimm is the apple that didn’t fall far from the tree.
Geo Haynes
It is perhaps ironic that Geo Haynes had just finished a gig working with the Life is Beautiful festival in downtown Las Vegas when he was interviewed for this article because, as we found out, he truly believes that life is a beautiful thing.
Danielle Howard Varnado
INTIX member Danielle Howard Varnado is a born-and-raised Chicagoan who moved to Las Vegas in 2005 while working in the airline industry and with dreams of attending college. There, she found herself in a ticketing career and discovered the INTIX community.
Josh Ziegenbusch
If a movie were ever made about Josh Ziegenbusch’s life, it would almost certainly have that warm apple pie feel to it — the story of a young boy who grew up on his family’s farm in rural Ohio and, blessed with a traditional upbringing and strong work ethic, goes off to college and later finds himself rubbing shoulders with some of the greatest baseball players in America. Oh, and movie star Brad Pitt, too!
Skypp Cabanas
Like so many others in ticketing, Skypp Cabanas fell into it almost by accident. He started with dreams of spending life on the stage but ended up building a highly successful career in the ticket office.
Jason Varnish
In his position on the ‘front lines’ of entertainment, Jason Varnish, Founder of Box Office Management (BOM) Advisers, a North American ticketing operations and event staffing agency, says he likes to walk the talk.
Mara Hazzard-Wallingford
It is a fairly good bet that someone who grew up immersed in arts and culture will themselves be creative, and perhaps even enjoy a remarkable career in the field. This is exactly what happened with Mara Hazzard-Wallingford.
Cat Spencer
It has been said that if you have a sense of humor, you can survive anything life throws at you. That pretty much sums up Business Development Director for Booking Protect Cat Spencer’s approach to life: a big smile and a few laughs go a long way.
Paul Froehle
Being from and of the Great Lakes region of North America, it is no surprise that Paul Froehle plays the accordion and dances the polka. In fact, he did both to help promote a beer stein giveaway in the summer of 2015. Here’s the proof. It is all in a day’s work for the Vice President of Ticket Operations for the Minnesota Twins.
Matt Cooper
According to an old familiar joke, there are three ways to get to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice. But Matt Cooper, Vice President at Ticket Philadelphia, somehow found four ways of his own.
Ashley Voorhees
Ashley Voorhees is one of those people who is instantly likable. This is no surprise given the neighborly manner she developed as a child growing up in Utah and which she continues to exude today as the Associate Vice President of Administrative Services for Omaha Performing Arts in Nebraska, the very heart of the friendly American Midwest.
Brendan Bruss
Golf is a courteous game — a gentleman’s sport with rules and etiquettes that keep things orderly. It therefore seems fitting that the game has been a lifelong passion for Brendan Bruss, Chief Operating Officer for PMI Entertainment Group, as well as a current Board member and Treasurer for INTIX.
Jeff Koets
Less than two hours east of Toronto, there is a small community called Grafton, Ontario. Once a bustling shipping port, today it has just a few hundred residents who call the quaint hamlet home. Among them are the descendants of many original settler families, as well as Jeff Koets, Chief Operating Officer of Red61, his wife Jody, and their two boys, Liam and Noah.
Daren Mitch
Dogs, biking and baking. These are three things that fill Daren Mitch’s spare time with joy. Add to that a hugely successful career in the town where he grew up, a kind heart full of service and gratitude, and an incredible ticketing team with which to share his days, and it’s easy to see why the Vice President of Ticketing for the Phoenix Suns and Talking Stick Resort Arena thinks each day is a blessing. Here, Mitch reflects on giving back, the people who inspire and mentor him, the valuable lesson he learned from his worst managers, and how INTIX has been there for him for several decades.
Amber Leigh Patton
To Amber Leigh Patton, family is everything. The relationships she has developed through entertainment ticketing and INTIX have also changed her life. Here, the Ticket and Box Office Manager for the Pullo Center at Penn State’s York Campus reflects on her greatest love, a special mentor, being inspired by a Second Lady and the camaraderie of our industry.
Amy Kline
As Director of Client Education and Support for ShowClix, Amy Kline is committed to the organizations she serves. Her helpful, encouraging nature reaches far beyond her day-to-day work, too, as Amy raises a wonderful teenage daughter and continues giving back to INTIX in various ways, including recent service on the Board, work with various committees and as a mentor.
Peter I'anson
After working in a variety of other jobs, Peter I'anson fell into ticketing in 2005, starting out as a Box Office Sales Assistant. Today, after rising through the industry, he’s Head of Partnerships and New Business for JM Marketing Limited in Manchester, England, and an active INTIX committee member.
Russ Stanley
The Senior Vice President of Ticket Sales and Services for the San Francisco Giants is living his boyhood dream. Here, he reflects on his love of baseball and how he turned it into a successful career, thanks to the support of everyone from his parents to his INTIX colleagues.
Alison Barry
Chautauqua Institution’s Director of Guest Experience and Sales and INTIX board member Alison Barry is a proud mom, music fan and craft beer enthusiast who wishes selflessly for a better world. Here, she reflects on the qualities she admires in people, women in ticketing who she looks up to, a place she’d love to retire and how INTIX has given her a second family.
Danny Frank
Citi’s Senior Vice President and Global Manager of Client Entertainment and Ticket Services (CEATS) and our INTIX 2020 Co-Chair is a proud husband, devoted father, avid golfer and lifelong Washington Redskins fan. Here, Danny reflects on playing his favorite sport, the artist he’s loved since childhood, wearing a top hat and tails during a royal day at the races, and why you must be at INTIX 2020 in New York City.
Kelly Brennan
FutureTix’s Vice President of Operations and our INTIX 2020 Co-Chair grew up going to Shea Stadium. Here, Kelly reflects on seeing the final artist perform at the legendary venue, INTIX’s role in her career and her dream of living in the woods with chickens.
Anja Arvo
The Pre-Sales Manager for Red61 has succeeded in many areas of ticketing throughout her career. She lives in a small Canadian town that boasts some incredible tourist attractions while working remotely for a company headquartered in Scotland.
Jessica Lee
The Senior Manager of Ticketing and Financial Operations for the Atlanta Braves is proud to be a minority woman succeeding in a male-dominated industry. Here, Jessica reflects on the importance of friends, a talent she’d love to have, the thing she loves most about her job, and how INTIX is helping her network and learn.
Samuel Biscoe
The Ticketing Operations Manager for Selladoor Worldwide is a proud performer turned ticketing professional. Here, Samuel reflects on the qualities he admires most in people, his most prized possession, the places he would love to live and how an INTIX professional development grant is changing his career and his life.
Jenifer LaMorte
The Director, Enterprise Consulting for Tessitura Network — and our conference liaison for INTIX 2020 — is a proud arts marketing strategist, baker, yogi and football fan. Here, Jenifer reflects on the best live event she’s seen, her favorite venue, three wishes she’d make, what she loves most about our industry and the important role INTIX plays in her life.
Anthony Esposito
The Vice President of Ticket Operations for the Atlanta Braves is a proud husband, dad and ticketing industry professional. He puts family first and lives life just like the lyrics from his favorite song. Here, Anthony reflects on the best live event he’s ever seen, the most memorable moment from his career and the important role INTIX plays in our industry.
Amy Graca
The Vice President of National Ticketing at Caesars Entertainment is a proud wife and mom who loves sports, her hometown and our industry. She lives in the desert but prefers cold weather and cities that are lush and green. Here, Amy reflects on a collection she really treasures, her favorite venue, the INTIX community and a story from her very first week in the ticket office.
Jennifer Aprea
The museum services and operations manager at Meadows Museum — and our #INTIX2019 Conference Chair — finds serenity visiting a specific type of place, in the books she loves to read and working in her garden. Here, Jennifer reflects on the best concert she’s ever seen, her favorite venue, and how her first INTIX conference experience changed her life.
Josh Logan
The director of marketing and ticketing/championships for the NCAA is a proud husband, father and industry professional. He collects something that INTIX members will relate to while dreaming of a better tee shot and life on a warm, sunny beach. Here, Josh reflects on things he loves to do in his spare time, and the ways INTIX has changed his life.
Gail Anderson
The ticket office manager at the Minnesota State Fair is an avid music fan who values giving back to her own community and to INTIX. Gail loves being in the business of fun and helping people forget their troubles as they pass through the gate. Here, Gail reflects on the joys of her job, two countries she would love to visit and the camaraderie of INTIX.
James Hastie
The founder and CEO at Event Protect is a seasoned entrepreneur who admires people for their kindness, integrity and passion. Raised by a single mother, James says family is the most important thing in his life. Here, he reflects on his favorite place to visit, a random song he loves and how INTIX is a community of great people and hugs.
Melanie Leis
The East Coast Outside Sales Manager at Vendini values authenticity in people and music. A musician herself, she is a big James Taylor fan and has seen him in concert dozens of times. She also loves to travel to a country that evokes memories of her childhood, parents and a simpler life. Here, she reflects on her greatest loves, the best live event she’s ever seen, her favorite venues and how INTIX has changed her life.
Stuart J. Levy
The WICKED Ticketing Manager at 321 Theatrical Management defines himself as an uncle and dog lover with a passion for theatre and tennis. Here, he reflects on sleeping in front of opening night seating charts, his favorite events of all time, and how INTIX has delighted and motivated him as a new member.
Crystal Clinton
As Director of Ticketing System Administration for Opry Entertainment, Crystal Clinton has enjoyed some of the best that country music offers. It comes as no surprise that she wishes she could sing like her favorite artists. Here, Crystal talks about her greatest personal and professional achievements, the importance of helping others, her favorite vacation spot and a life-changing activity she does with her Opry colleagues.
Andrew Thomas
The Senior Consultant at the Ticketing Institute enjoys laughing and making others laugh, fishing, and the Mojave Desert. Here, he reflects on his many interests, stories (he met David Beckham) and the wonderful way INTIX changed his life.
Carl Bailey
The Director of Ticketing for Blumenthal Performing Arts has played an active role in INTIX, which, he says, gives him a sense of pride in the industry and a feeling of family. Here, he reflects on his most treasured possession, his favorite venues and riding his Harley Davidson.
Aren Murray
The Director of Ticketing at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio, Texas loves to be around water. Here, she reflects on her love for family, driving a really cool car and how INTIX has shaped her career.
Sara Chebishev
Sara Chebishev, a Customer Success Manager for AudienceView, is proud to be supporting artists professionally and personally. When she isn’t helping entertainment organizations engage and attract audiences, she’s grabbing a seat for herself – at a rock concert, the Grand Ole Opry or the Metropolitan Opera House. Here, Sara reflects on many things that she loves, including people who are loyal and honest, being outdoors, her favorite venues and spending quality time with her daughter.
Richard Powers
The Director of Ticket Sales & Customer Service at Blumenthal Performing Arts is a big fan of music and brewing his own beer. Here, he reflects on his favorite artists, a city he loves to visit for its mountain vibe, spreading happiness and the importance of INTIX in his life.
Mardi Dilger
The Miami Marlins’ Director of Ticket Operations has just become a grandmother for the first time. Here, she reflects on living in the now, her favorite authors, what she gets from INTIX and Bob the Dog.
Guislaine Bulman
The General Manager at Ticketpro enjoys a certain song so much that the hairs on her neck stand up when she listens. Here, she reflects on her love for reading, her humorous nature, a treasured gift from her mother and the value she places on peer-to-peer networking at INTIX.
Dusty Kurtz
TicketsWest’s President puts family above all else. Here, he reflects on the importance of empathy, the value of relationships, growing up as a Broncos fan and his favorite waterside town.
Brian Butler
The Director of Ticketing Technology and Operations at Playhouse Square enjoys being at home with the love of his life and four amazing dogs. Here, he reflects on his favorite performer, an extremely sentimental possession, making people smile and the feeling of accomplishment he gets from INTIX.
Victoria Cary
The Senior Director of Ticketing at Shorenstein Hays Nederlander is a Dharma practitioner who loves helping her communities. Here, she reflects on her first concert, dream vacation spots and her most memorable INTIX moment.