The ticketing industry is known for movement and constant change.
People get new jobs and promotions. They change organizations or venues. They move across genres, leagues, cities and even countries in pursuit of new opportunities.
This is why one number recently caught Jen Kinsey’s attention.
When the Senior Manager of Ticket Operations and Premium Seating for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena took a look at the team’s collective years of service, she discovered a surprising statistic.
“I recently had to do research about the tenure for our department and realized that between the nine members … we have over 162 years of tenure, just at our venue alone," she said. “I’m not sure if that is a record or not, but I thought it was an interesting fact.”
Remarkable might be an even better word.
The group has worked Michael Jordan games, Kobe Bryant's final appearance in Atlanta, playoff runs, hundreds of concerts, major arena renovations and decades of ticketing transformation.
Collectively, they have seen the industry evolve from fax machines and hard-stock tickets to mobile wallets and fully digital ticketing. Five members of the department have more than 20 years of service with the organization, and even its newest members have been there for seven years or more.
And despite all the changes in the industry, they keep coming back.
The Team Behind the Number
Leading the group is Vice President of Ticket Operations Gilda Carlysle, who is approaching her 30th anniversary with the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. She has spent an incredible 35 years in the ticketing industry and previously served at The Palace, the former home of the Detroit Pistons. One of Carlysle's most memorable professional moments came during her second season with the Hawks in 1998. She worked Michael Jordan's largest sold-out crowd, helping welcome more than 60,000 fans to the Georgia Dome. Away from work, Carlysle enjoys visiting waterfalls and even climbed Hiji Otaki Falls in Okinawa while visiting family in Japan.
The ticketing team dressed up for a departmental Halloween costume competition. Back row L-R: Michael Brady, Jakub Jaroszewicz, Gilda Carlysle, Paul Kvidt and Phil Kvidt. Front row L-R: Jen Kinsey, Aysha Harris, Emily McArthur and Joan Hicks.
Director of Ticket Operations Phil Kvidt has spent 28 years with the organization and witnessed some of its biggest milestones. He is also one half of a unique family connection within the department, working alongside his brother, Paul, who has spent 24 years with the Hawks and State Farm Arena.
A talented baseball player in his younger days, Phil Kvidt once pitched 10 consecutive innings while allowing just one unearned run to help his team advance to the North Dakota Legion State Tournament. His industry highlights include helping to open both Turner Field and Philips Arena before later participating in the transformation of Philips Arena into State Farm Arena.
Joan Hicks has devoted 26 years to the organization and currently serves as Manager of Ticket Operations. Over 34 years in the industry, she has watched ticketing evolve from hard tickets and busy will-call locations to a fully digital environment. Her memories of stuffing envelopes and managing buckets of tickets offer a stark contrast to today's mobile-first world.
Will call for an Atlanta Hawks game.
Director of Ticket Operations Paul Kvidt has spent 24 years with the organization and was once crowned the Minnesota state champion in the Elks Free Throw Shoot competition (boys ages 12-13). During the arena's extensive renovation project, he took on a unique task. “I counted every single seat in Philips/State Farm Arena after each phase was completed and before we opened the doors for business for the season, so three straight years of counting!”
L-R: Phil Kvidt, Paul Kvidt, Jen Kinsey, Joan Hicks and Jakub Jaroszewicz.
Kinsey is celebrating 22 years with the Hawks and 26 years in the ticketing industry. She also serves as Co-Chair of the INTIX Regional Connections Committee and Vice President of the Georgia Professional Ticketing Association (GaPTA). Outside of work, she can claim something few people can — spending an hour hanging out on Willie Nelson's tour bus. Her early days in ticketing were equally memorable, involving paper forms on which “Hawks Members would manually 'bubble in' their game selections with a pencil and fax them to us for fulfillment.”
Senior Director of Ticket Operations Jakub Jaroszewicz joined the Hawks 11 years ago after previous stops with the Houston Astros and Arizona Coyotes. He has spent 18 years in the industry. Born in Poland, he moved to the United States at age nine. His first day with the Hawks was Kobe Bryant's last game in Atlanta as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Senior Manager of Ticket Operations Emily McArthur has spent nine years with the organization and 11 years in ticketing, with earlier roles at the Atlanta Braves and the Aspire Group, a sports marketing and ticketing firm that works with the Los Angeles Chargers. She owns a collection of more than 200 board games and travels to different conventions across the country to play and trade with others. Of her time before joining the Hawks, McArthur shares this fun fact: “I was a part of the box office and marketing team when Kennesaw State University started its football program for the first time.”
Ticket Operations Senior Coordinator Aysha Harris has seven years of service with the Hawks and previously worked with the Braves and at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Harris also has an impressive athletic resume of her own. She scored more than 1,000 points in both high school and college basketball and attended Kobe Bryant's final game at Philips Arena years before eventually joining the organization.
Senior Manager of Ticket Operations Travis Watkins has also spent seven years with the Hawks and has 19 years of industry experience. He held earlier roles with the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, University of Wisconsin Athletics, University of Miami Athletics and the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. A former college football player, he shared the field with four Heisman Trophy winners and two NFL first-overall draft picks. He quickly learned one of the realities of working in sports after joining the Hawks ticketing team. “My first day working here was the week of Super Bowl 53. On my second day on the job, my cousin from LA flew out to Atlanta, thinking I could hook him up with Super Bowl tickets.”
Left side going up the stairs: Jen Kinsey, Emily McArthur, Michael Brady and Paul Kvidt. Right side going up the stairs: Aysha Harris, Gilda Carlysle and Phil Kvidt. Jakub Jaroszewicz is in the middle.
Why They Stay in Ticketing
For Jaroszewicz, the answer begins with a love of sports and live events.
“My passion for the industry has driven me to build a career in the ever-changing sports world,” he said. “While I was never exceptional as an athlete, I’ve found that being part of an organization on the business side provides an equally vital contribution. The work we do behind the scenes directly supports what happens on the court, making us an extension of the team itself. Nothing excites me more than arriving early to the box office on an event day, knowing no two days are ever the same.”
That theme surfaced repeatedly among team members.
Hicks came to the Hawks after spending eight years working in baseball as PR Assistant for the Braves. She never expected an arena schedule to rival the demands of a baseball season.
“Never in a million years did I think an arena would surpass an 81-home-game season. Fast forward to a full slate of NBA games and an excess of 100 shows a year, I got that all wrong!” she said. “I enjoy the variety of events that we host; no two shows or games are the same. You never know what awaits you on any given day.”
To Hicks, the people you meet in ticketing are just as important as the events. “I’ve been very fortunate to work with wonderful people, which is probably a big reason I have managed to stay as long as I have. You want to work with and around people you enjoy because you spend so many hours together.”
Kinsey agrees and states, “The longevity of our department is unique in that several of us have worked together for over two decades! It is rare to find a team with our kind of history; we really are a family in the truest sense of the word.”
Front row L-R: Aysha Harris, Emily McArthur, Gilda Carlysle, Jen Kinsey and Joan Hicks. Back row L-R: Paul Kvidt, Travis Watkins, Jakub Jaroszewicz, Phil Kvidt and Michael Brady.
She adds, “I originally had a much different career path in mind when I was fresh out of college with an Art History degree. I joined the Arena team in 2004, not fully knowing or understanding what I was getting into by taking on a ticketing job at one of the country’s busiest venues. What started as an entry into ticketing evolved into a deep appreciation for the complexities of live event management. I find the 'nuts and bolts' of building a show individually — from managing tour holds to adapting to last-minute production changes — to be incredibly rewarding (and challenging).”
A Front-Row Seat to Change
“When I began my career here over 20 years ago, our operations were decidedly more ‘old school’ — we were still processing orders via fax!” Kinsey reminisces. “Since then, the most significant shift has been the move to mobile and digital ticketing. For decades, we shipped commemorative tickets to our Premium Suite members for every event; today, that entire process is digital. Having navigated the transitions from PDFs and loaded season ticket cards to roving barcodes, we’ve truly seen it all!”
“One of the biggest changes I have noticed is going from hard tickets to digital tickets and the wide array of options consumers have without interacting with a live person. Replacing paper tickets or reducing the amount of paper has been a huge game-changer,” notes Hicks.
She continues, “Some teams [and] venues had call centers with agents taking phone orders. Although sales reps are still vital to the operation, interacting face-to-face with the buying community has been greatly reduced. Some of us who are ‘seasoned’ and have been around for a while sometimes miss the opportunity to talk to purchasers.”
“The industry has changed significantly since I began my career in 2008,” said Jaroszewicz. “When I first started, hard stock tickets were the primary method of entry — there were no mobile tickets, apps, or digital wallets. The next evolution was PDF tickets, which allowed tickets to be emailed directly to clients. Shortly after, the first real step toward mobile ticketing emerged with PID/season ticket cards, an early attempt to move away from hard stock.”
He continues, “As the years progressed, PID cards were phased out, and mobile ticketing and apps became the industry standard. Additionally, when I entered the industry, the secondary market was not a major concern for teams or performers. Over time, however, it has evolved into an important and widely accepted avenue for fans to gain access to venues and experience their favorite teams and performers.”
L-R: Travis Watkins, Paul Kvidt, Jakub Jaroszewicz, Jen Kinsey and Phil Kvidt.
More Than Tickets
While technology has changed dramatically, one thing has remained constant — the importance of the fan experience.
Hicks believes that ticketing professionals often underestimate their impact.
“While I often say that my role in ticketing doesn’t equate to those who find cures or save lives, I must be reminded that when people come to a game or a concert, this could be a lifelong dream or a dying wish. The impact of those few hours could make a memorable experience that we may never realize. Having heard countless stories … I know that those of us in this industry are difference-makers! Without a ticket, you cannot get past go to see that favorite athlete or artist.”
That perspective helps explain why this team has remained together for so long. Yes, the work is challenging, the technology never stops evolving, and the games and events keep coming. But after 162 combined years, the members of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena ticket operations department continue to show up for the same reasons they always have — the people, the teamwork and the opportunity to help create unforgettable live-event experiences.
And with nine dedicated ticketing professionals still going strong, that collective tenure will only continue to grow.
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