One of our most popular INTIX Access series throughout the years has been our “Women in Ticketing” feature, in which a different top female leader is profiled. One of the first up in 2025 was an interview with Brianna Pena, Director of Ticketing/Box Office Manager for the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix.
Pena voiced a sentiment that would be echoed throughout the year in this particular column: how fortunate she is to be in the job she loves so much. “I absolutely love being a part of some of the best nights of people’s lives, which they have said with their actual words to me,” she said. “It’s wonderful being in a job where you are seeing other people happy. I also love knowing my employees are making us invisible. Because at the end of the day, we shouldn’t be notable. Attendees’ focus should always be on the concert or the event or the comedian or whoever/whatever they’re seeing.”
Brittany Pallozzi
Our February interviewee was Brittany Pallozzi, Director of Patron Relations at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, New York. She was one of several who took the opportunity of being interviewed to pay it forward to the younger women in the INTIX membership just starting out. Her advice to them: “Keep educating yourself on industry topics and delve into professional development opportunities!
A profile of Christina Pryor, Director of Entertainment Ticketing for Opry Entertainment Group, followed in March. She offered the following bit of wise counsel to all ticketing professionals: “I want to remind everyone that mistakes happen — we’re human, and human error is inevitable. What I emphasize to my team, and hold myself to as well, is that what matters most is how we respond. I encourage you, as I do myself, to see mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow.”
Exiting the box office for a month and entering the virtual world, the Women in Ticketing column next featured Holli Campbell, Senior Director of Partnerships at TodayTix Group. In that job, she oversees all listings on the TodayTix app and website for the New York market. Campbell recalled advice she was given when she was very young in the business that has stuck with her to this day: to never take any experience for granted.
“Because every single one can shape and influence the next,” she explained. “Whether it was an internship in a fundraising office, an assistant job at a summer stock theatre, a short event or my work now at TodayTix Group … each experience has taught me something valuable that I've used in a future job.”
Skipping forward to June’s interview, our spotlight returned to the desert sunlight of Arizona. Karie Lurie, Senior Director of Audience Services at Arizona State University’s Gammage campus, stressed the value of teamwork. “I encourage my managers to trust their judgment,” she said, “and I will always have their back even if it isn’t the choice I would have made.”
Dereth Salchak
An equally stalwart leader was interviewed for the Women in Ticketing’s July column the following month. Laura Prunty, General Manager at the Antix Management specialist ticketing consultancy in Australia, spoke of the importance of keeping a cool head when ticketing live events. “In the ticketing and live events world — where things can change in a flash and pressure runs high — learning to stay calm and navigate through complexity with composure is an underrated superpower.”
Our next interviewee re-focused the column on how fortunate we all are to be working in ticketing and live events. Dereth Salchak, Ticket Manager for the Portland’5 Centers for the Arts. She said, “I love building events and putting all the pieces together! I also love what I call ‘super sleuthing’ — figuring out why reports don’t balance, untangling what happened and fixing the problem. Troubleshooting has always been a strong suit of mine.”
Moving into the fall, our first interview as the leaves were changing was with Michelle Rose, Director of Ticketing at Cleveland’s Playhouse Square. Her enthusiasm for the job was infectious and came through beautifully in the column. This author’s favorite quote of Rose’s: “On show nights, when I’m in the theater and see guests arriving, their excitement is contagious. Watching them take in the beauty of the space and hearing their comments reminds me of the magic we help create. It makes the tough days worth it and helps me appreciate the incredible place I get to work in every day.”
Miranda Gamez was the next to be featured. As co-chair of the INTIX Mentor Committee, she was all about using her interview space to urge young women new in the ticketing and live event field to “own your voice and your perspective. You bring something unique to the table, and the industry needs it. Build relationships, ask questions and don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and your team. Also, find mentors and be one when you can. Community is everything.”
Stephanie Tancredi
Stephanie Tancredi was eager to share the best advice that had ever been given to her during our final Women in Ticketing feature of the year. It was from her father, who worked for The Walt Disney Co. for 47 years in the entertainment division. His counsel to his daughter: “Keep people at the center. ‘Center the human.’ My dad definitely had a Disney mentality. He would say the people who come to see your efforts, you never know what it might have taken them to get there. Some may have come a long way or spent a lot of money or waited a very long time to see X event. Keep people at the center!”
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