In 2024, we continued our popular “Getting to Know You” series, showcasing ticketing professionals from across the United States and around the globe. The series aims to help INTIX members get to know each other better and create an even stronger sense of community.
Up first was Jason Mastrine, a ticketing veteran who began his career in the late 90s. Jason re-joined the ticketing community as Global Head of Strategy — Sports & Events Ticketing for Protect Group after spending much of 2022 and 2023 in the event point-of-sale industry. Time spent away from ticketing allowed Jason to reflect on what he loves most about our industry: the camaraderie among colleagues.
“There is a sense of unity, collaboration and mutual support among INTIX members, specifically who share a common passion for the intricacies of ticketing. And I think in this context, camaraderie manifests as a platform for open dialogue, the exchange of innovative ideas, and a collective commitment to elevating industry standards on a global scale. One more reason why I am so happy to be back in ticketing — amongst friends.”
Jeff Lind, Jason, Rebecca Throne and Tammy Enright at INTIX 2019 in Grapevine, Texas.
Jason will present at INTIX 2025 about “Tech-Driven Ancillaries: Balancing Revenue and Customer Experience” on Jan. 29 at 11:00 a.m.
Derek Palmer
We profiled Derek Palmer, Chief Revenue Officer at Project Admission, in late March. Derek’s career has taken him around the globe, including to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He also held multiple leadership roles at Tickets.com, including Chief Operating Officer, and later served as Managing Director and Executive Vice President, International, based in London, England. He considers his mentoring efforts among his most meaningful and rewarding professional accomplishments.
“As I get a little older now, I am super proud to see people who came along with me or that I hired, worked with, or mentored and have helped with their careers. [It makes me very proud] to see how successful they have been. I have worked with incredible people who helped me along my journey, so being able to do that now and to see the path ahead of them and their accomplishments is very gratifying.”
Patricia Pratt
Patricia Pratt began selling tickets part-time at BancorpSouth Center (now Cadence Bank Arena).
As her children grew older, she transitioned to full-time employment. Patricia was approached at a ticketing conference with an opportunity to interview for the Box Office Manager position at the Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She landed the role and has been thriving at the 7,470-capacity outdoor venue ever since.
When it comes to mentors, Patricia relies on her Christian faith. “I look to the hills from which cometh my help. My help comes from the Lord. Amen!” Patricia also looks up to her boss, Kay Day, Director of Arts and Entertainment for the City of Tuscaloosa and GM of the Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater, who has been incredibly supportive.
With much appreciation for those who have helped her, Patricia is paying it forward and says helping others is her greatest achievement.
“[I love] watching young people who started under me advance to become successful in the industry,” she says. “I get so much joy and pleasure just to know I played a part in their success.”
Joe Carter joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, where he currently holds the position of Senior Director of Sales and Customer Experience, in 2019. He is thrilled to work with his favorite venue, the iconic Hollywood Bowl.
“It was the first venue I went to when I moved to LA,” he recalls. “I had only heard of it until then but didn’t expect to so enjoy being completely immersed in an atmosphere of joy and light. I’ve seen everyone from Mel Torme & Cleo Laine, my first concert there with my parents, to standouts like Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Earth, Wind & Fire, Billy Joel, ELO, James Taylor and Carole King, Grace Jones, Jill Scott, Yo-Yo Ma and the Muppets, to artists coming up this season including Laufey, Sara Bareilles, Noah Kahan and so many more.”
Joe at the Hollywood Bowl.
When it comes to the best live event Joe has ever attended, he says there are simply too many to choose from.
“That is the joy of working in this industry. We have access to the magic of live events — be they concerts, games, plays or visits to iconic venues. I have been lucky enough to see world premieres of award-winning plays and musicals and sit in on the rehearsals as they were created, watch master conductors shape the sound of an orchestra right in front of me ahead of their performance to the public, and watch championship games in football, baseball and basketball close up and in the nose-bleed seats. In all cases, they have left indelible memories to last a lifetime.”
Rob Williams counts the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England, as his favorite live event experience. Today, he lives in a Greater Toronto Area suburb after moving from England to Canada five years ago. He has worked for a venue (Nottingham Arena, now Motorpoint Arena Nottingham), a national agency (The Ticket Factory) and a ticketing vendor (AudienceView), “which was kind of the trifecta,” he says proudly.
Today, Rob sees and is making his future in artificial intelligence (AI), a topic on which he will speak at INTIX 2025 in a Jan. 30 session at 10:45 a.m. titled, “Practical AI for the Ticket Office: How to Build Tools and Solutions Today.”
“I'm an AI consultant, which is a great thing to be right now,” he says. “I work with organizations to train them on AI, to implement AI, both across their organization as a whole, to increase productivity, and in their products in order to bring next-generation tools and capacities to products.”
Sam Biscoe, who works in marketing and partnerships for Secure My Booking, will also delve into AI at INTIX 2025 in a session about how live chat can revolutionize your customer service approach. “Are You A Bot? A Chat Revolution” takes place on Jan. 30 at noon.
“I have gone from working in a venue to working for a service organization for the industry,” Sam notes. “It is a financial industry [offering], which is very different to what I'm used to, so there are some new things that I'm learning about. I'm also able to apply everything that I have known about working with organizations and what those structures and potential hurdles are to overcome.”
Sam emphasizes the importance of surrounding himself with ambitious, like-minded individuals, reflecting on the characteristics he values in himself and others. He does that each year at the annual INTIX conference, for which he received a conference grant through the Professional Development & Education Fund in 2019 when he was with Southampton Theatres.
“INTIX is a powerful way of being able to connect to other people, learn, and get a different viewpoint, particularly being based in the U.K. It is interesting to see the differences between the industry in North America and what's happening in the U.K. and Europe. It is great networking for us as well … Secure My Booking has a stand each year because connecting in person is super important. I pop online and read through articles and emails that go out, so I connect to the organization in that way, too.”
Sam, right, listens intently at an INTIX conference session.
We rounded out the year with a profile on Kevin Stephenson, who has held the position of controller at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts for the past three years. Earlier, he spent three decades in the ticket offices of the atmospheric Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas, the Alamodome, and later the Tobin Center, where this new opportunity presented itself.
“After the pandemic, as the Tobin Center began to ramp back up, an opportunity within the company arose when the controller decided to leave to pursue other things. I put my name in the hat for the job, and I was the lucky one chosen.”
As controller, Kevin has leveraged his expertise and prior experiences to bridge the gap between the accounting and ticket office teams. “One of my goals has been to better integrate the accounting and box office worlds, and I would say it has been a great success for us at the Tobin. I still try to maintain my ticketing knowledge, though, and I sometimes find that I am an intermediary between the ticket office and upper management.”
Kevin describes his connection to INTIX as an invaluable resource, particularly in navigating his new role.
“I became a member of INTIX when I started at the Tobin Center, thanks to Aren Murray, who was able to get me a membership through the company,” he explains. “I had technically been a member of BOMI for one year back when I worked at the Majestic (it was a year when the convention had gone to San Diego), but it was not something the Majestic was willing to keep paying for. Since I’ve moved into the accounting world, my connection to ticketing and the box office isn’t what it used to be. I feel like INTIX helps to keep me connected. I love the learning experiences I gain from the conference and the ability to interact with vendors [and] INTIX is a great resource for seeing and hearing how other people may be handling challenges like your own. The ability to ask questions of people [and] mentors is invaluable.”
Kevin and Aren Murray accepting the Outstanding Ticket Office award in 2019.
Editor’s Note: Learn more about some of the incredible professionals who have shaped our industry in the INTIX “Getting to Know You” series. Registration for INTIX 2025 in New York City is available via the INTIX website.
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