Leadership / 01.03.24
Jason Mastrine Returns Home to Ticketing
Christine Payne
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.
“I am very excited to be re-joining this trusted circle of like-minded professionals who are aligned in their commitment to support each other,” he says.
Jason off-site at Burning Man, 2019.
After beginning in ticketing in the late ‘90s, Jason spent much of 2022 and 2023 in the event point-of-sale industry. In the fall of 2023, he returned to the arena he loves best, this time as global ticketing and venues lead for Protect Group.
“What I love most is that the company is a global melting pot of really beautiful souls, spread across six continents, with wildly different ethnic backgrounds, united in trying to build and sell a set of services that I believe truly help our clients with their revenue and customer service goals,” he says. “I believe we owe much of that to our founder and former CEO, James Hastie, who passed in his sleep on Nov. 16, 2023. James was a passionate visionary, a confident leader, and a good friend to many, including myself.”
Jason (left) speaking with James Hastie at INTIX 2020 in New York.
Previously, Jason spent time as part of the Patron Technology (now Leap) leadership team and with TicketsWest/Paciolan, where he worked under the legendary Jack Lucas. Earlier, he got his start in the business handling artist ticketing for SCI Ticketing/The String Cheese Incident, which partnered with TicketWeb and eventually Softix for artist direct-to-fan sales.
SCI Ticketing alums Brian Blue, Jack McCarty (AXS), Dave Cohen (Prekindle) and Jason Mastrine. Missing is Tim Halloran (Portland Trailblazers).
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.
He says, “I have been out of this industry for a little while, having worked for Billfold on the point-of-sale side, and it feels like I am coming home. I am just happy to be around people who care about some of the same qualities in people, who look for the same qualities in people that I do.”
Those friends include INTIX President & CEO Maureen Andersen, whom Jason has known and looked up to since 2002.
“A couple of friends in the industry convinced me to get on the planning committee for the 2003 INTIX Conference in Denver,” he says. “Maureen was chair of the organizing committee. Despite my completely unorthodox entry into ticketing as part of the management team of a popular Colorado jam band, she welcomed me into the INTIX family, got me involved in conference planning and provided a path to me seeing how ticketing could become my forever profession if I wanted it. To this day, she has remained my go-to person for various career and personal counseling [matters] and has evolved into a model of how I want to be when I grow up, whenever that happens,” he laughs.
Jason at Burning Man, 2019.
In addition to Maureen and James, there have been other mentors. Jason is quick to acknowledge those who helped him along his path.
“In the mid-2000s, I met a guy named Ira Steinberg, an old Deadhead who lived in Portland, Oregon, where I was living at the time. He was also a CPA. He taught me money management, financial planning and how to assess risk in my own personal business. Oh yeah, and how to fish for Steelhead trout on the Lewis River in Washington. He has since retired from accounting and spends his time traipsing around the Oregon Coastal Range. He’s also become my seasonal supplier of morels, chanterelles and lobster mushrooms.”
Regarding leaders, Jason admires those who have a “commitment to nurturing a culture of curiosity, kindness and teamwork, an ability to inspire people and create space for them to be their best and do their best work.”
As for colleagues, he values “hardworking, bright, trustworthy and all-around good people.”
And with friends, Jason says it is all about consistency and spontaneity. “Even when a bit of time has passed because everyone is busy doing life, we can put together quick plans to catch up over a drink, do something fun, take a trip.”
Mastrine family road trip, 2020.
When it comes to trips, one of Jason’s favorite spots is just south of the border.
“I have been lucky to visit Mexico City a few times during these past couple of years, and I always look forward to the next time,” he says. “It is such a vibrant and dynamic city, [there is] so much to explore and [there are] so many interesting people to meet. For me, communing with the locals is the experience I crave, and I get that [there].”
And, of course, there is the food, says Jason.
“One of the things that I like about Mexican cooking is the ability to take what you have and make something beautiful out of it … A lot of the time, it is just through that folded piece of corn tortilla and whatever you put inside of it. One of the things that surprised me about Mexican cooking as I got down into Mexico City and some other places is the art that goes into it, the fine side of Mexican cooking. That is not something we get much exposure to up here, outside of going out of your way to true quality restaurants here. I have really enjoyed that. Going to the west side … Polanco is like the Beverly Hills of Mexico City. There are beautiful restaurants where I had meals prepared in a way that threw back to the traditional but were something I had not envisioned before.”
Jason in Baja California Sur, Mexico, 2022.
Whether it is Mexican food or some other exotic dish, cooking is one of Jason’s passions.
“My cooking involves understanding what is in the house, comparing it to something I could potentially do, and then figuring out how to substitute for the couple of ingredients that I don't have,” he says. “[It is] turning multi-nationality cooking on its side. I'll fuse things. I may never make it again despite it being a favorite thing we've had over the past month. I like that about Mexican cooking because I think that they do the same thing.”
Jason also admitted to having developed a passion for a particular bird, which often (but not always) finds itself on the table at Thanksgiving or Christmas. And he wrote down and shared the recipe, something he had never done before.
Jason and his dog, Winny, celebrating Christmas in 2022.
“I would say that this journey on turkeys started a number of years ago when a good friend of mine hosted Thanksgiving and his wife spatchcocked the turkey. When you spatchcock a piece of poultry, you are basically cutting the spine out of it, and then you try to lay it flat by putting your fist on the breastplate and pressing down. Basically, break the breastplate so you can flatten the whole turkey or the poultry while still keeping it attached. It is a really interesting way to cook, so I wanted to do that, but detach some of the parts and prepare it differently.”
Over the years, there have been many interesting responses when asking INTIX members to reveal their most treasured possessions. But never have we been quite as surprised as when Jason said, “My teeth,” quickly adding that “it is a kind of standing joke between me and my friends because I smile too much. And, of course, without them, I couldn’t eat!”
The Mastrine family in Southern Utah, 2021.
When Jason is not cooking, you might find him playing golf or reading, with anything by John McPhee or the sports writers at The Athletic among his favorites. He is a diehard Buckeyes fan, having been born at Ohio State University Hospital on Ohio State/Michigan game day while his father and grandfather were both in the bleachers. “Throughout my childhood, I was given the option of having a birthday party or going to the game. I always chose the game, much to the chagrin of my friends.”
The Mastrine family at the Ohio State/Nebraska game, 2021.
We asked Jason about the best live event he has ever seen. His answer clearly demonstrates his love for the Buckeyes and another jam band known for its devoted fan following.
“The 2003 BCS National Championship played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The Ohio State Buckeyes beat the heavily favored Miami Hurricanes in double overtime, 31-24. I got tickets at the last minute but already had plans to be in Hampton, Virginia, for a Phish three-night run,” he says. “After the Phish night one show, I flew on an early morning flight to Phoenix, then had to sprint out of the stadium to catch a red-eye back to Hampton for the night three Phish show. O-H-I-O!”
Music is a big part of Jason’s life. In addition to being a fan, he would love to have the discipline to master a couple of instruments.
The Mastrine family at Dilon Amphitheater for Bob Dylan, 2022.
“I was raised in a musical family,” he says. “My father was a very talented horn player and later became an artist manager for an urban pop act that was on Warner Brothers for a couple of years in the ‘80s. So, I spent a lot of time around keyboards and grew up taking lessons. They were more traditional piano lessons. I didn't get as much into the theory as I would have liked. If I had anchored myself on the theory side, I would still be playing, and I'd like to do that again. I dream of starting back in on piano music theory, pulling my Korg keyboard out and learning to play the instrument again. I fiddle around on the guitar … [but] my first love is singing. I love to sing. I sang in high school and college in various organized groups ranging from the standard choir to the show choir to barbershop. And I certainly love karaoke. I love it. My family is a group of singers, including my niece, who is in her first year at LACM (Los Angeles College of Music).”
Jason at Electric Forest, 2015.
Jason could not pick just one when asked about his favorite venue. “I recently went to Las Vegas, where I was fortunate enough to see U2 at the Sphere. It is hard to beat that experience,” he says. “However, I’ve got to give it up to arguably the greatest outdoor venue in the world, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, just outside Denver. The acoustics, the scenery [and] the energy [are unbelievable]. Artists show up for Red Rocks. I’ve also seen some of the best shows of my life there, including Peter Gabriel, Radiohead, Phish and Ryan Adams.”
Jason’s favorite song is “Float On” by Modest Mouse. “It’s gotten me through some tough times,” he says. “I like to make and share streaming playlists during moments of grief or loss. The organizational process allows me to create a musical journey that represents my emotional rollercoaster and, in turn, gives me the space for processing and moving forward. It also makes it easier for me to be vulnerable during difficult moments. I highly suggest it. Here’s one I recently made with the help of some friends.”
Indeed, Jason has seen his share of tough times. There was COVID, of course, but also a divorce four years ago and a devasting wildfire that swept through his Colorado community, destroying over a thousand homes. He went through all of these events with his three children, Julian (20), Beck (16) and Piper (14). “We each have 30 friends that lost everything [in that fire],” he says. Yet, faced with these and other tough times, Jason looks to the positive and to the love he has for his children. He says his greatest achievement is “being the best dad I can be to my kids every day. There is nothing more important to me.”
Julian, Piper, Beck and Jason, 2021.
Jason adds, “The work is hard as hell and the payoff — the opportunity to show up in the way my kids need me most in that moment — there is nothing more important to me. And teaching my kids that the journey to becoming the best versions of ourselves is never-ending, and that it is OK that we will mess up along the way. We must go easier on ourselves.”
Another important being in Jason’s life is a special dog named Winny. “I found her on a farm in west Michigan, along with her six-week-old siblings,” he says. “It was love at first sight.”
Jason and Winny.
Having had the opportunity to reflect on his career and personal life, is there any advice Jason would give himself if he could go back in time?
“[I would try] to remember not to take things too personally,” he says. “To always try to understand different perspectives. To trust myself and to trust that the universe is always delivering exactly what I need even if it doesn’t feel like it at the moment. It keeps me sane when life is particularly nutty.”
And, if he had three wishes, what would they be?
“Can I go big?” he asks, then lists “World peace, equity for all, and generally way less dumb-assery all around.”
Which brings us to the future. Still only 25 years into his career, Jason is not thinking about retirement yet. But he may want to relocate once he gets his youngest child into her next phase after high school.
“It is always easier to say the grass is greener on the other side, but I have grown challenged by this environment here in the United States. I would like to slow down. Not slow down my entire life or slow down work. I would like to be able to surround myself with more random people who are in the moment and not getting caught up in the stuff that is rapidly defining who we are as a society. Whether that's the stupid hate politics, the homogenization of our youth via TikTok or the absolute hypocrisy of every business in America raising prices and then calling it inflation while company profits are at an all-time high, it has grown to become inauthentic to me and I would like to try something different … Somewhere where enjoying the moment is most valued,” he says. “Near nature, probably a coast somewhere. In Central or South America? Portugal? A return to the Pacific Northwest? To be determined!”
One thing is for sure, though. Regardless of where he hangs his hat, Jason is already back home in ticketing.
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Tags: Leadership , GTKY