This story is brought to you by the INTIX Women in Entertainment Technology Program.
Rebecca Molloy has always loved the performing arts. She took dance and acting classes from an early age and went on to study performing arts in college. She entered the live events business as an actress. Her greatest roles, though, would come off stage.
Rebecca Molloy
“I always say that I fell into ticketing,” Molloy says. “I was working in the café of Hideaway Jazz Club in South London when I was asked to help out in their office. There were just two office staffers who handled all the admin for the club, and they gleefully handed over ticketing to me as I ‘must be really familiar with tickets being an actor.’ Luckily for them, I was also good with numbers and spreadsheets, and I soon caught the ticketing bug!”
And that bug bit her hard. After Hideaway, she moved on to work at Bath Box Office, a boutique ticket agency that served many of the festivals in Bath and surrounding areas including Bath Children’s Literature Festival and the Jane Austen Festival. She then was hired at her current organization, Bristol Old Vic. Molloy started as Box Office Manager, then Head of Ticketing and Audience Insight. Her current position is Business Intelligence Analyst.
It's no surprise that when she tells people what her job title is, she gets curious and even perplexed looks back. This journalist, of course, also had to ask the question: “So, uh, what is a business intelligence analyst?” Her reply: “Simply put, it’s my favorite parts of the work I did in ticketing but applied to the whole business.” She went to list those parts, which range from capturing, cleaning and analyzing data to linking up software programs and improving internal processes.
Her job also entails her “empowering others with access, training, and tools to ultimately maximize revenue and minimize costs. I played a lot of resource management and strategy video games growing up — to be honest I still play a lot now — and often my job feels like I’m just playing another video game!”
But as with the best games, there are pitfalls and obstacles that have to be overcome. “I still find delegation a challenge,” she says. “I’m a hard-wired doer. It can feel unnatural to pass tasks on to someone else, especially if it’s something I enjoy doing like data analysis. But it is so important to protect your time and give others the opportunity to improve their skills.”
It helps that she works for such a historic and highly regarded institution as the Bristol Old Vic. Molloy says, “Not only do we produce and present fantastic shows, but the work our engagement team does with the community is inspiring. Also, my colleagues are so wonderful to work with. There is a great culture here. Whenever I’ve had tough times, professionally or personally, they have always been there to support me, comfort me, or step into the breach.”
Molloy says she hit a personal peak in her career when Bristol Old Vic hosted a Royal visit. “The whole building was locked down with tight security,” she recalls. “There was a meticulously planned schedule of activity for the Royals to observe, and my entire responsibility for the day was to stand and open a door into the auditorium for Harry and Meghan. I can confirm they are very polite as they both said, ‘Thank you!’”
Molloy feels it is very important to be polite and have a positive attitude at all times in her line of work. When building a career, it’s also important to remember the advice she received from mentors while coming up in the business: “A university lecturer once said to me, ‘If you ever consider turning down an opportunity just because you’re afraid, then that means it’s something you need to do. So, make it happen! Living by this has really helped me get to where I am today, as it has encouraged me to apply for jobs and board positions that I may not have otherwise out of fear.”
Case in point, Molloy is an elected council member of the Society of Ticket Agent and Retailers (STAR) and a board member for the theatre company Little Bulb. As such, she is often in a position to provide wise counsel to others new in the ticketing space, especially young women. Chiefly, she urges, “Always speak up. It can be intimidating to express opinions and ideas in meetings or discussions where there are staff members more senior than you. But that is the perfect time for you to show off your knowledge and expertise — which you do have! Remember you will always have a valuable contribution to make, and it gets easier the more you practice.”
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