While many people fall into ticketing, Kevin Stephenson fell out of it. After three decades in the ticket offices of the atmospheric Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas, the Alamodome, and later the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, a 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.”
Kevin has held the position of controller for the past three years. During that time, he 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.”
He finds his new occupation “refreshing” because “I don’t deal with the public at all!” That being said, he admits that sometimes he does miss the ticket office. “What I always loved was the programming aspect of the job,” he says enthusiastically. “I liked creating the events, the ticket types, the prices, and the seating charts, and making it all work.”
A cherished family memory from years ago: Kevin with his wife, Kimberly, and their daughter, Kyren.
In his days at the Majestic Theatre, it was decided that the stage should be expanded to accommodate bigger touring shows, like Miss Saigon. The building, including the ticket office, had to be shut down for several months while construction took place. And that, says Kevin, led to one of his most memorable moments from his time in the ticketing world.
“To keep the ticket office [team] employed, they tasked us with covering the theater assets with plastic wrap to protect everything from the dust that would be kicked up during construction,” he says. “We spent days wrapping all of the seats in the theater with plastic wrap, which, I will admit, was not exciting. However, as we progressed from the seats to the assets along the walls of the Majestic, a whole world of history began to open up with things the public would never get a chance to see.”
Kevin continues, “The Majestic got its start in 1929 as a movie house and was only converted to a performing arts theater later in its life. So, while crawling through the walls to cover things like stuffed birds and peacocks, we would come across graffiti from the early 1930s, we would find the old theater organ — still mostly intact and complete with percussion and string instruments, and we would have the opportunity to add our names to the back of the statue at the very top of the proscenium arch (which was covered in graffiti). It was a dirty and gritty job, but in a way, it was rewarding because of all the history we could experience.”
It was during his time at the Majestic Theatre that Kevin learned the importance of having a good mentor.
“My first mentor was Isabel Rodriguez. She was a great person and was responsible for forming much of my early knowledge at the ticket office. Throughout most of my years at the Alamodome, I didn’t have anyone as a city employee who knew anything about ticketing, so I spent most of those years going about it on my own. My mentor during those times was my Ticketmaster representative, Roger Morse. Finally, when I came to the Tobin Center, Aren Murray was the one I spent most of my time with.”
Kevin holds strong values when it comes to leadership and collaboration. For him, great leaders are those who genuinely acknowledge the efforts of others and take the time to listen without rushing to judgment. Similarly, when it comes to colleagues, he values consistency and integrity. “I want to see you treat others the same way you treat me,” he explains. “If you tell me we can’t do a project because it is not in the budget, I don’t want to see you turn around and spend money on some frivolous endeavor just because it’s good for you.”
As he looks back on his long career in ticketing, Kevin recalls other standout events.
“Successfully navigating the pandemic as the Box Office Manager for the Tobin Center is certainly up there,” he says proudly. “Handling ticketing for three NCAA Men’s Final Fours and two Women’s Final Fours [is also a memorable career moment]. Being thrown into the ticketing world for the NFL when Hurricane Katrina pushed the New Orleans Saints ticket office into the Alamodome for part of a season [is another].”
One benefit of working in ticketing is having access to some of the world’s best entertainment, so we asked Kevin about the best live event he’s ever seen.
“That’s a hard question,” he responds. “I have said many times to people who have asked me if I get to see a lot of shows that it’s like working at McDonald’s — if you work at McDonald’s, at the end of the day, you are not going to eat at McDonald’s. So often, when I worked box office, at the end of the day, I just wanted to go home. I am often drawn to Broadway events, though. Hamilton, Les Misérables, Wicked, Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away and Fun Home — all of those I have enjoyed. My wife is also partial to Taylor Tomlinson, and I really enjoyed her show.”
When discussing his connection to INTIX, Kevin highlights how it has been a truly valuable resource, especially in 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 fondly remembers two memorable INTIX moments. One was when the Tobin Center was named the 2019 Outstanding Ticket Office at the 40th Annual Conference & Exhibition. The other was introducing Tiffany Kelham to Tiff’s Treats in Orlando, Florida. “Tiff’s Treats is a retailer that delivers warm, freshly baked cookies to your door,” Kevin shares.
Kevin and Aren Murray accepting the Outstanding Ticket Office award.
Outside of his professional life, Kevin recently encountered a deeply personal challenge. He shared that his mother passed away in early 2024 following a prolonged battle with Alzheimer’s. Her passing made Kevin feel lost, but it also led him to find the person he admires most.
“I’m not a very religious person, but whatever amount of faith I do have was severely shaken by the whole Alzheimer’s experience,” he says. “I was angry, furious, and beyond consolation. I spent much time driving down the highway, screaming profanities at the top of my lungs against any God out there for what had happened to my mother. It was about the only place where I could be anonymous and alone to express my feelings. But about the same time, I started following J.S. Park [on Instagram]. He’s a hospital chaplain and grief counselor. I learned that he had written a book called ‘Mad About God: No Silver Linings, No Christian Clichés, No Easy Answers for Pain and Suffering,’ which resonated with what I was feeling at the time. The book helped me deal with my emotions, and I think I’m better off for it. It certainly didn’t make me a better believer, but it did help put some things in context. I have followed him on Instagram ever since, and I still admire him a lot. His thoughts on grief, equality and human nature are down-to-earth and inspiring.”
During this time, Kevin also received support from his wife and greatest love, Kimberly. “She is kind, loving, strong, motivating, always eager to help and driven. She’s always there when I need her and supports me in every way possible, no matter the reason. I’ve never been so lucky to have had her come into my life.”
Kevin and his wife Kimberly, the Education Director at the Tobin Center, prepare to shine at this year’s Tobin Gala featuring Jay Leno.
Love and true, honest kindness are things that Kevin has learned to appreciate. He says, “There seems to be so much divisiveness, selfishness, and just a lack of caring for others these days that to have someone who is truly kind and forgiving is so refreshing.”
It is hardly surprising that when asked what he would wish for if granted three wishes, he said: “That Alzheimer’s/dementia was not a thing — it’s such a devastating and cruel disease, both to the person who has it and to everyone around them. [I also wish] that common sense, compassion for one another, and the belief in scientific facts were again the norm for the world. [And] that my family would be taken care of and always happy.”
Kevin, his wife Kimberly and their daughter Kyren exploring a Mayan temple in Belize during a cruise in January 2022. Fun fact: Kevin accidentally made a "blood sacrifice" to the temple after slipping on the wet stairs and scraping himself.
As for his happiness, Kevin enjoys spending time with fun-loving friends who “know when a kind ribbing is funny versus going too far with something.” He’s also an avid PC gamer. When asked to name his most treasured possession, he quickly said, “My PC.”
“[I really enjoy] shooters (FPS), role-play games (RPGs), multiplayer role-play games (MMORPGs), adventure games, looter/shooters, I love them all. I have more than 500 games in my Steam library, an online service that allows you to purchase and download games to a PC, and it grows regularly. I’m also a big fan of board games and Dungeons & Dragons. And I’m an avid fan of Critical Role (which can be found on YouTube, Twitch and Beacon) and have been since they began 10 years ago. To quote the opening line … it’s where ‘a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons.’”
With that said, what brings Kevin the most joy?
“Singing,” he says. “The few times in my life where I have been part of a truly exceptional choir or performing group have been some of my most memorable and profound experiences. As I said earlier, I am not a very religious person, but I feel that if anything was to get me closer to God as it were, it would be through the experience of music and singing.”
He shares, “I’m partial to early music from the Renaissance or Medieval periods. I can’t say that I necessarily have a favorite song to sing, though. I do prefer, however, to sing in a group rather than solo, although I have done some solo work, including opera. Although, it would take me quite some time and a lot of practice to get back to a point where I could do opera again.”
Kevin tried out for the Texas High School Choir as a senior. “I finished in second place out of the thousands of students who tried out for my voice part in the state of Texas. From there, I went on to perform with 250 other top-notch vocalists in the Texas High School State Choir. It was one of the most meaningful and musical experiences of my life. I’ve also had the opportunity to perform on stage at Carnegie Hall with my college choir, and that was pretty awesome as well.”
Kevin and Kimberly enjoying “The Play That Goes Wrong” in New York during a summer getaway to visit their daughter Kyren, a student at Hofstra University on Long Island, and take in some shows.
With college studies in music education, Kevin’s musical taste spans a wide range of genres, reflecting his deep appreciation for the art form. When asked about his all-time favorite band and song, Kevin doesn’t hesitate. “I’m an ‘80s kid, so many of those bands are still on my playlist to this day. Def Leppard was my favorite band growing up, but I think my favorite song of all time is ‘In the Air Tonight’ by Phil Collins.”
As Kevin reflects on his journey from music education to a career in ticketing and live events, he considers the lessons he’s learned along the way and what advice he’d offer his younger self. “Something that I truly learned the hard way — don’t take or stick with a job that you hate just because of the money. It’s not worth your health with the amount of stress that it brings. Find something that you enjoy doing, and the money will find you.”
Looking ahead, there are two things Kevin would like to do — one personal and one professional. The first is to learn to play the piano. The other is to present at the INTIX conference about the relationship between accounting and the box office. He laughs, “I just haven’t found a topic I think would work yet, but I’m still working on it.”
You May Also Like
Want news like this delivered to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to the Access Weekly newsletter, your ticket to industry excellence.