Hundreds of people watched flames flow from a bass guitar at Rock Lititz in November.
It wasn’t for a concert, however. It was a learning opportunity.
Students and mentors from high schools and colleges across the U.S. took part in Rock Lititz’s “Live Event Career Exploration Conference” on Nov. 11. The immersive event, in its third year, offered a chance for students to learn the ins and outs of the live entertainment industry.
The conference started in 2019 as a small gathering featuring people who worked for Rock Lititz and its other sister companies. In 2020, the event went virtual, which allowed the Rock Lititz team to connect with industry professionals who would be interested in speaking with students.
This year’s event kicked off with several speakers from the live entertainment industry, including Henry Bordeaux, tour manager for Olivia Rodrigo and Tyler, The Creator; Sara Full, tour and production manager for The Lumineers; and David ‘5-1’ Norman, a tour director who has worked with Prince, John Legend and more. Students could talk to these well-known professionals.
J.P. McCaskey senior Sujan Upreti dreams of working for NBC as an on-screen news anchor. The 17-year-old intends to go to college to get a degree in broadcast journalism. But in the meantime, he works on McCaskey’s morning news show, learning all the steps from pre-production to post-production.
“I’m applying for colleges right now, and what they look for is a little experience,” says Upreti, who was one of several McCaskey students at Rock Lititz that day.
Rachel Hales, Community and Client Development Manager, speaks to the crowd, as students gather for an immersive event on the inner workings of a live event at Rock Lititz Thursday Nov. 11, 2021.
Keynote speaker Henry Bordeaux, who worked with the Biden/Harris campaign, speaks to the crowd, as students gather for an immersive event on the inner workings of a live event at Rock Lititz Thursday Nov. 11, 2021.
Students gather for an immersive event on the inner workings of a live event at Rock Lititz Thursday Nov. 11, 2021.
Students gather for an immersive event on the inner workings of a live event at Rock Lititz Thursday Nov. 11, 2021.
A student from the crowd tests the heat temperature from the pyrotechnics on stage, as students gather for an immersive event on the inner workings of a live event at Rock Lititz Thursday Nov. 11, 2021.
Rachel Hales, Community and Client Development Manager, speaks to the crowd, as students gather for an immersive event on the inner workings of a live event at Rock Lititz Thursday Nov. 11, 2021.
Stage crew member moves equipment, as students gather for an immersive event on the inner workings of a live event at Rock Lititz Thursday Nov. 11, 2021.
Students gather for an immersive event on the inner workings of a live event at Rock Lititz Thursday Nov. 11, 2021.
“They gave a lot of really good advice to us,” says 17-year-old McCaskey senior Ruby Acevedo, who works with Upreti on the morning news.
Acevedo says the advice that has stuck with her most: Take the opportunities in front of you without fear of what will happen.
“It really inspired me to take as many chances as I can get,” Acevedo says.
Some of the day’s events included live demonstrations — one of which featured the flamethrower bass that Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz used during 2021’s Hella Mega Tour with Green Day and Weezer — a live load-in to simulate what happens before an event, a pyrotechnics show and a meet and greet.
A small pyrotechnics live demonstration at Mickey’s Black Box at Rock Lititz. I didn’t even know you could do pyros in what feels like that small of an area. pic.twitter.com/ms4uSxVOKh
— Mickayla Miller (@mickaylawrites) December 9, 2021
It showed that there are many types of jobs in the entertainment industry that people may not know about, and that people of every type are needed for roles in the field. Professionals talked about how tour managers figure out scheduling and accommodations for artists, and also delved into being a sound engineer or lighting technician. There are even people dedicated solely to pyrotechnics displays.
“Even if students think they want to be in the live event industry, they don’t always know the different jobs out there,” says Suzi Meyer, general manager of the campus at Rock Lititz and one of the coordinators for the immersion experience. “An event like this helps them understand.”
Some of the students who attended the event weren’t quite sure if they wanted to pursue something in the entertainment industry; they were mainly in attendance to see what it’d be like.
McCaskey freshman Kyree Brown says he likes music and “just wanted to see what it was all about.” His favorite parts included the audio engineering demonstrations and, of course, the flamethrowing bass.
Genesis Perez, a 17-year-old McCaskey junior, says she wants to get a degree in media studies and work with celebrities (specifically mentioning SZA), but doesn’t yet know her path.
“All the people (the speakers) met on their journey of working. … We don’t get to see it, but we get to hear it from their point of view and visualize what they’ve done,” Perez says.
Keynote speaker Henry Bordeaux, who worked with the Biden/Harris campaign, speaks to the crowd, as students gather for an immersive event on the inner workings of a live event at Rock Lititz Thursday Nov. 11, 2021.
Bordeaux, the current tour manager for Olivia Rodrigo and Tyler, The Creator, was one of the keynote speakers for the event. He was eager to talk with students and urged them to pursue careers in entertainment — there’s a spot waiting for them.
“Our industry needs people right now,” Bordeaux says in an interview after his speech. “We need to make better changes for a new generation. It’s more important than ever to start training people. … It’s never been so easy to get on the road.”
Bordeaux has worked with clients for 21 years including Miley Cyrus, Travis Scott, Jennifer Lopez, Avicii and Puff Daddy.
He has known of Rock Lititz for a while now; he came to the campus in support of tours with Fifth Harmony and Puff Daddy. Bordeaux was invited to be a keynote speaker a few weeks before the event.
“Lititz may be a small town, but in the industry of touring, everybody knows that name,” Bordeaux says. “Everybody knows this is sort of the Mecca of our industry.”
Everyone thought the other pyro display was the main one, but this one ended up being it. Afterwards, streamers fell from the ceiling. pic.twitter.com/Mxslu4yf63
— Mickayla Miller (@mickaylawrites) December 9, 2021
His advice for students is to just go for it. “Every town has a venue of some kind, whether it’s a little club or a theater. Somebody is putting on a show somewhere. It’s tangible, you can reach it. Go talk to the people working in (your) local towns, go apply to be a runner or a stagehand, go get the entry-level positions that are really going to train you for whatever they’re going after. Get involved with the culture, read the magazines. … Immerse yourself in it,” Bordeaux says.
In just three years, the event has expanded to include voices from people like Bordeaux, and Meyer hopes that the growth continues for future years.
“We really had the unexpected perk of connecting with professionals in a unique way, and I think that made 2021 bigger and better,” Meyer says. “I hope that it continues to grow in the future.”
There will be another career exploration conference at Rock Lititz geared more toward high school students in the spring. Speakers have not yet been announced.
