Rosie Kew, 23.

So how did it all begin?

I have always wanted to get involved in arts event management and I have a passion for live music so it only seemed logical. With help from a friend, Jo, we decided to put on a gig for Oxjam. We decided on the name ‘Ragdoll Promotions’ because of the children’s television series ‘Rosie and Jim’.

What made you give it a bash?

In 2009 I graduated from Napier and wanted to put my hand to volunteering while gaining more event experience so I applied to be part of the Edinburgh Oxjam Takeover team. Unfortunately it clashed with a trip I was making and was unable to give over the full time required.  However, I was able to steward on the evening of the takeover and made some valuable contacts and friends. There was such a buzz from the musicians and the venues being part of something important made me want to go on to put on my own Oxjam event later in the year.

How did you get started?

• Training/Education?

I think experience through various volunteering and jobs have given me the skills required. However, I am currently studying masters in Marketing with Event and Festival Management. I believe the degree itself is not necessary for the skills I have learnt from promotion itself but it has given me the added drive to succeed in this ridiculously competitive industry.

• Work experience?

Being realistic I have tried to keep a broad range of work experience so I can apply the skills I have learnt to any aspect of event management. For example, I volunteered with the Brownie Girl Guides as a Unit Guider for 5 years. I was required to organise weekly activities, keep the girls entertained, risk asses and create a fun and safe environment. I have also volunteered with the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Fringe Sunday and last summer I worked at the Underbelly.

Where was your first related job?

The first job I was actively involved in events was when I worked at the Dominion Cinema in Morningside as a Front of House assistant helping on the film festival premier for 'And when did you last see your father'. The initial panic and elation from the success of the night encouraged me to apply to the festival the following year and then look further into a career in event management and music promotion.

Who/what inspired you?

While I was growing up I was surrounded by my mum’s charitable activities and fundraising events she put on. The drive she got from the success of each event must have rubbed off, because I think I am now more gung-ho then she is.  However, I would say it was my friends that gave me the inspiration to go down the music route.  A close friend runs DAT promotions, and when I initially began to promote gigs, he gave me advice and assistance to make sure that I wasn’t going down the wrong lines. His passion and enthusiasm for promotion are often mocked, but I find it inspiring that he will go out of his way to help his friends to create a best gig he can.

I would also say that I am inspired by my fellow promoters, venue managers and bands. I especially like the way that ‘This is Our Battlefield’ manage and maintain their D.I.Y gigs in Glasgow.  People often get blinded by money but TIOB actively promote fairness making sure that the bands that play are given the best possible experience, environment and audience to play to.

What was your first single you bought?

I would love to be able to claim something cool and credible but I believe it was 911 ‘Journey’. I played the song on repeat and knew the words inside out.

What's the best gig you have ever attended and why?

I love any gig where from having never really heard the band to coming out with a song you can’t get out of your head.  I think the most recent gig this happened was Tigers Jaw at Studio 24. I was fairly unfamiliar with the bands but the audience loved every song and when the band came to sing an encore an audience member was feeling brash enough to share the mic with the singer. I think it’s that feeling where audience and band are closer. Floor shows are especially effective for creating this atmosphere.

What kind of events do you organise now?

I am still organising gigs now but I am looking to work within music marketing. A dream of mine would be to start a small label along the lines of Big Scary Monsters, Gerry Loves or Count Your Lucky Stars.

What was the first event you ever helped to put on?

I began volunteering with the brownies to gain my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award from the age of 16 and as part of earning my warrant I was required to put on a jumble sale in aid of funding for the group.

I was required to find a venue, advertise the jumble, and make sure that everyone was organised regarding role and budget for the event.

The skills required for the jumble sale are predominately what I use for the gigs I put on now.

What's the most memorable event you've put on and promoted?

I would say my first gig 9th December 2009 at Sneaky Pete’s:

Lightguides, Penguins Kill Polar Bears and Your Neighbour the Liar (YNTL). I remember being terrified that no one would come and being for charity I was scared of letting the charity down. The build up to the event was exciting isolating appropriate local bands that would trust a first time promoter, promoting the gig in the right places and to the right people. I had a couple of friends to help me along the way including, Kyle from YNTL did the incredible poster for the gig.

Everything about the gig was a success and I raised a lot of money for Oxfam.

What's the best thing about organising music events?

There is nothing better than looking around and watching the rythmic bob of the audience to one of the bands I have put on.  I find the run up to gigs exciting as well discussing guarantees, finding suitable venues, isolating the right audience and baking.

Of the artists you have worked with who are your favourites and why?

After putting on YNTL for their first show I feel kind of a bias towards them. They have helped with various other projects and gigs since. They put a lot of faith in my promotion skills when I put my first show on and I think there is need for trust in this industry.

I’ve made good friends out of them because of it. Additionally, I have found that bands such as Pensioner, Trapped in Kansas, Carson Wells, PKPB and Pareto have been incredible to work with as they bring professionalism, and enable good communication, but they also know that it should be fun. If the band aren’t having fun, neither will the audience, and the gig will have a damp atmosphere.

Which band/act would be on the top of your list to work with?

There are loads of bands I would like to put on, and have festival line-ups plotted in my head.   Here is a few, I’m indecisive at the best of times, but I think I would love to put on an Empire! Empire! (I was a lonely estate), Frightened Rabbit, Tellison, Copy Haho and The Twilight Sad...

Where would your ideal venue be?

I would like to introduce more guerrilla style shows where bands play in unusual venues much like the Detour Kidnapp gigs.  My ideal venue would be a small venue such as Sneaky Pete’s. Every gig I have promoted there has had an electric atmosphere where the bands and gig goers are as excited as me.

What skills are most important in your role?

Organisation, patience, vigilance, ability to budget and to be able to talk to people easily.

Challenges?

The main challenge I have had is I have faced is bad communication and bands expecting more than they can be realistic about.

Top Tips for budding gig promoters?

Just do it. Don’t hesitate or hide behind any anxieties. Obviously there is risk involved, but preparing yourself through contingency plans will eliminate some of them. Remember to enjoy the gigs you are putting on as well. At the end of the day with music going the way it is, music is not about making money, but about passion for something you believe in and wanting to share it with similar minded people.

Ragdoll Promotions Email Contact: ragdollpromotions@gmail.com