Coalition of Festivals
and Major Events
We are a coalition of event leaders, producers, and workers. Together, we are training the next-generation workforce with the critical skills and knowledge needed to create safer, more sustainable, and socially responsible festivals and major events.
Our Leadership Programs
2026 Future FAME Leaders
Coming in Q4 2025!
We will be announcing our industry and impact partners as well as our application process for our third cohort in Q4 2025! Stay tuned for more details!
2025 Future FAME Leaders
In partnership with The FAM, Goldenvoice, AEG Presents, BRIC Foundation, and Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity
Coalition of Festivals and Major Events expanded its initiative to develop a career-ready workforce for the live industries with the launch of our 2025 Festival and Live Events Production and Project Management Training Program.
This program built upon our 2023 Future FAME Leadership Trainings with additional education and work-based learning components that align with BRIC Foundation's AME-HRTP competencies, so participants could gain exposure to production and project management careers in festivals and live events, as well as earn a digital badge and certificate of completion to support future career pathways.
Thank you to core service training providers South Bay Workforce Investment Board, Entertainment Industry Foundation, Group Effort Initiative, as well as the Entertainment Equity Alliance, California Department of Education, and California Division of Apprenticeship Standards for enabling us to prepare Californians to join the live industries as well as supporting our live events and their host communities throughout California.
Future FAME Leaders: Class of 2025
Daniel Bisuano
Isaiah Cruz
Noi Kertis
TJ Cho
Tori Iturralde
Trinity Reagan
Zerlinda Lee
Team
Aaron Raus
Evan Tzeng
Jazmin Sullivan
Lindsay Alamillo
Nick Alley
Current FAME Leaders
1. Introduction to Festivals
Evan Tzeng (StayAltered)
2. Talent Curation & Booking
Eric Barleen (Another Planet Entertainment)
Paul Peck (Fandiem)
3. Marketing, Content & Communications
Leesa Allmond (Wasserman)
4. Creative
Will Irons (Iron Bloom)
5. Stage Production & Management
Kierrah Matthews (Goldenvoice)
6. Site Operations & Permitting
Emma Marcus (Another Planet Entertainment)
Genna Waugh (SEED Events)
Mary Beth Elam (Old Soul PS)
7. Talent Relations & Hospitality
Kenzie Ovenell (Twin Flame Productions)
Kessa Pellum (Same Same But Different Festival)
8. Sponsorships & Partnerships
Ali Neuberger (Superfly)
9. Sustainability & Community Relations
Joyce Han (Another Planet Entertainment)
2023 Future FAME Leaders
In partnership with Diversify The Stage, Well Dunn Foundation, shesaid.so, and Roc Nation School of Music, Sports and Entertainment at LIU Brooklyn
In 2022 and 2023 – with support for and from our founding impact partners – Coalition of Festivals and Major Events launched the Future FAME Leadership Training Program to solve two major talent pipeline problems the live industry faces:
1. Demystify the live industry with training programs to prepare a career-ready workforce.
2. Diversifying festival management to include underrepresented individuals.
The first edition of the training program took place in 2022-2023 with 14 future festival leaders joining 28 current festival leaders for a series of #RealTalk sessions and 1-on-1 mentorship conversations.
Future FAME Leaders: Class of 2023
Aaron Raus
Anita Obasi (shesaid.so)
Brenda Ceja (Well Dunn)
Chinaecherem Nwaubani (Well Dunn)
Christlie Jean-Baptiste (Roc Nation @ LIU)
Erin Furton
LaTisha Stephens (Diversify The Stage)
Marissa Solis (Diversify The Stage)
Tyler Butler (Well Dunn)
Patrize Richards (Roc Nation @ LIU)
Quella Gu (Diversify The Stage)
Temi Joseph (Well Dunn)
Vix Brand (shesaid.so)
Team
Barcley Boyd
Bryan Berge
Evan Tzeng
Kyle Casey
Lily Huerkamp
Naraya Mercado
Tucker Saitta​
Current FAME Leaders
1. Festival Production & Budgeting
Kyle Casey (Function of Gravity)
Katelyn Scott (Fox Pocket)
Jen Stiles (Founders)
2. Community Relations & Permitting
Erin Bilbo (Goldenvoice)
Jeff Cuellar (Sixthman)
Naraya Mercado (Founders)
3. Site Infrastructure, Design & Operations
Melanie Dorf (Goldenvoice)
Adam Galay (Noise Academy)
Kierrah Matthews (Goldenvoice)
4. Security, Safety & Access Control
Inez Lopez (Goldenvoice)
Sully Sullivan (Warped Tour)
Kyle Casey (Function of Gravity)
5. Stage Production & Management
Jon Baden (AEG Presents)
Bryan Berge (Function of Gravity)
Barcley Boyd (Function of Gravity)
6. Talent Curation & Booking
Danny Bell (Goldenvoice)
Paul Peck (Fandiem)
Jonathan Azu (Culture Collective)
7. Talent Relations & Hospitality
Saira Anderson (Hulaween)
Talia Ortisi (Goldenvoice)
Lily Huerkamp (Coalition of Festivals)
8. Marketing & Communications
Megan Adams (Outside Lands)
Leesa Allmond (Superfly)
Kaaj Patel (Goldenvoice)
9. Sponsorships & Partnerships
Alex Machurov (Fandiem)
Prue Marek (Live Nation)
Katelyn Scott (Fox Pocket)
10. Sustainability, Impact & Wellbeing
Jocelyn Gan (A Greener Festival)
Sunny Sohrabian (LA28 Olympics)
Evan Tzeng (StayAltered)
2021 Industry Trainings
In 2021, over 20 leaders from 10 festivals joined together for a training program led by SHIFT. Each training was paired with closed-door discussion circles led by Coalition of Festivals.
1. Leveling up from Allyship
2. Challenging Implicit Bias & Microaggressions
3. Unpacking the Gender Binary
4. Building a Culture of Consent
The training program and discussion circles examined how implicit, explicit, and structural problems show up in society, in our festivals, and in our own lives.
2020 Industry Discussions
Shut down by the global pandemic and in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, in May 2020, Evan, Jen, Jonathan, Katelyn, Kierrah, and Kyle began discussing the unique role of festivals in society and our unique responsibilities as festival leaders.
We deeply understood the cultural impact and influence of festivals. We acknowledged the privilege of organizing these transformational experiences. We also recognized the growing duty of addressing real-world ills and inequities within our own festivals.
We opened our discussion to include more leaders. All of us shared our hopes and concerns for how festivals returned. All of us also agreed on the urgent need for more community building, knowledge sharing, and critical training.
In 2021, over 20 leaders from 10 festivals joined forces to launch the Coalition of Festivals and Major Events under two pillars:
1. Be The Change: Programs with current festival leaders.
2. Create Change: Programs for future festival leaders.
2020 Discussion Participants
Jonathan Azu (Culture Collective)
Jonathan Baden (AEG Presents)
Kyle Casey (Day N Vegas + Second Sky)
Laura Day (Burning Man)
Charlie Dolman (Burning Man)
Mary Beth Elam (Old Soul Production Services)
Steve Feener (Superfly)
Cole Froelich (Coachella + Stagecoach)
Inez Lopez (Coachella + Stagecoach)
Kierrah Matthews (CAA)
Brandon McEachern (Broccoli City)
Stephanie Mezzano (Firefly)
Veline Mojarro (SHIFT Consulting)
Michael Sampliner (Electric Forest)
Katelyn Scott (Buku + Hangout)
Jen Stiles (Governors Ball)
Bryant Tan, (Burning Man)
Evan Tzeng (StayAltered)
Katelyn Yount (Firefly)
Molly Zidow (Danny Wimmer Presents)
Special Thanks
Ken Weinstein (Big Hassle)
Law Offices of Stephen Goldstein
Jasmine Carpentier
Frances Yang
Tristan Hunt, Greg Marshall & Ben Turner (Association for Electronic Music)
Noelle Scaggs & Tadia Taylor (Diversify The Stage)
Kerry Black & Rick Farman (Superfly)
Nancy Tarr & Christopher Dunn (Well Dunn Foundation)
Janine Small
Tiffany Yu
Laura Carter​
Debbie Speer (Pollstar)
Press Coverage
The Follow Through Starts NOW! The Industry Unites To Launch Coalition Of Festivals (Pollstar)
New Festivals Coalition Aims to Create a More Equitable Live Music Industry (Billboard)
Coalition of Festivals launches to promote an equitable and sustainable music festival industry (Hypebot)
The Coalition of Festivals Launches In North America (Celebrity Access)
Industry Partners
Coalition of Festivals and Major Events is promoter, production company, and festival agnostic. Industry partners aligned with and committed to the objectives of the Coalition include:
Impact Partners
Coalition of Festivals and Major Events is proud to be a founding partner of the Entertainment Equity Alliance, a coalition of mentorship, training, and employment pathway programs to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility within the entertainment industry.
