Post by Adriana Alvarez.
Kathleen Snowball is a very busy lady. Along with Josh Collings she was the Music Co-ordinator for the ‘End of the Line’ festival last year and with 200 plus musicians on board, it was a mammoth task. But co-ordinating large music events is just another day at the office for this seasoned professional.
Music has always been her passion. She is a singer, both as a solo artist and, until recently, with her band ‘The Snowball Effect’ that played a lot of jazz, blues and soul locally.
She works exclusively locally at the moment. She grew up in the hills and studied at the local high school, where she gained a Certificate in ‘Music Industry Skills’ as part of her year 12 studies. The industry course gave her insight into many different aspects of the music industry. Not only covering performance but also the practical aspects of how to manage the business, how to promote yourself and negotiating with APRA (The Australasian Performing Right Association), the less glamorous but important behind the scenes work.
After finishing high school Kathleen wanted to get some industry experience and was lucky enough to land a job at Ruby’s lounge. “It was a great experience,” says Kathleen. “In the seven and a half years that I worked there I gained first hand music experience working with some great bands and learning on the job.” Organising a lot of openings allowed Kathleen to negotiate contracts and see how writers and musicians work. She expanded on that knowledge and applied it to help artists move forward.
On top of this experience Kathleen also has a background in security, having worked as a National Operations Manager for a large security company, Executive Security Solutions. With 250 staff across the whole of Victoria and Sydney, they managed a lot of major events. This gave her an understanding of how the back end of events management works. The control tent, logistics, rostering and occupational health and safety, which are very important considerations at events.
Because of her extensive knowledge Kathleen has decided to start her own fledgling company, Snowball Productions. With a vast range of connections within the music industry her aim is to work on events big or small from private parties to corporate and community events. Snowball Productions could facilitate a band at your party or give advice on how to co-ordinate an event.
Her service also includes managing bands and visual artists. Having worked in the industry Kathleen says, “I know that people get burnt a lot. It’s really important for visual and performing artists to be represented properly so they’re pricing themselves accordingly and getting a fair deal.” Having a middle man is a good way to go about that. It’s all about making sure artists are being paid what they deserve.
This year she’s been involved in a number of local events. She assisted in co-ordinating the music for the Belgrave Lantern Parade, has been involved with the Tiffaney Bishop Collective, was a judge at the Belgrave Buskers Festival, plus she ran Reverberation Hills Culture Festival at Ruby’s last year. All of which have kept her very busy. With so much experience under her belt she’s sure to get Snowball Productions flowing in no time.
To get in touch with Kathleen email her at kathleensnowball@live.com
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