Kristy Klaiber Lands Role at BrandLIVE, Canada
Music Business graduate Kristy Klaiber has landed firmly on her feet in her hometown of Vancouver, Canada since finishing her degree at BIMM Brighton. The young Production and Programming Coordinator now works for BrandLIVE, a company responsible for producing some of the largest live music events in Vancouver.
Kristy first gained the experience needed to secure this job by taking on roles as a Production Assistant and Artist Liaison Officer during BIMM’s active involvement in the European festival circuit.
The program sees us host stages at some the most exciting festivals each season including Glastonbury, Reeperbahn, 2000 Trees, Truck Festival, The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City and Arctangent – to name just a handful.
Early on in her course, Kristy and her peers were encouraged to stay abreast of the modern music industry’s constant evolution with regular debates and case studies. After all, it’s a fast paced industry. She reflects on these sessions and details why she felt they were so essential for her.
“While every module had something valuable to offer, I loved our first year Music Business classes with Phil Nelson. Each week, we were tasked to report on music industry news and discuss what the implications of current developments and events could be. Engaging in those conversations kept us all up to speed with the present environment on what has proved to be a consistently shifting industry. It was an eye opener and a great introduction because this industry never stops changing.”
Like many international BIMM students, Kristy was faced with the challenging decision of what to do after graduation – stay on in the UK or return home to explore her options there? Here, she explains the thinking behind her decision.
“I went into this course not knowing what I wanted to do or where I wanted to end up. My goal was to try everything, utilise all of the connections that the career counsellors offered, seek out my own opportunities independently, and come out of my degree with a good reputation. I can’t say that I ever intended on returning to Canada right after. It was a difficult decision because all of my connections were in the UK, and I was scared of losing that. Transitioning between industries was daunting and before my move, I questioned that decision often.
Working festivals in the UK was like a fast track crash course. There’s no way I could have gained that volume of experience in Canada. After immersing myself and seeing the strength of the UK Festival industry, I was inspired to make that leap to return to my home country. All I wanted was to be part of strengthening our west coast festival economy and local music industry.
Now, only a year after graduating, I work for a company that produces and programs the largest events in Vancouver. I can actually see the impact our events have on the city, which is beyond anything I could have dreamed. External of my full-time job, I also work on local shows doing things like VIP meet and greets. It keeps me in touch with the local scene and I’m always looking for opportunities to get my hands dirty.”
Read more on Kristy’s experience on our Festivals Programme here.
Or, if you’d like to learn more about our BA (Hons) Music Business degree, click here!
