Emily Malone, head of Live Events at Disguise, is speaking at the LDI 2024 Women In Tech Keynote Brunch on The Transformation Of Live Concerts To Cultural Phenomena, and is a member of the panel discussing the inside story of Justin Timberlake’s Forget Tomorrow tour. Malone shared some insights into getting a start in the industry, learning C++, the benefit of having someone to negotiate on your behalf, and how AI changes content creation.
Live Design: How did you get your start in the industry and what attracted you to it?
Emily Malone: It was theatre that got me interested in the industry. I loved watching plays and musicals. It fascinated me how a room full of people could be transported somewhere else, and their disbelief suspended so completely. I loved the idea that from a blank slate and an empty stage, a group of people came together to create, and their creations could have such power. I got my start working at the National Theatre as a video operator. While I was there, we had a particularly busy few weeks coming up with a couple of shows in tech rehearsals all at once. My boss asked me if I fancied having a go at being the video programmer for one of the shows. I leapt at the chance and never looked back.
Live Design: Before Disguise, it looks like you worked on every major tour going through Europe including Ghost the Musical and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory– well maybe not, but you have worked on a lot of different projects in different places. Did you consciously try to work on every type of show to expand your experience or is that just how it played out?
Emily Malone: A bit of both! One of the things I love about live events is that there is naturally so much variety. I’ve always liked a challenge, and I’ve always been drawn to trying new things. I’m a firm believer that you’re more likely to regret a missed opportunity than something you tried which didn’t pan out. Sometimes decisions came down to wanting to travel somewhere I hadn’t been before, or to use some new tech I hadn’t used before. Of course the project itself plays a significant part, but possibly the biggest factor was the people. This was in part because I always wanted to work with people I respected and admired, but also on a more human level.
They tended to be long days, frequently away from home for extended periods. You work very, very closely with your immediate team, pretty much living in each others pockets, and if you’re on comms you quite literally have their voices in your ear all day. For me, enjoying working with my colleagues was super important. It wasn’t all just about having a laugh (though that did feature quite highly), it was about knowing and trusting their expertise, and knowing you could rely on each other in a fix.
Read more at: Live Design