Five Things Friday is a departure from the interviews and features we typically post. Part conversation, Part Proust Questionnaire – but with just five questions, Five Things Friday (hashtag alert! #5TF) shows the lighter (and sometimes sillier) side of our interviewees. We’ll be talking to everyone we can get our grubby little hands on; it’s our way of introducing you to the communications, marketing and creative cognoscenti who rock their respective industries. This week, Lori Franze talks to Patrick Carnegie, Senior Manager, Event Services at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Your job sounds very cool! Is it as cool as it sounds? What do you between 9 and 5?
Well, one of the things that’s appealing about this line of work is that there really isn’t a typical day. Our team executes about 550 events a year ranging from boardroom meetings to large-scale galas. Most of the events fall somewhere in between. One of my responsibilities is to assign events to my team so that they have a balanced workload. We’re fortunate to have a great group of smart, creative, dedicated coordinators so they’re game for pretty much anything. So while the team gets their hands dirty with most of the events I typically get involved on the larger projects or those that come in last minute and need a pitch-hitter.
There are lots of meetings, a good swath of email, a dose of budgeting and invoicing, and quite a bit of schlepping before you arrive at showtime! But, yes, it’s cool. Standing beside Johnny Depp while hundreds of people are screaming for an autograph is pretty cool. Getting to hear Al Pacino talk about his career is pretty cool. Being at a private concert with K’naan and his special guest, Bono, is decidedly cool.
Did you always want to work in events? How did you end up here?
I actually went to film school. At that time I was working at Harbourfront Centre part time and started as an event assistant on summer festivals. That became a full-time job which lead to other event work then to the City for a short stint before I was assigned to be the first Manager of Programming & Events at Yonge-Dundas Square. I was really fortunate to be involved at the ground level of a civic revitalization project. There was a lot of skepticism at the time about what the Square would be used for but through active programming and some great community partnerships I think we were able to demonstrate the vitality of this kind of urban hub.
I was at the Square for about eight years. Our offices were in the same building as the TIFF offices at the time. My former manager from Harbourfront was then the Director of Operations for TIFF and I would see her regularly in the elevator. She let me know about an events position opening at TIFF when the TIFF Bell Lightbox was scheduled to open. Having been through the launch of a new facility before and having a personal interest in film & media it seemed like a perfect fit.
What skills and experiences do you need to be successful in your job?
It’s definitely the kind of job where you build on each experience. But you have to be the right personality for the job too. You need to be a team player. The essence of the job is to be the hub of communication for clients, service providers, staff. Patience. Attention to detail…but if you’re a perfectionist you may get frustrated because there are always things that will go awry. So you have to be calm and just deal with it. You don’t have to know all the answers…but you do have to know how to get them. You’ve got to be able to keep a lot of balls in the air at the same time. Flexibility. Being comfortable in jeans and sneakers for set-up days but being able to rock a suit for the red carpet.
If you’re a perfectionist you may get frustrated because there are always things that will go awry. So you have to be calm and just deal with it. You don’t have to know all the answers…but you do have to know how to get them.
What advice would you give to someone reading this who thinks “Wow, I want Patrick’s job? What should they do to get to where you are?
When I started there were no programs for Event Management but now there are a couple of really good ones at the College level. Unless you have a ton of experience you need to start by going to school. We’ve brought on several interns through college programs and I’m happy to say a few of them have been offered either contracts or full-time jobs with us subsequently. The successful ones are those that will roll up their sleeves and do any task no matter how menial it may seem at the time. About 90 % of the job isn’t very glamorous. But the other 10% makes it worthwhile.
There’s a lot of competition. Whenever we post a job we get hundreds of applications. So you’re at a disadvantage if you don’t have the education. I’d also say you have to build your resume. You need some real world experience. Volunteering on events will help. Start small and take on bigger and bigger projects. There’s an endless amount of activity in this city. “Events” covers a lot of ground from meetings to fundraising to parties to concerts and festivals. But the basic skills are transferable so just jump in.
Who is your favourite celebrity that you’ve met over the years? And who were you hoping to meet this TIFF?
Ha. Everyone has been equally gracious and charming. Although being that I’m a huge Jackie Chan fan, it was awesome to get to hang out with him for a few days when he came to TIFF. He definitely commands the room and I wouldn’t mess with him. He’s also the fastest walker I’ve ever met. In another life he could have been an Olympic speed-walker. But he’s a sweetheart. Everybody loves Jackie!
As for this Festival…I wasn’t expecting it but I got to help sneak Janet Jackson into a screening. One of her dancers had a movie in the Festival and it coincided with her concert at the ACC so she wanted to come and show her support. We were fairly discreet about it so I’m pretty sure most of the audience didn’t know she was there until after she’d gone.
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