How I Got Here: Pitch festival’s programmer Ela Rutherford on being “thrown into the deep end”
image via RICKY NORD
AS TOLD TO DAISY HENRY
“You don’t need to be the loudest or most extroverted person in the room to work in music.”
Welcome to How I Got Here, where we talk to people who are killing it in their respective fields about how they landed their awe-inspiring jobs, exploring the peaks and pits, the failures and the wins, and most importantly, the knowledge, advice and practical tips they’ve gleaned along the way.
From the outside, the music industry can feel a little mystifying. Beyond being a musician, a manager and maybe a sound technician, how exactly do you get your foot in the door? It’s something that stumped Ela Rutherford in her final years at school, despite having a love for music. Although she now has what many would consider a dream job working across music tours and festivals, it’s not a role she knew existed until she started getting on-the-ground experience.
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After graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Business in Entertainment Management, Ela’s most pivotal moments came from internships and volunteering at festivals. “Those early years were mostly about saying yes to opportunities, learning from the people around me and taking the time to figure out where I fit within the industry,” she says.
Now, a little over five years at Untitled Group, independently-owned music and events company, she’s climbed the ladder from Artist Liaison to Artist Operations, to her current role as Promoter, where she works across festival programming for Pitch Music and Arts, and organises tours for musicians travelling around Australia and New Zealand.
As she’s learnt, it’s not a job for the faint-hearted. While a love for the work is essential, the industry can involve plenty of late-nights and last-minute changes when things don’t go to plan. “It can be demanding at times and there are definitely moments that test your patience,” Ela concedes, “but when everything comes together, whether it’s a tour or a festival, the feeling is pretty impossible to beat”.
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Fashion Journal: Hi Ela! Can you tell me a little about your role and what it involves?
Ela: Hi FJ! I work in the music industry as a Promoter at Untitled Group. My role is pretty varied and vast day to day, but I work primarily across festival programming for Pitch Music and Arts, and organise tours for international and local artists travelling around Australia and New Zealand.
Did you have an idea of your dream job growing up?
Not really. I remember feeling a bit lost at school and not having a clear idea of what I wanted to do. The kind of job I have now wasn’t something I even knew existed back then.
What I did know was that I loved music. I was always drawn to it, going to shows, discovering new artists and being around that world. But I didn’t really understand how many different roles existed behind the scenes until I started doing internships and getting on-ground work experience.
Once I saw how tours and festivals actually came together, it started to make a lot more sense. From there, I just kept following that interest and seeing where it could take me.
How exactly did you make the leap into the industry?
I studied a Bachelor of Applied Business in Entertainment Management, but a lot of my early experience came from internships and being around the industry as much as possible.
While I was studying, I was also doing internships. One was at Novel, where I worked across festival and tour logistics, and the other was in music publicity at Good Manners. I also volunteered at festivals whenever I could, mostly just wanting to be part of the environment and understand how things worked.
My path hasn’t been completely linear. I’ve climbed the ladder in some ways, but I’ve also moved across different areas of the industry along the way. Once I joined Untitled Group in 2021, my first role was in Artist and Tour Operations where I headed up Artist Operations for Pitch Music and Arts, Wildlands Festival and Grapevine in 2022.
Working on Pitch again after a couple years off during Covid felt like everything just clicked, both with my experience, the Pitch team and my personal love of electronic music. I also love that the festival champions local communities and artists, while bringing incredible international talent to Australia.
Looking back, those early years were mostly about saying yes to opportunities, learning from the people around me and taking the time to figure out where I fit within the industry.
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Can you walk us through a typical day in your life on the job now?
A typical day can look pretty different depending on what is happening, which is something I love about the job. It might involve researching artists for potential tours or festival bookings, building budgets and putting together tour offers.
There’s also a lot of communication with agents overseas, as well as club and festival promoters locally. Negotiating deals, organising programming things like set times for events and festivals are all part of the mix, too. At the moment, a lot of my time is spent working on Pitch Music and Arts which is coming up very quickly!
What has been a major career highlight for you so far?
Pitch 2020 definitely stands out. I was only 22 and had been thrown into the deep end with advancing the festival. On the Monday evening I remember standing there and looking out at the dance floor, seeing everyone still together enjoying those final moments.
Anyone who works in festivals knows that things rarely go completely to plan. There are usually a few hiccups along the way. But that year everything ran really smoothly. It was one of those rare moments where you could pause for a second and take it all in. It felt very calm even though Covid was around the corner!
What challenges or hurdles have you faced getting to where you are now?
Like a lot of people in the live music world, Covid was a really uncertain time. When the pandemic hit, the industry basically stopped overnight and I lost my job. For a while I genuinely did not know if I would find my way back into music or if I would have to pivot into something completely different.
During that time I ended up working at Fed Square in their programming team. It was quite a different environment from what I’d been doing, but it turned out to be an incredibly valuable experience. I was exposed to a different side of events and cultural programming, and it gave me a broader understanding of how large-scale public events come together.
At the time it felt like a bit of a detour, but looking back it actually helped shape where I am now. It gave me new skills and a different perspective that I probably wouldn’t have gained otherwise.
The industry itself also faces constant challenges. Rising touring costs and extreme weather and global events affecting festivals are becoming more common, so learning to adapt and stay calm when plans change is something that becomes pretty essential.
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What’s the best part about working as a programmer and promoter?
I love being able to contribute to experiences that bring people together. Music has a really special way of connecting people, and festivals in particular create moments that people remember for a long time. I’ll never forget my early years at doofs! Even though a lot of the work happens behind the scenes, it’s always rewarding to step back during an event and see people enjoying something you’ve helped build.
What would surprise people about your role?
Probably the late-night calls. A lot of the agents we work with are based overseas, so to get business moving, we usually make it work regardless of the time difference (during dinner, date night, at the movies – nothing’s off the cards).
What skills have served you well in the music industry?
Staying calm under pressure is a big one. Things can change quickly in live events, so being able to problem-solve and stay level-headed is really important.
Attention to detail helps a lot in many ways too, as well as building strong relationships and working closely with the team. On a practical level, staying organised is essential. My calendar is probably one of my most important tools, especially when trying to balance work with making time for family and friends.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a role like yours one day?
You don’t need to be the loudest or most extroverted person in the room to work in music. There are so many different personalities and roles within the industry, and finding where you feel comfortable makes a big difference.
It also really helps if you genuinely love the work. It can be demanding at times and there are definitely moments that test your patience, but when everything comes together, whether it’s a tour or a festival, the feeling is pretty impossible to beat.
The music industry is built on community-led and grassroots collectives, getting involved here allows you to be part of the scene and learning from the ground up. Whether that’s working the door at a club or volunteering at a small-scale doof, it gives you valuable insight into what it’s about.
What about a practical tip?
Prioritise sleep when you can (anytime, anywhere). The job often involves late nights and busy environments, so taking care of your physical and mental health is super important. Finding small moments, whatever they are to you, to rest and recharge makes a really big difference! A post-festival Sense Of Self date is my fave go-to.
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