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Union Benefits: Vacation and Health & Welfare

The last couple posts have talked about IATSE – details about the union and navigating benefits like Annuities and Pensions for Pink Contracts.

IATSE 101

Union Benefits: Annuity and Pension

In this post, we’re going to dive into the two other major benefits for Pink Contracts

Vacation and Health & Welfare

At a regular job you’d get benefits like healthcare and retirement through your employer, but in our industry we change employers regularly, sometimes multiple times a year, making that impractical. The union steps in to bridge that gap. They negotiate our contracts so the employers pay benefits in addition to our salary and the International manages those accounts via IATSE’s National Benefits Fund (NBF).

 The benefits we’re talking about are specific to Pink Contracts. These are the contracts for road crews on tour, show crews on Broadway, and some shorter runs like out of town pre-Broadway productions. Locals have their own set up for similar benefits, but they have different rules and requirements, which I don’t know much about, since I’ve only worked on Pinks.

The NBF handles four major categories: Annuity, Pension, Vacation, and Heath & Welfare. I’ll go over some of the basics, but there are plan summaries of all these accounts on the IATSE Benefit Plan website which can give you a much more detailed look at what all of these are.

Vacation

This is the most straightforward benefit. Each pay period, the company pays 5% of your salary earned into a fund that IATSE holds on your behalf. The money is supposed to act like the two weeks of paid vacation you’d receive at a normal job.

The money is taxed. You’ll see it on your paystub under earnings and then it will be withheld and sent to the IA benefits office. You do not get vacation on overtime.

Once a year, usually at the beginning of May, you will receive a check or direct deposit of that money, minus admin fees. Those have ranged from 2%-7% across the 15 years or so that I’ve received benefits. The fund is usually invested in short term fixed income to help offset the costs, but that doesn’t always work out, depending on the market.

If you want to se up direct deposit you can go through the NBF website and find the form under “Vacation” and “Forms and Applications.”

Health & Welfare

There are two plans under Pink Contract healthcare: Plan A and Plan C. 

If you’ve already read the previous blog about Pensions and Annuities, you can think of these plans in a similar way. Both are providing healthcare, just in different ways.

Plan A is the default option for larger tours and Broadway, and it offers a high level of coverage for healthcare, vision, and dental (spouses and dependents can also be included in these plans).

It operates somewhat similar to the Pension where you have to work a certain amount of days on a Plan A contract to be eligible for coverage. In this case, you maintain your coverage by working at least 60 days in a 6-month period. Every six months the count resets and you have to earn another 60 days to qualify for the next 6 months of coverage.

For example: let’s say you got your card and joined a tour at the end of August. Between load in, tech, and the first couple moves, you’re working six days every week for the next couple months, until you hit a layoff in November.

So, one week in August is 6 days, four weeks in September is 24 days (30 total), four weeks in October is 24 days (54 total), and three weeks in November is 18 days (72 total). This puts you over the threshold of 60 days in November.

As soon as you hit the threshold, the next month (in this case December) will be a processing or “look-back” month and the coverage will start the month after, so January 1st. Depending on when you hit 60 days, your accrual period and processing month with shift accordingly.

This extra month exists because the company has to send the payments to the benefits office and then the union makes sure your account is credited correctly. So there’s a built in month of time to make sure the office has time to get the correct number of days into your account. There are some times that days will get mixed up and you’ll have to reach out to the office to get things squared away. It’s a good idea to keep track of your pink contracts in case the NBF office needs them to verify employment.

Once your healthcare starts, your cycle would look something like this

Earn 60 days from December – May (processing in June) gets you coverage from July – December.

Then, earn 60 days from June – November (processing in December) for coverage from January – June.

Rinse and repeat each year. Your coverage might start in a different month, but that’s the general pattern. Earn 60 days in the accrual period, and you’re set for the next 6 months of coverage.

For a full-time job, this is pretty easy. You’ll typically earn closer to 120-140 days, well over the 60 day threshold.

Even though you earn so many extra days, you aren’t able to bank them or save them for later because Plan A relies on the majority of participants being full-time employees. Those extra days help subsidize the Plan A participants that only meet the minimum of 60 days.

That’s the gist of Plan A. Earn your days, keep your healthcare, enjoy low co-pays and deductibles.

If you don’t earn enough days in your 6-month period, your coverage will lapse until the requirement is met. You do have the option to pay for COBRA coverage on a monthly basis to bridge the gap, so you won’t completely lose your healthcare, but that can be expensive.

For example, let’s say your accrual period is May – October (coverage from December – May).

The show you’re on finishes up in May leaving you with 20 days in your account. June – October has some subbing or shop work, only some of which pays into Plan A (shop work will not). You have 20 days from May, plus 10 in June, 12 in July, 0 in August, 9 in September, and 7 in October for a total of 58 days.

Since you didn’t make 60 days between May and October, you won’t have enough days to qualify for coverage for the December – May block. At this point your account starts looking at the last 6 months, rolling forward until you make the 60 days.

Since May – October didn’t have enough days, now we look at June – November. We lose the 20 days from May, but get 15 in November (10+12+0+9+7+15) for a total of 53. Still not enough.

June – November doesn’t work, so next we look at July – December. We lose the 10 days from June, but get 20 in December (12+0+9+7+15+20) for a total of 63, which meets the threshold.

With your 60 days in the bank in December, your accrual period is now July – December, your processing month will be January, and coverage starts February 1st, with a lapse of 2 months.

This means you don’t have to wait a full 6 months to get your coverage back, you just start a new accrual cycle as soon as you earn 60 days.

As you can see, the all-or-nothing aspect of Plan A can be difficult if you’re not working full time or if you take on a lot of different jobs. You have to make sure you know when your accrual period ends and keep an accurate count of the days.

In NYC, everyone understands that people who are subbing still need their days to maintain healthcare. It’s not uncommon for a sub to reach out to the shows they’re covering and say they need a couple extra days to make their 60. Most people will be happy to give you extra days if you let them know you’re going to be a couple short. It’s up to you to stay on top of what you need and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Plan C works a little differently. 

This is the healthcare that you’ll find on smaller tours and design contracts and is set up similarly to the Annuity where the benefit amount goes into an account and you have a little more control over how it’s utilized. Your employer sends the funds to the benefits office, and from there it goes into your personal CAPP account (Contributions Available for Premium Payments). This is money to pay the quarterly premiums or you can submit medical receipts for reimbursement if you have an excess balance (anything over 2 quarters of premium payments).

Unlike Plan A, this isn’t an all-or-nothing approach. If you don’t have enough in your account to pay the premium, you can self-pay the difference out of pocket and keep your coverage. Coverage starts as soon as you have enough in your account to cover one month of C-2 coverage, plus a $150 admin fee.

There are multiple tiers of coverage and you pay a quarterly premium to maintain your coverage

C-1 is a comprehensive plan with both vision and dental and has the lowest co-pays and deductibles. It’s probably the closest to Plan A coverage.

The quarterly premium is $5,964. So, if benefits are paid at the same rate as Plan A (which is $89/day) it would require 136 days of work to pay for a 6-month period (68 days per quarter).

C-2 is also a comprehensive plans with vision and dental, but has slightly higher co-pays and deductibles. Its quarterly premium is $3,045 or 70 days in Plan A contributions to pay for a 6-month period or 35 days per quarter. This is the option most stagehands on Plan C choose because it provides good coverage without the high quarterly cost of C-1.

C-3 is where coverage starts to noticeably decline. It requires you to use an in-network doctor for health-related appointments and hospital stays, and only includes basic preventative dental care and discounts on some vision services. Its quarterly premium is $2,232 or 52 days of Plan A rate for 6-months or 26 per quarter. This is a less common plan, but typically used if you’re not sure how much you will be working, but need to maintain some kind of health coverage.

C-4 in the paperwork is self-described as a “catastrophic plan with a high deductible.” It requires you to use in-network providers and doesn’t provide any dental, but has discounts on some vision services. Its quarterly premium is $1,293 or 30 days of Plan A rate for 6-months or 15 per quarter.

When you start working, you don’t have a choice of which plan you get; your contract will dictate which plan the employer pays into. As you continue on in your career, it’s more likely that you’ll work on a variety of shows, some that pay into Plan A (large contract tours, Broadway), others into Plan C (smaller tours, associate/assistant design work).

If you have an existing Plan C account and move to a show that pays into Plan A, you have two options: 

You can switch over to Plan A, and keep your Plan C account for medical reimbursements. You’ll have the Plan C account as long as there is money in it and there’s still some activity within a 2-year period (premium payments, reimbursements, or employer contributions).

Or you can opt to have your Plan A contributions redirected into your Plan C account. This means you keep your Plan C coverage instead of moving over to Plan A and the contributions go into your CAPP account which you can continue to use for quarterly payments or reimbursements. Plan A contributions are usually higher than Plan C, so you can bank the extra money to use in the future if you ever need to take time off or freelance.

Currently, there isn’t the option to request a Plan C account if you don’t already have one, so, if you’ve always been on Plan A, you just continue to stay on Plan A.

But why would you choose to take a lower tier of healthcare when your employer would pay into Plan A? How do you decide between the two plans if you have the option?

If you plan to spend most of your career in full-time employment, that makes it pretty easy to get the 60 days. If you need medications, have conditions that require consistent appointments and care, or if you have a family that relies on your healthcare, Plan A is usually the better option. The biggest downside to it is that 60-day requirement, and if that’s not a problem, it’s excellent healthcare.

The benefit of Plan C lies in its flexibility. If you plan to work on multiple kinds of contracts or have long stretches where you don’t work, Plan C works to your advantage. You keep your medical coverage, can use contributions whether they pay into Plan C or A (if you choose to redirect), and don’t have to stress yourself out counting days.

I spent most of my career on Plan A, and thankfully didn’t have to use it much. I had a Plan C account from an early tour that closed due to inactivity, and never thought much of it until I was ready to get off the road and move to NYC.

In 2023, I was subbing and freelancing. My first accrual period (Jan-June) had mix training and enough coverage that I made my 60 days quickly and didn’t worry about it much. The second period (July-Dec) was a different story. I did production for the 2nd National Tour of Mean Girls which took up most of my August and September, and that only paid into Plan C, so I just barely squeaked by with 70 Plan A days at the end of my 6 month accrual period.

Getting off the road was supposed to give me more control over my time and my work. It was supposed to mean that I could take time to visit my family, work on fun projects that kept me engaged, or take a vacation without worrying about my work schedule. The structure of Plan A and the stress of counting days felt like an incredibly limiting factor, so I swapped over to Plan C.

Plan A was great when I was on the road, and would have been while I was full-time on Outsiders if I’d kept that coverage. 

However, my priorities have shifted, and Plan C allows me the flexibility I envisioned when I left tour. I could walk away from Outsiders to help set up the tour and do an out-of-town tryout without worrying about how I’d make my days. After working on Dog Day Afternoon from this January through July, I can take a couple months off, probably sub a little, and work on an Off-Broadway show that won’t pay into my benefits. I can do all that and still maintain my health coverage for at least a year off the current balance in my CAPP account.

In the end, it’s what works best for your circumstances and goals. Each of us will have different needs that require a different application of the benefits that IATSE provides. Hopefully these couple posts were able to shed some light on how these work and what your options are. It’s a lot of information to digest, but knowing what your options are can help you plan for your future.

Union Benefits: Annuity and Pension

My last post talked about IATSE –  what it is, what it does, different paths to get into the union, and how different locals might interact. In my next two posts, we’re going to dive into benefits for Pink Contracts.

At a regular job you’d get benefits like healthcare and retirement through your employer, but in our industry we change employers regularly, sometimes multiple times a year, making that impractical. The union steps in to bridge that gap. They negotiate our contracts so the employers pay benefits in addition to our salary and the International manages those accounts via IATSE’s National Benefits Fund (NBF).

The benefits we’re talking about are specific to Pink Contracts. These are the contracts for road crews on tour, show crews on Broadway, and some shorter runs like out of town pre-Broadway productions. Locals have their own set up for similar benefits, but they have different rules and requirements, which I don’t know much about, since I’ve only worked on Pinks.

The NBF handles four major categories: Annuity, Pension, Vacation, and Heath & Welfare. I’ll go over some of the basics, but there are plan summaries of all these accounts on the IATSE Benefit Plan website which can give you a much more detailed look at what all of these are.

This post will be on Annuities and Pension, and another one will cover Vacation and Health & Welfare.

So let’s get into it:

Both Annuities and Pensions put money aside for your retirement. How they do it is different. 

An annuity puts your benefits into an account where that money is invested. At retirement you can withdraw all or part of the funds, or set up a plan where you’re paid a certain amount every month based on your balance.

A pension, on the other hand, counts the days you’ve worked in covered employment for the year and you earn up to one credit based on your count. At retirement you receive a payment based on how many credits you’ve earned and the rate at which those credits were paid.

Here we’ll dive into some details:

Annuity

Your annuity fund is similar to a 401k. Your employer is required to contribute a certain amount (each contract tier will use slightly different percentages), but you can also choose to make pre-tax contributions from your salary.

If you want to contribute, you have to fill out and submit a form. Some employers will include this form with the rest of your onboarding paperwork (W2, I-9, etc) when you’re starting a new show, but for others you’ll have to get it yourself and send it to your company manager. You can find it on the IATSE benefits website.

There are limits to what you personally can contribute to a 401k or other employer sponsored retirement accounts like annuities. For 2026 it’s $24,500, but it can (and does) change from year to year as the tax code tries to compensate for inflation. Make sure you double check what the limit is before you fill out the form. Personally, I usually try to contribute at least 5-10% of my salary, depending on the contract.

As a quick rule to figure out how much I can contribute: I’ll take the limit ($24,500) and divide by 50 weeks (assuming I’ll take some vacation time). That comes out to $490 for 2026. If I know my salary (the rate for a head of department on Broadway is currently $3,200), I can see that $490 is a little over 15% of $3,200. That means if I’m working full time on that salary, I can contribute up to 15% without going over the limit. So, my normal 5-10% will be fine.

Your annuity account collects the contributions from you and your employer and invests them in one or more funds provided by the investment company.

Currently, the Pink Contract annuities are taken care of by a company called Principal. A few years ago it was Wells Fargo. The companies will change, but the funds typically stay the same. The benefits website provides a link to the company’s website where you can create an account to look at your balance and choose which funds your money is invested in.

There are a variety of different accounts:

Fixed Income which are things like bonds or CDs (Certificate of Deposit). These are lower yielding, but typically very consistent.

Equity accounts which follow companies in different categories: Large which are big brand-name companies you’d recognize, Small/Mid which are usually lesser known companies that have room for upward mobility, or International, which are foreign companies. These equity accounts tend have more risk/reward than fixed income because companies either do well and grow, or fail and get removed from the market.

Target Retirement Funds have several options depending on the year you plan to retire (assume when you’re 65). The asset allocation of the fund will shift over time from more aggressive (stocks) at the beginning for growth, to more conservative (fixed income) as you get closer to your retirement age, providing stability.

By default, your money will go into an “IATSE Annuity Balanced Fund.” This is somewhere between fixed income and equity, so more conservative returns, but fairly stable in general.

If your eyes completely glazed over as soon as I said “Fixed Income,” I’d recommend you direct the fund to invest in the Target Retirement fund that best lines up to your age bracket, and forget that it exists.

The only reason I say forget it is because your account will fluctuate with the stock market and other investments. Obsessing over which fund makes more money on a given year is sure to drive you nuts, and many armchair experts can do more harm than good if they keep trying to jump in and out of funds.

Once money starts going into this fund it is yours and it will continue to exist, tracking the success of your investments until you hit 65, even if you leave covered employment. At 65 you can choose to receive the amount of the account as a lump sum (either in its entirety or just part of it), or have the account converted into an annuity that will pay you a certain amount guaranteed for the rest of your life.

There are a couple things you can do outside the normal bounds of the annuity

You can take early or hardship withdrawals, which come with fees and taxes, so they’re typically not recommended, unless there is an emergency or urgent need. I know of a few people who opted to make those withdrawals during COVID.

The other option is similar to having a 401k with an employer that you’ve left. If there are no contributions to your annuity for 6 months or more, you can take your annuity balance and roll it over into a personal IRA (Individual Retirement Account) without incurring a tax penalty. This mean the company that manages the annuity will send all the money in your account to the your bank and they deposit it into your IRA where you can decide what to invest it in.

Just make sure it’s a rollover and they don’t send the money to you. That comes with taxes and fees that won’t happen if the banks handle it.

If you don’t have an IRA, I strongly suggest you open one. This is similar to an annuity, but you’re the only one who’s contributing and you have full control over where the money is invested.

Pension

Pensions are a thing of the past for many people. For earlier generations you’d work for a company for 40 years and then retire with the promise of a guaranteed monthly payment based on how long you’d worked for the company. Some unions, like IATSE, still have pension programs for their members, giving you one more resource to build a comfortable retirement.

Each day worked counts towards a credit in your pension account. You can earn up to 1 credit per year if you work 210 days or more. If you work fewer days than that, you get partial credit. Your retirement benefits count up to a maximum of 25 credits.

This is what my pension history looks like:

2012 was when I joined IATSE and started touring in August. There was no way I could make it to 210 days, but I got the partial credit for the days I did work.

2013 was split between two tours with a summer off and enough layoff weeks that I didn’t quite hit the 210 day mark.

From 2014 to 2022 I was almost constantly on the road and earned the full credit each year (ignoring 2020/21 for COVID).

2023 was when I moved to NYC. Between subbing, production work, and shop builds, I worked well over 210 days, but not all of the jobs paid into my pension, so I ended up with 0.95 credits for the year.

Things like shop work pay well, but if you’re over-hire (only there for the shop build and not on the show run), you don’t receive benefits. Similarly with some design contracts.

For 2024 I was on Outsiders the entire year and made my full credit.

In 2025 I left Outsiders in the summer, look a long vacation, and got back to subbing and shop work. In the fall, I was the Assistant Designer for the Outsiders tour, but that contract paid into Healthcare and Annuity benefits, but not the Pension. So I got close, but not quite to the full 210 days.

2026 is still up in the air. I was full-time on Dog Day Afternoon from January to mid-July, but the fall and winter will likely be scattered with some time off, subbing, and shop work, so it’ll likely be similar to my 2023 year.

I’m not concerned about only getting partial credit for some years. Pension benefits for pink contracts are capped at 25 credits, so looking at the math: I’m 36 years old with 12.25 credits. That means I have a little under 30 years (until I’m 65) to earn the other 12.75.

That feels like plenty of time so I don’t have to rush. I have the freedom to take shop work, go on vacation, or opt to take jobs like the designer contract for the Outsiders tour.

You may have noticed another column next to the Pension credits called “Vesting.”

Unlike the Annuity, where the account is yours as soon as the first deposit goes in, the pension program requires you meet a threshold before you’re eligible for benefits.

To earn an Vesting Credit, you have to work at least 75 days in covered employment in that year, and you need 5 Vesting Credits to become eligible for pension benefits. Once you are vested, you have a guaranteed right to your pension at retirement, even if you leave covered employment. Any year you get 0.40 credits or more, you’ll automatically hit the days needed for the vesting credit.

So, say I made a complete career shift next year. I’m still vested in my pension with 12.25 credits, so at 65 I would receive benefits based on those credits, even though I left the industry for 30 years.

When you retire, your benefits are calculated on how many credits you have (up to 25) and the pay rate of the last 3 years. 

Each contract pays a different rate (bigger contract, typically higher rate), and for the current contract cycle a Full Pink contract pays $16.00/day, while a Modified Pink pays $12.00/day, and a Bus & Truck contract pays $8.00/day.

There’s a chart in the formal Plan B description (found on the NBF website or below), and we’ll run two scenarios:

First, let’s follow my previous example. I left the industry with 12.25 credits, and spent my last three years on a Full Pink contract with a $16 rate.

The chart converts the $16 rate into a $101.06 benefit, and that gets multiplied by my 12.25 credits. My monthly benefit at retirement would be $1,237.98.

Or, let’s say I continued working and earned 30 credits and my last three working years had 2 years at the $12 rate, and 1 year at the $16 rate.

The chart converts the $12 rate to $81.83 in benefits and the $16 rate is still $101.06.

The monthly benefit in retirement would be the average of the benefit for my last 3 years: (81.83 + 81.83 + 101.06) / 3 = 88.24. Then that result is multiplied by my credits, up to 25, even though I technically earned 30.

So, 88.24 x 25, for a total of: $2,206 per month.

As you can see, your benefits will change depending on how many credits you have and what kind of contracts you worked on. They only use the last 3 years to calculate because they assume your pay rate will be the highest at the end of your career.

One very important tangent: you should actively plan for your retirement, no matter what life stage you are in or what benefits you expect to receive from your job. If you’ve just entered the workforce, retirement probably seems impossibly far away but that also means you have the advantage of time. Time to let your money grow, time to try things, make mistakes and get back on track. Learning to pay attention to your money is one of the best life skills you can acquire.

I got a wake up call when I was on tour. I listened to men across the country talk about how they hadn’t saved anything for retirement, so they’d be working until they died. Watching men in their 70’s and 80’s still working, struggling to push boxes lit an absolute inferno under me. I made sure I had a plan for my future so I wouldn’t have work until my body gave out.

I know that’s a lot of technical jargon to digest, and retirement is something that’s hard to conceptualize when it’s decades away. But learning what your benefits are and how they work can help you make informed choices and send you down the right path for success.

IATSE 101

If you end up working in the theatre industry, especially if you want to work on tour or in NYC, chances are good you’re going to work with or become part of a union.

Actors and stage managers are both in Actor’s Equity Association (A.E.A.), truck loaders are part of the Teamster’s union, and musicians join A.F.M. (American Federation of Music). Company managers are a part of ATPAM (Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers) and designers are USA 829, both of which are a part of IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), who primarily represents stagehands for theatre and film.

IATSE has hundreds of chapters across the US and Canada called “locals.” Local 1 is NYC, Local 2 is Chicago, up into the 900’s with Local 918 in Anchorage. Some cities have multiple locals, so you might have one for theatre stagehands and another for film crews, or sometimes the departments themselves are separate with one local for hair, wardrobe, and make up and another for carpentry, props, and electrics. Technically, sound is a subset of electrics, but that rarely comes up unless your Head LX wants to joke that they’re actually your boss or you need to grab some electricians to help sound in a “push by department” city.

Each local has a different process for how you join and many have their own benefit programs for health care and retirement. It gets complicated quickly, so we’re going to take an in-depth look at my own IATSE local, since I know it’s programs the best: ACT. 

ACT (Associated Craft Technicians) started as a bit of a catch-all, but today is mainly comprised of touring stagehands who weren’t already IATSE members when they went on the road. The original thought was that we would be on the road for a while, then find a place to settle down and transfer into the nearest numbered local.

The reality ended up that many of us planned to stay on the road indefinitely or settled in areas like NYC where the local doesn’t accept direct transfers. Eventually there were enough ACT members that the International recognized us as our own local and we now have representation at conventions and meetings.

If you plan to be in one place for the next couple years, take a look at IATSE’s Local Union Directory. It’ll give you information on your area’s local and who to contact if you’re looking for more information on how to join, since this post is going to cover a different part of IATSE.

So you want to tour or work on Broadway, which means you’ll eventually have to join IATSE. How do you become part of it?

For tour, this is fairly straightforward: when you join a production (usually through a company like NETworks, Crossroads Live (once Troika), Worklight, or Feld Entertainment), if you aren’t already a member of IATSE, the company will buy you into the union as an ACT member. They’ll pay your dues for the rest of the current year, then prorate your paycheck to reimburse that cost. For me, they paid for two quarters since I joined the tour in August and took out a quarter of the dues for two paychecks.

For context, my ACT dues for 2026 was $540, or $135 per quarter, and each year it goes up by a dollar or two per quarter. ACT members and those on the road typically have to pay for the full year of stamps at once.

Once you have your card, you’re the one responsible for contacting the office and paying your dues for the upcoming year. You’ll usually get a letter and emails to remind you in October or November, so try to pay them before the end of the year, and the office will usually send your new card a couple stops ahead. That way you don’t have to play catch up if it makes it to a city after you’ve already left.

Other locals have different requirements. Some have apprenticeship programs or classes to take. Local 1 in NYC requires that you earn a certain amount of money on their payroll for three consecutive years before you’re eligible to be inducted. Usually this requires working load ins and outs or subbing on show tracks.

Broadway and tour crews work on Pink Contracts. These are positions that can be staffed by an IATSE member, no matter what their local is. This is how I can live and work in NYC while still being a member of ACT, not Local 1.

This is because Broadway and tours operate where you have a two distinct sets of crews: a show crew and a house crew. 

In NYC, the house crew is Local 1 and paid by the management that owns the theatre itself. The show crew are on a Pink Contracts, paid by the production company of the show itself. The house crew stays with the theatre, show after show, while those on a Pink will move from theatre to theatre as they work on different shows.

Each show is limited to a certain amount of pink contracts, so those are often positions like automation, pyro, props, mixers, and A2s. Positions that either designers or the production company want some say in hiring.

These allowances were made by Local 1 because shows need specialty positions: you might have a great house carpenter, but not someone who knows the automation system being used. Props people might need specific skills to repair items or handle firearms. Sound is a subset of the Electrics department, so you don’t have a Head Sound in the building on Broadway, let alone someone who can program a console or mix a show the way a specific designer wants.

For a musical like Outsiders the Broadway crew broke down like this: 

House Crew:

Carpentry (2): Head Carp, Flyman

Electrics (4): Head Electrician, Assistant Audio, 2 Followspot Operators

Props (2): Head Props, Assistant Props

Show Crew:

Carpentry (1): Head Carp/Automation

Electrics (4): Head Electrician, Pyro Op, Head Audio, Assistant Audio

Props (2): Head Props, Assistant Props

For a play like Dog Day Afternoon, there were different crew needs:

House Crew:

Carpentry (2): Head Carp, Flyman

Electrics (2): Head Electrician, Assistant Audio

Props (1): Head Props

Show Crew:

Carpentry (1): Head Carp/Automation

Electrics (2): Head Electrician, Head Audio

Props (1): Head Props

It was a smaller show with no follow spots, fewer deck tracks for props and carpentry, and no Pink A2.

Wardrobe, Hair, and Make up (sometimes collectively abbreviated to as WHAM) are under different contracts in NYC that aren’t Pink or Local 1, but you’ll usually have a head and an assistant in each Wardrobe and Hair, a Make up artist if you have some special effects, plus multiple dressers, a stitcher, and a laundry person.

Your house crew has to match or exceed the number of pink contracts for everything including show calls, rehearsals, and work calls.

Tour crews are similar in most respects. Where they differ is that show crew for WHAM are on the same pink contracts as the rest of the crew, sound is treated as its own department, so you’ll have an actual house Head Audio in most cities, and there are more people in general on the crew.

Show crews for tours might break down like this: 

House Crew:

Carpentry (6): Head Carp, 2 Flyman, 3 Deck Carps

Electrics (4): Head Electrician, Deck Electrician, 2 Followspot Operators

Audio (2): Head Audio, Assistant Audio

Props (4): Head Props, 3 Deck Props

Wardrobe (8-10): Head, Laundry, Stitcher, Dressers

Hair (1-2): Stylists

Show Crew:

Carpentry (4): Head Carp, Automation, Flyman/Rigger, Deck Carp

Electrics (3): Head Electrician, Spot Op, Deck Electrician/Video Tech

Audio (2): Head Audio, Assistant Audio

Props (2): Head Props, Assistant Props

Wardrobe (3): Head Wardrobe, Assistant Wardrobe, Star Dresser

Hair (2): Head Hair, Asst Hair/Make up

There are more people on a road crew because they have to know the show tracks and teach it to the local crew, as well as have enough people to give direction and load the show in. You can look up any of the shows under an IATSE contract and see what their crew requirements are, as per their Yellow Card, or the documentation of union status and labor needs.

Taking a look at the actual contracts, the same structure of the Pink Contracts that apply to Broadway, also cover tours. 

However, while there is only one contract for Broadway, there are multiple for tour.

There are a set of contracts for League Producers for when the same people who produced the Broadway version are sending out the tour. There’s another set for the production companies like NETworks, Crossroads Live, and Worklight who typically take the shows and trim them down to make it easier to tour in smaller markets.

These contracts have different tiers, each with different minimums for salaries and benefits.

“Full Pink” contracts have lower minimum salaries, but similar benefits as a show on Broadway. “Modified Pink” is a step down with lower in benefits and minimums for a theoretically smaller show.

“SET” or Short Engagement Tours are another step smaller than the Modified, and “Bus and Truck” tours (which originated from when a tour was one bus for cast and crew and one truck of gear) now denotes a small tour that does mostly one-nighters.

When you go on the road, you’ll have your membership card from IATSE showing you’ve paid your dues and are in good standing with the union and a contract (printed on pink cardstock, hence the name) with the show you’re on and the position you occupy.

Some companies are sending digital versions of the contracts, but I always had a physical copy which I kept in my wallet. You just have to make sure it’s somewhere accessible (i.e. not in a workbox on a truck that you won’t see until the end of load in), because there’s a tradition a lot of locals observe called “Cards and Contracts.”

At the first coffee break of load in the local steward will ask the road crew to show their signed and stamped IATSE membership cards and traveling card contracts.  Usually, this is an exchange, something like a show of union solidarity, you’ll give them your card and they give you theirs. Some theatres will have you sign a log book as well.

Stewards will give everyone a grace period at the beginning of the year as people are paying dues and the locals and the International are mailing out cards, but plan ahead.

Every once in a while you’ll get a steward who’s trying to test you. They’ll usually take your card, look at it, then ask if you have anything to ask them. If they do that, they just want you to ask for their card.

As an IATSE member, you have a contract negotiated for you with base salaries, rules for overtime and holiday pay, requirements for housing, and benefits that the employer is required to pay into. When contracts come up for renegotiation the union will typically ask the stewards to get their crew’s input on what the priorities are for negotiation and, once the two parties have ironed out the new terms, the membership will vote whether to ratify or reject the contract.

On each show, tour or Broadway, you’ll have a steward elected by the crew. This should be a person who understands the contract and is personable enough to have a conversation with management, but can hold their own if there’s an issue that needs to be resolved. It can be a thankless role, but it’s an important one. They’re the line of communication between the show crews and the International office if there are questions about how the company is interpreting the contract or workplace conditions.

Being a part of IATSE opens up a lot of opportunities depending on what you want to do in your career. It’s well worth looking into what your options are to join a local in your area or contact production managers if you’re interested in touring.

Our unions take care of us in many ways. Not only do they help negotiate fair working conditions, they also have programs for healthcare and retirement benefits. Over the next two blog posts I’ll talk about those benefits for pink contracts and some things you should know to navigate them.

The Illusion of Reach: Why Playlists Fail to Build Fan Identity

It is amazing when you hit thousands of streams on a new release and celebrate the tasty victory of all the work it took you to get there. Those moments are unforgettable and become tangible proof that your hard work is finally bearing fruit. But it is just as important to understand that those streaming numbers alone do not necessarily mean you have built a loyal fan-base that brings you venue tickets, merch sales, or a genuine following. At least not yet.

As we can see, the platform’s algorithm can create an “illusion” of reach for real audiences, and staying aware of this is the secret to managing your data and turning those passive listeners into a dedicated community.

The illusion of reach we talk about exists because of how the streaming platform’s measurement system works. When your songs land on a popular playlist, there is a high chance that listeners will play them from a playlist and have them in the background, for example, to study, work out, cook, you name it, and all this to be swapped out for another song that will fill up that same temporary auditory need in your audience.

All this sounds alright, but is it truly what you want as an artist?

On the other hand, from the service perspective, your songs have been played multiple times in full and are showcasing very attractive numbers on your profile. And that is pretty awesome! But again, those numbers do not guarantee true fan reach, as the listener who just enjoyed your song may not even know who you are as an artist, what your brand represents, or where to find you to connect deeper.

As the algorithm pushes your music into an ocean of thousands of other options, it becomes very hard for listeners to choose from. Deciding then seems like a task, a mental effort, so letting the platform handle the selection for them feels much easier, shifting their attention away from you and onto the app that gives them the feeling they seek.

It’s like a song in a movie scene; you feel the mood of the moment, but then turn the TV off without ever checking who sang or wrote it.

The emotional bond is built around the playlist, and unconsciously they start positioning the service in their minds as the primary filler for their needs, leaving the artists completely ignored.

Psychology here can help you understand why this supposedly discovery fails to connect songs with listeners, as 80% of passive background sound is forgotten instantly, in just 3 to 4 seconds.

In contrast, deep listening takes another form, as it smoothly penetrates the music into someone’s self-concept, resonates with the emotions, and even mirrors the soul.

That is why discovering music on a playlist that requires zero friction is quickly categorized by the brain as low value, as the human system is designed to conserve energy, and whatever takes it away from it should be worth the time.

So, for you as an artist, this means that if a listener put no effort into finding you, they will feel no psychological attachment or emotional connection with your music, since no energy was spent on their part.

Now you can see that hitting thousands of streams on a new release is a triumph worth celebrating, but it is only the first step of the journey.

Understanding how the mind processes passive listening at a cognitive level helps you make sense of your streaming data and determine what actions to take next toward your future goals.

You can always treat playlists as a discovery tool and use that initial algorithmic spark to strategically guide listeners off the platform and into your own ecosystem, breaking the illusion of reach and building a real fanbase.

Creating Better Workplaces Across the Audio & Live Entertainment Industries

SoundGirls has developed a new series of Best Practices Guides for recording studios, touring productions, live venues, and event organizations.

We created these guides because the environments where we work matter.

Audio and live entertainment are built on collaboration. Whether we are recording an album, mixing a film, designing sound for a game, working on tour, producing a festival, or running a venue, our work depends on people trusting one another, communicating effectively, and bringing their expertise to a shared goal.

These can also be challenging workplaces. Long hours, freelance employment, extensive travel, close working conditions, rapidly changing environments, and uneven power dynamics can create barriers that have nothing to do with someone’s ability to do their job.

Our goal with these guides is practical: to help the people who shape these workplaces create professional environments where everyone has the opportunity to do their best work.

The guides address creating safer and more welcoming workplaces for women, transgender and gender-expansive people, people with disabilities, neurodivergent professionals, parents and caregivers, and people of different faiths, races, cultures, ages, and backgrounds.

This isn’t about lowering standards or providing special treatment. It is about removing unnecessary barriers, setting clear expectations, improving communication, addressing safety and accessibility, and building workplace cultures based on professionalism and respect.

A great workplace doesn’t happen accidentally. Culture is created through everyday decisions: how people are hired and onboarded, how facilities are provided, how concerns are handled, how crews communicate, how leaders respond when problems arise, and whether everyone is given the tools and information they need to succeed.

These guides are intended to provide a starting point.

We hope production managers, studio owners, venue managers, engineers, producers, event organizers, artists, crew members, educators, and employers will use them to start conversations, evaluate existing practices, and identify changes that can make our workplaces stronger.

Because creating an inclusive workplace isn’t separate from doing excellent work.

It is part of doing excellent work.

You can download these guides  – and hope you will share them across the industry. Please email us at soundgirls@soundgirls with resources that can be added to these guides.

Creating Safe, Respectful & Professional Touring Environments

Creating Safe, Respectful & Professional Live Venues, Festivals & Events

Creating Safe, Respectful & Professional Recording Environments

From Loading Trucks to Monitor Engineer of the Year

For Hannah Brodrick, music has always been at the center of her life, but it wasn’t performing that ultimately led her into the industry. Growing up in Sussex, England, she studied piano, trombone, and later bass guitar, spending countless hours immersed in music lessons, rehearsals, gigs, festivals, and record shops. While she loved music, the pressure of classical training and performance left her searching for another way to be part of the world she loved.

That path revealed itself when she discovered Music Technology as an academic subject. For the first time, Hannah realized there were careers in music beyond being a performer. The discovery opened the door to a future where her curiosity about sound, recording, and technology could become a profession.

Her fascination with audio began long before she knew live sound engineering existed. As a child, she and her sister spent hours recording songs from the radio and creating their own stories on a dual-deck cassette recorder, captivated by the idea that sound could be captured and replayed. As a teenager, she became deeply involved in the rock and metal scene, documenting every concert she attended in a handwritten gig diary complete with ticket stubs, wristbands, and notes about how each show sounded. Looking back, she realizes she was analyzing live productions years before she understood that someone was mixing them.

Hannah earned a BA (Hons) in Music Technology & Sound Design from the University of Hertfordshire before continuing her education with the Advanced Live Sound course at Britannia Row Productions Training. She credits the program and mentors Barry Bartlett and Marcel Van Limbeek with helping bridge the gap between education and the realities of professional touring. Later, an advanced wireless systems course with Sennheiser sparked a passion for RF coordination, leading directly to her first major touring position as an RF Technician and laying the foundation for an expertise that continues to shape her career today.

Like many women entering professional audio, Hannah initially saw very few people who looked like her working behind the console. Without visible role models, she questioned whether she belonged in the industry at all. It wasn’t until she began meeting other women in live sound that she recognized the issue wasn’t a lack of ability, it was a lack of representation. Those experiences reinforced the importance of visibility, mentorship, and creating pathways for the next generation of engineers.

Today, with more than fifteen years of experience in live sound, Hannah is the Monitor Engineer for Florence + The Machine, where she combines technical expertise, RF knowledge, and a collaborative approach to deliver world-class performances night after night. She remains passionate about continuous learning, mentoring others, and encouraging aspiring engineers to recognize that there is no single path into audio, only a willingness to stay curious, keep learning, and say yes to opportunities.

For Hannah, the most rewarding part of the job is helping create unforgettable live experiences while proving that there is room for everyone in professional audio. Her journey stands as a testament to the power of representation, education, and believing that passion, not perfection, is what builds a lasting career.

Career Beginnings  

How did you get your start in audio? 

Like many people, it took me a while to get my foot in the door, taking various unpaid internships and applying for anything remotely music-related. It was frustrating at times, but I was determined and fortunate enough to still be living at home, which meant I could afford to take opportunities that simply didn’t pay.

My first real break came through local theatre and production work. I found myself doing a bit of everything; building stages, loading trucks, running cables, operating basic sound and lights, and generally saying yes to any opportunity that came along. Looking back, that broad experience was

invaluable because it gave me an understanding of how live events function as a whole rather than just from the audio perspective.

From there I completed the Advanced Live Sound course at Britannia Row Productions Training, began working in their warehouse and on events, and gradually progressed into touring.

What were your first jobs, gigs, or internships like?  

Chaotic, if I’m honest! I initially tried to get work experience in recording studios, but none of them ever replied to my emails. The only part of the music industry that seemed willing to hire me was music PR and marketing, where I was exploited pretty heavily and given very few opportunities to learn or grow. Thankfully, that didn’t last long and I eventually managed to wrangle my way into the local theatre.

From there, I began working as a casual technician in local theatres and running basic sound and lighting for community events. I also spent plenty of time in warehouses peeling tape off cables and preparing equipment for jobs. One week I might be building stages, the next operating sound, and the week after driving a van full of equipment somewhere.

What skills or lessons did you learn early on that still serve you today?  

One of the biggest lessons I learned early on was that growth is uncomfortable. Every meaningful step forward in my career has involved saying yes to something I wasn’t entirely ready for and then feeling completely out of my depth for a while.

When I was starting out, I spent a lot of time worrying that everyone else knew what they were doing except for me. Over time I realised that becoming good at something requires being willing to be bad at it first. Whether it’s learning a new console, taking on a new role, or stepping onto a bigger tour, there’s always a period where you’re figuring things out and making mistakes.

I think a lot of people, especially early in their careers, mistake that discomfort for failure. In reality, it’s usually a sign that you’re learning. The ability to tolerate that feeling and keep going has probably been one of the most valuable skills I’ve developed.

Did you have a mentor or someone who significantly supported your growth? 

Not at the very beginning, and I think I felt that absence quite strongly.

As my career developed, however, I was fortunate to meet people who had a huge influence on me. My tutors Barry Bartlett and Marcel Van Limbeek at Britannia Row Productions Training were incredibly important, not just for the technical knowledge they shared but because they genuinely cheered me on and encouraged me to pursue a career in live sound.

Karrie Keyes, founder of SoundGirls, was another significant influence. Seeing women successfully operating at the highest level of the industry helped me believe it was possible for me too.

Alex Cerutti, a monitor engineer whose work I greatly admire, has helped me through various difficult points in my career and is still someone I reach out to for advice.

These days, I don’t think of mentorship as something that comes from one person. I’ve learned from colleagues, artists, crew members, friends and peers throughout my career, and I still do.

What barriers did you encounter early in your career, if any? 

The biggest barrier early on was simply getting access to the industry. I didn’t know anybody working in live sound, I had no contacts, and I had very little understanding of how careers actually progressed.

Being a woman certainly presented some challenges too. Early in my career I missed out on opportunities because tour managers or employers were uncomfortable with the idea of mixed accommodation or simply weren’t used to seeing women in technical roles. Thankfully I encounter that sort of thing far less often these days, but it was definitely part of the landscape when I was starting out.

Your Career Today  

What does a typical workday look like for you now?  

There isn’t really such a thing as a typical workday, which is one of the reasons I enjoy it so much. But if I’m on tour, I usually arrive at the venue mid-morning and start by checking in with the crew, reviewing the day’s schedule and making sure all of our audio and RF systems are behaving themselves and that we’re ready for the band to soundcheck by around 4pm.

The day is then a mixture of problem solving, preparation and communication. There might be radio frequency coordination to deal with, equipment issues to troubleshoot, guest artists arriving, or changes to the show. A big part of my role as a monitor engineer is making sure things remain consistent for the artist day after day and dealing with the variables that come from changing location every day.

Once the show starts, I stay pretty much glued to the console. I’m watching for visual cues, responding to requests and making adjustments to mixes in real time. Every show is slightly different, so the job requires constant attention and anticipation.

Then, once the audience has gone home, we pack everything back into trucks and move on to the next city to do it all again.

How do you stay organized and manage the demands of your work?  

Preparation is probably the biggest one. Live events move quickly, and problems tend to compound if they’re not dealt with early, so I’ve learned to stay one step ahead wherever possible.

I’m a big believer in keeping things organised and simple. Labelling equipment properly, keeping show files tidy and having consistent workflows might not be the most exciting part of the job, but it matters when you need to fix a problem very quickly, which is basically all the time.

Organisation isn’t always about being neat, although I do enjoy a well-labelled flight case; it’s about creating enough headspace and room to deal with the unexpected.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?  

I love the combination of technical problem-solving and human interaction that the role requires. Helping artists perform at their best is very rewarding. As a monitor engineer, my work is largely invisible when things are going well and often goes unnoticed by the audience, but there’s something incredibly satisfying about knowing you’ve played a small part in making a show happen for all those people.

What aspects of the job are the most challenging or least enjoyable?  

Touring is a funny one; from the outside it looks exciting, and don’t get me wrong, it absolutely is, but there can also be a lot of boredom, loneliness and repetition. You’re often working long days in windowless arenas, eating whatever food happens to be available and spending hours in airports.

One of the biggest challenges for me is maintaining healthy routines. When you’re constantly moving, it can be difficult to get enough exercise, spend time outdoors, eat well or prioritise rest.

I’ve learned over the years that looking after yourself isn’t a luxury in this industry; it’s a necessity. The work is demanding, and if you don’t make a conscious effort to create balance, it’s very easy for the job to consume your entire life.

What do you enjoy most about touring?  

The variety. I’ve been lucky enough to see parts of the world I would never otherwise have visited and meet some incredible people along the way.

I also love the sense of teamwork that develops on tour. When you’re working closely with the same group of people day after day, you build strong friendships and a real sense of trust. Some of my favourite memories from touring have happened away from the stage entirely.

What do you find most difficult?  

Maintaining balance. Touring can be physically and mentally demanding, and it’s easy for healthy habits to slip when you’re constantly moving between cities and working long hours.

I also miss simple things that most people take for granted; having a routine, seeing friends and family regularly, cooking my own meals, and sleeping in my own bed.

What is your favorite way to spend a day off or time away from work?  

I really value simple things. My ideal day off usually involves going for a long walk, doing some birdwatching, phoning home and going to the gym. I do the same when I’m at home so this keeps me grounded.

Challenges, Growth & Perspective  

What obstacles or systemic barriers have you faced in the industry? 

As a woman, I also encountered situations where people underestimated my abilities or made assumptions about what roles I was capable of doing or comfortable with. I found this particularly challenging on tours where I was responsible for directing crew. Frequently men who were older than me simply didn’t want to take instruction from a younger woman, regardless of my position or experience. It was incredibly frustrating.

How have you navigated or pushed through those challenges?  

Early in my career, I probably spent a lot of energy trying to prove myself. Over time, I realised that not every battle is worth fighting and that some people’s assumptions have very little to do with me.

As my knowledge and confidence grew, I became more comfortable backing myself and trusting my own judgement. I also learned the importance of finding supportive environments and surrounding myself with people who valued my contribution rather than constantly questioning it.

Have you seen the industry change during your career? If so, how? 

The most obvious change is that there are far more women and underrepresented groups visible within the industry than when I started. Social media and organisations like SoundGirls have played a huge role in creating networks, opportunities and visibility that simply didn’t exist when I was trying to get into live sound.

Perhaps the biggest change, though, is that we’re having more open conversations about well-being, burnout and sustainability. I think there’s now a much greater recognition that looking after yourself and building a sustainable career is just as important as working hard.

What still needs to change to better support women and marginalized genders in audio?  

I think visibility is still incredibly important. It’s much easier to imagine yourself in a role when you can see people like you already doing it.

We also need to look at retention. Getting people into the industry is one thing; creating an environment where they can build long, sustainable careers is another. Long hours, extensive travel, insecure employment and a lack of work-life balance don’t just affect women and marginalised genders, but they can disproportionately push people out of the industry.

Advice & Looking Forward  

What advice would you give to women or young people interested in entering audio? 

Don’t wait until you feel completely ready. Most career growth happens outside your comfort zone, and if you wait until you’re 100% confident before taking an opportunity, you’ll probably be waiting forever.

Be curious, ask questions and don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know something. The people who progress fastest are rarely the ones who know everything; they’re the ones who are willing to learn.

Finally, remember that this is a people industry as much as a technical one. Your reputation, attitude and ability to work well with others will take you further than your technical skills.

What skills—technical or otherwise—do you think are essential for success? 

Be a nice person.

Technical skills matter, but your ability to build relationships, earn trust and work effectively with different personalities is just as important.

Adaptability is another huge one. Every artist, crew, venue and tour is different. Being able to read a room, adjust your communication style and fit into different social and professional environments is an incredibly valuable skill. Sometimes you need to lead, sometimes you need to listen, and sometimes you need to stay completely out of the way.

Above all, I think emotional intelligence is essential. Understanding people, managing pressure and communicating effectively will take you much further than simply knowing how a piece of equipment works. These days I probably read more about psychology than audio.

What long-term goals or aspirations do you have?  

I’m incredibly grateful that I’ve already achieved many of the goals I set for myself when I was starting out: touring the world, winning awards and working with artists I admire.

These days, my ambitions are a little different. I’m increasingly interested in building a sustainable long-term career that allows me to spend more time at home and pursue other interests alongside touring. I’ve also developed an interest in audiology and would love to learn more about hearing health and maybe train to be able to perform in-ear impressions.

I’d also like to become more involved with the music and audio community closer to home. As I get older, I’m increasingly interested in finding ways to contribute locally, whether that’s through education, mentoring or supporting the next generation of people entering the industry.

Is there something you wish you had known earlier in your career?  

That it gets easier.

When I was starting out, I spent a lot of time worrying that everyone else knew what they were doing and that I was somehow falling behind. I was often afraid to ask questions or reach out to people because I didn’t want to look inexperienced or be judged.

What I’ve learned since is that everyone starts somewhere. We all make mistakes, we all have bad shows, and we all spend periods feeling completely out of our depth. That’s not a sign that you’re failing; it’s usually a sign that you’re learning.

I wish I’d trusted the process a little more and been kinder to myself. Growth is uncomfortable, but if you keep showing up, stay curious and remain open to learning, things have a way of working out.

Favorites & Personal Touch  

Favorite or most-used gear  

Probably my in-ear monitors. Mine are customised with beautiful mother-of-pearl faceplates, and it’s nice to have nice things!

I spend a huge amount of my life wearing them, and they feel uniquely mine. Nobody else can use them and in that way they’re a little bit like a superpower. They’re the tool I rely on most, but they’re also something that’s completely personal to me.

A piece of gear you can’t live without:  

My Leatherman. It’s not particularly glamorous, but I use it almost every day at work.

A moment in your career that made you feel proud or affirmed

Winning Monitor Engineer of the Year at the TPi Awards last year was a particularly proud moment.

Not because of the trophy itself, but because it represented so many years of work, learning and persistence. Like a lot of people in this industry, I spent a long time loading trucks, coiling cables, taking whatever opportunities I could get and wondering whether I was actually any good at what I was doing.

Receiving the award, I found myself reflecting on the younger version of me who couldn’t see many women doing this job and wasn’t entirely convinced she belonged in the industry. It felt like a moment of recognition not just for me, but for everyone who had supported and encouraged me along the way. It still feels a little surreal.

Is there anything else you’d like to share or contribute?  

One thing that has been incredibly important in my career is service. So many people gave their time, knowledge and encouragement to me when I was starting out, and I’ve always tried to pay that forward wherever I can.

Not everything has to be transactional. Some of the most rewarding experiences of my career have come from mentoring, volunteering, supporting community initiatives and helping other people navigate the industry. I think there is real value in contributing your time and energy to something bigger than yourself, even when there isn’t an obvious personal benefit.

Ironically, those experiences have been some of the most valuable for my own growth as well. Giving back has been good for my career, but more importantly, it’s been good for my soul.

Philadelphia, We’re Back!

The SoundGirls Philadelphia Chapter is getting together again, and we’d love to see you there!

Join us for a relaxed afternoon at Clark Park to reconnect with familiar faces, meet new members, and help us reignite the Philly community. Whether you want to talk audio, jam with fellow musicians, work on a craft, or simply enjoy a beautiful afternoon in the park, everyone is welcome.

Bring a blanket, your favorite instrument, a hobby or craft—or just yourself!

Date: Sunday, August 30
Time: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Clark Park
4300–4398 Baltimore Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Let’s build the Philadelphia SoundGirls community together—one conversation at a time. We can’t wait to see you there!

RSVP Here

Celebrating 10 Years of SoundGirls Mexico!

What started as a small booth at Expo Sound:Check has grown into one of the most active SoundGirls communities in the world. Over the past decade, SoundGirls Mexico has built a powerful network connecting women across live sound, recording, production, immersive audio, film, and technology—creating opportunities, mentorship, and lasting professional relationships throughout Latin America and beyond.

Congratulations to Carolina Antón, Bruja Amapola, Camila González, and everyone who has helped shape this incredible community. Here’s to the next decade of breaking barriers, building connections, and inspiring the next generation of women in audio.

Read the full story in the Summer 2026 issue of Protocol magazine

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Orlando SoundGirls Chapter – Behind the Scenes Tour at CTM

Join The Orlando SoundGirls Chapter for an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience with CTM, a leader in custom in-ear monitor systems and hearing protection trusted by touring artists, musicians, and audio professionals around the world.

Date: Monday, August 31
Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: CTM

Whether you’re just getting started in audio or you’re a seasoned professional, this meetup is a great opportunity to connect with other women in the Orlando audio community while learning how to protect one of your most valuable tools—your hearing.

We’ll get a behind-the-scenes tour of CTM’s facilities, learn about the importance of hearing protection for audio professionals, and connect with other women in audio from our local community.

The CTM team will also demonstrate how custom in-ear monitors and hearing protection are designed and manufactured, share why hearing health is essential for a long, successful career in audio, and answer your questions along the way.

Space is limited. If you are selected to attend, you will receive a confirmation email with the event location and additional details.

Apply Here

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