Taki Pappas
Dir. of Programming — Concerts & Comedy
Durham (N.C.) Performing Arts Center
HOMETOWN: Los Angeles
UNIVERSITY: A bit at USC, a little Pierce College, a little California State University, Northridge. Never got a degree in anything.
FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY: As an assistant to Doug Clouse at what was then PACE Touring. I worked as an assistant for the George Strait stadium tour in 1996. Prior to that I had been in local bands in L.A. and did a little bit of super small club booking in Hollywood.
HOW YOU GOT YOUR JOB: I spent about 13 years at Live Nation (and previous entities) starting at the bottom and worked my way up. One day Bob Klaus, the GM at DPAC, called me and said he was looking for an in-house booker and that he had called a couple people and they told him to call me.
FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB: When you’ve got a sold-out show and the act hits the stage, the crowd roars and you think, “I kind of had a little something to do with that.”
MENTORS: It’s a long list including Doug Clouse, Jane Holman, Beckye Levin, Bruce Kapp, Bob Roux, Arthur Fogel and David Zedeck.
FAVORITE LIVE EVENT: Having grown up in L.A. and going to Hollywood since I was a teenager and catching the late 1980’s and on there, I have seen so many bands that got big in little clubs. Notably, Rage Against the Machine in probably 1990.
PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN: I can rebuild a carburetor.
IF YOU COULD ESCAPE FOR A DAY YOU’D GO TO: A beach. Any beach. Or Paris.
(919) 688-1842
Rita Cobb
Booking Manager
Philips Arena, Atlanta, Ga.
FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY: Executive assistant to the VP of Booking, here at the arena.
HOW YOU GOT YOUR JOB: In my assisting role, I started asking questions about the settlement and booking processes. I started shadowing during events, then moved to building estimates and helping out with avails request, etc. Now here I am doing it on my own.
FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB: There’s nothing like standing beside the stage and looking out into a packed arena and realizing you played a part in making all those people happy and giving them memories with their families and friends they can cherish for life.
FIRST LIVE EVENT: Bob Seger at The Omni. I was a junior in high school, and I sat in the very last row of the upper level.
TOP SONGS RIGHT NOW: “Hotline Bling” by Drake, “What Do you Mean” by Justin Bieber and “Crash and Burn” by Thomas Rhett.
FREE TIME: I work in the arena business, what’s free time? Just kidding. I have two daughters and a husband who fill up most of my time away from work. If there’s ever that rare moment just for me, I try to catch up on some reading or do a little shopping for myself.
SPORTS TEAMS: I’m a Georgia girl through and through, so the Bulldogs, Braves, Falcons and, of course, the Hawks.
BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED: It’s never considered a mistake as long as you learned something from it.
(404) 878-3011
Ken Stockdell
VP, Practice Leader, Conv. Center Group
HKS, Atlanta, Ga.
HOMETOWN: Because my dad was a college professor at several schools, we moved several times before I went to college. Starting in Louisville, Ky., we had stops in Minot, N.D., Fargo, N.D., Oklahoma City, Nashville, Tenn., and Murfreesboro, Tenn.
HOW YOU GOT YOUR JOB: A serendipitous alignment of my availability and HKS’ strategic decision to strengthen its convention center practice, combined with some important personal connections.
FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB: The people I work with. That includes clients and colleagues.
WHAT YOU’D DO IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE YOUR JOB: Teach. I have aspirations to be a writer, too.
FREE TIME: I always have a couple of books I’m reading. My wife and I love working in our yard together and traveling with our cameras.
ONE PERSON FROM HISTORY YOU’D LIKE TO MEET: Abraham Lincoln. His writings and speeches are inspiring, and his example of leadership during what was perhaps the most difficult period in U.S. history make him one of the lives I’d like to learn from.
PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN: I am among the youngest in history to have earned the Eagle rank in Boy Scouts.
(404) 442-7878