MARY BENSEL
CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VAN WEZEL
PERFORMING ARTS HALL
SARASOTA, FLA.
HOMETOWN: TRENTON, N.J.
UNIVERSITY: Mansfield (Pa.) University and University of Pittsburgh
FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY: Audience development director for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater.
WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WEREN'T DOING THIS: An Entertainment lawyer working in the movie industry.
MENTOR: Norbert Mongeon. He’s the VP of Providence Performing Arts Center. I worked with him 20 years ago and still call him for advice. Now, sometimes he calls me for advice.
DREAM ESCAPE: Tahiti or Africa on a safari.
THE TOP SONG ON YOUR PLAYLIST RIGHT NOW: “When We Were Young” by Adele.
MOST EMBARRASSING SONG ON YOUR PLAYLIST RIGHT NOW: “I Write the Songs” by Barry Manilow.
FAMOUS PERSON IN HISTORY YOU WOULD LIKE TO MEET: President Lincoln or President Kennedy.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU: I love to dance.
BEST ADVICE YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED: Discretion is the better part of valor.
IF YOU COULD HAVE AN ENDLESS SUPPLY OF ANYTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE: Friends.
GUILTY PLEASURE: Pizza.
FAVORITE LIVE EVENT YOU'VE ATTENDED: Adele, last year at AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami.
DREAM SUPER POWER: Create world peace. I’d also like to fly.
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CRAIG RICKS
VP OF MARKETING
SPECTRA TICKETING & FAN ENGAGEMENT, IRVINE, CALIF.
HOMETOWN: Haslett, Mich.
UNIVERSITY: Michigan State Univ., East Lansing.
FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY: Senior marketing manager, Paciolan.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR CURRENT JOB: Moving up the ranks at Paciolan, which is now Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB: Working in a digital world with companies like Google, Facebook and StubHub.
WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WEREN'T IN YOUR JOB: Still marketing, but something in the philanthropic field.
MENTORS: Jane Kleinberger, Kim Damron and Dave Butler.
FREE TIME PURSUITS: Coach girls soccer and spend time with my two daughters.
BIGGEST PET PEEVE: I’m a stickler for punctuality.
ONE-DAY ESCAPE CHOICE: Maui, Hawaii.
THE MOST EMBARRASSING SONG ON YOUR IPOD RIGHT NOW: “Let Me Love You” by Justin Bieber and DJ Snake.
FAMOUS PERSON IN HISTORY YOU WOULD LIKE TO MEET: Aaron Burr; because he’s a relative on my mom’s side; her maiden name is Burr.
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED: From my dad, Don Ricks: “Focus on what you can achieve and don’t worry about what you can’t control.”
IF YOU COULD HAVE AN ENDLESS SUPPLY OF ANYTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE: Swedish Fish.
BIGGEST GUILTY PLEASURE: Watching college football for four hours at a time.
GEOFF HINDS
CEO, SAN BERNARDINO (CALIF.) COUNTY FAIR
CURRENT CITY: Victorville, Calif.
HOMETOWN: Claremont, Calif.
UNIVERSITY: Whittier (Calif.) College
FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY: I tested the monorail at the Los Angles County Fair. I spent hundreds of hours just watching it go in circles and wrote down when it faulted.
FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB: The diversity. I like dealing with different kinds of people.
MENTORS: Chris Carpenter, San Mateo (Calif.) County Events Center; Rick Pickering, California State Fair (Sacramento) and John Baker, Pima County Fair (Tucson, Ariz.).
FREE TIME PURSUITS: What’s free time? When I get some I like to scuba dive, wake board and play on dirt bikes.
FAMOUS PERSON IN HISTORY YOU WOULD LIKE TO MEET: President Obama or President Clinton.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU: I find it agonizing to sit still at a live event.
BIGGEST GUILTY PLEASURE: Eating something I shouldn’t, like anything sweet with a lot of sugar.
FAVORITE LIVE EVENT ATTENDED: Electric Daisy Carnival, Los Angeles, in 2013. It was out of this world.
DREAM SUPER POWER: To be able to see the future.