At Live to your Living Room, we want to make sure the audiences who watch our online shows, as well as the artists who play them, have a consistent and seamless experience. This is made possible by our fantastic team of staff and volunteers!
In our second post in a (very occasional!) series, we say hello to Kate Lawrence-Lunniss, our admin manager, who makes sure everything keeps ticking over behind the scenes.
Hi Kate! What led you to the decision to work with Live to your Living Room?
I saw the advert for an admin manager online and researched Live to your Living Room. I felt an instant connection, having spent a lot of my time during lockdown running online community projects for those who were isolated.
The value in thinking about the audience experience and how to support connection is something I really believe makes a difference to people’s lives, and Live to your Living Room does this so fiercely.
I was shortlisted for an interview and had the most wonderful interview experience I think I’ve ever had! It felt like we were sharing experiences, problem-solving, and reflecting all in one conversation.
It really brought home that I wanted to work with these people and this company, and I was thrilled when I was offered a position.
Tell me, in your own words, what your responsibilities are at Live to your Living Room
I manage all the administrative tasks that go alongside running an online live events organisation. We have an incredible freelance team who support this and do everything from creating gig graphics to updating the website.
There’s a lot of plates spinning in the background, and my job is to make sure the audience and artists get to enjoy each other and share a moment without worrying about any of that.
As well as this, I’m also looking at some business development ideas to build our audience and reach more people who may face barriers to accessing in-person live music events.
What do you like most about working with Live to your Living Room?
The team is amazing! There is a small group of core staff and a very large group of supportive freelancers and volunteers who are all so welcoming, generous and kind, as well as being avid folk enthusiasts.
As someone new to the folk music scene, they’ve really welcomed me into the fold and taught me so much. I feel part of a company that really allows me to be myself, which is a very special thing.
How would you like to shape the direction of Live to your Living Room moving forward?
I would really like to build on the sense of community that already exists at Live to your Living Room and see how we might be able to work with new communities in different ways.
One group we’ve been reaching out to are those living in residential care homes – I’d really like to see if there’s a way for them to share the joy of live music together, as well as with friends and family at home.
I’m also passionate about accessibility and inclusion, and feel creative organisations do better the more diverse they are.
From our audience demographic data we are really reaching the Disabled and Trans communities which is fantastic and highlights the incredible work on accessibility and inclusivity that’s been done so far.
I would really like to see us improve our diversity in other areas, particularly ethnicity, and feel we can start this by increasing the diversity of folk artists who gig with us.
What are your hobbies and interests outside of Live to your Living Room?
I’m a creative at heart, so I love painting, photography, upcycling, and have a side hustle as a sign writer.
I’ve also been doing stand-up for the last two years, although I’m currently on a break (intentional Friends reference) and occasionally dipping my toe into very cold water. Some call it cold-water swimming, but I don’t think I can claim to swim by any stretch!
I’ve also recently got into Wasgij puzzles, mainly because Wasgij is Jigsaw backwards, and speaking backwards is another weird hobby of mine. You’re given an image, and then you have to imagine what the next image might be, and that’s the puzzle you are piecing together. They really are a headscratcher!
If you could invite any three artists (living or otherwise) to play Live to your Living Room, who would you choose?
First, I’d invite Hannah Rarity and Anna Massie. They played for us back in December and it was such a brilliantly fun gig. I’d love to see them again.
Second, I’ve been looking into folk music from different countries and would love to see if we can make a world folk music series. First in my line-up for this would be Ben E Hunter, who has created a unique sound of New Orleans Afro-Caribbean folk music. It’s really something special.
Thirdly, and this is my answer anytime anyone says I can bring someone back from the dead, and that’s Freddie Mercury. I know he’s not a folk musician, but I am wedging him in through his rendition of the traditional Hungarian folk song Tavaszi szél vizet áraszt that he sang in Budapest in 1986.
That counts, right?
And finally, is there anything else you’d like to mention?
Just a big thank you to everyone here for such a warm welcome. It really means a lot, and I hope to stay with Live to your Living Room for a long time to come.