Rachelle Pugh - The gal with the determination and experience

Rachelle Pugh

Nineteen
Wrexham 

What are you doing with your life at the moment?

I’m currently at the University of Manchester studying English Literature, Drama and Film. I have tons of upcoming deadlines so my life at the moment is being spent procrastinating; the thing I do best! I’ve just finished putting on an event for the Mines Advisory Group (http://www.maginternational.org/musicbeatsmines) and raised over £200 for the charity. It’s a pretty good feeling.
Has an interest in Events always been there?
I wouldn’t say that an interest for planning events has always been there, but an interest for events themselves has definitely always been there. It’s really since I started DJ’ing at gig nights in Wrexham that my passion for the planning that goes into events has really developed. I think it’s really important that young people especially are given opportunities to experience music other than the commercial rubbish often shoved into their faces. Unsigned bands and more unique music can often be much cheaper than the ridiculous £60 ‘pop star’ tickets, and provide the same, if not more entertainment and energy. I think its also really important to support local bands and enable them to present the stuff they’ve worked so hard on to a willing audience. The people closest to home are often the most important I think.

What have you contributed into an Event before?

As I’ve mentioned, I started DJ’ing for DDJY! and ROPE clubnights in Wrexham at the age of 17, and since I’ve gone to uni I’ve been given quite a few opportunities to plan and put on my own events. There’s a lot that goes into an event. For example, the event which I put on for Oxfam Originals last night was a gig night, with a mini fashion show incorporated to try and promote the shop’s unique vintage pieces and make a profit for the charity. I had to book a venue, do a risk assessment of the venue, book bands and DJ’s (trying to find a date that all bands can do is a nightmare!), email the charity and keep them up to date with things, create promotion posters and flyers, create social networking pages for the event, promote the event around Manchester and online, pick out clothes and organize models for the fashion show, sort out money and financial safekeeping, creating realistic set times for the line up…and that’s just before the night! On the night there was setting up the bands, setting up the DJ stuff, setting up the fashion show and voicing it, photography, selling tickets on the door and ensuring that the venue was decorated in a way to raise awareness of the charity. That’s a pretty hefty list even by my standards, but that much work and more is required. Organizing a group to get all of this done is always handy, but equally as stressful at times!
What brings out the most excitement for you in event planning?
It has to be the buzz of the event at the end, and knowing that it has pleased other people. Because I’ve done a few charity events, the money raised is also a pretty exciting factor. An example would be the music event I put on in collaboration with Oxfam Originals last year; the money raised went to buying food, education, fertiliser and increasing well-being for communities in Africa. That was a pretty nice feeling.

What do your family and friends think of your career choice?

My parents wanted me to be a lawyer, but that’s a story for a different day. My aunty’s pretty supportive of the idea though (as an artist she loves the creative side) and my boyfriend is always really supportive of me; he’s been amazing in encouraging me to go for what I want.
Celebrity and personally, who have you always thought of as a role model and why?

Hmm, role models, that’s an interesting one! Personally, in regards to event planning it would have to be Ross Roberts; the creator of DDJY! and ROPE club nights. He helped me to start DJ’ing at gigs, and gave me the confidence in myself to do so, and organize other events. My home town of Wrexham is a pretty dull place, but Ross’ injection of fantastic bands that many of us would not have had the chance to see at a younger age has really inspired myself and others to explore music. He has also given many local bands a stage to shine on; something which Wrexham might not have been able to offer had it not been for Ross.

I’ve never really seen a celebrity as an actual role model, because I just find that a lot of the time, their lives are completely different to my own and it is more important to have belief in somebody you know has done something outstanding. However, Siouxsie Sioux has always been somebody who I have the utmost respect for. Everything about her is wonderful, from her rise to popularity to the lyrics in her music. She was a determined woman and made success for herself as an empowered, intelligent female. I guess that’s something all females should aspire to whatever they do. I’m no feminist by the way!

What genre of music to you listen to? Favourite Artists?

I’m pretty picky with my music, but I actually like a rather mixed bag! Anyone who knows me will know that my favourite artist is Siouxsie Sioux; I cannot get enough of her individual sound. Her voice is so powerful, it sounds silly but her music has really helped me to deal with a lot of stuff in the past; my respect for that woman is colossal, and I’m really excited for the new stuff she’s working on. Genre wise I love Post-punk (particularly that of female bands such as The Slits and The Raincoats), electro, post- dubstep, industrial and no-wave (Lydia Lunch is also a big favourite of mine!). I could go on for days, but I don’t want to bore the readers!

What would be your advice to people wanting to be involved within the Events business?
Volunteering for stuff is definitely a good option. I was lucky with getting into DJ’ing because the guys who organise the nights saw my Myspace (you can tell this was a while ago!) and liked my taste. I was really worried at first because I’m not the most confident person in the world, but honestly, just get up there and do it. If you’re organizing an event there’s no room for being scared of ringing people and organizing face to face meetings. You can’t rely on email and it’s a good idea to just jump in at the deep end to start with because it can only go uphill from there! It’s fabulous for confidence building and the outcome is always worth it in the end.

Do you have anything upcoming that you're helping with?

I’ve recently been asked to work for Parkinson’s UK as an event planner. I’m really psyched about this because it has a personal place in my heart as well as being a fantastic opportunity. My gran has the illness so it’d be really good to organize an event from the heart, and hopefully inject some good events into the area whilst raising awareness of the illness amongst the younger generation; often people do not know much about it.