I’ve been attending music festivals since 2015, when my younger brother finally convinced me to check out Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Delaware. He had been going for a few years prior to that, all while I made fun of him for “going to see music in a mud pit and using overflowing port-o-potties.” But as soon as I got there, I was immediately hooked. I had always been a live music fanatic, playing in bands and traveling for concerts, but was never aware of the remarkable community culture that festivals curate in addition to the live performance side of things. Firefly was a slippery slope, opening the door for many more festivals in my future like Bonnaroo, Hulaween, and now Electric Forest, as I climbed the totem pole of legendary gatherings. Getting involved in this culture in a professional manner had always been something in the back of my mind, but seemed like an impossible feat having no prior experience in the scene or any idea how to break into it. Around 2018, I discovered the jam band scene and became infatuated with the music of The Grateful Dead and Phish, as well as the festival-like culture surrounding them. I spent all of my free time completely immersing myself in the jam society and learning anything I could on the subject. To give you some perspective on just how deep I went, from 2019 – 2023 year end, I will have seen Phish 38 times (don’t judge me).
When the world shut down for COVID, I – like many people around the globe – I had an epiphany moment about the trajectory of my life. I had two life-altering realizations that had to be acted upon:
- I absolutely hated my 9-5 office job
- I needed to flex my pent-up creative juices into some sort of outlet
While these seem like simple realizations , it took a global pandemic for me to become aware that I had to change the path I was headed down for the sanctity of my soul and very being. Thus, Long Strange Putt was born. LSP provided me with the outlet to create art, comment on the events surrounding the jam scene, and, most importantly, connect with other people whom I now call some of my best friends. In fact, I’ve made more close friends in the last 3 years than I previously had in my entire life up to the pandemic. I started selling my merchandise on Phish and Dead Lot and began fostering in new relationships and core memories. But this still wasn’t enough; I still needed my professional career to align with my passions in live music and the festival scene.
Enter Festisia: In 2022 while freelancing on the side for a different startup, I discovered Festisia (formerly Superf3st), a community of creators, festival fanatics, and artists from all walks of life bound by their love for music and art. This was a collaborative space away from social norms unlike anything I had experienced before; a place where I could be “LSP” instead of Sean and no even batted an eye. The first day I found this project, I made it my mission to become a critical addition by whatever means necessary. For the next year, I worked my ass off going into my full time job each day, and coming home to work on creating social content and other tasks for Festisia. I barely slept, didn’t have time for the gym, and forwent my social life in pursuit of something greater. Friends and family told me I was crazy, but I knew I was working towards a life-changing moment. Despite the grind, doing work for Festisia never felt like actual work, as it was all grounded in things I am passionate about. The hard work did pay off, and in a big way. I was able to quit my 9-5 and am about to come on full-time as the Content Strategy Lead for Festisia, something that still hasn’t fully sunk in yet. In the last two weeks, I was able to attend my 3rd Bonnaroo, set up shop on Dead and Company Shakedown in NYC, and experience my first Electric Forest, all made possible through Festisia. It’s truly remarkable the relationships you can build while working in an industry you’re passionate about, as the members of the Festisia community are now people I call family.
After accepting the job at Festisia, one of my good friends reminded me of something I had told him when we first graduated college in 2015. He had asked me what my dream job would be, to which I apparently replied, “working for a festival somehow”. Though it took nearly a decade of navigating the waters, my younger self would be proud of where I’ve steered the ship. I couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds, as we’re just getting started on this journey. Festisia ended up being a “home” for me, and I can’t wait to see who else finds their way into this community.
-LSP