Erica Bassett

I went to the University of Alabama, and originally I wanted to be a music educator, but thankfully God had other plans. I kept hitting walls, and one of my advisors mentioned art administration. At the time, I was hoping to move to Nashville and work with different production companies who book artists throughout the country. I got an internship with the City of Tuscaloosa, working under Wendy Riggs, who ran the amphitheater at that time, and it was so eye-opening and such a great experience. I eventually graduated in 2013 with that experience, with the art administration degree and a business minor. I got on part-time with the City of Tuscaloosa as the venue operations assistant for the museum there. I got to help out the amphitheater and the River Market, which was considered the City of Tuscaloosa's entertainment department. We did farmers markets, held ice rinks, concerts, and had different exhibits in the museum. When the museum was sold to the university, my oldest brother found a job in Gulf Shores, which is where all my family ended up moving to, and I applied. I actually didn't get the first job I applied to for the rental coordinator position, but they called me a few weeks later and offered me a part-time position to help get my foot in the door. I accepted, and within about a year, I went from part-time program assistant to active adult coordinator to event coordinator to event supervisor. I'm heavily involved in the community and focus on operations management and community engagement. In events, you're always living in the future, constantly planning. By the time the event gets here, everything should be ready for my team to just operate and execute.