Her Story
About Sharon
I've been incredibly lucky in my career, which has spanned over 20 years in marketing, entertainment, and theater. My journey started almost by accident - I was an environmental education major getting my teaching certificate for K-12 in Environmental Sciences, developing curriculum that brought the outside inside to classrooms in inner cities where kids couldn't safely go outside. Someone from our local public television station saw my teacher workshops and wanted to develop them into Saturday morning programming. We developed scripts, got funding, hired musicians and actors, but then budget cuts killed the project. We pivoted and turned it into live school assembly programs that traveled throughout the United States, which gave me my first taste of artistic and theatrical management. That led to lobby work for environmental education in Pennsylvania, where I was introduced to someone running for president in the early 90s. I got hired to do advance work for the Clinton-Gore campaigns, putting everything together from wheels down to wheels up for each candidate's events, and then after they were elected, I coordinated all their speeches, working with Secret Service, police, fire, and air support to make their events successful. I came back to Pittsburgh to work in the Mayor's office with special events for the city, then became company manager for Pittsburgh Valley Theater. Next, I opened a new theater and theater program at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, serving as the linchpin between the community, the school, and the Williamstown Summer Theater Festival. That led to working for the Walt Disney Company doing events and entertainment throughout New York that mimicked what was being done in the parks. I then joined the special events and marketing team for Walt Disney Studios in California, where I lived for about 15 years. I did everything from red carpet premiere events to publicity events for certain titles, creating educational and promotional events for Disney Nature and Marvel titles. I also oversaw programming for the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, which is run by the Walt Disney Company. Unfortunately, COVID hit, and my father took ill, so I had to return to Pittsburgh to be with family. That miraculously led to becoming the marketing and sales director for the Pittsburgh CLO until recently, and now I'm the Director of Marketing and Communications for Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts and the Pittsburgh Playhouse. Our Conservatory includes our School of Theater, School of Dance, and School of Film and Animation.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sharon
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to having fun every day. My motivation is simple - I have fun every day, and if I'm having fun, then my team is having fun. I love what I get to do. I love to see people's faces light up when they experience the event that you've put all your efforts into, or the show that you've invited them to come see. That joy and that connection with audiences is what drives me and keeps me passionate about my work.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is to take a step through every open door. Just walk in and introduce yourself. It's about being brave enough to walk through every door that opens for you and not being afraid to put yourself out there. That advice has shaped my entire career journey, leading me from environmental education to presidential campaigns to Disney and beyond.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is to listen, learn, and then jump in. Don't be afraid to ask questions along the way. It's important to take the time to observe and absorb what's happening around you, but then you need to be willing to dive in and take action. The questions will come naturally as you go, and you shouldn't be intimidated by not knowing everything at the start. Just be willing to learn and participate fully.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the biggest opportunities right now are that people are starting to really come back to theater and to events, and they want an experience. They don't want to just pay for a ticket to come in and see a show - they want the full experience. That starts with the time they purchase the ticket, and there needs to be communication that happens between the time of purchase and getting to the door of the theater or event place. When they come in, it's about creating atmosphere - does the lobby have music? Is there something for them to see and do while they're waiting to get into the theater? Once they're in, is the playbill more than just names and songs? Are there fun facts and information that goes along with the show to enhance their experience? Coming out of it, it's about the surveys and taking what they say seriously to make changes for the next time they come, and continuing the communication for the next hopeful ticket buy. We're seeing more experience-based shows coming out, like the Jellicle Ball and going to the masquerade for Phantom. The opportunity is in creating that complete, immersive experience from start to finish.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are organization and honesty. Organization keeps everything running smoothly and allows me to manage all the different aspects of my work effectively. Honesty is fundamental to how I operate - it builds trust with my team, with guests, and in all my professional relationships. These two values together create the foundation for everything I do.
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