Speech to Bell Gully
This week I was asked to give a speech on
leadership to 30 Belly Gully young law graduates who are about to begin their legal
careers. Ironic really given I had
passed up a legal career to pursue my path towards setting up Rhythm and Vines as a world class music festival.
Below I outlined a few points that I have found
crucial to my leadership style.
Action
One of the biggest traits to leadership is
the ability to lead and inspire action. Just do it!
My first taste of action was actually
moving with intention on an idea. When Tom suggested the idea to have a party the
next step to move forward on the next meeting to flesh out. I arranged to meet with him a couple of days
later at Gardies to discuss the idea further. That first step set us off on a
journey of a thousand miles.
Further examples of action followed. Tom
and I sat hung over in the Wellington Airport and we brainstormed names for the
festival. Adam my flat mate at the time had mentioned to get the Vines involved
we put this aside and we listed a collection of musical terms. Bass, Treble,
Melody, Rhythm. RHYTHM. Rhythm and Vines! Perfect. Tom in his went to the local
and bought two postcards. We addressed them to our flat and wrote ‘ We look forward
to seeing you at Rhythm and Vines, Gisborne!’ There was no turning back.
One of most memorable lessons on action was
pitching to Dean Witters the idea for R&V. We told him we wanted Black Seeds to
headline. He made us jump on the phone
then and there and call up the Black Seeds manager. I was slightly nervous
speaking but asked the question. He
mentioned he had received $6k for the pervious years new years bookings. Dean suggested we call him
back and offer him $2k more if he committed immediately. As a result the band signed on and we had our
headliner! With that confidence and intention to commit we were away. It is a
lesson I never forget. Just do it!
Another mantra I believe in is if you come
up with an idea and don’t do it someone else will! If you see a gap in the
market just seize it. Own it. Even if you don’t know how to get there. Your
commitment and intention will create an action that will set you off on a path
to achievement.
There has been other steps of action. Mylo was one of our favourite
acts at University. I had always wanted him to perform so I contacted the agent direct. He was being flakey and not getting back to me so when I was in London visiting
friends I just went to the agency in person. Just knocked on door. Got the deal over the line then and there. I've done the same with Snoop Dogg's agent too. I introduced myself to Rob Markus over email and just got on a plane, next thing I was in his office in Beverly Hills. Just do
it! Zane Lowe in London. Even though he stood me up for
breakfast at the Soho Hotel.
Rhythm and Alps – We saw a gap in the
market for a south Island version of the R&V. Our partner Alex and I got a plan together of how we wanted to roll it out. We pitched to
our board, booked a few bands and next thing we know we were away.
Of course not all action leads to success.
We have run side shows that have failed miserably. We have said yes to running
the Gisborne Wine and Food festival. And lost $100’s of thousands of
dollars. We have tried to hire staff in different areas with varying degrees of success.
But one thing I have learnt is that action is key. Just do it!
Aim high
From the start our goal was ambitious. To
organize a party for a few hundred mates. I know friends would come up to me and say that I must be
crazy to think we would even get a few hundred. By why not? There was nothing
organized for new years eve in Nz. All
our friends would fragment over this time to different beach spots through out the country. Kiwi music was burgeoning and the
following in Dunedin was something that could be replicated nationwide.
Even from the start we imagined our dream lineup would have Salmonella Dub, Ben Harper, Black Eye Peas and Groove Armada. The very
next year we had Salmonella Dub headline. To think we have had Calvin Harris,
Pharrell, Mark Ronson, Moby and others at our little party is surely a
reflection of this ambition coming to fruition.
Overall I think we want to run a safe and
secure event and do justice to the first place in the world to bring in the new
year. We have a unique opportunity to do
something no one in the else in the world can do and this inspire and motivates me no end.
Mentorship
An important point to develop as a leader
is to surround yourself with mentors to guide you and to learn off. A mentor
provides you with confidence to tackle tasks outside your skillset or experience. It is a two way relationship as that person enjoys passing on his learnings and living vicariously through the success of others.
Our first mentor was my friend’s Dad - Dean
Witters. Dean had been a successful businessman
in NZ creating Cedenco a tomato processing company-selling Tomatoes out of
Gisborne and had been on the Business Round Table. He helped cashflow the
company and push us along, giving us confidence to pursue our dream. He grilled us
when we were behind tasks, congratulated us when we delivered.
Also my father Ross Pinkham. He had helped
with Liquor licence and providing some event management feedback on how to
tackle some of the bigger tasks. Mum helped with flowers setting
up. They have always been there for me. Dad is still a big part of the festival today in the form of Emergency Services Liaison dealing with Police and Fire etc.
Another mentor was my business partner Scott
Witters. Scott had already founded a business after completing his MBA, We
began surrounding ourselves with a number of accountants, lawyers, advisors, bringing in specialist in individual areas.
We have since surrounded ourselves with
more corporate mentors to help guide and advice on risk and best business
practice. Dallas Fisher was on the board
of the Chiefs and helped with the financial risk and planning. Chris Hocquard is a
leading music lawyer so can advise on different industry situations and relevant artist deals.
Our current CEO and Festival Director Kieran Spillane is now running the business with me and has vast experience with accounting and project management. Always continue to learn and develop as an entrepreneur and a leader.
Don’t forget your roots
One of the best things we ever did was
document our Mission statement and Goals for the Rhythm and Vines project. As a result we have been able to stick to this initial vision and they still ring true today.
We wanted to create a safe and secure event
for the networks of friends from around the country. We wanted to be a platform
for NZ music – for established and up and coming musicians. We wanted to us the
project as a chance to learn about business. Do justice to the first place in
the world to bring in the new year. These were some of the key goals that we
put in place initially and still ring true today.
Its also important to remain humble. Make sure sure you are grateful I am very blessed to work in an industry I love. It is great that we have created a brand that is aspirational and respected and we intend to keep it that way.
There is nothing wrong with being confident. You need to be bullish. You need to be strong headed. So find that balance between confidence and arrogance.
Innovation
To succeed and be a strong leader is to
keep things fresh, to take risk, make creative decisions and too innovate. It
is almost like reaching into the future. Being the first to do something comes with a
lot of scrutiny. Often you will get ridiculed by peers and critics as they
perhaps can’t see the vision. But eventually they will come around once
I think we have done this particular well
with innovation around music especially. We were the first major festival to
group the growing number of dub and reggae bands in one setting. Fat Freddys,
Shapeshifter, Kora. The Black Seeds. I don’t think they have all been on one
bill ever since. The result was a sell out crowd three years in of 10,000 which set us up for the following years to come.
We have also been leaders in developing and
championing kiwi music. To think acts like The Naked and Famous, Kora, Six60,
got their early breaks at R&V makes me proud. This year the likes of Diaz Grimm, Racing,
Carlee Rhodes are performing. They could be the stars of tomorrow.
On the technology front we have always
wanted to be at the forefront of best practice. We were the first major
festival in Australasia to develop and implement RFID wristbands which are now
the norm around the world. We have our own ticketing system. We have worked
with top tech experts be it pyro, sound, lighting, LED screens etc.
We continue to innovate bringing Arcadia
Spectacular to NZ last year. It was a fire and light display from Europe that I saw at Glastonbury which blew people's minds!
So be first to the punch. Innovate. Create.
Back your decisions. Lead your market. And in turn inspire those around you.
Network
One thing I had always done is network. I
enjoy meeting people and learning from them. I don’t think myself any better than anyone
else. There is always something to be learned from other people. I love showing an interest in the people
stories and backgrounds.
As a result when I went to University I always
said yes to social opportunities. People heading out to a concert, a movie out
to the beach or a game of touch I’d jump at the chance. As a result it lead me
to develop a strong network of different friend groups. The couch crew, the
rugby heads, musicians, older students, younger students. I soon knew who was friends was who. I knew
what school everyone went to, what they were studying. It wasn’t being nosey I
just had a general interest in everyone.
This was soon to come into play when I came
up with the idea I realized I could soon pull the network together that I
needed. The first chance to was by gathering friends at Gardies one Wednesday
night. This was pre-facebook so was a good chance to spread
the word through out different social groups. We bought some beers and stood up in front of everyone and told them our idea for the party. The idea soon spread through the network.
Take opportunities. Say yes to things.
Whether it is not your scene be approachable and sociable enough to
participate. Show an interest in people. Listen to their stories. Ask them
questions.
A step further could be to join networking
groups. I was on the board of KEA Auckland
which was a chance to network with those returned from overseas. I’m currently
in a music doco club. Say yes to dinner parties, BBQ’s and invitations to
batches. Get out there and meet people you never know where it may lead!
Especially if you are wanting to invite thousands of people to a party!
Persistance / Tenacity
One of my biggest advice for leadership to
achieve success alongside action is to never ever ever give up.
There are many times we could have given up
on my journey. Two days before our event
the venue was waterlogged. Tom and I had been out in the rain trying to stack booze and move bins around. Dean had wanted to
throw in the towel - the venue was just too boggy. But we still pushed on and delivered the event. The next week when we were $20k in debt we could have also
closed up the show for ever with an expensive debt hanging over us. Both times
we pushed on through and are still here today.
Then there was the time my girlfriend had
moved to London and was trying to get me over. I decided to flag doing my OE and stay in Auckland to build my dream. Over those years we were in some serious debt but we were also committed
to getting to our 10 year anniversary. We had a new event manager who I could
learn off. We had the bones of a great idea and established brand. The future was ours if we worked for it.
After our first attempt at the three day
model we lost $400k. We rolled up sleeves. Worked out of my bedroom. Moved into
a desk at our marketing contractors. Paid ourselves minimum wage. Borrowed money. Kept the flame alive.
This Easter we were closing the company we were in serious debt again. But no way.
We borrowed a sizeable amount to keep the creditors at bay. We have had to restructure our business. We are currently host desking at a pub in Ponsonby. Stripped back our team. Cut our budgets. Realigned our stages
and venue.
But we will never ever give up on our
dream.
