The AvA Connection

🐝 The Weekly Buzz

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass just dropped an executive directive to cut red tape for film/TV shoots in L.A.

• Think faster permits, fewer city staffers on set, and easier access to iconic spots like Griffith Observatory and the Port of LA.

• The goal? Make LA the easiest place to film in the country, rolling out the red carpet with lower fees, streamlined approvals, and a “film-friendly” attitude across city departments.

• This comes on the heels of dual strikes, shutdowns, rising prices, and losing shoots to more tax-friendly cities & countries.

• TLDR: L.A. wants its crown back as the global capital of entertainment and city hall is finally taking steps to make it happen. Now about that CA State Tax Credit..

Lady Gaga is one award away from an EGOT. Gaga received a Sports Emmy this past Tuesday for her pre-game Super Bowl performance, she has 14 Grammys (so far), and she got an Oscar for “Shallow.” All that’s left is that dang Tony award.

TikTok pens new partnership with Soundcloud. Other streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and more already have been integrated, but now Soundcloud users can also save the songs they find on their feed.

Michael B. Jordan is set to receive the American Cinematheque Award. Jordan is the 39th recipient of the honor. Fun fact: His directorial debut with ‘Creed lll’ was the highest-grossing sports film opening ever.

Joachim Trier’s ‘Sentimental Value’ got a 19 MINUTE ovation at Cannes, which is as impressive as it is silly. I get horribly uncomfortable when people sing happy birthday to me I simply cannot imagine 19 minutes of clapping.

Speaking of Cannes:

Elle Fanning and Kieran Culkin were cast for the new Hunger Games film. People (me) are pumped.

Tom Brady & Kevin Hart are playing in a $1 million Fanatics fan event. 50 fans are competing against a group of 50 athletes, musicians, and entertainers, and the competition will include eight different sporting events. Random but I miss that Man vs Beast show. Someone bring it back.

German artists generated $520 million in royalties on Spotify in 2024. German was one of the top performing languages on Spotify of the year, with an 18% YOY increase – more than doubling since 2020.

The Weeknd’s film misses expectations at the box office (to put it lightly). ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Koeghan debuted at $3.3 million and currently boasts a 14% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is the same approval rating my boss gave me during my 1-on-1 last year.

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📞 The Call Log: Ellen Lu - Vice President, Goldenvoice

Ellen Lu went from selling merchandise as an AEG intern at the first Camp Flog Gnaw (Tyler, The Creator’s festival and carnival), to booking and overseeing that festival, Head In The Clouds (LA & NYC), booking multiple venues around L.A., and even worked with the Japanese government and Japanese music industry on this ‘mini-festival’ called Matsuri at the Peacock Theatre.

Ellen has risen through the ranks, is now a VP @ AEG’s Goldenvoice and is a boundary pusher who was touted by Billboard as a R&B/Hip-Hop Power Player and an Industry Shaping LGBTQIA+ Executive.

Her career path is INSPIRING and she also has one of my favorite IG handles (youngfabricsoftener). Its probably an inside joke I’m not in on but I still appreciate it. Where were we. Oh yea interview time. Our conversation is below:

AvA: What was your first job in music? What was that experience like? 

Lu: Goldenvoice is actually my first job! I was fortunate to join the Goldenvoice team right out of college working with Lesley Olenik who’s been a mentor and friend to me since the very beginning. Working with her built the foundation for my career, and because of that I’ll always be grateful for her. I also benefited from working with a team led by women of color – from the talent buyer to the marketing manager to the ticketing manager to the venue GM – I was surrounded by strong women who uplifted me throughout the way. Working with a team fully driven by women of color is still a very unique situation in the music industry. Every time I share this experience with someone they’re shocked by it and it reminds me how lucky I am to have had that experience.

AvA: Looking back on your career so far, what’s one moment that you consider to be a milestone or turning point for you? What did you learn from that experience that you still carry with you today?

Lu: When I was an intern, I never said no to a gig that would come my way. It didn’t matter if I was importing info into an Excel sheet for a venue, or putting wristbands on patrons at a festival. I took every opportunity because it put me in front of people and helped open unexpected doors. One of those opportunities was selling merch at the first Camp Flog Gnaw (formerly known at Odd Future Carnival) out in a parking lot adjacent to LA Live. That moment shifted everything for me.

AvA: With a music scene that is more saturated than ever, how do you approach innovation and uniqueness in the projects you work on?

Lu: None of us do this on our own. I obviously benefit from having partners on Camp Flog Gnaw and Head in the Clouds which means these festivals are booked from a promoter, manager, and artist perspective which is what makes them unique because we all see the line-up from a different lens. At the end of the day, the innovative ideas we’ve been able to execute over the years have been due to relationships we all bring to the table. I also talk to anyone who will lend me their time.

Whether it’s my younger brother Jason, Goldenvoice peers, friends, etc. – they’ve all got something interesting to impart. To your point, there’s so much out there and I can do everything I can to soak up as much as possible, but it’s impossible for one person to know it all. Conversations with the right people help spark an idea I might not have thought of on my own.

AvA: As an Asian American in the music industry, you've expressed interest in bridging the music scene between Asia and the U.S.. What role do you see festivals playing in this evolution?

Lu: Festivals are an important gateway for artists from Asia because it helps with broad exposure by putting them in front of fans who perhaps aren’t familiar with them to begin with. It also helps them in a big way financially given that one of the biggest hurdles for foreign artists to tour in the US is how expensive it is, and most of the time festivals can pay enough to get the band here so they can route a few shows around it so they can start to build their hard ticket history.

AvA: What is one piece of advice you have for someone early in their career?

Lu: Be open to every opportunity that comes your way because you never know what door it will open for you, who it’ll put you in front of, or what you’ll learn. Be curious. To my point earlier, none of us do this on our own – it’d be foolish to assume you can – so respect the people around you.

AvA: Dream festival headliners (dead or alive)?

Lu: Jay Chou for Head in the Clouds.

AvA: If money was no object, what would your job/career be (outside of the Entertainment Industry)?

Lu: I wanted to go to space as a kid. Curiosity is still there, but the concept is terrifying to me now.

AvA: What are you binging on TV right now?

Lu: Like everyone else, Severance.

AvA: Mentor shoutout? 

Lu: Lesley Olenik – forever and always.

AvA: Book or podcast recommendation? 

Lu: Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso – I particularly love the episodes with Ocean Vuong and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

👋 See you back here on Tuesday for a brand new batch of Entertainment jobs and news.

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This newsletter is written by Warner Bailey and edited by Riley Furey

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