Vox Featured in latest edition of [EDIT]
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{EDIT} Magazine, March 2021
How and Why VOX Management Agency Makes Others Shine
by Jennifer Wood
When you meet Stephanie Purcell and Danielle Lemieux, the leaders at VOX, the Halifax, Nova Scotia–based boutique management agency, you feel inspired to hold an event and book one of the many talented comedians, keynote speakers and musicians on their growing roster. It will be a great time and a seamless production, thanks to their many years working in the industry and meeting, signing and establishing trusted and devoted relationships with some of the best talent there is. They manage the booking of keynote speakers and comedians for corporate gigs and of musicians for festivals and concerts — even for authentic Maritime kitchen parties — in Nova Scotia, throughout the country, and in locations as far afield as Paris and the English countryside.
Purcell, the agency’s founder and booking agent, grew up in Newfoundland and Labrador and has been devoted to the events industry for more than 15 years. Her diverse roster includes award-winning comedian Steve Patterson, premier R&B funk band The Mellotones and celebrated keynote speaker and entrepreneur Tareq Hadhad, the founder of Peace by Chocolate. She has booked international megastars like The Daily Show’s Hasan Minhaj, national icons like k.d. lang, and regional award-winning talent like Ria Mae, Alan Doyle, David Myles and Joel Plaskett, to name a few.
Danielle Lemieux was born in northern Ontario and is VOX’s director of live events. A tour de force at managing the many behind-the-scenes details that can make or break a performance, she has a keen sense of the particulars that need to come together and when. The aptitude, confidence and ease she brings to the supervision of specifics that most people find stressful, like live audio tech, are second to none.
The duo met through mutual friends in the events industry and eventually worked together for another company before Purcell decided to branch out on her own. It was a mere second before Lemieux decided to join her. Together, they have maintained their cherished industry relationships while nurturing new ones. Each booking represents a new opportunity for the pair to put together the pieces of a puzzle as they manage expectations and the conversations around what the deliverables are.
“Trust is a huge part of the relationships we form,” explains Purcell from her office in Halifax’s North End.
“We trust that talent booked for the event arrives fresh and ready to deliver, and we trust that the event planners will have everything needed ready when the talent arrives. A successful event only happens when both parties shine.”
One of the first talents they signed was Tareq Hadhad, who landed in Nova Scotia with his entrepreneurial Syrian family in 2015. He is the founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate, now an internationally recognized company. Hadhad began working with VOX on his brand and telling his story of survival and success in 2017. His trust in Purcell and Lemieux has transformed his passion for peace and entrepreneurship and the positive impact of Syrian newcomers to Canada into a highly sought-after story: in four short years, he has become one of the most popular keynote speakers in the country.
“He is the most genuine and inspiring person we have ever met,” explains Purcell. “His story is a true Canadian tale of success, and he radiates all the charisma and charm needed to captivate any audience. I have been in this industry for a long time, and I have seen him grow faster and better than anyone I have ever worked with. It’s amazing that he can grab hold of an audience the way that he does in a second language! We are beyond pleased that he signed with us.”
Lemieux adds, “We have learned so much about the refugee experience and immigration. He takes his Canadian citizenship very seriously. And anyone who meets him loves him. Oh, and you never know where you’ll find him. He was invited to a Senators game in Ottawa, and the next thing you know he’s on the ice, and the following week, Mark Critch interviewed him on This Hour Has 22 Minutes.”
Another superstar on their roster is Steve Patterson, host of CBC Radio One’s The Debaters. VOX has worked with Patterson and wife, Nancy on his brand, marketing the launch of his book, (The Book of Letters I Didn’t Know Where to Send. (He has another book due to launch this year). A gifted comedian, he is equally comfortable as a master of ceremonies or keynote speaker.
“We love him so much,” says Purcell. “He and Nancy have become like family to us. He delivers such smart comedy and has become one of the biggest corporate comedians in the country.”
Understandably, live events were hard-hit when the pandemic swept around the globe. Overnight, VOX had to manage the postponement of their entire portfolio of bookings while rethinking how they would conduct business moving forward. But in the world of booking talent, if you can’t manage a little change of direction, it’s clearly not the industry for you.
“It was a lot of sleepless nights in the beginning,” laughs Purcell. “We had to get our head around the logistics of getting people together who were no longer able to, well, get together!”
Endlessly optimistic, the pair began to rethink the business, while helping their clients manage the many modifications they needed to face. Some were more optimistic than others, choosing to reschedule their events for the autumn of 2020, which sadly could not happen.
“You can look at the experience as glass half-empty or glass half-full,” Lemieux explains. “It opened up a new way of doing business and brought more people together who would have not had the opportunity to do so. Virtual platforms kept some of our contracts intact. They may have looked a little different, but the upside was that everyone could participate, not just people who lived in close proximity to the event.”
A few weeks after the Nova Scotia lockdown began in the spring of 2020, VOX spearheaded an event coalition.
“We brought industry professionals together to bounce ideas off of and support one another,” Purcell tells [EDIT]. “We hosted an event in July, which was, I believe, the first and largest live event held in Canada. We brought 100 event professionals together at the Marriott in Halifax. It was amazing, an opportunity to learn new ways of doing business — we have learned to collaborate a lot more.”
VOX later produced three sold-out shows featuring Dave Sampson at the same Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel. To ensure success, Purcell and Lemieux had had to rethink the entire evening: how guests arrived; how, when and where they were seated; and how they would exit following the performance.
“It was such a magical night, and everything was so seamless until the end of the concert when the crowd stood for a standing ovation. We had accounted for everything else… except that!” laughs Lemieux. “Dave was great though: even though it was probably a bit awkward, he kindly told fans, ‛While standing Os are appreciated, please stay seated until you are permitted to leave.’”
Whether their many clients are seeking a comedian, a keynote speaker, a musician or a band for their concert, event or special celebration, it’s a guarantee that once VOX is enlisted, the remaining details needed to pull off a great event will fall in place, thanks to the professionalism, confidence and experience of the agency. One thing’s for sure, working with this dynamic pair is a ton of fun too. And ultimately, that’s what it’s all about right now.
Maritime Edit, March 2021
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