Making waves in a male dominated industry with EMM Founder Erica Marrello!
Erica has been a leader in events throughout her over decade-long career.
Starting in the craft by planning her highschool prom with a close friend while attending international school in Portugal, Erica has forged a strong path in Hospitality-focused and Creative Events based in the Arts, Culture and Entertainment industry.
Erica has been a key part of the successful execution of various high-profile public events, including many of BC's most recognized concerts and festivals typically leading the beverage service operations and custom designing or curating creative projects.
In addition to all her contributions to live events, Erica is an Artist and Creative Director with a passion for bright colours and celebrating natural shapes.
In 2023 she founded EMM Gallery, the sister company to EMM Creative focusing on original artwork and a new apparel line!
Get to know the woman behind Vancouver’s leading and most vibrant large-scale Beverage Operations, Creative Events and Arts Agency.
Ten Questions to Get to Know Erica:
1. What or who inspires you?
So many things….inspiration hits me randomly sometimes but most often when I am having quiet moments in nature or surrounded by other creative individuals who share the passion to create experiences that are unique and exciting.
2. What started your journey to all things EMM Creative?
I’ve always had a passion for the arts and in particular live events. There is something so special and amazing about being fully immersed in an experience and truly living in the moment.
The first live event I co-produced was our High School Prom with one of my closest friends in 2010. It is so cool to be able to look back at the fact that we created something memorable to close out our high school years together. Being in an international school, many of us moved on to be in different countries post-graduation so I'm really happy that we had the foresight to want to create something special to commemorate that. I am still friends with many of the people I went to school with despite being long-distance which is something I really cherish. I think putting an effort in to celebrations was a big part of creating the bonds we still share.
I knew when I started really getting in to the back-of-house side of larger productions that I wanted to do things differently. It's such an incredible privilege that we get to create these amazing experiences and work with such diverse, talented people. I really wanted to find a way to celebrate this and bring the joy back in to the back-of-house.
There is a lot of pressure when it comes to putting together many our projects as they are often highly public and involving many high-profile stakeholders so a seamless operation is imperative..but just because we only have one shot to get it right doesn't mean we still can't have fun with it.
The best event teams are the ones who can see how all the individual departments fit together and work together to have open communication and find solutions on the fly by collaborating across the board in an effort to achieve the same goal and make it a joyous occasion despite the challenges that inevitably come up. This is the kind of environment I didn't always experience coming up in the industry and strive to create on all our projects and a big reason why I started EMM Creative.
3. What kind of roles have you worked in during in your career in Events?
I've always been in Coordination and my first large-scale event was Vancouver Fashion Week in 2011/12. I started as an assistant and quickly moved my way up to being Backstage Coordinator, Creative Director for Hair & Make-up, After Party Coordinator, Media Relations and so much more even going on to manage Hair and Makeup and even do makeup for the models myself for Designers catalogue shoots and exclusive fashion show events.
After VFW I went on to produce a few smaller fashion-based events of my own and managing the backstage at a variety of runway shows, many for non-profits and charitable organizations.
From there I wanted to get in to the bigger concerts and festivals so I got in with a security company who was managing Pemberton Music Festival in 2014. Due to a family emergency of the original supervisor after the first day I was appointed the co-lead of the team along with another guard. Together we quickly got tossed in to the thick of it and leveraged eachothers strengths to keep the operation going. We learned a ton and despite some challenges, to this day we are still really good friends. That's part of the beauty of events for me - I have met some of my favourite people and best friends on event sites that I otherwise would have never crossed paths with.
After a while working in the Event Security field and a variety of event-based contract positions as I attended college, a position at a local production company that focused on Event Hospitality opened up and I applied as soon as I could.
I landed the job and in addition to a number of corporate events, I helped lead the Beverage Operations at Harvest Haus in 2016. By 2017 I wasn't just assisting anymore and took the reigns of managing the Beverage Program for Harvest Haus in addition to a variety other large-scale projects and high-calibre bookings for the company...the rest is history and I started EMM Creative Arts Co in 2020.
4. What has been your experience being a woman in a male dominated industry?
It’s definitely had its challenges. I actually started off as a bartender in my early career and I think that experience really helped me in learning how to handle many different types of people.
In my experience it has mostly been men in the decision-making and financially-focused roles in the majority of our higher-calibre projects, especially when it comes to Production, Operations and Food & Beverage and let's not forget leading multiple large teams of Security Guards during my stint as Security Supervisor post Pemberton 2014.
Despite experience and the resume you have on paper, regardless of how many incredible projects you have worked on or made happen, there still can often be that sense of women being great at hospitality and service but not necessarily looked at as leaders in operations.
There is definitely a feeling of having to prove yourself more as a woman to be taken seriously or be paid your worth. That said, as the industry continues to grow, there are starting to be more women in leadership positions which has been a really wonderful shift.
5. What is the story behind #GETMELTED?
#GETMELTED is a passion project that started from a daydream.
I was sitting on the beach in my favourite place and started feeling inspired by the golden hues of the sun setting over the mountains.
I started to imagine what it would be like if I could pour paint over them and add colour to the natural shapes and ridges. I then realized how similar the curves of the mountains resembled that of a human body and dreamed of putting this dream to reality.
In September 2021 I pulled some friends together and convinced them to go along with my wild idea...about a year and a half later I wondered what could happen if I turned the experience into a personalized photo package and for me, once I get an idea in my head there are very few things that will deter me from making it happen. I started on the website and asked some friends in my community if they would help bring this to life and to my surprise I had so many excited humans apply to let me pour paint on to them. Initially the idea was to use colours and settings that bring out the essence of the person in the colours of the paint, which is the focus of our personal photoshoot packages.
I never imagined at the beginning that this would develop in to a live performance art that I can combine with my other passion, events.
In 2023 my business partner - another amazing powerhouse woman, Desiree Armstrong of Zynth Events & Entertainment - and I got asked to create a live performance for a brand activation at Diner en Blanc Vancouver and now just a quarter of the way in to 2024 we have already done 3 diverse renditions of the project and I can't wait to see what other opportunities #GETMELTED can bring us!
6. What are you most excited about this coming season?
I’m really excited to get more in to the creative side of EMM and be coming back to some phenomenal Event and Bar Operations projects this year.
It's shaping up to look like our most amazing season yet and I am so grateful to have an amazing team of humans around me to make the magic happen.
7. What is your go to beverage? - Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic!
For booze I love a spicy, full-bodied red wine or a cool, zesty Moscow Mule!
Non-Alcoholic, can’t go wrong with a great fresh juice or smoothie when I’m feeling a bit depleted or low-energy, otherwise I am a big straight-up water drinker.
There also is something so good and thirst-quenching about an ice cold Cola-Cola or a soothing Ginger Ale, especially in the hotter months.
8. What is on your current go to playlist?
Currently I’ve been really loving the surprise of my Spotify Daylists.
My Liked Songs are a huge cluster of countless genres but when I need to inject some fun or comfort in to my day I go straight to Millennial cheese 🧀 - since we're celebrating Women's Day, I'm forever a big fan of the 90's/2000's Divas and pop royalty - Britney, Christina, JLo, Whitney, Tina, Cher, Aaliyah, Missy, Sade, the Spice Girls(!)...I could go on forever.
9. What is your dream vacation/where is next on your travel list?
Oooo this list is LONG! To start, I really would love to explore more of coastal Italy and the islands of Greece…South-East Asia, some parts of Africa and the South Pacific, South America....basically anywhere hot and beachy count me in!
It’s one of my dreams to be able to combine work and travel and be able to create amazing experiences, share my art and take in different cultures globally. #EMMWorldwide, let's go!
10. What is your dream event or musician to work with?
I’m obsessed with a good theme. The more fun and outlandish, the better. I love a customized private party with freedom and the ability to go all out without limits.
Hit me with a curated music and arts festival in a gorgeous natural setting by the water that combines top-notch live entertainment and bold art installations with a tailored, bespoke food and beverage program coupled with some pop-up surprises and I think that would be my dream event. - Which producers wanna chat more? 😏
Happy Women's Day!!
Contact us for your next project at hello@emmcreativearts.com & Follow us and Erica on Instagram to stay updated! @emm.creative @emm.gallery @emm.wear @emm.erica
Written by EMM Creative Arts Co. - 03.08.2024
Photo Credits (top to bottom):
Halie Scaletta
Raqual Dombowsky
Various from Erica's archives
Various from Erica's archives
Various from Erica's archives
Various from Erica's archives
Kaaran Singh
Kaaran Singh
EMM Creative
EMM Creative
Raqual Dombowsky
EMM Creative Arts Co. (c)
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