Meet the RQ Team: Jess Anson (Patreon)

Who are you?

Hey all!  I’m Jess Anson, here to give you a little bit of insight into what a working day looks like for me.  I’m Rusty Quill’s Event Manager, which means that, in essence, my job is putting together fun things for you all to attend!  Case in point, The Magnus Protocol premiere from October 2023.

Why Event Management?

My career goal is to give people the opportunity to have incredible experiences, make new friends and create life-long memories, like the conventions and fan events I’ve attended over the years have given me.  It’s where I feel most at home, surrounded by likeminded people and stepping away from normality for a day or two.  After putting together my own events and a convention or two voluntarily for a few years (did anyone go to PodUK?), Rusty Quill has given me the incredible opportunity to do it as my job! 

What does a workday look like for you?

Every day looks different – sometimes I’m planning an event in-house (like the premiere, or our Twitch livestreams), sometimes I’m reaching out to external events to see what collaboration opportunities are out there (our MCM attendance last October was a dream come true for me!) – sometimes, I’m helping put together an off-the-wall ARG! ..Okay, that was only once (and will stay once..) but it was memorable for sure.

Since it’s a remote job, the events I put on are also a great excuse to hang out with my co-workers, but when I’m at home, my primary ‘co-worker’ looks a little different.  This is Sirius! 

(Image descriptions: A seal point ragdoll cat with bright blue eyes in a variety of poses.  From left to right: Asleep on a sofa, looking down from a cat tower and sitting on Jess’s lap with one paw on the laptop)

He helps out (in his own way) day to day as I put together various event spreadsheets, send off emails and research venues.  Sometimes he even makes an appearance at meetings!  His attendance rate isn’t great, but we forgive him.  I stand in and take notes in his stead. 

What event are you most looking forward to working on?

The events department has been gearing up for some big things recently; I’m particularly excited for the upcoming Magnus live shows, which need a vast amount of planning!  Part of my job is ensuring even the smallest of details are accounted for using extensive spreadsheets and word documents, and I’m sure I’ll have a small mountain of them by the time the tour wraps!  All worth it for the finished product.  Plus, this project in particular will mean lots of opportunities not only for inter-departmental collaboration, but for working with third parties for… potential cool things.  Let’s just leave it there for now!

Do you have any advice for someone wanting to get into events planning?

Be prepared to put together a lot of spreadsheets!  My goal for every event is to have everything planned enough that by the time the day of the event rolls around, my only job is to watch it all unfold smoothly.  More than anything, that takes time, and attention to detail, especially when it comes to the ‘admin’ items like insurance, risk assessments and writing terms & conditions.  And also, of course, it takes a degree of passion – it’s much easier to put in the work when you’re excited about the event you’re planning!

Aside from the admin side of things, there’s the people factor.  Putting together an event means working with lots of different people, which can come with all sorts of issues.  Working with the Rusty Quill team means I know I’m working with great people who are all here for the love of it, not just another 9-5.  It’s a real collaborative effort.