Straight Up Random

Industry Insider: Christina Healey of The Florida Scene

Can you tell us a little about The Florida Scene and what you do?

I single-handedly operate The Florida Scene in my spare time. I don’t have a lot of it, but I do the best I can. This started as just a place where I could promote your shows by posting flyers but once in a while I book some myself. I’m trying to expand my booking beyond South Florida and am also open to selling merchandise for bands at shows. This summer, I’ll be releasing a compilation to promote the bands who I think deserve more recognition.

What’s your favorite part about it?

I just love helping. It’s very disappointing when people don’t appreciate what I do but I meet plenty of amazing people along the way who make everything that I put into this worth it. I love coming across talented local and national bands and meeting them at shows. I love going to shows, so I love when I have successful ones and when people just come out and have a good time. But I really just love helping out. I don’t know why.

What made you start The Florida Scene?

I started it in April 2006. I’d been going to shows long enough to understand what the local scene was like at its best and worst. I started going to shows when I was 13 and we had a huge group of friends go to Pompano Indoor Skatepark (PIS) every weekend. As PIS and almost every surrounding venue started to close over the years, most of my friends dropped out on local music. They stopped playing instruments, their bands broke up, they went to raves instead of shows. That period of my life completely sucked. In April 2006 I started The Florida Scene as a way to network with people who felt the same way I did and wanted change. Over a short period of time I realized that the majority of what I did was promote myself, bands, and their shows, so that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.

How can a band go about being promoted on The Florida Scene’s MySpace?

Just send me a message! Any band playing a show anywhere in Florida can send me a message at www.myspace.com/thefloridascene and I’ll be happy to promote their shows. It’s really that easy.

How’d you wind up booking shows?

The Florida Scene actually began as a myspace group, rather than a music page. To promote myself and bands I had contests every 2 weeks where people would have to come to my page to vote on their favorite band, until it wired down to the final 5 or 6. Those final top bands were supposed to be awarded with a show but due to a handful of circumstances and my inexperience, it just didn’t happen. Then around a year later I gave it another shot, and ended up booking a punk show which was pretty successful and got enough positive feedback for me to continue.

Any crazy experiences happen at one of the shows you’ve booked?

My favorite story is the one of The Flaming Tsunamis last summer. They’re one of my absolute favorite bands and I was lucky enough to be able to book them. Their tour date actually fell on the night before the first day of school. You wouldn’t think it was a good thing that a hurricane was sweeping through that very same night, and we had hurricane warnings, and public schools ended up having to close on the first day. Apparently no one’s parents were too concerned though, because even more people made it to the show in the hurricane than those that would’ve if there was school the next day!

What advice would you give someone who wants to become a promoter and/or wants to learn how to book shows?

 You really just need to love what you’re doing. You can’t go into it with the idea of getting attention because I promise you: people know who those promoters are. You also can’t expect to make money. I have been doing this for over 3 years and have yet to make a penny. You need a thick skin when people give you criticism and tell you what you’re doing isn’t good enough. No matter how hard you work, you’re always going to have shows flop. You also need to accept the fact that bands will bail the night of the show without notice and venues will close out of nowhere. If you’ve booked a band and time after time they always show up late and make your show a complication, have them play last next time or don’t have them at all! You can’t be shy (I’ve been working on this myself, over the years). If you can’t talk to people, introduce yourself, visit the owner of a venue in person, or talk business over the phone, then you have a lot to work on! Just know that all of these people want to play and/or book shows, just like you. If you love what you’re doing, you’ll find all the positive aspects quite easily.

Do you plan on pursuing a full-time career in the music industry?

I would absolutely love to. I would love to be a band manager, booking and going on tours with bands. I’d love to sell merch and be on the road. I’ve also wanted to open a venue since I was young, but I want to wait until I’m a little older and hopefully taller than 5’1”!

What bands do you recommend our readers to check out that you have worked with?

In no special order: Go Rydell, Bulletproof Your Limousine, Bear Hugs, The Strikeouts, The Dead Legs, Leading the Heroes, Centuries, Break On Through, The Punktuations, Change of Ideas, Dead Ravens, and Protagonist. These are all bands from Florida who also either have shows that I have booked this summer or who are going to appear on the summer compilation. Outside of Florida I have to say my favorite bands to work with are We Are the Union from Michigan and The Flaming Tsunamis from Connecticut.

Can you give us one straight up random fact about yourself?

I have 23 ribs.

Any last words for the readers of Straight Up Random?

This summer I’m working on more than I ever have before. The compilations that I’m talking about so much are going to be my very first and are going to be released very soon. I have around 7 shows in South Florida this summer that I hope you’ll check out. I’m also going to have new T-Shirts. So many exciting new things! If anyone out there needs help with promoting or booking you can always message me at www.mysapce.com/thefloridascene. Even if I can’t get you what you’re looking for, I’ll point you in the right direction.