It’s a big year for SoundGirls at NAMM! SoundGirls and AES are partnering to mentor women in 5 different areas of audio recording and business at the 2020 NAMM Show. In addition, SoundGirls are also invited to other events, from a special tour of QSC to networking over dinner and drinks. We have all the details.

The 2020 NAMM Show is packed with opportunity for members of SoundGirls. I’ve been a member of SoundGirls for a couple of years and am pleased to see the organization partnering with AES and NAMM to bring education and support to women in audio. In this article, we will take a look at some of the ways they are doing just that.

Thursday 16th January

In collaboration and sponsored by AES, SoundGirls will be hosting five mentoring sessions during NAMM led by giants of the pro-audio industry. The sessions will take place on Thursday, January 16th and have filled up quickly. 

Kicking off the mentoring sessions at 11am is Post-Production/Film & TV hosted by Leslie Gaston-Bird, April Tucker, Shannon Deane, and Katy Wood.

Live Event Production follows at noon and the mentors for that session will be Meegan Holmes, Karrie Keyes, Whitney Olpin, Claire Murphy, Tiffany Hendren, McKenzee Morley, and Mary Broadbent. 

Personally, I’m looking forward to attending the 1 pm session on Recording Arts led by Leslie Ann Jones, Jett Galindo, Catharine Wood, Lenise Bent, and Fela Davis.

Manufacturing & Sales follows that with Dawn Birr, Samantha Pink, Sara Elliott, Becki Barbaras, and Erika Earl as mentors.

The fifth and final mentoring session dives into Contracts and Negotiations, hosted by RafterMarsh and mentors include Sean Sully Sullivan, Karrie Keyes, Piper Payne, and Catherine Vericolli.

Friday 17th January

QSC has invited SoundGirls to tour their booth and live sound products on January 17 from 10:30 am - 11:30 am. They’ll meet with QSC product managers and QSC artist relations managers to learn about the new live sound products QSC is debuting at the show.

SoundGirls co-founder and executive director Karrie Keyes (longtime monitor engineer for Pearl Jam) will receive the Parnelli Audio Innovator Award at the 19th annual ceremony, also on Friday, January 17th, 2020.

Weekend Networking

SoundGirls are invited to dinner and drinks at The Fifth Rooftop Restaurant and Bar in Anaheim on Saturday, January 18th at 7 pm. 

On Sunday, there’s a great networking opportunity at the SoundGirls NAMM Sunday Breakfast from 10:00 am to noon at the Anaheim Hilton Hotel. I attended last year and met SoundGirls from all over the world and we chatted about our experiences over coffee. Register here for The SoundGirls Breakfast

What Is The SoundGirls Mission

Formed in 2013, SoundGirls is a professional mentoring and educational organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering the next generation of women in audio. Their mission is to create a supportive community for women in audio and music production, providing the tools, knowledge, and support to further their careers.