What Exactly Do I Do in the Freelance Event Gig Economy?

“What Exactly Do You Do?”

In response to one of my many InstaStory posts while out on a job, somebody asked what exactly is it that I do. She’s one of many that have expressed curiosity, but it’s the ones that witness the almost as-the-wind-blows way I live my life that are the most baffled. How can you live like this, they’ve voiced. Do you even have a job?

I’ve been called Tommy quite a few times, making a reference to a character on the 90s sitcom, Martin, who would often use his job as an exit strategy, to which the show’s namesake character would respond, “you ain’t got no job, Tommy!” in his signature manner.  Tommy from Martin could never say what he did for work.  It'd be an excuse in instances, “oh, I can’t make it, man, I have to work,” but when asked by another person in the scene, “what exactly do you do,” he’d have some sort of run-around answer.

Yeah, I gotta getting going for this job, man.. 

What job, Tommy?!

Note: I wasn’t yet born when the 90s sitcom Martin initially aired, but that’s my understanding from the jokes people have cracked on me, and the occasional times I caught re-runs of Martin on Nick-At-Nite, or whatever network was playing them during my adolescence.  If I hadn’t put my phone in airplane mode and disconnected my Internet modem for this writing session (in an effort to decrease distraction), I would’ve looked it up.  Y’all TV watchers can tell me though, that’s right?  Why couldn’t Tommy from Martin say what he did for a living?  Did he live off of government assistance?  Was his money earned from illicit activity? …Or, was Tommy like me, had an upright and legal living that simply couldn’t be told in one sentence.

Am I Tommy?  Or was Tommy me?

There is no one thing that I do in the freelance event gig economy.  Similar to my answer for the question, “how do you land gigs like this,” it depends on the event.  Since we used working Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles as a reference point in the previous side hustle series post, let’s use it to answer the second half of my rider’s question, “what exactly do you do”.

Related: How Do You Land Gigs Like This?

For Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, I worked “On The Fifty”, a modern, indoor, VIP bar and lounge space that walks out to ground-level patio-seating on the football field’s 50-yard-line.  You’re within steps of being in the game from that watchpoint.  Certain Super Bowl attendees with special laniards around their necks had access to a staircase that led down to this On The Fifty area from their seats in the bleachers (that’s what they’re called in school; is that what they’re called in the NFL?).  I don’t recall finding out the price for that ticket level, but I’m sure it was a pretty penny. 

Inside SoFi Stadium’s 50-yard-line field club, the patio area nearly meets the turf. | photo: PartySlate.com

One of the guests I spoke with turned out to be the owner of a chain of financial institutions throughout Africa, then another I recognized was 90s & 2000s heartthrob, Usher (one of my big cousins, Rashan, had pictures of this man ALL over when she was in high school, making my lil’ elementary tail call myself having a crush on him too).  Snowfall star, Damson Idris, was there that day too, but not On The Fifty; riding a different elevator, I watched him try to plead with security to go onto a floor where his ticket obviously didn’t grant access, as I walked on past with my all-access badge.  That gave me a little giggle, seeing him get turned away, as I’m not a fan of his attitude, but that’s another story for another day..  Anyway.. 

Inside On The Fifty’s elaborate game-day experience for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, there were two buffets of entree courses, a full bar for adult beverages, hors d’oeuvres being passed, different dessert stations, a popcorn stand, and a sushi bar.

And what was I doing at this event?

To be specific, I served as a sushi bar attendant.  I didn’t plate the sushi, I didn’t prepare the sushi. I attended to the sushi.  Girl wtf is “attending to” sushi?!  I stood in front of the bar area dedicated to a beautiful arrangement of sushi varietals as guests walked up and made their own little appetizer plates.  I wasn’t responsible for tidying up around the sushi display, nor replenishing it. 

SoFi Stadium has a full-time, in-house staff that’s there throughout the week whether or not events are taking place, and a part of that staff is a housekeeping crew.  Housekeeping kept everything clean.  In addition to the housekeeping team, some of my fellow special event workers were assigned as “bussers” for the event, walking around the space picking up any food and beverage items no longer in use.  On the backside of the sushi bar was the sushi team continuously filling the display throughout event service.  

I smiled, I greeted, and I made eye-contact with the appropriate personnel if there was a problem.

Then, during the Super Bowl halftime show, I went out to the field-side patio area to watch.  Being that close-up, you couldn’t really see the full spectrum of the show, so I made my way up to into a higher point of SoFi Stadium, still right on the 50-yard-line.  I was front and center for Snoop Doggy Dog and the rest of ‘em, that sushi was attending itself.

Known as Pechanga Founders' Club on regular days, this 50-yard-line VIP space inside of SoFi Stadium was transformed into an elaborate “On The Fifty” experience during Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. | photo: SoFi Stadium

Child, let me go.  What time did I start putting words on this Mac TextEdit page fr fr?  Two?  And the clock just struck five..  And I got a couple small loads of laundry done in-between.. Okay, I’m not mad at it.  I’m going to go take me a lil’ evening bike ride #aroundLA, then when I return home, I’ll reconnect my Internet, transfer this text onto an aroundLAwithTK webpage, add some hyperlinks and pictures, then press PUBLISH!  Ahhhhhhhh, fck..  I kinda hate that I want this content creator / writer + producer / artist life, why couldn’t I have wanted to be a teacher like my big brother, or a nurse like every other girl I know from back home?  Those have much more clear paths.  Ah, well, here we are, going for it [inserts shoulder shrug emoji]

Huge thanks to Bella, a lovely young lady I met while going to college in Lafayette, for asking such a specific and content-inspiring question.  Bella is a flight attendant flying airways around the world, and she’s not based here, so she wasn’t looking to book any event gigs in Los Angeles; she was just curious.. at least, I hope that’s the case, because Lord knows that child asked me that question over a year and a half ago and here I am just now writing a blog post to answer it.  [spanks tail]. Hey, we up now!  

What questions do you have about working event gigs, networking, or anything related to making a living in Los Angeles?  Please, ask!  Move me to keep this side hustle series going!  You can hit me on Instagram, like Bella did, or tweet me on Twitter!