Don’t miss out! Our next Wonky Wednesday is on July 10th from 12pm - 1:00 pm.
Join us for our FREE virtual lunchtime hour talk! The conversation will be moderated by Julie Baker, CEO of CA for the Arts/CA Arts Advocates with guest speakers Gabriel Docto, Director of Operations at August Hall, San Francisco and Leadership team member at NIVA CA; and Alex Torres, Policy Advisor at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and Lobbyist at NIVA CA.
Listen in on a conversation about the current landscape around ticketing bills, both federal and California laws and a review of the California legislative process. If you are a venue or artist that sells tickets to a performance, you want to be in on this discussion!
As the CEO of California’s statewide arts advocacy organizations since 2018, Julie has worked to increase the legislative clout and visibility of the arts and culture communities by building coalition across the for and non-profit sectors of California’s creative industries, producing a month-long arts awareness and advocacy campaign every April, and fighting for resources and legislation to serve and protect artists and cultural workers. She was recently appointed to the Board of the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF).
Julie has served as the California State Captain to Americans for the Arts’ National Arts Action Summit, as the recent co-chair of the Western Arts Advocacy network for WESTAF, as well as co-chair of the creative economy working group at the CA Economic Summit. She is the Board President of California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project and was elected to the Nevada County school board in November of 2020. She is also an appointed member of the State of California’s 2022 Entrepreneurship & Economic Mobility Task Force (EEMTF) and the Creative Economy Working Group under the California Arts Council. Julie is the recipient of the 2021 Americans for the Arts Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award that honors an individual at the state level whose arts advocacy efforts have dramatically affected the political landscape.
Over the years, Julie has owned a fine arts gallery for emerging artists, co-founded Flow art fair — a satellite to Art Basel Miami Beach — opened a consulting firm, Julie Baker Projects, and curated an annual music series at the Crocker Art Museum. Earlier in her career she was President of her family’s arts marketing firm in New York City and worked at Christie’s Auction house before moving to California in 1998. Julie also served for eight years as the Executive Director of The Center for the Arts, a non-profit performing arts venue and California WorldFest, an annual music and camping festival located in Grass Valley, CA. She is also the recipient of the inaugural Peggy Levine Arts & Community Service Award from the Nevada County Arts Council.
Having started as a stagehand at Berkeley’s Greek Theater in 2012, Gabriel Docto’s enthusiasm and dedication to live music has led him to various opportunities in the industry, including playing an integral part in opening August Hall, a 1,000 capacity venue in San Francisco. Since its inception in 2018, Gabriel has progressed to his current position as Director of Operations, where his collaborative approach with coworkers, clients, and partners ensures the successful execution of over 200 concerts and events annually.
Beyond his role at August Hall, Gabriel is an avid advocate of live entertainment and independent venues. His advocacy work began in 2020 when he co-founded the San Francisco Venue Coalition, joining forces with like-minded individuals to advocate for the Music and Entertainment Venue Recovery Fund, the creation of which offered a crucial financial lifeline to struggling venues amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As advocacy work across the nation quickly expanded, Gabriel began collaborating with venues across California to collectively establish the California Chapter of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). As part of the leadership team of NIVA CA, Gabriel has assisted with the creation of California Venues Grant Program, the establishment of the Type 90 Liquor License, and continues to advocate for programs and policy aimed at the sustainability and vitality of night life in California.
With a stellar blend of hands-on experience and strategic aptitude, Gabriel remains dedicated to driving positive change within the live entertainment landscape to navigate challenges and pave the way for a thriving ecosystem of independent venues.
Well known in the halls of California’s capitol building, Alex Torres is a dynamic and highly trusted public policy advocate. He brings deep insights and diverse experience on a broad range of issues with specific skills in legislative and regulatory advocacy, political analysis and policy and legal research.
Alex has provided public relations services and media outreach for political campaigns for Los Angeles Unified School District and California State Assembly and served as an external affairs consultant for Cal Expo and the California State Fair. He also managed media relations for entertainment clients in Los Angeles, including press events for major motion pictures and sporting events. Alex started his career in public policy during his time in college. He interned for two summers in the California State Assembly and consulted on his first campaign while completing his sophomore year.
Prior to joining Brownstein, Alex most recently served as director of government relations for the Bay Area Council, a business association in the San Francisco Bay Area representing over 320 of the region’s largest employers on economic development issues. He also brings significant advocacy experience from his time as senior director of government relations for Strategies 360 and as a member of the lobbying team at KP Public Affairs in Sacramento, providing advocacy services for clients in a variety of sectors including entertainment, housing and homelessness, health care, small business and veterans’ issues.
