TKGC Hero - Erika Amoore, Synthony Founder

Missing getting glammed up for the festie life? Us too! However, when it comes to the New Zealand events industry, Erika Amoore is one of the superstars worth listening to. Starting small and working her way up, Erika's hard work and dedication is a testament to her success. 

Striving for excellence, Erika has created the outstanding orchestral dance event, Synthony, and launched it both locally and internationally. Combining her skills in commerce and business with her passion for music, Erika is constantly on the move to consider new opportunities. Maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle is critical, and, in addition to a mix of diet and exercise, fueling her body with good stuff is crucial. 

“I truly believe in our product. Synthony is incredibly captivating, magical, unique and brings people joy. Creating something that positively impacts others is super rewarding. Nothing can beat watching the audience experience the show.”

With healthy supplements fueling her drive to live each day to the fullest, it’s no surprise why she's such an inspiration to our community.

On that note, we asked her for all the tips and tricks we're all dying to know!

What do you do?

I am the Producer of an event called Synthony, which I founded in 2017. Synthony is a collaboration between Orchestra, DJs, Vocalists and live performers, and performed 6 shows last year to 15,000 fans. I manage all aspects of production from track and artist selection, music production, stage design and overall creative vision.

What’s the path that led you to where you are today?

My career has been two distinct paths that collided with Synthony’s inception. One of those paths was very business/commercial focused – I did a commerce degree, became a Chartered Accountant and began my career at a Big 4 Firm, then moved through various commercial finance roles, with my most recent role being Finance Manager for a software company. The other path was music-driven, I was classically trained in piano and violin and as I got older, I turned that passion for music to DJing, and was lucky enough to get a host of residencies and paid gigs. I produced my own music, had a weekly radio show on George FM and travelled through Europe playing gigs. Up until Synthony came about, these two paths seemed hugely at odds with each other, however, in hindsight it was the perfect training for what was to come.

Synthony came about when myself and my Co-Founder, David Elmsly, saw a YouTube clip of a similar event run in the UK and wanted to see it in New Zealand. We decided with David’s experience in events (he founded The New Zealand Beer Festival in 2007) and my experience in the music industry, and commercial business acumen we were perfectly placed to bring the event to life.

We ran the first Synthony show in Auckland in 2017 to a sellout audience and were blown away by the feedback on the event. 2018 saw two shows sell out in a matter of hours. At this point, David and I still had full-time jobs and were working evenings and weekends to make the show a reality. We knew Synthony had potential that was bigger than what we were both committing at that time. David had also decided he wanted to exit the business and we both believed the right thing to do was find investors that would allow Synthony to grow. We began speaking to Duco, who is responsible for many successful large scale events, including Joseph Parker Boxing, the 20 20 Black Clash, and multiple charity dinner series. We knew Duco would have the know-how required to scale Synthony and they invested heavily at the end of 2018. I quit my job at the software company, and as they say, the rest is history.

What did you want to do when you were a kid?

Ballerina or a vet. Neither would have worked out for me; I have terrible crooked knees and hate blood.

What gets you excited about your role/profession?

I truly believe in our product. Synthony is incredibly captivating, magical, unique and brings people joy. Creating something that positively impacts others is super rewarding. Nothing can beat watching the audience experience the show.

How do you stay fit and healthy?

I try to exercise regularly (4-5 times per week) and I walk 5km every day with my dog. I maintain a really good routine of daily supplements as well. Being on the go a lot of the time means that keeping healthy is so important to me, from internal body function to simply feeling great every day!

What would you like to tell your past self?

I would try to tell myself not to get too hung up on heading in the 'right' direction. What I've realised is your degree or your first job (or the first five for that matter) won't determine where you will end up. Opportunities outside the realm of your consideration will present themselves at various stages, say yes to everything that intrigues you and don’t be concerned about taking a non-linear path.

What advice would you tell others looking to get into a similar profession?

Events and entertainment-based roles are extremely competitive, so be prepared that it will take time.

1. Find your ‘in’ and be known – do you know a DJ, promoter, agent, anyone in the industry? Our industry is small (as most are in New Zealand) – so get out to events with them and meet everyone.
2. Be willing to do any job to get your foot in the door – this isn’t an industry that has nicely categorised job descriptions, be prepared to do tasks outside the norm. It’s standard in the industry to hire from within, so most people will start at the bottom.
3. Make sure you communicate your love for the product. Our industry is fun, we put on parties for a living. Make sure you come across as someone who would not only do a great job working at those parties but also someone who would love them as a guest. We know that people who love the product will add value.

Add a dose of Erika, and you could be the same inspiration to others in your life. We’re excited to see inspirational results from people just like Erika.