Wish your festival experience could last all year-round? Fancy getting paid to party with celebs? Meet the brains behind this weekend’s V Festival…
Space Stylist – Sarah Frere
“I design the look and feel of the backstage area – The Louder Lounge. This year the theme is the perfect village fete so I’ve come up with some crazy ideas for that like a fox run and totally transformed the space. I did a degree in Theatre Design and from there I worked my way up as a runner and then became a freelance props buyer, set designer and stylist. I’ve designed everything from Justin Timberlake’s music video to the window displays at Harvey Nichols. I love my job – it’s so fun and creative and the best bit will be watching people’s faces enjoying the space I’ve designed.”
Sarah’s Top Tip: “You need to be able to turn your hand to anything on set, from sweeping floors to arranging flowers, so make sure you’re not afraid to muck in.”
Celebrity Booker – Emma Usher
“I’m responsible for inviting celebrities to come to V Festival and making sure they have a great time once they’re there. I was a celebrity booker on TV shows for 12 years and then I set up a company Run Ragged to book celebrities for product launches and festivals. 
We start getting requests for V tickets in January and it’s such an in-demand event that we often get blaggers pretending to be celebrity agents or personal assistants. The lengths people go to can be quite shocking! Over the festival weekend we’re running around the site making sure the celebs are happy and everything is going smoothly. I love the fact I get to go to some incredible events that I’d never normally be invited to.”
Emma’s top tip: “Make as many contacts as possible and be aware of the celebrity world and how it works – you can’t ask Madonna to be the face of Lipsy!”
PR and Brand Campaigns Manager – Verity Henderson
“I look after the big brand campaigns and events that Virgin Media sponsor like V Festival and Virgin Media Shorts – the short film competition. I started out by working for free at my local media agency in the West Midlands and eventually organised the backstage area at Party In The Park. 
Now I help set up V Festival which includes The Louder Lounge for VIPs, ‘Our House’ a party area for all festival go-ers and ‘Our Garden’ a peaceful area with massages and a bar for Virgin Media customers. During the festival I can end up doing anything – from pitching people’s tents to ferrying artists to the stage. I love it when people leave the festival feeling positive about the Virgin Media brand.”
Verity’s top tip: “Try and think creatively about the ways you can sponsor an event and the types of things you can get involved with. Thinking outside the box is key.”
- For all the info you need on V Festival, visit www.vfestival.com
