SF: Nurturing Music By the Bay

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August 20, 2018 • 35 mins

We were joined by Maggie Weiland and Dylan Rice from the SF Entertainment Commission to talk about how they work to nurture music in San Francisco. Gigi had met them at an event hosted by Jocelyn Kane, who created many of the public policy rules and artist-supporting structures to help clubs and artists survive in a very high priced, high tech city. Dylan and Maggie share their challenges and dreams for helping venues, outdoor events, and artists continue to make San Francisco a culturally rich city that continues to build and grow.

Guests: Maggie Weiland, Executive Director, SF Entertainment Commission;Dylan Rice, Senior Analyst – Community and Cultural Events, SF Entertainment Commission

Maggie Weiland

Maggie is a Bay Area native, avid show-goer, and singer who is passionate about supporting musicians and artists so that they are not only able to survive, but are also able to thrive in San Francisco. Maggie has spent the last eight years in public service in San Francisco including working as Mayor Newsom and Mayor Lee’s Scheduler, as well as the Executive Assistant to the Mayor’s Chief of Staff. Later, she joined the Outreach Team at the Department of the Environment, campaigning for sustainability in San Francisco. Maggie then spent a year volunteering for the Harvey Milk Foundation as the Foundation’s San Francisco lead, working with a global community in the fight for equality in the 77 countries around the world that still persecute members of the LGBTQ community.

Prior to joining the Entertainment Commission, Maggie worked as a Film Coordinator at the San Francisco Film Office, focusing on increasing filming in San Francisco while supporting film productions that ranged from student projects to feature films. Maggie graduated from her Masters in Public Administration program at the University of San Francisco in December 2015, and hopes to deepen her work as a public servant through her experiences at the Entertainment Commission.

Dylan Rice

Dylan researches, analyzes and develops policies to improve the quality and sustainability of outdoor events. He began his professional career in Chicago, where he most recently helped establish the City of Chicago’s first music office as Program Director of Creative Industries-Music at the Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. He oversaw the creation of policies, research, programs and networks to support the economic vitality and cultural vibrancy of Chicago’s music sector. He played a key role in launching workforce and infrastructure development initiatives including Lake FX Summit & Expo, Chicago Music Summit, ChicagoMade, The Chicago Track, and the City’s first Venue Licensing Toolkit. Prior to his work at the City of Chicago, he spent seven years producing music and cultural events at Navy Pier, the Midwest’s top-visited tourist destination, working for both the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority and Navy Pier, Inc. At Navy Pier, Dylan spearheaded the Neighborhoods of the World festival and oversaw the booking and operations of the Beer Garden Summertime Concerts. Dylan is also an accomplished rock singer-songwriter, performing solo and with a band at national venues and festivals, and releasing three albums independently. He has opened for Paula Cole, Shelby Lynne, Eric Hutchinson, to name a few, and was lead vocalist of the synth-rock band Software Giant. He holds a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Northwestern University.