x

The latest industry news to your inbox.


I'd like to hear about marketing opportunities

    

I accept IQ Magazine's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

The LGBTIQ+ List 2022: Nikos Kalozeas, UTA

The LGBTIQ+ List 2022 – IQ Magazine’s second annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – was published in the Pride edition (issue 112) last month.

The July 2022 issue, which is available to read now, was made possible thanks to support from Ticketmaster. 

To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each individual on their challenges, triumphs, advice and more.

Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day. Catch up on the previous interview with Jonas Sjödén, chief financial officer at Live Nation Sweden.

The series continues with Nikos Kalozeas (he/him/his), a music agent at UTA in the UK.

 


Tell us about a personal triumph in your career.
Planning, announcing and executing Rebecca Black’s debut UK/EU tour this past May was a big highlight for me. Rebecca is a queer artist who has undergone a huge personal journey over the last 10 years and it was amazing to see how well she connected with European audiences as an American artist. The crowds were so widespread in terms of gender identity, sexual orientation and musical tastes, and it felt great playing a role in bringing all these different people together.

What advice could you give to young queer professionals?
Be yourself from day one and don’t be afraid to educate others, inside and outside of your workplace. As queer people, we had to figure out our places in our families, our schools, our friend circle and our society. It’d be a shame to suppress your unique point of view in order to fit a standard.

Tell us about a professional challenge you’ve come across as a queer person in the industry.
When I first started in the music industry in the UK, I heard derogatory and stereotypical comments that were made about other queer people in the industry, which made me feel uncomfortable about coming out. It was challenging to disclose my sexuality to my colleagues and the larger circle of people I worked with. I’d like to think we’ve come a long way since then but there is still work to be done, especially to support the trans community and their representation in the workplace.

As queer people, we had to figure out our places in our families, our schools, our friend circle and our society

One thing the live industry could do to be a more inclusive place?
It’s great seeing all these artists expressing themselves and being proud members of the queer community. We also see global music companies making efforts to educate their employees. However, we shouldn’t forget about all the behind-the-scenes sectors of our industry whose learning curve is just as important. Bar staff, security, crew, and box office employees all play a vital role in representing our industry and creating safe spaces for our artists and fans.

A cause you support
GIRES (Gender Identity Research and Education Society) is a fantastic organisation whose purpose is to improve the lives of trans and gender-diverse people of all ages. I was really pleased that I was able to set up a partnership between UTA Proud, our company’s LGBTQIA+ Employee Inclusion Group, and GIRES to deliver some important training for all our colleagues on gender diversity in the UK, correct terminology and intersectionality.

The queer act you’re itching to see live this year
I can’t wait to see Lil Nas X live later this year. He’s playing the game by his own rules and I’m excited to see what he does next.

Your favourite queer space
The Glory in East London is a venue I keep returning to. Also, shoutout to Mighty Hoopla Festival for the great line-ups and the fun days and nights out!

 


Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.