Offline Mag 010 —
WPIR Pratt Radio

Back in the fall, Pratt Radio interviewed the Long Island-based artist management company Ballpark Figure, run by Pratt alumni Basia Kurlender. From being a Pratt Radio manager to earning a degree in graphic design, Basia reflects on how her time at Pratt shaped her life and how her creative work now supports communities in need of artistic outlets, while providing a platform for emerging performers and artists.

Background & Agency Overview

Lili: Could you share a little bit about yourself and what you do?

Basia: My name is Basia. I am a Pratt alumni and founder and owner of Ballpark Figure Booking and Artist Management. It's a music and arts organization based primarily on Long Island, New York.

The booking side of it is a combination of music and art events across Long Island that is centered around creativity and artistship. We did things like the PAC • MoCA Skate Festival, which was an independent film, art, music, and skateboarding festival. That's an example of our combo events. We also just do live concerts featuring local DIY bands. We also wrote a grant with Suffolk County, so we have accessible art workshops during some of our concerts that happen in the gallery, so that's the art music side of the booking.

Then, on the artist management side, we manage bands and artists. And what that really has meant is not like traditional artist management, where we're just telling you what to do. We help with social content, booking, design and art direction, PR and press, career development, and strategy.

Lili: That's really cool!

Basia: Thanks!

College Radio → Agency Curation Pipeline

Lili: How did your time at the radio shape where you are today, and what was it like making the leap from working in college radio to managing artists professionally?

Basia: For a while, I didn't think it was relevant at all. I studied graphic design at Pratt, and I was like, that's what I do, but the other part of me was like, I like playing DIY, which, to explain that a little bit, because I said it before. DIY is an acronym for "do it yourself." Which is a movement about self-produced art, like removing gatekeepers and self-published art, home recordings in terms of music. That's a movement I really subscribe to, which a lot of my work is based on.

So, the DIY movement is kind of like an idea and a movement. And it was a big thing in Brooklyn when I got to Pratt in 2015. Frankie Cosmos was posting Bandcamp recordings constantly, and it was cool to just post not the most perfect, most finished things — self-releases, self-recording was cool. There were a ton of zine fairs, there still are, but, basically, there's that part of me that liked playing those shows that brought, um, that continued a tradition of booking them at Pratt radio and expanded them to booking at more places on campus, and we did 13 bands and a live broadcast radio music festival one year, so I was, like, oh cool, that's like my life at radio.

And then I was like, but that doesn't exist anymore and I have to work in design and those things are super disparate, and for a while it stayed like that. I kind of stopped playing shows. The scene was kind of dying, places were closing. I felt like I had to focus on work, which was graphic design. All the while, my life is like art, music, and art music, and it always interplays, so I was always quietly writing music. I worked at Baby's All Right for a little, on and off freelance while I was at other places, but largely I wasn't playing.

Once COVID happened, I wasn't playing shows anymore. I moved back out to Long Island, and I saw that there was such a need for high-quality creative programming that was culturally rich. I was like, "I can do this. This isn't crowded, and there's a hole, and I can fill the hole." So that's how it started to kind of come together again. At that point, I was taking a break from working at ad agencies; the other side of me, outside of booking, is that I have a second company, which is where I am a freelance art director and designer.

So, to answer the questions about how the radio plays in — now that Ballpark is such a big part of what I do, and half of my creative career and career in general is in Ballpark... [radio] is everything. [The station is] like, where I learned how to, kind of formally, do things like talk to bands, learning within the system of radio promotion, learning about the gear — that's where I learned how to work a sound board. Radio was everything. Like, without it, I wouldn't be here doing this. I just wouldn't know how.

Building Community & Overcoming Gatekeeping

Lili: Did you meet a lot of people through the radio? Not just like networking, but like that community to back you up?

Basia: Yeah, you know... Long Island is so close to Brooklyn and Queens, but as people stay in their little bubbles, I would say coming to Long Island, I was actually starting new. I did meet a lot of people [in NYC] — part of that was playing in my own band when I was in Brooklyn, and part of it was the radio. There used to be a Facebook group, when that was a thing, and it was called "DIY friends," and everyone who played DIY music would be in that Facebook group, and they'd post about meeting, or "I need a band to support on a show," or "does anyone have a van I can borrow?" It was actually really cool. It was kind of like a community moment.

I used to post there every semester, like, "Hey! Booking live sessions or live performances for Pratt Radio, who wants to play?" And I think I met a lot of people that way. I was going through my drive for you guys for archival stuff, and I found the template that we used to reach out. So that has helped me learn how to reach out and meet people that way — people I'm still in contact with, people I'm still friends with, even on a personal level. But when I was in Brooklyn, I was like, I'm done with DIY, like there's nothing for me there, and it's COVID.

All: (Laughs)

Basia: But when I came back to Long Island, I was like, wait, there is this spirit of DIY, and it's not highly oversaturated. And it felt special and vibrant — not that Brooklyn's not vibrant, it's just different, a little scrappier on the island, people care more in some ways.

But on Long Island, I didn't have my people; my contacts weren't out there. I felt like I was starting over net new. And also, there are a lot of gatekeepers out there that I found to be on a gender basis. Like I'm a girl, I feel weird at some of these shows which are largely emo and hardcore... I like those things, and I really grew to like them when I came out to Long Island because it's so entrenched in culture. But there's like a lot of misogyny ingrained in those things and the lyrics that kind of come out in how you get treated.

I think at those shows, in my experience at least, being a girl at the hardcore show (one of like 10 and there's like 200 people there), [means] you're getting looked at weird. It wasn't [always] comfortable for me at shows, which is also kind of why I was like: "You know what? I'll just book my own shows. I know how to do this from the radio." So that's the real origin story.

College Radio & Festival Production

Lili: What was a memorable moment from your college radio days that still sticks with you today?

Basia: There are two that immediately come to mind. One was the most successful show we ever put on. I think in my time, I mean, I love doing the live sessions, which is when a band would come in and play a song. We talk, play a song, we talk, and I remember feeling just like in general for those, they'd be like Saturday morning or Sunday morning — it was really cool to do, but it was so much work, and we were always so stressed because it was like, boom, you're live. It was a lot of stress as the interviewer, the sound person, the coordinator, and the booker.

It's a little like what I do now. I do everything. Now, all those roles and more: at the show, taking iPhone videos, [photographing with] a real DSLR, running to the sound board, settling with the house... I'm running around a lot (laughs). Eventually, I'd like to hire for some of that, but at the DIY level, that's what it is right now.

But the point here is that we used to have live sessions [at WPIR]. They were really great, but a lot of work, and they would be broadcasted. One really special one we had was with Poppy Red, The Spookfish, and Greyon Greene. Poppy Red was like a friend of The Spookfish; this guy, Dan, he's my friend. He played a show at Ballpark recently. Greyon Greene is like one of my besties, Scott, who has an ambient keyboard project, and The Spookfish is like tape loops, experimental, a little pop-y. It's cool.

But the point being, those were people I knew from around. They were friends. We were like, let's do a live session, but at night, and let's invite a million people. And we did. This was before the Pratt buildings had the swipe — [anyone] could just get into Pratt Radio. It was just really magical. There are pictures of it still on Tumblr, I think, and it's like all these people packed into this room, playing this ambient, special, touching music. So, that was one all-time memory.

One other memorable moment was with Katixa, the former general manager — I was outgoing as general manager, and she was incoming towards the end of my term. We were just like, "Should we have a music festival in two months that's broadcasted?" We're like, "Yeah," and then we got 13 bands to play across two days.

Lili: Wow, that's crazy.

Basia: I don't think we advertised it super well, and I think the poster could have been clearer. I mean, I'm sure that's on me; it was also like on Easter weekend, so [very few] people listened in. And also, we didn't mic it very well. Those recordings are online, so you can find them. I'm really happy we did it, but knowing what I know now, I'd do a million things different. But that was really important, and I think it gave me the confidence to just be like: "I can do whatever. I can do whatever I want in a cool way. I can make whatever I want. I can create however I want when given the freedom." So I'm grateful to Pratt Radio and Pratt for allowing us to do that, or at least looking away enough.

On Failing A Lot & Mistakes

Emma: It's so cool that you're providing that space for those events and for those people to come, and you know, once in a while it doesn't work, and that's just the toll you have to pay.

Basia: And I always learn — like alright, maybe this time of year isn't good. Maybe we're in a recessionary environment, and I have to expect this a little. I learned this from one of the grant shows, where one was not super well attended, and it's not because the bands aren't good. It's not because the event isn't good. I noticed people were like, "Oh, it's ten dollars, I can't pay." I was like, "Hey, can we make the last event free?" So, we figured out a way to make the last one free of the grant series, and then boom, 75 people.

So failing helps me learn. I lowkey don't love it, but at the end of the day, I try to get into a situation where I'm not leveraging such a high room fee. That's also why coming to Long Island helps people. The room fees are a little less, and partners are willing to be more flexible because there's a need. It's not just like everyone's doing it. I try not to walk away where, if no one comes, I'll owe like 500 dollars.

And even if five people come, at least those five people had a nice night. They learned something, and they saw bands that they connected with. There was a show that had really low attendance. This audience member said to one of the performers, "Your songs touched me, like I felt the feelings you were singing about." So those two people got a lot out of it, even if there weren't hundreds of people. So that's my thought on failing.

Lili: Honestly, when it's less people, it feels more intimate.

Basia: I would go to DIY shows, like the weird ones where there were only three people there, and those would always hit the most.

Current Projects & Personal Creative Outlets

Lili: Beyond Ballpark, what other projects are you working on right now that are exciting for you?

Basia: Honestly, Ballpark Management is taking so much of my time, which is great. As I said before, it's really more like a boutique service for brands, social media, career development, or direction — like a subscription model. I'm [figuring out] how things work; like later I have to find a new payment processor for recurring payments. It is taking up a lot of time, and there's no map for it.

I'm working for the City of Kingston in my other business and designing a PDF report for them about how their downtown, technically Midtown area, has been revitalized in the past couple of years — how they're taking polluted land called Brownfields and what it's turning into. It's really cool! But I'm working on that; it's like 250 pages.

The thing I really wish I could do right now, but I really cannot, is sew clothes. I really wish I could finish them. Like alterations — making them bigger or smaller. Or, I got a stain on my sweatshirt, and I was like, I'm totally going to weave over this. I really want to do that, but I haven't had the time or the energy. I have a gelli plate, which is like a printmaking thing; I haven't had the time to do that, but I really want to. I want to set up silkscreening in my studio.

I recently bought a bass from my friend Jordan, and I bought a bass amp, too. Now I can play bass. I don't really have the time or energy, but on the weekends, when I get a free moment where I'm not working (because I often work on the weekends for shows), it does rip to play, make gel prints, and sew my clothes.

Lili: Yeah, it's always hard to find moments for your little hobbies.

Basia: The things that are not easy to pick up and put down, but then it's so much sweeter when you get them.

Advice for Future WPIR

Lili: We have one more question.

Basia: Sounds great!

Lili: If you could offer one piece of advice to WPIR today, what would it be?

Basia: You guys are all creatives, you're all obviously at Pratt, you're all super talented. But, a career in the arts is never easy. Think of the starving artist, or the system of patronage that has been with us for centuries. It's just not easy, but it is always worth it. Use whatever you have and just keep making things. Trust me, it doesn't all work; it's taken a lot of tries to get there.

Like, I'm 28, and I've tried a lot of different things, but they all stick with me, and they all help me every day. Everything that I tried that didn't work out — I come back to those learning processes. Keep trying different things and try all the time, and try when it feels like you suck, and try when it feels like you're great. Try when you have no time. I wouldn't be here if I didn't keep throwing stuff at the wall. You have power. Use your power. Be scrappy. Do whatever you can and keep trying.

Lili: That's honestly so helpful, and especially starting the radio from the ground up. Especially since there was a huge break after COVID, and I think you guys were the last ones running it before us. And we were so lost. We were just like, "What do we do?" And to just keep trying and maintain the stamina and passion to drive the radio forward. I think Pratt Radio today really wants to bring back these DIY shows you were mentioning.

Basia: "Keep trying" is such normal advice to give, but it's important. Keep using your power and keep trying to do good as much as you can.