Where does one start when talking about a legend, a force of nature, a GOAT, and a great lady? Well, let’s start at the beginning…
I first met Mary Beth at the Western Arts Alliance Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1995. My wife Kristen and I had just been hired to be the co-directors of the Office of Cultural Affairs at Weber State University. Everyone we talked to in the presenting business said you must go the WAA conference, go to the new colleagues session, and get a mentor… So we did, and that mentor was Mary Beth Treen.
Mary Beth was amazing – she took us under her wing like the quintessential mother hen that she was. She offered to and led me on a tour around the resource room and introduced me to people. She was curious and inquisitive about the presenting series at Weber and gave us great advice about how to talk to agents and managers, and keys to negotiating. Mary Beth checked up on us throughout the WAA conference to make sure that we were okay, not overwhelmed, and to make sure we were getting settled into the presenting world.
After that WAA conference, I was not sure that I would see or hear from Mary Beth again until the next conference. A week later, she called to check in and see if there were any questions…and we just talked for about an hour about everything. This was the start of a beautiful relationship…
Mary Beth Treen was a mentor, a friend, a confidante, an invaluable resource, and someone I came to trust implicitly. If I had a question about an artist or an idea, I knew that I could reach out to her and we could discuss, bounce ideas, gossip, analyze and be real about the business and our work. I could count on Mary Beth being a fearless communicator and knew that I would always get a straight story or answer from her.
Whether it was WAA, PAE or APAP, Mary Beth and I would always find time to grab a bite or a beverage, or just sit and talk. She was always asking about work, the family, the children and wanted to see pictures of my kids every time we connected. She was like this short, sassy mix of Mary Poppins and Nanny McPhee.
And in all this time together talking, sharing, exchanging ideas, listening to each other, and being together, we never actually did a show together. Somehow, it never worked out with my seasons and/or her routings, but I never got the chance to present any of her artists and I regret that…and she never held that against me? She called me her favorite mentee and I loved her for that and so much more.
Mary Beth had a huge impact on our industry in all the years she worked and beyond. After she retired, she stayed connected when she was able, and she always wanted to make sure that everyone was okay. I realized a few years back, that a lot of my working philosophy on building relationships and friendships came from Mary Beth and her influence and I am eternally grateful to her for those invaluable lessons she shared.
