Meet the staff

Office Staff

Linda Deckard, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

Dream Concert: "James Taylor and Carole King under the stars and the moon at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Oh, that’s been done. How about James Taylor and the Traveling Wilburys?"

Linda Deckard

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

Linda founded Venues Today in 2002 after nearly 30 years with the now defunct Amusement Business and, briefly, Billboard magazine. She loves the industry. Her friends are in the industry. Her expertise is in writing about the venues industry. She started more traditionally, graduating with a degree in journalism from Indiana University, and working in the consumer press until landing at AB. She grew up on the East Coast in Annandale, Va., and lived in San Francisco, Mansfield, Ohio, Nashville, Tenn., and Huntington Beach, Calif. As managing editor of AB and now editor of Venues Today, she has met an extraordinary group of leaders and visionaries in venue management and looks forward to meeting many more. Most importantly, she works with a great staff. 

Linda can be reached at 714-378-5400 x24 or linda@venuestoday.com

Rob Ocampo, Dir. Operations :: Resource Guides

Dream Concert: "Metallica, Megadeath, Rob Zombie, Billy Idol, Massive Attack and Portishead at the House of Blues, Anaheim, Calif. Yea, I know its a weird line-up but hey, it would be one hell of a concert in a great venue atmosphere.

Rob Ocampo

Resource Guide Coordinator

An individual wearing many hats, Rob works alongside the team ensuring that all daily functions are in progress and goals are being met in addition to overseeing the production and growth of the Venues Today Resource guide department. He carries a bachelors degree in Business Management and has plans to receive a masters degree in International Business. Rob joined Venues Today in 2006 and continues to grow and develop a strong foundation and vision.

Rob can be reached at (714) 378-5400 x27 or rob@venuestoday.com

Dave Brooks, Senior Writer and Assignment Editor

Dream Concert: "David Bowie at the Hollywood Palladium with Dave Grohl on guitar and Karen O singing backup. Maybe get The XX to open....and two-for-one on Pabst tall boys if you know the secret handshake."

Dave Brooks

Managing Editor

Dave has traveled all over the globe as a writer for Venues Today, but his most memorable story to date was a short flight to his hometown to cover the reopening of the Fox Theatre in downtown Oakland, Calif. Dave has been a journalist for over 10 years, including a staff position at the Los Angeles Times, and joined Venues Today in 2006. As Senior Writer, he’s covered the Olympics, the Super Bowl and festivals like Coachella and South by Southwest. He’s also the Assignment Editor, and oversees a cadre of photographers and writers who provide content to Venues Today. He’s a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

Dave can be reached at (714) 378-5400 x24 or dave@venuestoday.com

Samantha Le, Marketing & Sales Associate

Dream Concert: "DePeche Mode, Chicago Theatre or Théâtre des Célestins, Lyon, France."

Samantha Le

Marketing Director

Samantha has been with Venues Today since 2009. She strives to strengthen the international presence of Venues Today and promote the magazine through various marketing efforts. Whether it’s creating marketing collateral, planning for the next tradeshow and award reception or handling production issues, she enjoys having fun at work. Prior to joining Venues Today, she spent 9 years in the action sports industry and GES Expo Services. “It’s a treat to check out the cool and creative ads submitted before everyone else sees it — it’s a new surprise every month!“

Samantha can be reached at (714) 378-5400 x23 or samantha@venuestoday.com

Josh Huckabee, Hot Tickets Manager/Sales Associate for Texas and Fairs & Festivals

Dream Concert: "2Pac (in zombie form)."

Josh Huckabee

Hot Tickets Manager/Account Executive for Midwest, Texas and Fairs & Festivals

Josh wears several hats at Venues Today: Administrative Assistant, Hot Tickets Manager and Salesperson. He also occasionally lends his mixing skills to the VT Podcast. Josh has a personal interest in the Hot Tickets data since it relates to his side work and love of music. He is a producer, recording engineer and owns his own record label, DSP. "I’ve always wanted to be part of the music industry since I first saw “La Bamba” at age five. Great Movie!" 

Josh can be reached at (714) 378-5400 or josh@venuestoday.com

April Armbrust, Accounting Manager

Dream Concert: "It would be great to see Tim McGraw play with Journey." Good luck booking that combo!

Becky Burson

Accounting Manager

Being born a Libra, Becky has always been balancing — bank statements, cash receipts and balance sheets. She also balances work, family activities and volunteering. Becky is an avid supporter of the arts and is looking forward to learning about another part of the entertainment industry.

Becky can be reached at (714) 378-5400 or becky@venuestoday.com

April Armbrust, Accounting Manager

Dream Concert: "Massive Attack at the 02 Arena in London.

Nazarene Kahn

Resource Guide Coordinator

As the coordinator for the International Venues Resource Guide, it only makes sense that Nazarene is a world traveler. Born in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad, she has lived in West Africa and Paris. She is fluent in French, and practices that skill whenever ringing up festivals in Quebecois. She recently returned to visit her home country of Trinidad, and is looking forward to her next adventure. “I’ve realized the more places I visit, the more places there are to discover.”'

Nazarene can be reached at (714) 378-5400 or resourceguides@venuestoday.com

Jessica Boudevin, Editorial Assistant

Dream Concert: "An open-air festival with Bob Dylan, ABBA and Led Zeppelin — anywhere but Indio.

Jessica Boudevin

Staff Writer

After interning at Venues Today for over a year, Jessica signed on as Editorial Assistant in April 2011. She graduated with honors from California State University at Fullerton and loves the fast-paced world of magazines. When she’s not ‘walking the beat,’ Jessica spends her time listening to and creating music, gardening with her cats and enjoying the Southern California weather.'

Jessica can be reached at (714) 378-5400 x28 or jessica@venuestoday.com

Outside Team

Lisa Brink, Designer and Art Director

Dream Concert: "Distant Relatives at Red Rock Amphitheater."

Lisa Brink

Designer and Art Director

Lisa has been with Venues Today since 2003. Design is an integral part of life and nature and Lisa finds herself inspired by both. “For me, inspiration comes in many different forms. A wave. A song. A smell. Pure silence. Sometimes I just have to close my eyes to find my visual voice,” she said. Her favorite colors are PMS 1365 and 319 and her favorite font is Gotham Light — it goes with any outfit. 

Lisa can be reached at lisa@venuestoday.com

Rich DiGiacomo, Account Executive, Northeast, Midwest, West and International

Dream Concert: "The Killers, Train and and a bottle of 2006 Bond Cabernet Sauvignon at Greek Theatre in beautiful Griffith Park."

Rich DiGiacomo

Account Executive — Northeast, West and International

Rich is continuing to push the global brand of Venues Today forward. After creating successful regional spotlights for Colorado, California and much of the Midwest, Rich has been instrumental in facilitating Venues Today’s growth overseas, signing the magazine’s first spotlight in Shanghai. 

Rich can be reached at (310) 429-3678 or rich@venuestoday.com

Jim McNeil, Account Executive, Southeast

Dream Concert: "The Red Rock Amphitheater, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, with my wife. If they are tied up Springsteen is fine."

Jim McNeil

Account Executive — Southeast

Jim joins Venues Today with three decades of experience in publishing. He created and later sold Kitchenware News, and has worked in both classified sales and retail sales for daily newspapers. He’s enjoyed transitioning into the venue business, “and everyone I’ve worked with has been friendly and welcoming.” When he’s not selling ads, he enjoys sailing in his home state of Maine, where he lives with his wife. He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island. 

Jim can be reached at (207) 699-3343 or jim@venuestoday.com