Laurie B. Kirby, Esq. co-produces and co-owns FestForums.com which is held annually in Santa Barbara. It is a b2b conference and awards event for music, film, food and wine festival organizers. The conference and trade show addresses how to improve the fan/attendee/talent experience.
Laurie is a frequent speaker, interviewer and moderator at dozens of festivals and corporate conferences, including SXSW, Maui and San Francisco Music Tech, ESP-London, Sponsor Secrets, Pollstar, TourLink, IFEA, BizBash, Canadian Music Week, IEG, Event Expo, The Mill Valley Film Festival, The Catalina Island Film Festival, Film Festival Flix, The Napa Valley Film Festival and The Lady’s Filmmaker Festival on all aspects of the industry. Additionally, she is often quoted as an industry thought leader in publications such as Forbes, All-Axxess Magazine, Variety, Indiewire, Music Festival Business and various media outlets. She has also been a contributor to Indiewire, Eventbrite & Sonic Bids.
Laurie has also produced, managed and done consulting for nearly a dozen film festivals as well as consulted on or produced several documentary films, including a music doc made by Tedeschi Trucks about the Mad Dogs Tour.
Laurie was an attorney for over twenty years and established and served as General Counsel of The Legends Tour, the senior division of the LPGA. She also served as General Counsel of the Audubon Society of RI. She was the first female prosecutor in her former hometown of Middletown, Rhode Island.
Laurie was the former President and Chief Creative Officer of the IFFS (International Film Festival Summit) and the IMFCON (International Music Festival Conference) & Lineup Magazine.
She has served on, and presided over, many non-profit boards throughout her career and currently is on the Board of the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara and is an advisor to FestivalPass, based in NY.
She currently resides in Montecito, California and has three grown children (and 3 grandchildren). She also holds the distinction of being the first girl to wear pants to school in 6th grade for which she was sent home.