PERSON BEHIND THE BUSINESS Rebecca Gaskell Managing Director of Pure Tributes

An overview of yourself and your current role?

I am the MD and co-founder of Pure Tributes. I am mainly office-based in the week, running the business with my husband Mark, liaising with clients and our tribute artists to ensure the smooth running of future gigs. This also gives me the opportunity to keep on top of rehearsals, team meetings and bringing in new acts! I am also a singer myself so, at weekends, I am on the road performing in various venues across the country.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Firstly, my job is also my passion and I have great variation in my day-to-day role. I really enjoy understanding the needs of my clients and their venues so we can arrange the perfect entertainment for their customers. I often have the chance to work with friends from time to time so I gain back some social time at the weekends too. It’s great having the opportunity to work in the field and stay current with all aspects of the entertainment business. To sum things up, I have the chance to be very creative at work and believe this allows me to see both sides of the industry, which helps things run as smoothly as possible. Was a role like this always what you aspired to?

Having trained since age four (at the Hammond School of Dance, Chester) I always wanted to be on stage. It’s been such a fun and interesting journey as you never really know what opportunities are going to present themselves working as a freelancer in this industry. These experiences certainly fast-forwarded my desire to become an agency owner, which was my long-term vision in order to give myself the best opportunity to spend my career in the entertainment business.

Tell us about your previous roles/ business journey.

I have a vast CV working extensively across the UK and abroad. I have always been on stage, one way or another. For the first five or so years I was a dancer touring theatres, working abroad and learning the business. I still enjoy that side as I choreograph various in-house shows for Pure Tributes. More recently, I have worked in hotels, clubs and international fly-backs for corporate events and have been lucky enough to also have a few theatre tours under my belt. These experiences include work as a soloist, also in duos, groups and bands. My career has been vast and varied and I sort of fell into the tribute world, and I haven’t looked back since. So, from here, Pure Tributes was born.

Tell us a bit about what you do outside of work to relax?

I like to unwind mainly through swimming and yoga, I find it very calming and enjoyable.

In an ideal world, what else would you like to be?

I would love to work in theatres more so performing in London’s West End would be a dream.

What advice would you give to anyone else in business?

Try and find something that interests and inspires you, this has been an important foundation for me. I believe it creates a fundamental motivation and positive outlook. Starting a business can be daunting, of course, but try to create a clear plan, scrutinise it and praise it, set goals but try to enjoy the process - don’t be too harsh on yourself. Creating your own vision can be very rewarding market and keep at it. It’s a marathon, not a sprint to coin a cliché! And true to my mission, be adventurous…

Rebecca Gaskell, Managing Director of Pure Tributes