On the NXNE Frontlines: The Volunteer Coordinator

By Carly Maga

Forget compasses, GPS, or helpful Sherpas. From June 13–19 this year, Torontoist is here to be your guide to everything NXNE.

Pat McCormack can coordinate the hell out of your schedule, while hopping fences. A true Renaissance man.

It’s not surprising that the mascots for NXNE are some rather adorable little monsters. Because as fun as the festival is, it is one heck of a beast. Sometimes we have trouble making a Facebook event for our own birthday, so we understand that 650 bands, a three-day conference, and a film festival, among many other events, do not arrange themselves.
So far our coverage of NXNE has focused on the more eminent and rather alluring aspects of the festival—concert reviews, artist profiles, general hobnobbery with other music enthusiasts—but before we wrap up our look at this year’s fest, we chat with NXNE volunteer coordinator Patrick McCormack. We sat down with him to get to know the guys behind the scene, the hands on deck making everything run as smoothly (and it has gone pretty smoothly!) as it has.

Name: Patrick McCormack
Age: 27
Position: Interactive Conference Volunteer Coordinator, bassist for Neon Windbreaker (aka, “The Band With the Sandwiches“) and The Coppertone
Years at NXNE: 5
Torontoist: In the grand scheme of things, how do you see the role of the volunteer within NXNE?
McCormack: The volunteers are doing all the work. Most of my work is done before NXNE even starts, by the time it rolls around, I’m mostly there to make sure everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to be doing, and if someone’s like “We just arranged this last-minute event, we need volunteers!” it’s my job to find them. But that’s it, I’m just finding them, it’s the volunteers… well you see it on the screen at TIFF—we can’t do this without volunteers. It’s totally true.
It seems like no one ever has enough time in the day, so why do you and other volunteers give yours to NXNE?
In the beginning, like a lot of people, I was looking to get an eye into the industry. I play music, I was interested in seeing more about what that industry was like. But then, I just started having way too much fun there and that’s what I kept going back for, just for that. Plus I realized that it’s not really a networking opportunity. Most people already have good jobs, or just don’t care.
A lot of kids come in thinking this is all network, network, network, and they’re going to come out of NXNE with some job as, like, a music executive, and by the end, they think “Maybe I didn’t get that, but I still had a good time.” And that, to me, is what I think it’s all about.
But sometimes we have kids who do it for one day and they hate it and never come back. Or, unfortunately, they work one day, they get their pass, and then they don’t come back.
Really? How often does that happen?
Not often. Not often since I started. I like to think I’m really good with names and faces.
Any other perks of being a volunteer?
We do a kind of wrap-up party at Wrongbar after the festival. It’s catered, there are prizes like concert tickets and records, things like that, and usually we’ve got a few bands that play. There are a lot of kids that work [one] venue and don’t necessarily get to see anything else. We like to have one night where they can all say that they met everyone, got to see some cool bands, and wrap up about it all, memories, jokes…
What’s your favourite part of your job?
In the start, my favourite part was the music—getting out with a bunch of people, going to shows, partying all night. Now, it’s fun to do this for other kids, especially because a lot of them use this as a way to get into the city. I’d say that 30–40 per cent of our volunteers are just new to town and looking to meet friends. It’s cool to be able to help out with that. They’re like “I’m new to Toronto, I don’t know anyone,” and this helps them to meet new people who are into similar things. And these are kids I hired, and after two or three years, I’ll see them come back and they’re still friends and hanging out, and some have even started bands together.
I had a volunteer last year, it was a real thrill for him. Last year we had a couple of speaker panels that were really cool, Mark Arm and Steve Turner from Mudhoney were doing a panel. I was off driving and I had to call a guy I knew that was working at the hotel, I had to ask him to ask a question, and he answers the phone out of breath, running. “I’ll call you right back, I have to go to the LCBO to get non-alcoholic beer for Steve Turner.” He was so happy, he was like “Oh those guys are so cool, they were so nice…” and he got to hang out with X in the green room… I love being able to do that, when they first get into it, because that was his first year.
I love being able to do that for my volunteers. A lot of them are first-years, a lot of them don’t know what to expect, and if you can get away giving someone else a story like that, like that’s why people come back.
And your least favourite part?
I have about 100 positions I have to fill, that means 100 different schedules, and I have to piece them in one by one. It’s kind of like a puzzle, a puzzle that never ends.

What was your first year like?
I worked my ass off. I’d say I worked 50 hours that week, or I think it was across five days. I did all the load-in [to the Hyatt hotel], which is about a seven to eight hour day. Then on my last day I worked from nine or ten in the morning to nine or ten at night. I really did work my ass off, but that’s why they let me keep coming back.
What jobs are the most-requested?
[For NXNE Interactive] I would say working in a conference centre is the most popular. When volunteers say they want to work in a venue they usually say “I want to be a stage manager.” But the misconception is that a stage manager comes in and starts working at the start of the festival. But they’re actually working two months out, talking with bands, coordinating with bands. They’re the ones that are like “Okay, you’re playing here, we need you here at this time, this is the gear we have.” They’re the ones that are making sure those bands have what they need when they need it
And those are volunteers?
Those are volunteers.
And the most dreaded job?
There’s never anything awful. We always see on volunteer forms, we ask them what’s one thing they absolutely do not want to do, and some people put “Scrubbing toilets” and I can’t imagine they’re serious, but it comes up so often that I have to believe they’re not just being cheeky and they really think they’re going get the absolute worst job available. Which is usually not the case. In fact, it’s never the case. Even if you’re working the door, you’re there for half an hour to an hour at a time, and you’re there with other people so you can talk and hang out. As far as the interactive part goes, that’s probably the job that people are most wary of.
What’s the average age of a volunteer?
This year I have volunteers I think as young as 16 and as old as, I’d say, 50. On our form we have “What’s your age: 19 or younger, 19–23, and then 23 or over.” And those are the only tiers that we have. And I never ask people their age but sometimes on the phone, you get people like “You know I’m just so into the whole rock music thing!” [laughs] But you know what? Older volunteers, number one, they’re reliable, and they also just have a good attitude. They’re here just for the hell of it. A lot of people are there for volunteer hours for high school, some people are doing it for the pass. A lot of people when they’re upwards of age are really just doing it to give themselves something to do. And I love that. I wish I had the kind of schedule to do that.
What’s your best story from volunteering with NXNE?
Driving around with The Stooges was amazing. They’re just super down to earth guys, just a couple Detroit rock and roll guys. They can laugh and joke. And they probably see people like me, driving them from place to place, all the time, but the fact that they were still really nice and willing to talk at nine in the morning was excellent.
Getting together with Surfer Blood: I picked them up from the airport one morning and right when they got in the car they said “Take us to a place where we can get tattoos.” So right when I’m leaving the airport, I call up the guy who tattoos me and say “I’m bringing a couple of kids over to you.”
And I met up with them the next day, I ran into them on the street, and they were showing me all these goofy tattoos they got… and they said “Come and party with us tonight!” So I went to see their show, and we ended up breaking into the Christie Pitts pool at like 3 a.m. which, unfortunately, I got pulled away from because I had another driving job I had to do. But they at least had a pretty good time.
Was this mid-jump, or what?
Pretty much, yeah. Right when I hopped the fence I got the call on my phone “Where are you right now?” “Uh, I… can’t tell you.”
Any plans to make this a non-volunteer gig?
I don’t see it as being my full-time job at all. I’m actually pretty happy doing what I’m doing with them. I walk around, and all the volunteers know who I am, I like being that person they all know. And I certainly wouldn’t have the time for more responsibilities. I’m going sleep one of these days.
Photos by Michael Chrisman/Torontoist.