She helped Sweden’s event industry stay informed during the pandemic
Terese Johansson is a freelance sound engineer who played a vital role in helping those in Sweden’s event industry during the pandemic. Through a Facebook group specifically for freelancers, Johannsson made sure her colleagues and peers were able to access critical resources and learn to understand and sort out information from different sources. In October, she received LLB’s Eldsjäl [“Driving Force”] [1]Award for her efforts.
Johansson has been interested in sound engineering since high school. Her focus was natural sciences, but she took a stand-alone course in sound engineering and had opportunities to go with her teacher to gigs after class. She was hooked immediately. Johansson knew pretty quickly that this was something she wanted to do, and decided to study sound engineering and later become a sound engineer. Johansson has been working in the industry since 2006 and now she runs her own company called Soundshape. She works, both on her own and together with others in the industry, on everything from theatre productions to conferences.
“ The job is extremely broad and there is always a challenge to solve,” Johansson says. “It’s a creative work which forces me to find new solutions, to be able to do the best productions possible.”
Social media became more important during the pandemic
Like many others in the event industry, Johansson was hit hard by the pandemic. She had to spend much of her time trying to figure out what guidelines to follow, and how to cope with the new situation. Eventually, she decided to share the knowledge she’d put together with others like herself. So, she took an active role in a Facebook group for freelancers in the event industry, sharing what she’d learned and helping others understand essential guidelines for public health.
“It all began when I tried to find the right information during the pandemic,” Johansson explains. “I quickly realized that my colleagues needed the same, so I decided to share my knowledge in the Facebook group. The group became that forum that I felt was missing in the industry, and it became clear to me pretty soon that there was a huge need for proper information.”
Today, Johansson’s focus has shifted a bit. She’s now a board member of LLB and works with the other board members on matters related to many other aspects of the industry. But she is still grateful to have received the LLB award for her efforts and contributions to the industry during the pandemic.
“It was so much fun to get the award,” Johansson recalls. “It means a lot because it’s from the people in the industry. It’s always fun to be appreciated, but extra so when it comes from colleagues.”
Streaming has developed into a new business area
And Johansson, like many others, also still feels the effects of the pandemic. She works more with streaming than she did before the pandemic and she has also been forced to broaden her services. Yet, she sees a big demand for work, and it’s become clear to her that there is a huge need for labor in the industry. Many people have quit and moved on to other sectors. According to Johansson, there is a need to get those experienced workers back, but also to attract new people to the industry.
“Our work is closely connected to not being seen, so it’s no surprise that people don’t know about us,” she says. “I think we need to work with role models in the industry, work to get a better working environment, and raise the status of our work.”
Networking is extremely important for Johansson and others working in her field. Not only to foster cooperation and collaboration but also to stay updated when it comes to current trends, new ideas, and the latest technology. Johansson explains there’s a huge need and significance to meeting others, which is why she’s looking forward to attending the LLB Expo in May.
“I hope that LLB can be an organization that helps to create a very important network,” she says. “The fair has been a meeting point for the industry for many years, and we need to evolve that network even more. It’s more important than ever.”