The women behind Bristol’s big events

Packed into a converted shipping container next to Temple Meads, four women under the age of 23 engineer some of the most exciting events in Bristol.

Chloe Edgall, 22, and Robyn Taylor Staveley, 20, run boomsatsuma presents, a satellite entity of the larger boomsatsuma creative agency. The enterprise focuses mainly on producing events and elevating new artists around the South West – primarily in Bristol.

Though traditional experience-emphasising companies may disagree, Chloe and Robyn found their youth to be a boon in their chosen industry.

“With what we’re trying to do, it helps a massive amount,” says Chloe. “At this stage, we really have our ears to the ground.

“The great thing about Bristol is there’s a subculture for everything. People want rare experiences and to get involved in artsy communities.”

“We don’t have preconceived notions about what will work and what won’t,” says Robyn, an immaculately put-together force of nature originally of Bridgwater. Robyn notably put together boomsatsuma’s Eclectic Sessions, in which rising artists performed on video inside an old Edwardian bathroom.

When we meet, the women are having a hectic morning. The group is producing a filmed concept event with up-and-coming rapper Rejjie Snow and a slam poetry night featuring four of the UK’s leading female spoken word artists. Both events are set at the Loco Klub in the last week of March, and the clock is ticking.

Meanwhile, the team’s two apprentices, Julia, 17, and India, 18, are busy orchestrating their own project – a video tour of Bristol’s live music scene.

Everyone in the team is treated as an authority figure, receiving only minimal oversight from boomsatsuma elders to guide them.

It’s unusual for young people to wield so much responsibility, but Chloe and Robyn are products of an in-house alternative learning course at boomsatsuma that thrusts young learners directly into the action. Now the two are mentoring Julia and India, the young girls who took their place as Robyn and Chloe ascended the agency’s ladder.

“It’s great being the person who can help someone improve and learn,” says Chloe. 

“At a big company, I might be a tea person,” says Robyn. “But here, if you feel you can do it and you have the motivation, you can do it.”

The women have risen fast, even helping hire new creative talent at the agency. This, they say, has already changed the make up of the company.

“In many companies, the top level is very male-led,” says Robyn. “When I first started [in events], our team was very boy heavy. But now, we’re four female staff. We manage a team of girls.

“And when we put on events like [the spoken-word event Mother Foucault], it’s very much a great thing to be putting out strong role models for young women.

“When we interview, I know what it takes to do the job. If I see another strong women, I know they can do the job.”

“We can promote feminism,” adds Chloe. “It’s a good opportunity to stake our claim for that, for gender equality.”

Robyn smiles. “We’re very much actively doing that.”

For more information, visit www.boomsatsuma.com/bristolagency