Belonging in the Briteland: Prideling and Proud
Among all the benefits that Eventbrite boasts of, ensuring that Britelings feel at home in the office is top-of-mind. For example, barklings, like Benson, keep the Briteland cozy, and Brite Belonging Groups, or BBGs for short, are another way Eventbrite creates spaces for belonging: Employees formally get together, based on a shared interest and identity.
From WISE (Women in Software Engineering), Black and Brite (Black Britelings), to the Briteling Foot Club (a group for soccer fanatics), BBG’s carry Evenbrite’s mission to bring people together through live experiences within the company.
One of the oldest and largest BBGs at Eventbrite is Pridelings. They first started in the San Francisco office in 2014, and as the company grew, so did the Pridelings.
Three Pridelings from all over the globe share what this BBG means to them, and what they envision for the group.
Damien
Damien joined Eventbrite almost six years ago in our San Francisco office. He is currently working as a Project Manager on the Revenue Operations team. As one of our more seasoned Britelings, he’s “inspired by Eventbrite’s culture of continuous growth and development” and says, “This company offers so many opportunities to explore different career paths and it’s been an awesome experience for me.”
Apart from his day-to-day job, Damien’s been actively involved with the Prideling group since 2014 and now leads the San Francisco chapter.
“The company was smaller then, and almost everyone participated in the party,” Damien recalls. The annual Prideling party evolved as the company grew, and last year’s event was the largest in SF to date — complete with an ultimate lip sync battle! Damien is pleased that the BBG hasn’t had to “recruit” people to join, because there is a genuine interest from employees in the company to participate.
The BBG stays connected through a dedicated Slack channel, an email alias, and monthly meetings to catch up and chat about events and volunteer opportunities. “Intense conversations can happen in our Slack channel,” says Damien, “We always want it to be an open platform for people to discuss how they feel.”
By creating space for transparent conversations, Pridelings do more than just plan an annual event. “We want to educate people who might not be a part of the community and don’t know how to be an ally. It’s important to reserve the time for people to think about it. People need the opportunity to talk and it takes someone starting to make it happen,” Damien says.
Damien is excited for more opportunities throughout the year to educate, volunteer, and celebrate Pridelings.
Randy
Randy is a resident Nashvillian Prideling and current Customer Success Manager II. He came onboard with Eventbrite in 2014 with the original Nashville team of only 16 people. Coming from the entertainment industry, Randy was never shy or afraid to be ‘out’ as a gay man, and he didn’t want there to be any concerns at his next job either.
Before joining the team, Randy researched the Eventbrite culture thoroughly, and he recalls, “I noticed how they encouraged people to be comfortable and be themselves — it was attractive to me.”
Randy happily jumped into life as a Briteling and embraced his new role completely. Once he felt comfortable with the workload, he looked for opportunities to get involved in something outside of his primary day-to-day tasks.
As the office in Nashville grew, Randy took on the challenge to start Pridelings in Nashville. The hardest part of the job was to keep up the momentum throughout the year, not just during Pride month.
He emphasizes, “Thing is, feeling welcome is such a non-issue that I have to think about what it would be like otherwise. I think about how I was at a certain point in my life, previously having to mask things around certain people.” Randy hopes that Pridelings can continue to foster this culture of belonging at Eventbrite.
Cassius
The Irish Eventbrite office is nestled in the city of Cork in a beautifully renovated bank building. Cassius, originally from Brazil, traveled north to escape the tropical heat and start a life in Ireland. He’s been with the company for three years, serving as a Customer Experience Representative & Field Assets Subject Matter Expert, in both English and Portuguese channels.
When asked what he loves most about the Briteland, Cassius explains, “I love our cultural differences and how so many different backgrounds can come together so beautifully. We are interesting, diverse and fun.”
Like Randy and Damien, Cassius is the point person in Cork for all things Pridelings. Cassius was instrumental in encouraging folks to come together for the first march in the Cork Pride Parade in 2016. He had the idea to join the Chamber of Cork to participate and get t-shirts for the day.
Planning has already started for Cassius in Cork this year. Pridelings want to continue the tradition this year by marching at the parade together. Cassius is looking forward to collaborating with Britelings from different offices as the BBG continues to grow. Cassius says, “Cork’s office has a close relationship with London. Their culture crew collaborates by bringing up suggestions in an open space every Monday.”
What’s Cassius’s vision for Pridelings? He wants to increase awareness of the LGBTQ+ community, and encourage others to take the lead and represent different groups. He also hopes to schedule groups outside of Eventbrite to share about the history of Pride in Ireland and what the country now accepts as changes are made in the government.
Britelings like Damien, Randy, and Cassius are the lifeblood of Eventbrite’s culture. Thanks to all those who are passionate about creating a place for belonging, the Briteland continues to evolve to feel a little more like home for everyone. Want to join the Briteland? Start here.
