THE BENCH - Key Persons
You know that feeling you get when someone does something delightful, unexpectedly? Kristy Suworoff strives to deliver that feeling daily. It is a desire that fuels her interactions with artists and executives, leading to an ever-expanding grid of lasting relationships...
Job Titles:
- FOUNDER
- President of the Los Angeles Chapter for Women
A connector by nature, Sarah Musgrove dove head-first into the gig economy in 2008, and has helped agencies, brands and freelancers navigate those waters ever since. She was 24 and working at an agency when the economy crashed; as companies suffering layoffs sought a path forward, Sarah discovered she had a knack for finding the right talent to meet even the most unique needs. With agency chops in experiential marketing, Sarah is intimately familiar with the many moving pieces that must fall into place for a campaign to succeed. At the bench. - which not only connects brands and agencies with freelance talent, but also provides oversight and management of those teams - Sarah is responsible for quality control. She ensures that freelancers are thoroughly vetted and produce work of the highest caliber for our clients.
Sarah began her career in events at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), upon graduating from Loyola Marymount University. After two years at AMPAS, she joined a boutique engagement marketing agency in LA and produced experiential campaigns for popchips, POM Wonderful, Nestle USA and Zynga. She launched Musgrove Productions, to support larger agencies with experiential execution. Her client portfolio included the Palo Alto International Film Festival, Toyota, Lexus, Activision, Konami, Beats by Dre, Simply Sporty, Nike, and Mercury Insurance.
In 2014, she joined On Board Experiential (OBEXP). Beyond producing experiential campaigns at OBEXP she led the Los Angeles and Portland based Production teams for the company. It was at OBEXP that Sarah met Jennifer Houston, and in 2018, she and Jenn co-founded the bench.
Sarah is the current President of the Los Angeles chapter for Women in Sports and Events (WISE).
An alumnus of the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri (M-I-Z!), Sophia Patten spent several years as a news producer and reporter at (CBS affiliate) KVAL-TV in Eugene, OR, and at KTVK-TV in Phoenix, AZ, before producing for media companies such as the Oprah Winfrey Network in LA, then moving on to produce live/experiential events for Nike, Apple, Netflix, Adidas, Viceland and more, across the U.S.
Her experience includes an 18-month project for Nike's Innovation Lab where she launched a fitness tech startup as a founding team member and managed city-wide operations in both Portland and Los Angeles. She has produced dozens of live/experiential events for brands large and small; produced and coordinated hundreds of photo and video shoots, secured corporate partnerships, and led social media strategy.
A people person who has traveled to 24 countries, Sophia also loves to spend time at home in Playa del Rey, a cozy beach town in the heart of chaotic Los Angeles. She likewise is passionate about her role as The Bench's Regional Director for Los Angeles. "The Bench's model is powerful because it allows for flexibility with a sense of community," she says. "I've engaged with so many people in the creative industry who feel stapled to the floor when working in-house. They want to do great work in collaboration with exceptional people teams - on their own terms."