- Festival Director: Nick Balzano
- Creative Director: Guistina Hayes
- Environmental Director: Ashley Farra
- Production Manager/
Social Media/Marketing: Brianna Coccia
- Design Manager/
Poetry & Arts Stage Curator: Melissa Marie Imagery
- Media Production: Celia Werner Productions
- Main Stage Production: Simple Media
- Acoustic Stage Production: Lantern Sound Recording Rig
- Acoustic Stage Curator: Silo Recordings
TROOP LEADERS
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR LEADERS
FOUNDER
Nick Balzano
NICK BALZANO.COM
Nick has been involved with the Long Island Music community for close to 10 years. He frequents the stage with A Band In Ship, SMG, JFK & the Assassins, Bryan Gallo and The Belle Curves. He has also provided his drumming in the studio for artists like Ronnie Gross Jr., Sarah Gross as well as others.
Just before shut down he added touring with Pete Mancini and Leland Sundries to his list of musical endeavors. Having put together events in the past (with companies and venues like Liquid Shadows Entertainment, 89 North & more), he has always strived to give artists the fair shake and audience they deserve.
His ultimate mission is to bring different types of people together through music and the arts.
Born and raised on the South Shore of Long Island, Guistina Hayes has been an artist for about as long as she’s been a human. Throughout her formative school years she stacked art classes and summer art programs, building a solid foundation of technical skill in an eclectic mix of mediums. In 2013 she began
her journey as a working artist.
She developed a love for creating art in real time while her friends played music live at shows and even band practice, at times operating under the stage name GalaxyGus.
Presently, she’s developing a full body of work to be displayed as a solo exhibit at a later date TBD. Guistina has a passion for art through philanthropy, and in 2020 began serving on the social media team for a 501c3 nonprofit organization known as Operation Impact, creating content and merchandise with a purpose to inspire everyone to be the change they want to see in the world.
MELISSA MARIE IMAGERY
MELISSAMARIEIMAGERY.COM
Fun. Funky. Fresh.
From Graphic Design and Logo Creation to Branding and Project & Event Management, Melissa Marie Imagery is the one when you want to get it all done!
With a background in virtual broadcast and event curation, including a focus on arts and entertainment, your livestreams and seminars will look polished and run smooth- two must-haves in the growing world of live content.
Every project, from a simple flyer design to a fully produced event, is handled with the highest degree of care and detail.
"Let Melissa Marie Imagery do it! "
BRIANNA COCCIA - SOCIAL MEDIA ADMINISTRATION
Brianna Coccia freelances as a Social Media Administrator for many organizations like The Islip Arts Council and Museum, VBT, and now PBJ. She strives to help the community around her not only through her social media work, but her work with other local nonprofits/organizations like LongIslandSound.Love. Her main goal is to raise awareness of the local art and music community on Long Island, in hopes of showing people the hidden gems of LI.
Lantern Sound Recording Rig
LANTERNSOUNDRECORDINGRIG.COM
Since the end of 2014, Mick Hargreaves' Lantern Sound Recording Rig (LSRR) has operated in a sprawling 1920's farmhouse in the pine barrens of Long Island NY, where he records, rehearses, and holds house concerts. Mick has hosted "The Lantern Sound Recording Rig Stage" at the Montauk Music Festival, Cabin Fever Music Festival, and Alive After Five (Patchogue NY), and the LSRR has provided sound, lighting and staging for the Dorene Rose Arts Stage for many years running
Lisa Marie
A live music enthusiast with a love for the arts. Helping to ensure all business related matters included in creating PBJ festival run smoothly and being a liaison between sponsors and the team.
Ashley Farra
My name is Ashley Farra, I am a pre-primary teacher at a Montessori school on the east end during the year and in the summer I am an environmental educator at a wildlife refuge. I have spent most of my life either at the beach, camping or hiking. My role is to help bring some awareness to not only the challenges facing the pine barrens, but also the immense benefits, amazing creatures and how we can help her thrive. The pine barrens are one of the coolest habitats that we have here on Long Island and I’m excited to help bring two of my favorite things together at PBJ. Dancing in the woods, I mean how could you turn that down?
Simple Media
SIMPLEMEDIA.EVENTS
Simple Media provides sound reinforcement, lighting and post-production materials for artists, venues, and event organizers. We design simple solutions that achieve quality results, making state of the art event production accessible to anyone; because great things can happen anywhere at any time.