Life & Work with Michelle Riehle-Ludtke

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Riehle-Ludtke.

Hi Michelle, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My passion for music started at a young age in my home state of Wisconsin. I didn’t grow up in a big city so my earliest music experiences were at home, watching music videos & concert films and reading Alternative Press & Rolling Stone. It wasn’t until college that I started attending shows regularly and fell in love with live music.

It was at this time that I discovered that I could have a career in music and I took advantage of every opportunity. I began booking and promoting shows on campus through the programming board and interned with local music festivals. I also got my first DSLR camera and started taking photos at shows through these experiences.

Fast forward a few years – I graduated and started my first career job that was fulfilling but didn’t feed my passion for music. I eventually got an interview for a music venue in Milwaukee, which was a dream job at the time, but I didn’t get it and I was heartbroken. Music industry careers are pretty rare in Wisconsin and that closed door motivated me to make the move to a city with ample opportunities: Los Angeles.

I moved to LA without a job and a very real chance of heading back to WI if I didn’t get a gig within a few months. After four months of searching, I got hired by AEG to do marketing for the convention center. While it wasn’t working in music in the same sense as other AEG divisions, the convention center hosted a Marshmello concert which got me back to shooting shows. I caught the bug again and sought out a media outlet to shoot for. I found a home with Concert Updater and little did I know I would take on new responsibilities as Creative Director in 2021.

Since then, the team has grown, I’ve shot some of my bucket list artists (blink-182, Kings of Leon, Imagine Dragons) and now I work in marketing at the iconic LA Coliseum. It’s been a fun ride and this is only the beginning.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course not! While I try to depict my story as glossy as possible, my journey has been riddled with challenges. I’ve been close to many of my dreams and haven’t quite been able to achieve them. There have been countless no’s for every yes, but fulfilling roads are never the easiest traveled.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I didn’t touch on it yet because I don’t use it full-time, but I have a degree in graphic design and I like to keep these skills in my back pocket. I use my love of color, contrast and alignment in my edits to set me apart. My favorite thing is to take a seemingly average photo and make it something special.

Ultimately, even after settling in LA for a few years now, I’m still proud of taking the leap to move to an unfamiliar area without the security of a job and continuing to pursue my passion.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’m grateful to have a solid support system of my husband, who encouraged our move on behalf of my dreams, and friends who stay in touch whether near or far. It’s fun to look back on where we all started, for many of us in Wisconsin, and see where we are now. It doesn’t matter where we live or how busy we are; it’s reassuring to know you have a team rooting for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://michellerose.myportfolio.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m.chellerose/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleriehleludtke/
• Other: https://www.concertupdater.com/

Image Credits
First portrait by Sierra Ehlert; all other photos by Michelle Riehle-Ludtke.