Who is GigSalad?
Innovators who think outside the box. Event-booking enthusiasts who make things happen. Party people who love to celebrate.
Our Story
The people, the passion, and the purpose behind GigSalad
Where we started
GigSalad began as a humble experiment between two best friends around their kitchen tables in Springfield, MO and Wilmington, NC, in 2007.
They set out to create a way for party hosts to find the perfect entertainment for their special events. And they did, in the form of a simple online talent directory. It worked — and then some.
How we’ve grown
Today, that handy directory has become the go-to booking marketplace for event planners, talent, and entertainment professionals across the U.S. and Canada.
Now led by Mark Steiner and Locke Bircher alongside their exceptional team, GigSalad enables thousands of people to book and be booked for any type of event, every season of every year.
What we stand for
Our mission drives us: to make it easy for planners and talent to connect so they can create unforgettable moments together.
From first-timers to seasoned pros, everyone should feel proud of what they’re creating. They deserve a partner to support their journey and confidence to build not just celebrations but memories that last.
Springfield, MO
Our Midwest office is GigSalad’s official headquarters and the center of our universe. This team personally interacts with customers to support them — real people striving to make real people happy, not a chatbot in sight.
Wilmington, NC
Our hybrid East Coast tech and design teams work behind the scenes, continually cooking up new features and updates for GigSalad. Despite the call of our historic downtown surroundings, we’re always focused on creating an amazing product for our users.
We’re event makers who celebrate people. How do we do it? With a few key ingredients:
1
Realistic expectations
Ambition is great — overpromising is not. We set ambitious goals that are rooted in reality.
2
Exceptional experiences
We do more than build solutions. We make it an experience people come back to time and again.
3
Intentional listening
Everyone has something to say, so we listen to everyone — from our customers to our team.
4
Holding to the high road
We take the path that yields the best outcome, especially in the face of criticism and adversity.
5
Delightful solutions
Our goal is to make people’s lives more enjoyable. It’s about enhancing, not dominating.
6
Work smarter, not harder
We thrive when doing the right thing, so we always do it the right way, not the easy way.
7
Going the extra mile
Moving beyond bare-bones and table stakes means putting in the effort to deliver the best possible outcome.
8
Taking calculated risks
We’re innovators, so the risks we take involve careful consideration of the potential reward-to-failure ratio.
9
Rising above mediocrity
We motivate others to live up to their full potential. When we support one another, we make great things.
10
Constant improvement
We never settle for what just works, but continue to innovate, create, and build an even better solution.
Meet the salad® makers
Mark Steiner
Co-Founder/CEO
- High Bridge, NJ (by way of Perth Amboy and Willingboro) — Proud Voorhees Viking, class of ’84
- Acting, writing, dreaming, creating, collaborating. These are more than just verbs to Mark, they are how he moves through the world, whether on stage, behind a script, or in a room full of creatives.
- “A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.” — Ayn Rand
Locke Bircher
CTO
- Morehead City, NC
- Biking, digital art, and fossil hunting.
- “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!” — Henry David Thoreau
Heather Roonan
Content Manager
- Camdenton, MO
- Talking fast, making pretty documents, and reading over 150 books a year.
- “Every song has a coda, a final movement. Whether it fades out or crashes away. Every song ends. Is that any reason not to enjoy the music?” — One Tree Hill
Matt Gartz
Senior Engineer
- Rochester, NY
- Can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under two minutes.
- “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” — Albert Einstein
John Bacon
Product Manager
- Morehead City, NC
- Solving problems and creating problems.
- “Art is the proper task of life.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
Megan Price
Customer Experience Director
- Carthage, MO
- Saying the alphabet backwards in under 3 seconds and embarrassing herself when meeting famous people.
- “If my life weren’t funny, it would just be true. And that is unacceptable.” — Carrie Fisher
Shawn Shelton
Customer Happiness Agent
- Little Rock, AR
- Singing, baking, writing, and reading things that are written backwards.
- “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” — Roald Dahl
Mark Bembnowski
Technical Lead
- Beaver Falls, PA
- Writing code that writes code and cuddling dogs weighing less than or equal to ten pounds.
- “A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.” — Albert Einstein
Ryan Woodhouse
Bookkeeper
- Overland Park, KS
- Composing, playing saxophone & keyboards, and whistling.
- “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” — John Lennon
Shannon Williams
Customer Happiness Agent
- Poplar Bluff, MO
- Photography, sketching, writing, and singing (in the shower).
- “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” — Unknown
Josh Poole
Engineer
- Frederick, MD
- Turning garages into greasy labyrinths of car parts and tools.
- “One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.” — Elbert Hubbard
Vanessa Tuman
Engineer
- Troy, NC
- Reaching tall places when no one is around.
- “Being different isn’t always a bad thing. It means you’re brave enough to be yourself.” — Luna Lovegood
Sonia Guzman
Brand Marketing Lead
- San Antonio, TX
- Binge watching and getting lost going somewhere she’s been a million times.
- “The more you know, the less you need.” — Yvon Chouinard
Kyla Gifford
Customer Happiness Agent
- Woodland Hills, CA
- Painting people’s animals.
- “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” — Pablo Picasso
Austin Coons
Customer Happiness Agent
- Pembroke Pines, FL
- Eating Chinese food and making stupid jokes.
- “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky — Michael Scott
Nichole Baiel
Product Designer
- Chicago, IL
- Reading tarot, talking to bar randos, and encouraging friends to BBQ due to her lack of backyard.
- “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” — Carl Jung
Matt Holland
Content Creator
- Diamond, MO
- Guessing how long it will take to get somewhere and making guacamole.
- “What you’re looking at matters, but not as much as how you’re looking or who you’re looking with...” — John Green
Jeramy Hing
Senior Engineer
- Detroit, MI
- A tech problem-solver with a knack for fixing issues just by being present and a life-saver with a memorable Grand Canyon rescue story.
- “Embrace each day as an adventure; the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” — St. Augustine
“We love this company!”
We’re so proud to work at GigSalad because our product truly helps people make a living doing what they love. Our owners are kind, generous, and savvy, and our entire team is dedicated to being the best they can be. We’re eternally grateful for this opportunity.
Get your gig on®
From future partners to future teammates, everyone’s invited to the party. Help us spread the Peace, Love & Gigs®.