Jacob worek

Director of operations

Event Professional. Safety Geek. Storyteller. Problem Solver. Jacob Worek is Director of Operations and the Swiss Army Knife of the Event Safety Alliance. Over the last two decades he has worn numerous hats in the live event industry, including stints in venue management, business development, event marketing, production management, and audio engineering. Rumor has it he also had a brief early career as a nightclub bouncer, until his skills at defusing anger were outmatched by a pint of Labatt Blue used in a manner other intended by the manufacturer.  

Worek is firm believer that safety knowledge should not be restricted to those with unlimited resources. The resident aging punk of the operation he has leveraged his education, experience, and DIY ethic to help ESA make safety relevant and financially accessible to basement shows, street festivals, small clubs, and warehouse parties alongside the world’s largest festivals. He believes fostering a culture of open communication and situational awareness is the most effective tool to ensuring a safe workplace and can be had for less than a cup coffee. Although coffee certainly helps.

He holds twin Bachelor's Degrees in Occupational Safety and Telecommunications, OSHA 30 and Safety Trained Supervisor (STS) certifications, is active in Seattle’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, and is the father of two young daughters. Occasionally he sleeps.