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Zale Schoenborn
Founder and CEO at Pickathon
Zale Schoenborn is the founder and CEO of PICKATHON LLC, a company best known for organizing the Pickathon music festival.15 As an entertainment executive, Schoenborn has dedicated a significant portion of his life to developing and managing this unique event.4
Background and Education
Zale Schoenborn attended the University of Colorado for his education.2 Originally from Cincinnati, he is an alumnus of Beechwood High School.6
Career Highlights
Pickathon Festival:
Schoenborn's most notable achievement is the creation and ongoing management of Pickathon, which has been voted America's Best Indie Festival.1 The festival takes place on 80 acres of Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, Oregon, and is known for offering a transformative experience that sets it apart from typical music festivals.1
Leadership and Innovation:
As the founder and executive director of Pickathon, Schoenborn has been instrumental in shaping the festival's unique character over its 20-year history.3 He is recognized for his ability to apply creative and engineering processes to his pursuits, particularly in bringing big ideas to life.2
Current Role and Responsibilities
In his role as CEO of PICKATHON LLC, Schoenborn oversees the organization and execution of the annual Pickathon festival. He is also involved in various aspects of the entertainment industry, including:
- Nightlife management
- Event planning
- Brand revitalization4
Schoenborn actively engages with the Pickathon community, sharing insights about the festival's past, present, and future through podcasts and interviews.7 His leadership has been crucial in establishing Pickathon as a unique and respected event in the music festival landscape.
Highlights
I’ve spent a third of my life involved in Pickathon on the beutiful Pendarvis Farm in Happy Valley, and in that time I have come to learn what makes life meanigful.
For myself and many others that I admire, it means living passionately and making a positive impact on our loved ones, community, and environment.
The multiple generations of the extended Pendarvis Family that I’ve gotten to know are definitely people I admire and their positive impacts began when they first settled in Happy Valley in the 40s and continued through the next 8 decades as their passions rippled through the community through camps for kids, music events, and weddings.
It has been 19 years since we held our first event at Pendarvis Farm. Despite the passage of time, our passion for creating a positive and uplifting experience remains unwavering. Our focus for Pickathon has always been to curate world-class culture in order to bring people and families together, fostering a sense of community.
We never imagined that our small festival would one day be recognized in the press as America's leading independent music festival.
A large part of our success is due to the fruitful collaborations with our neighbors and the City of Happy Valley, which began in 2006 and continued through a series of conditional-use permits up to the present day.
Our latest CUP application built on this successful history and after months of work and engagement that included over 1500 letters of support and a packed house at the hearing we got our permit secured for the next 10 years!
Thank you to our community, the neighbors, and the city of Happy Valley for believing in us, and being part of this magical journey of living passionately, and having positive impact together.
Pickathon 2024 is going to be super special!
We are actively #hiring! Know anyone who might be interested?
