When Hamilton hosts the Juno Awards this weekend, Communications and Multimedia grad Lisa La Rocca will be right in the centre of the action.
As the director of operations at Sonic Unyon, a Hamilton-based indie record label and event management company, La Rocca is working on programming that includes JunoFest, which will take place on Juno weekend at venues across the city.
She is also helping host city events and pop-up shows, including the kick-off concert March 26 at the Music Hall.
“Sonic Unyon is so excited to be working on some of the local Junos programming,” says La Rocca.
“I’m looking forward to welcoming Canada’s music industry to Hamilton, and showing them all we have to offer: venues, artists, industry and community.”
La Rocca’s career in the arts and music sector started with an internship at Sonic Unyon when she was a third-year undergraduate student at McMaster. She also got involved with organizing Supercrawl, participating right after the first version of the festival in 2009.
“That first festival took place in a small grass lot, without a street closure. Over the last 17 editions, I’ve been able to watch this festival grow, see the success we’ve been able to achieve, but also the hard work, passion and dedication that so many people have to put into it to get this far.”
La Rocca completed an MA in Communications and New Media at McMaster, supervised by Professor Sara Bannerman from Communication Studies and Media Arts, and is now completing a PhD in communication and culture at York University with a focus on popular music.
She’s also involved in the organization of festivals and events, grant-writing and operations, and occasionally artist management.
“I think people would be surprised how many different things we do in a day: anything from budgeting, to wine tasting, to creating a map for a festival, to filling out a building permit, to setting up tents and tables, to grant writing, to thinking of fun merch ideas,” says La Rocca.
“The variation is what makes it so interesting, and what makes working at a small company so rewarding.”
La Rocca was recently nominated for the 2026 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Arts and Culture category, an award that honours women who enrich their community by supporting the arts and who encourage the creative expression of women, girls, and gender-diverse people.
“This nomination has reassured me that the work I’m doing is meaningful to the community,” says La Rocca.
She says the events industry can be demanding, making it easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, and for La Rocca, the bigger picture has always centred on creating opportunities and making space for others.
“I am so passionate about making space for all types of voices and talents, especially in uplifting the experiences of women, girls and gender-diverse people in industries where they aren’t or weren’t always valued or equal,” she says.
The YWCA nomination follows another recognition: Last year, La Rocca received the Hamilton Arts Champion Award in 2025, which recognizes supporters of the arts in Hamilton as volunteers, advocates and board members.
Her community involvement includes chairing the Hamilton Music Advisory Team, Women in Music Hamilton/Halton, the Juno 2026 Events & Nighttime Economy Subcommittee and the Hamilton Halton Brant Regional Tourism Association Board. She also serves on the Downtown Hamilton Business Improvement Area.
Starting her career in the arts and culture sector as a young woman, says La Rocca, made her understand the importance of being a resource and uplifting others.
Any advice for students looking to enter the industry? Be resourceful, focus on writing skills and find meaningful volunteering opportunities, La Rocca says.
“Being a strong researcher and writer is valuable in almost any career or industry. Those were the courses at McMaster that I think were most useful.”
Many of her professors shaped and encouraged her interests, she says, especially Bannerman.
“She has been such a great mentor and friend to me as I’ve continued in my academic career.”
La Rocca also sees volunteering as an important way to build experience: “Gaining new skills and knowledge in your field is so important for creating a well-rounded career.”
Helping others access the arts and culture industry, especially in the Hamilton community, motivates La Rocca’s daily work.
“When we uplift each other, we create a better reality for everyone: a stronger industry with more opportunities, more collaborations, and ultimately greater success,” she says.
“There is room for everyone at the table.”