Before the lights, camera, and action!

There's a saying that goes "It takes a whole village to raise a child". It also takes a tremendous amount of crew to put together a production. I've had the privilege to work on some amazing tours and events this past summer.  Mrs. Carter tour Beyoncé, The Legends of Summer JT and Jay Z Philly.com, Justin Bieber, Eagles Eagles Band, and WWE Paid Per View Money in the Bank just to name a few.

Some shows can be an average size production, taking just a day to set up / load in and break down / load out.  Other shows can be a large production taking several days to set up / load in, and a few days to break down / load out. There are tours that are only 15 tracker trailer loads, and there are larger tours that are up to 50 tracker trailer loads.

This is where the importance of a production manager comes into place. What is a production manager? A production manager is someone who takes care of all the transportation of the equipment. They know exactly what equipment they have, and how it gets packed. They travel with the road crew, and they know exactly how many stagehands they need. The production manager knows the timeline of the set up to the minute, the diagram of all the lights, and all the measurements of the staging.  They handle any technical issues during the tour. They also set up all meals for the crew while at the venues. For more information on what tour management does check out Tour Concepts.

In my current position I work with audio, video, lighting, and carpentry crews. I’m working my way up from the bottom. I’m learning every facet in the production of a concert. 

The next time you go see someone in concert. Remember that it has taken countless hours as well as hundreds of crewmembers to get the stage, lights, audio, and video ready!