ABSTRACT
The glamorous world of rock and roll and the touring music business is another artistic genre that requires a reliable and competent production manager at the helm. Whether on the road
and touring or having a staff job as a venue’s production manager, the job of the production
manager is fast paced and has many moving parts that need careful management on a regular basis. Much like production managers in other artistic disciplines, flexibility and patience are
top attributes of a production manager in the music business. John Sanders, a top production
touring professional whose recent credits include Sting, Paul Simon, KISS, Def Leppard and
The Eagles, agrees and says,
On a typical show day, a production manager could have any number of people coming at them in a very short amount of time. For instance, the first thing prior to load-in,
venue personnel will want to see stage placement and dressing room assignments, the truck drivers will want to know parking and order of trucks unloading, and the bus drivers will want to know where to park. While all of this is happening, crew members will want to know about the location of catering and laundry, riggers will want to see a tickets-sold map for an audio hang, and the list goes on . . . and all of this within the first ten minutes of walking into a venue. It can be overwhelming, and having a great
deal of patience and flexibility are strong qualities of a good production manager. These
attributes will get you through event days while maintaining a cordial and professional
demeanor. All of this takes discipline. If you cannot discipline yourself, you won’t be a good production manager.
