As we all know, everybody does production management. From stagehands to company accountants, it seems anyone who’s ever worked on a concert or an event — in any capacity — can then be qualified as a “production manager.” While there may be some truth to this (in certain instances), it might be best to understand the various nuances associated with the title “Production Manager,” as not all production managers are created equal nor are their jobs all the same.
In the recording business, an executive producer is the one who finances the project, and the music producer is the production manager who oversees the making of the recording. The producer’s job is to make sure that the proper musicians are employed and that the musical parts are played and recorded well. The job usually entails hiring the engineer, the studio and the necessary equipment. The job also requires the producer to schedule the musicians, engineers and studio time while adhering to a certain time frame in which the job needs to be completed. Time is money, and the executive producer is banking on the producer to bring the project in under or right on budget.
Touring Production Manager
In the touring world, the production manager works for the artist and usually coordinates with all the technical personnel to ensure that they have everything required to make the show a success. The production manager is also in charge of advancing the show with the venues and making sure that there is enough labor and time to guarantee a successful event. If equipment is required, they are responsible to make sure it arrives on time and in the correct location. If equipment needs to be replaced or repaired, it is once again the responsibility of the production manager. The production manager is required to oversee and coordinate the load-in, set, strike and load-out of all the technical aspects of the show, and he or she also manages the various different technical staff. This also means that they are the liaison between the audio, light and video crew on one side and the production staff for each venue on the other side.
Again, the production manager must do all of this in a judicious fashion so as to guarantee a timely show as well as a minimum of overtime charges from the labor crew or venue. Let’s not forget that in the middle of the tour, the band may need to stop off in a major city to do a television appearance or some other promotional one-off event. Again, it’s up to the production manager to coordinate the finer points of these appearances and then get the show back on the road while incurring the least amount of expense.
On The Promoter Side
When acting as a promoter representative — whether in a large venue or a club — the responsibilities of a production manager are similar to that of the touring production manager, although it differs in that the said production manager is not just looking out for the needs of their own band but for the overall production of the event.
In many cases, these events consist of multiple acts or even multiple stages, which must be coordinated in regard to the proper equipment, times and labor to make for a successful experience. Quite often, the promoter rep is even responsible for the band’s dressing room hospitality and band meals. The demands upon the production person from this side of the court are often overbearing due to the fact that the promoter is the one with their own money on the line and they see every cent spent as a personal loss. Most likely, this production person will be required to be at settlement for the bands. Therefore, it is imperative that they keep track of every cent spent or given away since, come settlement, they will come under quite a bit of scrutiny by both the promoter and the various band representatives.
As an aside — and it has happened more than once — a promoter has asked me why I provided certain band requests such as a runner, a specific piece of gear, socks, cigarettes, batteries or particular foods and drinks, and I reply “Because it was on the rider.” The promoters inevitably respond that these are negotiable items and do not necessarily need to be provided by the house. I let him know that I am aware of this, but when a signed contract is given to me, then it means that all items have been agreed upon and are — after the fact — non-negotiable. For promoters who hire me to represent them and with whom I have had long-term relationships, I insist that I see the rider before the contract is signed to ensure that no added expense will be incurred. I remind them that all contract negotiations need to take place before the signing of the contract, not afterwards and especially not in the heat of the moment before a show. Ha! Some luck I’ve had with that request.
The Dual Role
In many instances, when the band or venue does not have the money to hire individual persons for each position, audio engineers may find themselves thrown into the dual role as production manager/engineer. This can work for a while, but my own experience of doing this double duty — either on the road with a band or in a club setting — has been that, along the way, the production post starts taking precedence over the engineering job. So even if the person hiring is willing to pay the second salary for the second position, it would be prudent to think twice about taking the work.
It’s nice to have the extra income, but unfortunately, much of the production work takes place when the engineer in you is trying to sleep, do laundry, spend time with the people you love or even — God forbid — mix a show. It’s even worse than it used to be, since we all receive email, texts and calls anytime and anywhere, which means that some production manager across the country or the world has decided that the only time to get the advance done for their event is in the middle of your show. Not that one must take the call, but I am of the opinion that it is better to head the production off at the pass than to have it ambush you around the bend.
Lastly, there is the production that one does when working for an audio company, which varies only in the sense that one is merely a vendor of audio gear and not a production company. Right! This only works if the company only rents gear, but in many cases a client will call with a request for a technician to come and set up and/or mix the event. It is counterproductive in regard to the income of the company to send the client away due to not having a skilled technician to go with the equipment. Therefore, a technician is provided for the client, and in that very moment, the move is made from being an audio provider to being a production company.
Regardless of the size or nature of the event, the salesperson and/or the engineer now becomes a production coordinator, because if the salesperson sends the engineer off to the gig with lack of information, then the engineer is forced to do their own on-site production. Therefore, it behooves all involved if the salesperson can advance the show to make certain that the client and engineer receive the proper equipment to make for a successful venture. Considering that we are in a business where no one wants to accept culpability for any mistakes, it’s probably a good idea for the salesperson/production manager to go on site when a show is more involved or costly.
Who’s Fault Is It, Anyway?
Remember, if a mistake is their fault, then they have to pay to rectify the situation, but if the fault is not theirs to embrace, then the responsibility falls upon the production provider to pay. In moments of despair, I even suggest that the salesperson go out with every rental piece of gear, since some clients will call up after the fact and — not realizing that it was operator error — complain that the gear was faulty. Without qualm, an irate or panicked client will call at all hours of day and night protesting that a piece of gear that is crucial to the show has failed in its capacity to perform. Patiently, you explain to them how to correctly use said piece of gear and, once again, all is well and chaos is held at bay.
Would that be considered tech support or production? Of course, at 3 in the morning, categorizing what you do means squat. With a 7 a.m. load-in looming large in your future, you realize that a good night’s rest has once again evaded you, but that’s par for the course because: Production never sleeps!
