Evanston S.P.A.C.E.

Production Management Intern

As someone infatuated with live performance and the touring industry, S.P.A.C.E. was the perfect work environment to provide me with a fundamental knowledge of the professional music world. Given the fact that it is a smaller venue, it offered me the opportunity to be hands-on and instrumental in the production of each show alongside a tight-knit team eager to impart their know-how.

My role at S.P.A.C.E. was widely varied, and the range of skills and information that I was able to glean reflect that. As part of the front-of-house crew, I was expected to manage the box office and the ticket sales operations. This included monitoring our sales numbers for each show, tracking and distributing tickets, and some promotional duties for the venue. Much of this required excellent interpersonal skills, assisting customers with questions about the artists, venue, ticket purchasing, and check-in. 

On the back end, I was part of the hospitality team interacting with the artists and their managers. This was influential because it allowed me to evaluate the touring process from both the artist and booking perspective. The booking agent for the venue thoroughly explained to me the way that the negotiations typically work, from the initial scouting to contacting managers and finalizing contracts. I was able to learn the types of concert deals that are made between the two sides, and the intricacies involved in the costs and the allotment of the payouts.

On some days I would arrive early to the venue to assist with the equipment load-out and stage setup. Working directly with the resident sound engineer, I learned about channeling and mixing the sound to align with the acoustics of the room. We would work with the artists and their teams to fully equip the stage, and then would man the sound booth during the show to operate the board and the lighting rig.

Understanding the pieces that must come together to produce a live concert from the booking stages to the day of the show is critical for recognizing how the music industry functions as a whole. Live music is an important element of any artist's career, as it is the direct relationship between them and their fans. The insight that I was able to obtain in regards to operating a venue, booking talent, and the relationships with artists and managers allowed me to become more efficient in identifying where those players fit into the music industry and the ways in which those interactions must be approached.