Production Manager

A production manager (PM) is responsible for all technical and production elements of a concert tour — stage, sound, lighting, video, backline, rigging, and the crew that runs it all. If the tour manager is the operational leader of the tour, the production manager is the technical leader.

What a production manager does

The PM advances all production details with venues: confirming stage plot compatibility, PA system specs, power distribution, rigging points, and local crew requirements. On show day, the PM runs load-in, oversees stage setup, manages soundcheck timing, coordinates with venue stage managers, and supervises load-out. Between shows, they're maintaining equipment, planning for upcoming venues, and managing their crew.

PM vs. tour manager

On larger tours, the PM and TM work as partners with distinct responsibilities. The TM handles travel, hotels, schedules, personnel, and finances. The PM handles everything on stage and in the production world. On smaller tours, the TM often absorbs PM duties — which is doable on a club tour but becomes unsustainable once production gets complex.

The PM's crew

The production manager typically oversees the FOH engineer, monitor engineer, lighting designer, video crew, backline techs, and any other production-specific personnel. They manage budgets for production expenses, equipment maintenance, and local crew calls.