Production partner for marketing and experiential agencies
You own the client and the creative. I run the production.
You won the pitch. Now somebody has to build it.
Agencies win on ideas and relationships. The margin, and the client’s next renewal, depend on production that lands the way it was sold.
- A creative concept that every production vendor quotes differently?
- Account teams managing five vendors on top of the client?
- Production costs that eat the margin after the job is sold?
- No production lead you trust to stand in front of your client?
Why it hasn’t been fixed yet.
It’s rarely effort. Owners in this business work harder than anyone. It’s usually one of these.
Production as a second job
Account teams end up running production
The people who own the client relationship also end up chasing vendors, so neither job gets their full attention.
Vendors running their own piece
Vendors quote the concept their own way
Without a production spec, each vendor prices its own version of the idea, and the agency can’t compare them or hold them to it.
Production planned last
Production is costed after the pitch is won
When the budget is promised before the production is scoped, the agency’s margin absorbs the difference.
What I do
What I run for you
- Production feasibility and budget while you’re still pitching
- Concept turned into a buildable spec: stage, set, LED, lighting, audio and power
- Vendor bids on one scope, negotiated and held to what they quoted
- Production schedule, venue advance and crew calls
- On-site production management as part of your team, under your agency’s name if you prefer
- Change orders priced before the work is done, so your margin holds
What changes
Production that lands the way you pitched it, at the margin you priced it.
Scoped to your event. On the first call we go through the date, the venue, the talent and the budget, and decide how much of the production you want me to run.
Proof
Shows I’ve sold and project managed.
Concerts, festivals, tours and brand activations from my time at production companies. They’re my experience, not clients of this business.
- County Line Music FestivalConcert or festival
- Deep Roots FestivalConcert or festival
- REVOLT WORLD 2024Concert or festival
- Robin Thicke TourConcert or festival
- Skillet ConcertConcert or festival
- Atlanta Wine & Jazz Festival 2023Concert or festival
- Pacific Feats Festival 2024Concert or festival
- Kentuckiana Pride FestivalConcert or festival
- Toyota Music Den 2024Fan event
- Credit One Credit Tip Off College TourFan event
- Atlanta United 2023 Block PartyFan event
- New York Fashion WeekLive show
Most production help sells you gear. I’ve worked every side of the show.
I’ve worked every side of a show, from the loading dock to the sales desk. That’s how I know where a production goes wrong, and why I work for you, not the vendors.
Devon RaceManaging Director, Event Production Partner
Outsiders: A creative sees the concept.
I see how it’s built, how long it takes and how many hands it needs, from building shows as a stagehand.
From the crew, as a stagehand
Outsiders: An account team sees vendors.
I see one production, from project managing corporate, brand and fan events for agencies and brands.
From the show, as project manager
Outsiders: A finance team sees an overrun.
I see the change orders nobody priced, from negotiating production contracts at the sales desk.
From the sales desk, as head of sales and marketing
The production mistakes that cost events the most
I’ve watched each one happen from inside the company. You get the lesson without the bill.
Where I saw it: StagehandLoad-ins, audio, LED and staging
The mistakeApproving the stage before anyone has walked the site
What it costs
A rebuild on show day, with the crew on overtime
What to do instead
Check ground, power, access and the load-in window before the design is final
Where I saw it: Warehouse managerInventory, prep, trucks and returns
The mistakeTaking the lowest bid without checking what’s in it
What it costs
Cable, power and labor added back later at full price
What to do instead
Bid one scope and equipment list, and compare line by line
Where I saw it: Project manager$500K+ projects, crews and clients
The mistakeLeaving the artist advance until show week
What it costs
Backline bought in a rush, and a soundcheck that runs into doors
What to do instead
Advance every artist as soon as they’re confirmed
Where I saw it: Head of sales and marketingScaled companies from $750K to $3M+
The mistakePromising the client a look before it’s costed
What it costs
Your margin pays for the difference
What to do instead
Get a production budget before the pitch or the deal is signed
Relevant experience and expertise are the top criteria buyers use to evaluate potential service providers.
Took production houses local to regional to national. Built client relationships with Fortune 500 brands.
Common questions
Production partner for experiential agencies
What promoters, agencies and brands ask about this before the first call.
Can you work under our agency’s name?
Yes. Many agencies want the production lead to be part of their team in front of the client. I can work under your name, or alongside you as your production partner. We agree it up front.
Devon
Can you help before we’ve won the pitch?
Yes. A quick feasibility check and production budget while you’re pitching keeps you from selling a concept that can’t be built for the price.
Devon
Do you replace our production vendors?
No. Your vendors bid alongside others on one scope, and I manage whoever is chosen. The point is to make the production predictable, not to change who you work with.
Devon
Do you also help agencies grow?
Yes. Separately from production, I help agencies with new business, proposals and pricing. That side of my work is on the experiential agencies industry page.
Devon
Keep reading
More of the production I run
- Who it’s forFestival and concert production managementYou book the lineup and sell the tickets. I run the stages.Read more
- What I run for youStage design and implementationTurn the creative vision into a stage that can actually be built, on budget.Read more
- What I run for youVendor procurement and biddingBids you can compare line by line, from vendors who can deliver them.Read more
Start with a conversation
Let’s talk about your next show.
- A 15-minute callBy video, about your company
- A short written planWithin three business days
- You decideNo packages, no pressure