# Looking to travel/work Festival to Festival



## damonlb (Jun 11, 2015)

I just finished working my first festival (FPSF-Houston, TX), and now I'm hooked on the experience. While working the build I was told it's pretty common for some stagehands to work from festival to festival. This is something I'm very excited about doing however I'm not sure how to go about finding which companies are working which festivals. 

Any suggestions on how I would be able to find which companies are working which festivals. 

Putting up my own travel and board isn't an issue.


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## chawalang (Jun 11, 2015)

Contact I.A.T.S.E local 51 in Houston Texas and express an interest in getting on their call list.

What is your background and skill set?

If you don't mind me asking, whom did you go through to get on the gig?


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## themuzicman (Jun 11, 2015)

damonlb said:


> Putting up my own travel and board isn't an issue.



Any employer worth anything will put up your room and board if they expect you to travel out to a festival. The few times I have done festivals they have either gotten shared "shower/crash" rooms on bigger festivals as getting to/from is a pain, or with the mom and pop production companies they will get a nice big campground, provide tents and hammocks, and you all hang out together with meals provided.


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## damonlb (Jun 11, 2015)

themuzicman said:


> Any employer worth anything will put up your room and board if they expect you to travel out to a festival. The few times I have done festivals they have either gotten shared "shower/crash" rooms on bigger festivals as getting to/from is a pain, or with the mom and pop production companies they will get a nice big campground, provide tents and hammocks, and you all hang out together with meals provided.


Well that's certainly good news to hear!! 
So how did you find out which production companies to go to in order to get booked for the festival?


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## damonlb (Jun 11, 2015)

chawalang said:


> Contact I.A.T.S.E local 51 in Houston Texas and express an interest in getting on their call list.
> 
> What is your background and skill set?
> 
> If you don't mind me asking, whom did you go through to get on the gig?


Thank you! I'll check them out ASAP. As of now I've 3 months experience as a stagehand. 
I wouldn't classify myself as particularly "skilled" in any one area yet as I'm still fairly new although I have built stages, and setup lighting/audio. 

I went through upstage center for work on FPSF


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## LekoBoy (Jun 12, 2015)

damonlb said:


> As of now I've 3 months experience as a stagehand.


Three _whole_ months? Wow!

http://www.controlbooth.com/wiki/?title=Collaborative-Articles:Getting-a-Job-in-the-Industry


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## damonlb (Jun 12, 2015)

LekoBoy said:


> Three _whole_ months? Wow!
> 
> http://www.controlbooth.com/wiki/?title=Collaborative-Articles:Getting-a-Job-in-the-Industry


Lol thank you for the article. It was very reassuring that this industry is exactly where I want to be. However I'm not looking to go on tour with one specific company, but more so travel from festival to festival as a hand. I'm aware I can certainly use more experience and skill which will undoubtedly be gained. 

Was the point that networking is how to find which companies are staging certain festivals? Or to sit down and gain more experience before I try and travel?


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## themuzicman (Jun 12, 2015)

damonlb said:


> Well that's certainly good news to hear!!
> So how did you find out which production companies to go to in order to get booked for the festival?



Depends on the festival -- most festivals I have worked booked local production companies out of the town or major city nearest them. The only time I have ever been "brought in" was when the festival had a contract with the IA local and they couldn't fulfill call numbers and had to start calling around to neighboring locals. 

You really aren't going to festival hop unless a. you work for a band b. you work for a corporation and are setting up their promo stuff or c. you are in with a ton of production companies in a certain geographic area.


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## damonlb (Jun 12, 2015)

themuzicman said:


> Depends on the festival -- most festivals I have worked booked local production companies out of the town or major city nearest them. The only time I have ever been "brought in" was when the festival had a contract with the IA local and they couldn't fulfill call numbers and had to start calling around to neighboring locals.
> 
> You really aren't going to festival hop unless a. you work for a band b. you work for a corporation and are setting up their promo stuff or c. you are in with a ton of production companies in a certain geographic area.


That's more so what I'm aiming to do in applying for the local company that the festival has booked. 

The main challenge I'm running into is finding which local company is working which festival to know who to apply with. 

To my understanding festivals will book the local company months in advance. I just need to find out who local pc is. 

I've tried looking through the festival website. I suppose I could use their contact page in hopes of finding out who's who.


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## Footer (Jun 12, 2015)

You won't really get anywhere with this mindset on the Production side. No one is going to take a chance on an unknown on their biggest gig of the season. If you want to do this sell Grilled cheese, hula hoops, or drugs.


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## gafftapegreenia (Jun 12, 2015)

Footer said:


> You won't really get anywhere with this mindset on the Production side. No one is going to take a chance on an unknown on their biggest gig of the season. If you want to do this sell Grilled cheese, hula hoops, or drugs.



Except Crew 1, who will hire anyone breathing for Bonnaroo. Glad I never worked a festival for them, I've heard many bad tales from friends.


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## themuzicman (Jun 12, 2015)

Footer said:


> You won't really get anywhere with this mindset on the Production side. No one is going to take a chance on an unknown on their biggest gig of the season. If you want to do this sell Grilled cheese, hula hoops, or drugs.



This is 100% true. You need to put in time with each company before the festivals -- You had to prove yourself with dozens of tiny events before you got asked to go out to a festival. You can't just call and go "I love festivals, hire me!" -- I worked EDC in Las Vegas a few years back because the company liked that I was a. such a square they knew I was the exact opposite of the EDC crowd and b. I had worked for them for 6 months with a fantastic track record. Also, they don't hire anyone non-local. There is often times a few weeks of prep before the larger festivals and logistics and planning, the logistics folks are the ones who get to travel across the country. The box pushers are the ones that are coming locally or from the region. 

Listen to what Footer said if you want to hop festivals - go sell merch, drugs, or be a groupie that festival hops all summer long.


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## MrsFooter (Jun 13, 2015)

Besides, I know after one weekend setting up staging for festivals for the rest of your life *sounds* like fun, but I assure you, it quickly ceases to be so. It's backbreaking labor in either extreme heat or torrential rain for very little pay, and I can say from experience that one night of pushing decking through a muddy field by the light of headlights is enough to make a person question their life choices.


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## damonlb (Jun 13, 2015)

I hear 

you all. And it does make sense. Although I won't be selling grilled cheese or drugs anytime soon (prime suggestions though)

The work I don't mind 'cause outside of staging it's not very foreign to me. But not hiring someone they've never heard of based off little background for their big event does sound about right. 

Still mostly just wanted to know how to at least find out who's who, however the reasons of why it wouldn't work are also very real world factual, and appreciated. As it does offer some added perspective to my situation. 

So definitely thank you all for your responses. They helped in ways I didn't expect them to, but could certainly use.


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## viking33 (Jun 13, 2015)

Seems to me you would be a pretty good candidate for the Warped tour. They seem fine to take reasonable untrained people on the road with them. Pay isn't that good but if you just want to get out there for the party then thats the place.


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## Brandofhawk (Jun 15, 2015)

Hire on with a company.
Talk to everyone you can about wherever else the work, whatever else they do, etc. 
Remember and look up the companies when they have good things to say.
Look up the bad ones too.

Figure out how to apply to them. Sometimes you can ask whoever you are working with directly how to get a job at a company. 
Figure out what makes a company bad and what makes them good.
While you're figuring stuff out, figure out how the "bad" companies are still doing business. (And let me know). 

Remember names of people you work with and like. Remember those you don't. Learn how everyone is connected, (because everyone who lasts in this industry becomes connected). 
Look up the people they mention, you never know when "My friend Tom" is Tom the guy in charge of hiring crew members for <large company>.
Probably look up everyone... Most people in theatre are designers in smaller venues when they can -a lot of people have websites. See where else they've worked - it's not creepy to look it up, but talking to them about it might be. 

Rinse and repeat. 

Probably one of the best pieces of advice someone gave me; never say no to meeting someone and never turn down working with someone, once. You can always say no to the next one. (But don't let yourself be put into an unsafe situation.) Some of my best paying work has come from that one time a friend's friend was in need of a hand at a cheap rate and I was the one that was available.


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## Pie4Weebl (Jun 16, 2015)

viking33 said:


> Seems to me you would be a pretty good candidate for the Warped tour. They seem fine to take reasonable untrained people on the road with them. Pay isn't that good but if you just want to get out there for the party then thats the place.


My thought exactly, with 3 months experience you'd be a prime warped tour candidate! I'm so happy that tour ends before sundown or I would probably be out there now with one of my clients in that scene....


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