Flex Support Stories – Everything is Connected
Everything is connected in the entertainment industry.
I saw this come into fruition in February, when I not only had the opportunity to see my favourite (yup, with a “u” again!) artist Sonreal in concert, but I also got to be part of his crew for a day! I worked very closely with his tour manager to help set up, clone, and even run a few lights during the show
(in between rocking out as hard as I can!)
Anne Blakely-Barloco
That's me!
Working at Flex gave me a new appreciation for where the gear came from, how much work went into renting out and prepping the fixtures, and how much paperwork is put into a tour, or any event for that matter.
Think of a show as one big workflow. You have a workflow for each venue/city. Then in that workflow, you have Load In with the workflow actions: Run Cable, Place Fixtures & Set up Console, Set up Monitors, Mics, & Racks. Then comes the Mic Check with actions like Test Each Musician, Clone Lights, Set up Audio Console, Set up and Test TimeCode. Moving on to our Show Time workflow, with actions like: Opener, Main Act, etc. And, of course, we then finish off with the actions of Load Out: tear down, pack up, hit the road!
But before this “workflow” can happen, the Flex workflows and prep needs to happen. From quotes to invoices and creating pull sheets, Flex revolves, in part, around Workflows to make sure the day and process goes smoothly. Workflows in Flex are some of the most flexible customizations, because they are designed to bend to the will, needs, and expectations of your organization.
I also had the wonderful opportunity to go on tour with the Canadian band, Rare Americans, just before I started at Flex. One thing that blew my mind was how many fans were there for their first concert ever. It was heart-warming to see and hear their reactions. Even as the lighting technician and operator, I signed a few setlists and shirts and even took some photos with fans! Their gratitude was beyond anything I had ever experienced.
And that gratitude extends to you, our customers. If you were not around, there would be no lights or a console to set up. There would be no Sound Check. No Opener. No Tour. There would be no show. There would be no experience (and no autographs). We all know how important live events are to our well-being. To our lives. We all know the first show we saw, our favorite show, and what tickets we have coming up. That’s perhaps what makes this work so rewarding. We’re fans first.
And we’re all connected to these experiences whether we’re in the audience or behind the scenes.