Lucy McNae is Production Assistant for one of the UK’s biggest acts, Lewis Capaldi.
We catch up with her about how she started in the business, her favourite venues and tips for women wanting to join the industry…
What inspired you to get started in live music production?
I’ve wanted to work in touring since I was a little kid, my mum took me to a Status Quo show and something just clicked. I never wanted to be onstage but I wanted to be part of getting the show in front of people. That feeling when the hair on the back of your neck stands up because you’re experiencing something amazing with so many people, was something I wanted to share.
I started off working in buzz marketing at 14 then moved into Merchandise Management and had a spell of booking bands for Hard Rock Cafe in Glasgow. Went to university to study Commercial Music and Tour Managed for some smaller Scottish acts and then jumped ship to TV Production in 2016 to get more experience from a different angle.
You’ve recently been Production Assistant on the Lewis Capaldi tour – how did this opportunity come about?
I got a call to do merch for Lewis in late 2018 because I had worked with some of his crew on other acts. Then when the album came out last year and the shows kept growing, Scott & Nick, the TM & PM, asked if I was keen to get more involved and it seemed like the perfect next step. There are a lot of transferable skills between Live Production and TV so it has worked out pretty well.
You must have worked at many venues and spaces – what’s been your favourite and why?
That is a tough one because there are so many awesome venues with great set ups and everyone is lovely but when it comes down to it there are realistically two that I am always very happy to see on a schedule. It is a horribly cliched Scottish answer but The Barrowlands Ballroom & The Ironworks in Inverness. They aren’t the biggest of venues or state of the art new builds but they both always feel like coming home.
What’s the one item you can’t live without when on site?
Assuming that my phone is a given, then I’d have to say most things in my line on site can be solved with some brightly coloured tape (and a sharpie).
What one tip would you give to women wanting to move into event production?
There’s not one easy tip but thesame thinggoes across the board really: get involved wherever you can, be approachable and don’t be shy about asking questions if you want to learn. Don’t try to lift more than you can handle both physically and metaphorically. There are so many routes into events now that it all really boils down to those same points.
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