Paving the way from NASCAR to the Reputation Stadium Tour

Overcoming obstacles is something that I pride myself in being exceptionally good at, but this was definitely put to the test last March when I got a call from Ryan Owen (my boss and BHAG creator) telling me that we would be deploying our screen network on the 2018 Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour. Over the next six months, we would work alongside the production team at every North American venue on Swift’s tour.

The realization of this opportunity took me 100% out of my comfort zone as the majority of my 20+ year career has been spent activating at NASCAR tracks around the country. But a music tour, let alone one of the highest grossing tours of all time, was something I had never done. The fundamentals of my training had prepared me properly for the mechanical portions of the job, but I wouldn't be able to lean on my reputation or previous relationships on this one, so it was imperative that I made friends and made them quickly.

In a previous blog post, I wrote about three tips for success I learned from my teammate Davis Eckard that include: doing your job, staying out of the way, and not being a jerk. I have used these tips over the years to build trust and create friendships, and along the way, I adopted an attitude of saying YES whenever possible.

“Can you move this screen?” YES.

“Can you work late tonight?” YES.

“Can you come in early?” YES.

“Can I borrow your equipment?” YES.

Whatever the question and whenever possible, the answer was always YES. This attitude was quickly recognized, and it ingratiate us with enough people that our reputation on tour quickly grew into a Big Reputation (Swifties will get it). By deploying this philosophy, I was able to build rapport with facility managers, union reps, security professionals, and stage hands all around the country.

If I am being honest, I was initially intimidated by the scale of this opportunity and wanted to make sure that I was representing our company and our client with the utmost professionalism. But now that we have closed the curtain on the final show, I now have confidence that I can adapt to any environment with most every style of person. The Reputation Tour has given this to me.

I will never forget this incredible year on tour, and I am extremely grateful for all of the new friends that I made along the way.

Until the next one,

Michael