Assignment 1a-cohen

Wayne Roelle, Production Manager

Wayne Roelle

Production Manager

Savannah, Georgia

Can you briefly define your job?

union business agent - handle all contracting and negotiations for short and long term labor contracts. i represent the international alliance of theatrical stage employees local union # 320 members and other referrals. since 2001 i have established rates terms and conditions for theatre, concert production and corporate events where my members and other referrals work. as business agent i handle labor disputes (rare thing but they do happen), employer complaints (since 2001 maybe a 1/2 dozen), employees grievances (which are non-existent). i also handle the administrative side of jobs by creating labor bills, invoicing clients, following up on delinquent accounts payable. i also advance the incoming show or event and help our clients establish the labor call for their event

union call steward - i make all the labor calls to my members and other referrals. giving them call times and locations for the work, if they are available for the work i have.

union job steward - i handle onsite timekeeping, personnel assignments, and act as the central nervous system between the venue, the traveling crew and my crew

production assistant - whatever it takes (within reason) on a video or photo shoot

production manager/coordinator - help the production company coordinate venues, rentals, labor, catering, licensing, permits, etc. more or less become the central nervous system of the shoot

- How did you get started in the business?

when i finished college in ohio (ohio university, bs mathematics, minor sociology) i came to savannah because i have family here. i had never been backstage and didn't know i wanted to do what i do. my cousin worked for a sound company and after 6 months i finally did too. i quit there after about a two years where i had become warehouse manager, pro audio manager, and a systems guy. i started working as a over-hire stagehand @ the savannah civic center. in about a year i was the # 2 guy there. then became the production manager there in another 6 months. i left there and went on a road tour. when i finished that and came back to savannah and became business agent

- How do you tell someone over you that you couldn't accomplish an assigned task?

my motto "there is nothing we cannot do". unless there is a legitimate safety issue or a lack of time, money or personnel. on a job we take a proactive approach to what we do and we make it happen. the vast majority of work we do is not impossible. for the most part what we do has been done in some way or fashion prior to our doing it. you take your knowledge from your past and always build on it then use that knowledge in your present situation. further, with enough time and money and manpower pretty much anything is possible

- Do you have any advice for a media student who is just starting out?

take all the work you can. keep the amount of time you volunteer (work for free) your services to a minimum once you cease to be a student. be a sponge and learn everything you can about what you want to do either on the job or from a book. knowledge and experience is worth the money