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The Giggs Podcast, hosted by Nikki Sanz, Founder & CEO of Giggs, the professional career platform for the live event industry, dives into the world of touring and live events to share the good, the bad, the ugly, and the unbelievable moments of gigging life, along with invaluable lessons learned on the road.
We’re here to fill the gap in content about what it truly takes to work on the road. Our episodes explore every discipline within the live event industry, showcasing big wins, hard-learned lessons, and everything in between. We honor the pioneers of this industry, offering invaluable insights from the older generations who shaped modern touring.
Whether you’re an aspiring tour manager, a seasoned backline tech, or just passionate about the live event scene, this podcast is for you. Join us as we take you behind the scenes to explore the highs and lows of gigging life.
64 Episodes
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Recorded live at Rock Lititz, Nikki Sanz sits down with touring production manager, Jesse Sandler, for a behind-the-scenes look at how a touring career actually gets built—one cosign, one good attitude, and one “figure it out” moment at a time. Jesse walks through his path from an early runner/production assistant role to touring internationally as an audio tech, and eventually stepping into the production manager seat—sometimes faster than expected. What you’ll learn: The difference betwe...
Recorded live from Rock Lititz, Nikki Sanz sits down with Butch Allen, VP of Global Business Development at TAIT, and a touring veteran who’s done nearly every job on the road (“everything but audio”). Butch breaks down what actually moves your career forward in live events: learning fast, contributing solutions, and being someone people want in the “fishbowl” when the pressure is high and the clock is ticking. If you’re trying to level up—whether you’re a stagehand, tech, designer, or produ...
Recorded live from Rock Lititz in Lititz, Pennsylvania, host Nikki Sanz sits down with Dr. Chayim Newman and Zack Borer—the co-founders of Amber Health—to talk about what it really takes to support touring crews and live event professionals when the days are long, the pressure is constant, and the margin for error is basically zero. This conversation goes beyond “mental health awareness” and into what support looks like on the ground: proactive tools that help people manage the road and real-...
Live video direction isn’t just calling shots—it’s reading the room, listening to the music, and trusting your crew to move with it. Recorded live from Rock Lititz, Nikki sits down with Nicholas Weldon “nicDUB”, a legacy roadie with over two decades of experience as a live video director. nicDUB shares how growing up around touring shaped him early, why he fell in love with the visual side of music in the MTV era, and the moment he decided he wanted to make the person in the very back row fee...
Ask Giggs is back, and this one is for anyone who’s ever said, “I’m in shape… but I’m not in tour shape.” In Ask Giggs #8, Nikki answers community questions about managing the physical toll of touring, building real stamina, and staying mentally steady when your body is cooked, but the show still has to go on. She breaks down why “touring shape” is its own category (and why so much of it is mental), shares simple recovery and reset rituals you can do on the road, and gets real about the habit...
In this special docuseries-style episode, we’re taking you inside the construction of the brand new Rock Nashville—the highly anticipated live entertainment campus from the team behind Rock Lititz. Nikki Sanz gets a sneak preview of the build, explores what the campus is designed to solve for touring crews, and sits down with key people helping shape the vision, the community experience, and the future of live production in Nashville. For the best viewing experience, watch on our Spotify or Y...
Allison Noah is a rising star in the industry — one of the few women in her role as Stage Manager, and a standout leader in the next generation of road crews. She got her start at Grammy-winning label Sono Luminus, where she did everything from engineering to photography. After moving to Nashville, she worked briefly at City Winery — then hit the road in 2021 on a small country tour, juggling nearly every tech role on the show. Since then, she’s become a full-time stage manager known for her ...
Sooner Rae Routhier is a renowned Principal Designer who is a 2X Parnelli, Live Design Achievement, Live Production Summit Pinnacle, and multi Top Dog award-winning designer. Her designs can be seen on Jimmy Fallon, The AMA’s, The Ellen Show, The Voice, and The Billboard Music Awards. She has crafted iconic shows for artists such as Coldplay, Panic at the Disco, The Weeknd, KISS, Imagine Dragons, The Lumineers, and many more. Beyond her creative genius, Sooner has also been a driving force in...
We’re back with another Ask Giggs segment, where host Nikki Sanz answers real questions from the Giggs community. In this episode, we get honest about one of the hardest parts of working in live events: what the job asks of your personal life, and how to build something sustainable without losing the people you love. From “you can’t say no yet” to “you should be able to go to a funeral,” Nikki walks through the tradeoffs, the guilt, and the practical ways crew members stay connected on the ro...
Our guest is Zito — one of the most respected and accomplished production managers in the world. Over the past 25 years, he’s worked with artists like Green Day, Ariana Grande, Josh Groban, Babyface, OneRepublic, Blink-182, the Backstreet Boys, Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, and many more. Starting in the late ’90s as a band member and part-time sound guy, he slowly worked his way up from vans and small clubs to stadiums and global tours across 80 countries. He’s the winner of the Patri...
This special episode of The GIGGS Podcast pulls the best Rapid Fire moments from across the series into one fast-moving, feel-good mashup. From first concerts and favorite venues, to after-show food, bus bunk politics, can’t-tour-without items, and the best career advice they’ve ever received, touring pros share the stories, laughs, and lessons that only happen on the road. You’ll hear: First concert memories ranging from New Kids on the Block to Anthrax, George Strait, and Loretta Lynn.Go-to...
Join us on a high-flying adventure as Nikki Sanz boards a VIP-configured Boeing 757 for Giggs’ first-ever in-flight episode with TrueSkies Aviation Group—the team moving A-list artists, sports teams, and high-profile clients around the world. Co-founders David Young and Christian Meiley share how they went from rock tours, EDM shows, and NASA launches to building one of the most trusted names in private aviation, and why they believe flying private is really a “time machine” for artists, crew...
Learn more about Musicians On Call: https://www.musiciansoncall.org/ Pete Griffin is the President & CEO of Musicians On Call, the nonprofit that brings live music to hospital patients, caregivers, and veterans across all 50 states. Under his leadership, MOC has grown from a local charity to an internationally recognized organization that’s delivered the healing power of music to over one million people. Before MOC, Pete led national campaigns at MTV, winning an Emmy for community s...
![#42 What Really Moves a Show | [Exclusive] ShowShuttle and Extreme Lighting & Sound](https://storage.buzzsprout.com/1uj1amyel868fjwtt11zrfwk0fd4?.jpg "#42 What Really Moves a Show | [Exclusive] ShowShuttle and Extreme Lighting & Sound")
Step inside the shop that keeps tours moving. In this episode, we go behind the scenes at Extreme Lighting & Sound (ELS) for an exclusive look at their team, their process, and the ShowShuttle—the modular cart system built to speed up load-ins, reduce chaos, and keep crews safer. From welding bays to machining, you’ll see how ELS designs, fabricates, and stress-tests the gear that actually moves a show. We talk to employees and sit down with the owners to unpack the real-world probl...
Founder & CEO Nikki Sanz answers YOUR questions from the Giggs Community. Find your next Gigg: https://www.giggs.live/ Stay up to date: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live Host: Nikki Sanz
Shawn Worlow is the Founder and President of The Production Collective, which is the team behind some of the most complex large-scale events in the country: NFL Draft, Formula 1 Las Vegas, SEMA Fest, March Madness Music Festival, and more. He’s also the Founder of Collective Payroll, a company that simplifies workforce management for events. With nearly 30 years of experience across touring and special events, Shawn is the guy you call when things need to run smoothly — and on time. He’...
Founder & CEO Nikki Sanz answers YOUR questions from the Giggs Community. Find your next Gigg: https://www.giggs.live/ Stay up to date: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live Host: Nikki Sanz
Mark Oglesby, currently the tour manager for Post Malone, is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the music industry. His career began as road manager for The Clark Family Experience. Since then, Mark has managed tours for high-profile artists including Jennifer Nettles with Sugarland, Billy Carrington, Emerson Drive, Good Charlotte, Sum 41, Pink, OneRepublic, and Kane Brown. Keep up with Mark on the road: Instagram: @onemarkonly Find your next Gigg: https://www.giggs....
Cristi Williams is the Founder of Shading the Limelight, a mental wellness coaching company for artists, actors, and entertainment professionals. She’s also an adjunct professor at Belmont University, where she developed the first-ever course on Social and Emotional Intelligence in the Entertainment Industry—a course that’s now required to graduate from the Curb College of Music Business. Cristi spent 17 years as a teacher before joining her daughter Hayley—yes, Hayley Williams of Param...
Founder & CEO Nikki Sanz answers YOUR questions from the Giggs Community. Find your next Gigg: https://www.giggs.live/ Stay up to date: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live Host: Nikki Sanz
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