Production Futures: Jordan Potts

JORDAN POTTS

This month, we check-in with one of Truckingby Brian Yeardley’s youngest employees who has become an integral cog within the company’s touring machine.

“Just like many who work in live events, I first discovered my passion for this world back in school,” recounted Jordan Potts, Truckingby Brian Yeardley’s Live Events Coordinator.

While attending high school, the young Potts threw himself into the theatrical department but soon discovered a love for backstage life. It was while deciding his next move, he attended a talk from Backstage Academy and after sparking his interest, signed himself onto the Live Events course.

“When I first started at Backstage Academy I’ll admit I had no knowledge of the industry,” confessed Potts. “But I was keen to use my time at Backstage to decide what path I wanted to take.” Throughout his 3-year tenure, Potts and his classmates worked through modules in sound, lighting and video - along with topics such as event management and health and safety.

Despite developing an interest in all factions of the industry, Potts still hadn’t found the direction that he wanted to pursue. “The only thing I knew for certain was I wanted to be in the industry,” explained Potts, remaining the frustration of deciding what path to take.

However, after enrolling on a module curated by guest lecturer Sarah Hopper from Truckingby, Backstage Academy soon set the student on the right path. “Along with Sarah’s module, my whole third year at Backstage really cemented my interested in the logistic side of touring,” said Potts. “Although I had done a lot of local crew work and plenty of friends who were already touring, I realised I was after more of an office-based job.” Following a few stints of part time work with the company, Potts was brought on as a full-time employee of Truckingby in 2016.

Fast-forward 2 years, Potts has moved through the ranks of the company from Live Events Logistic Assistant to his current position. Alongside Glenn Savage, he handles all the touring clients, with a rapidly growing list of production managers who he looks after. “Since I started, the touring side of the business has quadrupled in size!” enthused Potts. “Everyday we are working on something new which comes with its unique challenges to overcome. Take the last few weeks as an example; in the space of 7 days we went from moving equipment for the Ryder Cup to transporting Ariana Grande’s wardrobe around London.”

TPi questioned Potts on the trials and tribulations over the last 2 years. “Touring logistics is certainly a different beast to regular transport - it’s 24 hour a day, 7 days a week! It’s a job that you have to be able to answer a call any time of day or night. At the end of the day, our clients are likely to be loading out between 11pm and 3am. They need the reassurance there will be someone at the other end of phone to answer any queries.”

Potts attributed his time at Backstage Academy and his local crewing experience as giving him the skills and knowledge to prepare him for the demands at Truckingby. “Having worked on several shows has definitely been a huge benefit to help visualise problems and issues. For instance the whole process of loading out a tour is not as simple as putting pallets onto a truck. You have to always factor the demands of the tour in your logistics plan. I think also puts the production manager’s minds at ease having someone who understands the demands of touring and sympathetic to the lifestyle.” Having already built up a substantial knowledge, Potts asserted that he is still keen to become more of an expert in his field.

“I have people call up asking questions such as ‘how long does it take to get from point X to Y’. I’ve certainly picked up a lot but I’m keen to keep learning to provide the best services to each of our customers. For instance, without question one of the hardest parts of the job is calculating driver’s hours and legal limits. Doing all those calculations is always a challenge but it also one of the reasons I find the job so satisfying.”

It’s clear that Potts has really found his calling, but does he ever get the itch to head out on the road himself? “Short answer no,” he laughed. “Any time we have clients in Leeds of Sheffield we always get out to see them and check in which give me a taste of the road and occasionally I head up some projects that need some on site logistics management. But I think I really carved a niche at Truckingby Brian Yeardley – I love being the guy on the other end of the phone ensuring the tour gets to the next venue.” TPi www.productionfutures.co.uk www.brianyeardley.com/truckingby