Jimi Storey

Photo credit: Jimi Storey

Tour Manager / Production Manager

Halsey

CHANGEOVER: Tell us about what you do and where you’re from and then bring us through your history in this industry.

Jimi Storey: I am a tour manager/production manager and I’m from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I started in 1996 when I was with a little punk rock band out of Georgia called Squad Five-O and since then have worked in touring and management for different artists. Over the years I’ve worked with Anberlin, Copeland, Jonezetta, a lot of Tooth and Nail [Records] bands as well as A Day To Remember and briefly with Paramore.

I moved up to Pennsylvania in 2011 and took over a performing arts center up here as a production manager. I did that all the way up until 2015 and then I started touring again. During that time I worked with Stone Temple Pilots, Linkin Park, Mariah Carey. Now I’m working with Halsey and have been since 2016. 

Being a production manager on such a huge production with Halsey, what are some of the most demanding aspects of your job since you're the boss of all things production related? 

I think, first and foremost, executing everything safely is the most important thing. When we're planning everything we're looking at the safety of patrons, as well as our crew and locals, and most importantly, our artists. To just ensure the safety of everybody if anything goes wrong. I think that's one of the bigger things that we look at.

Photo Credit: Tony Sitch

What do you feel are the most important skills you bring to the table to ensure success during touring? 

I think that's a great question. I think organization because a big part of it is having the right mindset and having a personality that can convey and communicate what needs to happen across the board. I think, ultimately, communication and organization are the two biggest skills that I needed to pull it off. And just having a solid team behind you that can help execute the day's demands. 

How has COVID affected your industry plans? 

We had events lined up all the way through mid-October with different touring, festivals and TV performances. With COVID coming into play, everything obviously shut down immediately and has put everybody out of business. So that's kind of where we're sitting right now. 

What have you been doing now that the industry is on pause? 

I've been trying to find different avenues of trying to learn more. I've been taking the time to brush up on different skills, safety, and seminars. I recently just took an OSHA 10 class. I've also been spending a lot of time with my family which I don't usually get to do.

Photo Credit: Jimi Storey

What do you feel is going to be the future of the industry? 

It's a tough question. I don't know how to answer. The hope is that we come back and we find the vaccine or we get to the other side of this where we can actually start performing shows again in a capacity that we're used to. I think once it all kind of starts to come back we're going to be looking at limited capacities. We're going to be looking at new procedures as far as social distancing and how we do load-ins. I think there's going to be a whole lot of new things that are going to be thrown at us that we're not normally accustomed to, but we're going to have to get through it.  

To wrap up, what do you feel is the best piece of advice you've ever received? 

Never say “I don’t know.” Always say “let me look into that” when asked a question from the artist.