Working in an art gallery: Technical Production Manager

Category: Working in an art gallery — Published: 5 May

Hear from our Technical Production Manager about their day-to-day and advice for those interested in working in technical roles in galleries. 

Part of our Working in an art gallery series of interviews with Whitechapel Gallery staff members — offering insight into the kind of roles available in gallery settings.

Daniella Valz Gen: You can call me Horse, 2024. Photo: Sophie le Roux

How Would You Describe Your Job?

As Technical Production Manager I sit within the Operations Team at Whitechapel, though in reality I work across the whole institution. The aim of my role is to technically plan, deliver and manage the wide array of events that occur at the Gallery. This includes our public programme which features lectures, panel discussion, performances and film screenings but I also support private hires and season openings and anything else the Gallery organises.

As well as events, I work with the Exhibition team to deliver all video and sound art within our Exhibitions. Recently I’ve been working out how to get 3 slide projectors working in sync but this can vary from film projections to multi-channel speaker setups. Whatever the artists dream up, I have to deliver so I’ve done some pretty mad things.

The final part of my role is the recording and production of audio for the Gallery. This includes accessibility guides for our shows, episodes of our Gallery podcast and I’ve recorded things with artists for inclusion in their Exhibitions.

No two days are ever really the same in my job and it’s this variety that keeps the job interesting. As well as the hands-on work, I have to be on top of my admin and logistics. Some weeks I’ll be intensely working on a large event or installing an Exhibition, other days I’ll be putting together proposals for new kit purchases or working on project budgets and organising equipment hires.

What are some of the skills or interests which might be important to someone doing your job?

Some experience with tech would be good, though not totally necessary as long as you’re keen to learn and can pick up new skills quickly as you never know what crazy requests artists are going to make. When I started at the Gallery, I had experience as an audio producer for instance but was not comfortable around projectors but I was able to pick it up quite quickly.

Being able to logically and methodically work is also super important for trouble shooting issues as well as keeping a level head. When things go wrong, you have to adapt and deal them without panicking. Staying positive is also super important, no one likes a grumpy technician! In terms of qualifications, none are necessary. I studied music technology at University which, though useful, wasn’t why I got this job, my own recording projects were more key.

Elo ELO MELO, 2023. Photo: Laisal Hoque.

What do you most enjoy about your role? 

I enjoy how varied my job is, I have no idea what the next few months will bring which has meant that I’ve learnt loads of new skills and it doesn’t get stale. It also means that I get to experience a wide variety of art that I wouldn’t otherwise encounter, work with a range of interesting people and am involved in the creation of performances and work from inception to delivery which is very rewarding.

What’s the biggest challenge of your job? 

There’s a large amount of juggling events in my job and naturally bottle necks occur with very busy weeks where resources and staffing are limited. This can get stressful at points but normally this is followed by a quiet period which makes up for it. Realising this ebb and flow was an important step in me getting a hold of the job and I’m now able to manage this a lot better.

Any advice you’d give to someone looking to work in a similar role to yours? 

Get out and get involved! Go to events, chat to people, get involved with grassroots arts spaces and produce your own projects. There’s a lot of trial and error in tech-ing so the more you can do the better. Seeing other peoples work and events is super useful too for getting ideas. Personally, I end up looking at shows in a different way now, trying to work out how things work and then using this myself in projects. On the flipside, it’s also comforting when you spot other people having the same issues you have!

Want to find out more? Read the rest of our Working in an art gallery series.