Freelance tour & show production · UK, Europe and worldwide
Freelance production manager and stage manager for live music, based in London
I run one-off headline shows and tours for artists and their management: advancing, budgets, suppliers, crew, RAMS and the show day itself. Recent work includes Rishab Rikhiram Sharma at the Royal Albert Hall, James Marriott's and Soulwax's festival seasons, and Jacob Collier's world tour.
Production & stage management credits
Most recent first. Production and stage management roles are marked in blue.
- 2026Rishab Rikhiram SharmaRoyal Albert Hall, London. For Leader Management, promoted by Live NationProduction Manager
- 2026Owen CuttsHeadline show, Outernet LondonProduction Manager
- 2026MKMagazine LondonProduction Manager
- 2026James MarriottSummer festival seasonProduction Manager
- 2026YeEuropean stadium tour, Leg 2: Tirana, Madrid, Algarve. With SolotechBackline & keys tech
- 2025SoulwaxEuropean summer festival seasonProduction Manager
- 2025Rishab Rikhiram SharmaSitar for Mental Health tour, Europe and North AmericaProduction Manager
- 2024Jacob CollierWorld tour, April to December, closing at The O2, LondonStage Manager
- 2023SAULTOne-night-only show, Drumsheds, LondonStage Manager / Assistant PM
- 2023FKJSolo tour, Asia and EuropePlayback engineer
- 2019SalmoItalian arena tourPlayback & sync rig
- 2018OctavianLater… with Jools Holland, BBC TwoPlayback & tech setup
- 2017Craig DavidFollowing My Intuition tourKeys & MIDI programming
Full CV with references available on request.
In the press
Coverage of shows I worked on. Links open the original articles.
- Deccan Chronicle · Oct 2026Rishab Rikhiram Sharma makes history with sold-out Royal Albert Hall debutRoyal Albert Hall · Production Manager
- Dork · Sept 2026Down With Boring reports from Reading 2026 with James MarriottJames Marriott festival season · Production Manager
- Wololo Sound · Aug 2026 · in SpanishKanye West hace historia en Madrid con un espectáculo de otro planetaYe stadium tour, Madrid · Backline & keys tech
- Soulwax.be · June 2025Soulwax: first shows of the summer, headlining Best Kept SecretSoulwax festival season · Production Manager
- The Upcoming · Dec 2024Jacob Collier at the O2 Arena, live reviewJacob Collier world tour · Stage Manager
- MuseScore · 2026Jacob Collier turned 15,000 fans into a choir singing Fix You at the O2Jacob Collier world tour · Stage Manager
- The Guardian · Dec 2023SAULT review: debut gig at Drumsheds, LondonSAULT, Drumsheds · Stage Manager / Assistant PM
- Evening Standard · Dec 2023SAULT live at Drumsheds reviewSAULT, Drumsheds · Stage Manager / Assistant PM
Behind the scenes
Stages, desks, load-ins and the kit that gets a show up. Swipe or use the arrows.
Production management, stage management & keys tech
Hire me for the whole production, or for the part you need covered.
Production management
For one-off headline shows, showcases and tours, from first advance to settlement.
- Advancing with venues and promoters
- Production budgets and cost reports
- Suppliers, dry hire and quotes
- Crew booking and scheduling
- RAMS, risk assessments and CDM paperwork
- Transport, vans and load plans
- Production riders and day sheets
Stage management
Calm, on-time stages for touring artists, festivals and broadcast.
- Running orders and changeovers
- Show calls and curfew control
- Band and artist care on stage
- Liaison with local crew and venue PMs
- Festival stage advancing
Keys, MIDI & playback
Ten years building rigs that do not fail on a show day.
- Keyboard and MIDI rig design and programming
- Redundant playback systems
- Timecode sync for audio, video and lighting (SMPTE LTC, MIDI TC, MSC)
- Ableton Live and MainStage show files
- TV and broadcast performance setups
Hiring a production manager? For artist managers
You get one person who owns the production: one point of contact for the venue, promoter and suppliers, and a budget you can sign off before anything is booked.
- Costed options before you commitTwo or three versions of the production, priced line by line, so you choose the level of spend.
- Actuals tracked as invoices arriveThe cost report stays live, so there are no surprises at settlement.
- Paperwork done properlyRAMS, riders, schedules and POs handled through my limited company.
- A post-show reportWhat went well, what the venue owes you and what to change for next time.
Artists and clients
Artists
- Jacob Collier
- Soulwax
- 2manydjs
- SAULT
- Cleo Sol
- Rishab Rikhiram Sharma
- James Marriott
- Ye
- MK
- FKJ
- Tom Misch
- Craig David
- Loyle Carner
- Octavian
- Martin Garrix
- Owen Cutts
- Iggy Azalea
- John Newman
- Salmo
Promoters, brands and broadcasters
- Live Nation
- Solotech
- BBC
- Sky
- RAI
- MTV
- Universal Music
- Kings League
- H&M Group
- Aperol
- IK Multimedia
- Native Instruments
About Marco Zanolin
I'm Marco Zanolin, an Italian-born production and stage manager based in London. Some people know me as Marco Zano.
I started in the studio as a mixing and mastering engineer, then moved to London to work on live shows as a keyboard, MIDI and playback tech. Years of building rigs for touring artists taught me how a show is put together from the stage up, and that is what I bring to production and stage management today.
I work across the UK, Europe and further afield, in English and Italian. I'm used to arena tours, festival stages, TV studios and one-night shows in landmark venues, and I'm happy coming in for a single date or a full tour.
- Based
- London, UK
- Travels
- UK, Europe and worldwide
- Languages
- English, Italian
- Company
- Mike Zulu Limited
- Roles
- Production manager, stage manager, keys and MIDI tech
Sound design & studio
Before production management I worked in sound design, music technology and broadcast audio.
- Kings League World Cup Nations finalSound design and composition
- Martin Garrix, ANIMA 2018Show intro
- H&M interactive mirrorReal-time audio
- Aperol HeroesTheme and opening
- IK MultimediaProduct consulting, Syntronik demo sounds
- La Grande Storia, RAIDocumentary sound design
Questions managers ask
What does a freelance production manager do for an artist?
I look after everything between the booking and the last case on the truck: advancing the show with the venue and promoter, building and tracking the production budget, sourcing suppliers and dry hire, booking crew, writing the RAMS, riders and day sheets, and running the show day. The artist's management gets one point of contact and a costed plan to sign off before anything is booked.
Do you work on tours outside London and the UK?
Yes. I'm based in London and work across the UK, Europe and further afield. Recent work includes stadium shows in Albania, Spain and Portugal, festivals in Belgium and the Netherlands, and Rishab Rikhiram Sharma's tour in Europe and North America.
Can you stage manage a tour, a festival set or a one-off show?
Yes. I stage managed Jacob Collier's 2024 world tour, closing at The O2 in London, and SAULT's one-night show at Drumsheds. I cover single dates, festival seasons and full tours.
Can you also cover keys, MIDI or playback tech?
Yes. Before production management I spent years building keyboard, MIDI, playback and timecode rigs for artists including Craig David, Salmo and FKJ, and I still work as a keys tech on stadium tours.
Do you invoice through a limited company?
Yes. I work through my limited company, Mike Zulu Limited, and I'm used to purchase orders and supplier paperwork from production companies, promoters and management.
How do I book you or check availability?
Email marcozanolin@gmail.com with the artist, dates and venue or city. Including the promoter and a rough production budget helps me come back with a first idea of what the show needs.
Bookings and availability
Got a show coming up?
Email me the artist, dates and venue, and I'll come back with my availability and a first idea of what the production needs. Now booking 2027 tours, festival seasons and one-off shows.
- Useful to include
- Artist and show dates
- Venue or city
- Promoter, if confirmed
- Rough production budget