Abigail La Bianca started writing music at ten years old. She understood it; she spoke the language well. Today, she travels the globe as the Production Manager and Monitor Engineer for Sara Evans.
Though most communication jobs keep odd hours, La Bianca’s takes the cake. Every Thursday she leaves her home in Nashville, Tennessee, to travel to Evans’s next tour stop. Once there, she and her crew work alongside the venue’s employees/volunteers to set-up equipment and lighting. Come Monday morning, they’ve done at least three shows, and she’s back in Nashville ready to do it all again the next weekend.
At first glance, it sounds thrilling—sleeping on a tour bus, exploring new cities, going abroad. La Bianca says it is all those things, but a tour bus means close quarters. It’s also mountains of administrative work and lots of hours spent away from loved ones.
She often wonders, “How do you build a community at home when you’re gone all the time?”
Males dominate production teams, too. Women must put in ten times the effort, says La Bianca, to earn their seat at the table. With the industry as small as it is, though, sometimes the rarity of seeing a female Monitor Engineer helps her get remembered.
Regardless, it’s very clear that La Bianca adores her job and the people with whom she tours. She urges students interested in the field to “be a good hang,” as many opportunities hinge on whether or not they’ll mesh with other crew members. Be kind and work hard; success will not be far behind.
*For more from Abigail, check out her podcast, The Line Check, wherever you listen to podcasts.*
- Kaylee Enck ‘23