OUR BLOG

Business — December 22, 2021

Supplier spotlight: Shani Aharoni

As a part of our new SPOTLIGHT series, we met with some of our amazing suppliers and had a sneak peek into their world. In the first part of the series we are shining a spotlight on SHANI AHARONI – Stage Manager & Live Concert Producer.

Supplier spotlight:

Part 1: Shani Aharoni

As we approach the end of the year, we’ve taken the opportunity to speak to some of our amazing suppliers – put them in front of the camera and quiz them about working in the industry, while telling us more about themselves in the process.

In the first part of the series we are shining a spotlight on SHANI AHARONI – Stage Manager & Live Concert Producer.

Tell us a little bit about you and some professional background:

Shani Aharoni, 27, lives in Tel-Aviv. Originally from Kiryat Ono.

In 2017 I had a fate encounter which caved my career path: I covered for a friend that was supposed to babysit Idan Raichel’s daughters (Idan Raichel is a legendary Israeli singer- songwriter and musician) after a few months’ acquaintance with the family, Idan thought I could be a good fit for the “Idan Raichel Project”. He then took me under his wings, and I started managing the Idan Raichel Project’s office. Six months later I joined the concerts as stage manager, dipping my toes into this world for the first time.

Did you always know that this is what you wanted to do?

I think I must’ve always been drawn to the ‘behind the scenes’ world. Even early in my high school days, at school productions I acted as an assistant director or production assistant. Ultimately, I was introduced to this world in depth by Idan Raichel and his team. In the summer of 2018 we had a 10-day festival with the project, at the Zappa Live Park in Rishon LeZion. Once the band got up on stage in front of an audience of 5,000 people, there was such an electrifying energy in the air – right then and there I realised this was something I wanted to keep doing – at least as long as I could. This energy, that you can’t actually put into words, it really is the best there is.

What is exactly the stage manager’s role?

At a cooperate or a private event, once the production or the client decides that they have stage content that includes a performing artist, they need someone to take responsibility for everything that happens on stage (and off stage, regarding the artist). It includes facilitating communication across all creative and technical departments, understanding their technical needs (such as sound and lights) and their hospitality rider (drinks, food, a private room for the band etc). It’s my job to make sure everyone gets what they need and that everything works perfectly in line with the event schedule.

What do you like most about your job?

Exactly this magical moment I described earlier. Knowing that the whole schedule worked promptly, that everyone is happy and now all that is left is just to get up there on stage and give the best performance possible. And this moment, that a band takes centre stage and the gig starts, is the best moment of all.

How do you start planning an event from inception to completion?

First of all, every artist has their own stage manager and technical manager. Once the artist has confirmed the event, I deal with them directly and we’re working together not only on the technical specifications but also on anything else they will need from me for the gig: basic needs such as food, drinks, accommodation, schedules, arrival times, soundcheck time, resting time before the performance starts, exact time to go on stage and more. Everything is finalised in advance. On the day itself the only thing left to do is to ensure everything is running according to schedule and make sure everyone is smiling in the process, because there is no reason not to 🙂

From your point of view: what are the most important elements of a successful
production?

There has to be positive energy amongst everyone involved, as well as everyone needs to be in sync with the schedule and respect the timetable of all event departments. And of course, everyone has to do their job as best they can, no playing around 🙂

We loved working with you – tell us about an event where we worked together and what did it look like through your eyes?

I acted as stage manager for Momenta at a Facebook /Mata event and it was just like that – there was an amazing vibe between all the teams involved, we were all in sync regarding everything, all the different departments knew exactly what they needed to do and when. Everything went smoothly and I believe everyone went home smiling.

What would you do If you were not a Stage Manager?

In the future, I hope I’ll step into a role in public service, dealing with art and culture of course. I prefer not to give a big statement at this stage, so let’s just keep it at that for now.

How do you see the year 2022 in terms of events? anything you think will happen next year?

It seems to me that we are still at a stage where we just hope there is no new variant showing up and shutting us down again. The industry has suffered a serious setback during Covid, and we are all still recovering. Having said that I just wish all of us that 2022 will be a year full of events and concerts. That will be enough for me!

Shani’s portrait: Seli ben arie Photography