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Two artist managers from Neon Coast — one who came up through the road with Kane Brown, one who came up through finance, record labels, and social media — and both will tell you the same thing: you just have to figure it out.
Nikki Boon has been with Kane Brown since before his first show — a 750-cap club in Darlington, South Carolina that sold out in 30 minutes, then again in 8 minutes the following night. She's been with him from van and RV to his own bar on Broadway. She also manages alt-pop band Nightly, who she recently took to Tokyo, Osaka, and Manila on a two-week run that sold out in two days — proving to everyone who said the numbers didn't add up that the fans were real.
Tyler Corrado came from accounting, then record label marketing — working on number one hits for Lainey Wilson, Jason Aldean, and Jelly Roll at BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville — before stepping into artist management. He manages Restless Road, stepped in as tour manager for Ella Langley right as "You Look Like You Love Me" was breaking, and has spent the last year building the UK market for one of his artists from pub shows to festival main stages to supporting Jon Pardi.
What you'll learn:
Sponsor:
MOC is looking for new volunteers to help share the joys of live music. Volunteer Guides are the friendly faces who host the programs as volunteer musicians perform hopeful songs to put a smile on the faces of hospital patients, families, and caregivers. To learn more about becoming a Musicians On Call volunteer, visit https://www.musiciansoncall.org.
Nikki Boon Bio:
Nikki Boon is an artist manager at Neon Coast in Nashville. She's been part of Kane Brown's team since 2015, starting as his tour manager and helping grow him into a two-times diamond certified artist with 17 billion streams, 12 Billboard number ones, and the first Black solo artist to headline Fenway Park. She also manages indie pop band Nightly — signing them in 2021 and helping grow their TikTok following by 6,000 percent — and has taken them to Lollapalooza, Super Bowl Music Fest, and sold-out shows across Asia. She's also helped secure sync placements for the band on the Twisters soundtrack and Fast X.
Tyler Corrado Bio:
Tyler Corrado is an artist manager at Neon Coast in Nashville, where he manages Restless Road — who recently sold out their Europe and UK headline tour. Before Neon Coast, he led social media and fan engagement at BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville on number one hits for Lainey Wilson, Jason Aldean, and Jelly Roll, and stepped in as tour manager for Ella Langley right as "You Look Like You Love Me" was breaking. He also previously managed Niko Moon, whose single "GOOD TIME" hit number one on both Billboard Country charts.
Learn more at: https://neon-coast.com/
Join the #1 community and career platform for the live event industry: https://www.giggs.live/
Stay up to date:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live
Host: Nikki Sanz
The Rock-It Company has been the logistics engine behind the world's largest music tours for 47 years. Every stage you've ever stood in front of — odds are, they got it there. This summer, they're doing that and something else: serving as the official logistics partner for the FIFA World Cup 2026, the largest sporting event in world history, spanning three countries, 16 host cities, and 104 matches.
Giggs traveled to Los Angeles for an inside look at the people and systems making both happen at the same time.
What you'll learn:
Learn more about Rock-It at https://rockitcompany.com/
Featured Voices:
Alex Becker — Senior Operations Manager, Worldwide Events
Alex Becker has spent 13 years at The Rock-It Company, working across compliance, music touring, and sports operations before rising to Senior Operations Manager for Worldwide Events. He's been inside the FIFA World Cup 2026 operation since day one and leads the Control Tower team — the system responsible for keeping 16 host cities, three countries, and a continent-wide web of shipments synchronized in real time.
Justin Carbone — EVP, Live Touring
Justin Carbone is the EVP of Live Touring at The Rock-It Company, where he's led the company's music touring business through some of the biggest years in the industry's history — including a 2026 Parnelli Award for Freight Forwarding Company of the Year. If your favorite artist has toured the world in the last six decades, there's a good chance Rock-It's team moved the gear that made it happen. He marks 20 years with the company this year.
Nancy Alvarado — Director, Live Events Special Projects Management
Nancy Alvarado is a 15-plus year veteran of live event logistics, operations, and project management — a CAPM-certified pro who has spent her career navigating high-pressure, high-stakes environments. She started at The Rock-It Company in 2008 as an entry-level operator, built her own book of business, spent time in Fortune 500 corporate events, and came back. She now works alongside Justin Carbone building the Next Gen program to develop emerging artists and the next generation of agents.
Stew Heathcote — President of Live Events
Stew Heathcote is the President of Live Events at The Rock-It Company, overseeing music, experiential, film, and television across Rock-It's entire family of brands. He came to Rock-It after two decades at AEG Presents, where he led global partnerships and helped launch the marketing campaign behind Taylor Swift's 1989 World Tour — including an Emmy-winning interactive experience. Billboard named him a Brand Power Player multiple times. Before that, he led marketing at the San Francisco 49ers.
Join the #1 community and career platform for the live event industry: https://www.giggs.live/
Stay up to date:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live
Host: Nikki Sanz
For the 20th annual CMA Touring Awards, Giggs went backstage at The Pinnacle in Nashville and talked to over 20 winners, nominees, and industry leaders across one night.
We open with outgoing CMA CEO Sarah Trahern — her 13th and final Touring Awards — and SVP of Industry Relations Tiffany Kerns, on peer recognition, what this event means to the touring community, and what they're building for the next generation.
Winners featured in this episode:
Also on the red carpet: Chris King, Sam "Sambo" Coats & William Coats (Eric Church), Chris Daniels (Luke Bryan), Brad Baisley (Blake Shelton), Josh Phillips (Hardy), Troy "Tracker" Johnson (Track Management), Evan Sander (ASCOT Travel Services), Aslan Freeman (Lainey Wilson), Megan Truesdell (Chris Stapleton), Margie (Chris Stapleton), Brittany Hitch (Bridgestone Arena), Dane & Lolo Kinser (Post Malone/Kane Brown).
What you'll learn:
Sponsor: MOC is looking for new volunteers to help share the joys of live music. Volunteer Guides are the friendly faces who host the programs as volunteer musicians perform hopeful songs to put a smile on the faces of hospital patients, families, and caregivers. To learn more about becoming a Musicians On Call volunteer, visit https://www.musiciansoncall.org.
Join the #1 community and career platform for the live event industry: https://www.giggs.live/
Stay up to date:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live
Host: Nikki Sanz
Alex McNamara is a technical director, welder, rigger, and Yale School of Drama graduate who installed the turntable for the original Hamilton production, led 600 workers on a $300 million Soundstorm build in Saudi Arabia, and built her career one job site at a time as one of the only women in the room. She's also the founder of Built Pretty — which she started a year ago on a forklift at an LA art fair and has since grown to 350k+ followers.
This episode covers the tools she keeps on her belt at every festival (including the Klein 11-in-1 and a tape measure trick most people don't know), the recovery story that led her to the trades, what it actually looks like to be a woman in carpentry and rigging, and why she left Juilliard and a one-bedroom on the Upper West Side to go back to freelance.
What you'll learn:
Built Pretty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/built.pretty/
Alex's full tool list: https://www.amazon.com/shop/influencer-81ff6575
Sponsor:
MOC is looking for new volunteers to help share the joys of live music. Volunteer Guides are the friendly faces who host the programs as volunteer musicians perform hopeful songs to put a smile on the faces of hospital patients, families, and caregivers. To learn more about becoming a Musicians On Call volunteer, visit https://www.musiciansoncall.org.
Alex McNamara bio:
Alex McNamara is a technical director, welder, rigger, and construction educator based in Nashville, Tennessee. She is a Yale School of Drama graduate and has worked across Broadway, large-scale music festivals, and live entertainment builds around the world.
She is also the founder of Built Pretty, where she teaches the language of the trades through construction storytelling, tool history, and jobsite education to a growing audience across social media.
Join the #1 community and career platform for the live event industry: https://www.giggs.live/
Stay up to date:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live
Host: Nikki Sanz
Ryan Maag started as a backup dancer on the Weird Al Yankovic tour in 1998 and figured out fast that the person choreographing makes more than the person performing. Twenty-something years later, he's been creative director for NFL halftime shows on two continents, the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and the D-Day ceremonies in Normandy, France — shaking hands with five-star generals and the President of the United States and quietly asking himself how a kid from Philadelphia got here.
Now he runs TSP Creative in Nashville — an artist development ecosystem he calls "zero to Coldplay." TSP works with emerging artists from before they've released a single song, building identity, brand, staging, performance coaching, and creative direction from the ground up alongside his business partner, Sooner Routhier and her company, The Playground.
This conversation covers the full arc — what a creative director actually does, why the music industry has inverted (brand before music now), how to know if an artist has what it takes, and why AI is a looping machine, not a replacement.
What you'll learn:
Sponsor:
Musicians On Call is looking for new volunteers to help share the joys of live music. Volunteer Guides are the friendly faces who host the programs as volunteer musicians perform hopeful songs to put a smile on the faces of hospital patients, families, and caregivers. To learn more about becoming a MOC volunteer, visit https://www.musiciansoncall.org.
Ryan Maag bio:
President, Creative Director, & Choreographer — TSP Creative
A born performer with roots in dance, theater, and stage productions, he refined his craft through studies in music, entertainment, and business at Temple University, Drexel University, and New York University.
His career has spanned global stages, performing alongside A-list artists before transitioning into choreography and large-scale production design. As the founder of a choreography and creative production company, his work has ranged from intimate theater performances to international events, including the Olympic ceremonies.
An accomplished dancer, vocalist, and actor, he now leads TSP Creative with a vision shaped by both artistry and experience. His passion lies in empowering artists, building brands, and designing immersive live experiences that captivate audiences and leave a lasting impact.
Join the #1 community and career platform for the live event industry: https://www.giggs.live/
Stay up to date:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live
Host: Nikki Sanz
Neville Shende — known on the road as NELVIS — has spent more than 40 years in the concert touring world. He started as a guitarist and guitar tech in Winnipeg, stumbled into bus driving on a 9/11-disrupted Aerosmith run, and spent the next four decades driving for some of the most iconic artists in the world: Prince, Madonna, Alicia Keys, Black Sabbath, Shakira, Ronnie James Dio, Papa Roach, Disturbed, and many more.
This one is full of stories. Prince skipping soundcheck to look at a lake, a secret code system developed for a 975-mile run, the convection oven bought at midnight from a Best Buy, the Elvis plate that became an early test, and the only person on the Musicology Tour who never signed an NDA. But it's also a masterclass in what elite service actually looks like: doing your homework before every city, reading the room, decorating the bus like a five-star hotel, and folding toilet paper with a gold dot.
Neville now serves as Fleet and Driver Operations Manager and Director of Tour Relations, and runs CDL Platinum — a 30-day training program built to bring commercial drivers into concert touring at the right level.
What you'll learn:
Book and course: Pick up Neville's book — The Entertainer Bus Driver: An Inside Look: Concert Tour Transportation — and his onboarding courses at https://cdlplatinum.com/
Sponsor: MOC is looking for new volunteers to help share the joys of live music. Volunteer Guides are the friendly faces who host the programs as volunteer musicians perform hopeful songs to put a smile on the faces of hospital patients, families, and caregivers. To learn more about becoming a Musicians On Call volunteer, visit https://www.musiciansoncall.org.
Neville Shende bio:
Neville Drew Shende, born May 10, 1961, in Winnipeg, is a 40+ year transportation veteran and respected figure in the concert touring industry. After moving to the United States in 1998 to pursue his music career, he built a unique path from guitarist and guitar technician to elite entertainer coach driver and industry leader.
Known as "NELVIS," Neville has worked with some of the world's most iconic artists, including Prince, Alicia Keys, Madonna, Black Sabbath, Papa Roach, Shakira, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Disturbed, and the list goes on.
His professionalism, discretion, and commitment to excellence have made him a trusted presence in the music industry.
Neville has advanced into leadership roles including Fleet and Driver Operations Manager and Director of Tour Relations for a leading Nashville-based entertainer transportation company.
He is also the founder of CDL Platinum, a 30-day commercial driver lifestyle transformation program built on his F.U.E.L. principles: Focus, Uplift, Energy, and Leverage — designed to help drivers become G.R.E.A.T.: Good, Reliable, Energetic, Accountable, and Trustworthy. Driven by passion and powered by purpose, Neville elevates and educates drivers to their highest level.
He is also the author of a published book titled The Entertainer Bus Driver: An Inside Look: Concert Tour Transportation, available on Amazon and Audible.
With a deep passion for music, service, and personal growth (Kaizen), Neville continues to inspire drivers and industry professionals to elevate their performance and live with purpose both on and off the road.
Join the #1 community and career platform for the live event industry: https://www.giggs.live/
Stay up to date:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live
Host: Nikki Sanz
Mandi Naylor has spent over a decade running food and beverage at some of the biggest events in the country — the NFL Draft, the Super Bowl, Bonnaroo, ACL, Lollapalooza, CMA Fest, KAABOO, and the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. She's managed catering for commissioners, artists, and crews of thousands. Now she leads events for the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce in Tennessee.
This conversation gets into what catering actually looks like at scale: feeding thousands of people three to four meals a day for a month at the NFL Draft, donating thousands of pounds of leftover food, and running the ice and water operation that nourishes every department on site. Mandi — better known as Festy Mom (#festymom) to anyone who's worked with her — also gets honest about coming off the road after a health scare, raising two kids while traveling, and why catering is one of the best places in this industry to start a career.
What you'll learn:
Sponsor:
MOC is looking for new volunteers to help share the joys of live music. Volunteer Guides are the friendly faces who host the programs as volunteer musicians perform hopeful songs to put a smile on the faces of hospital patients, families, and caregivers. To learn more about becoming a Musicians On Call volunteer, visit https://www.musiciansoncall.org.
Mandi Naylor bio:
Mandi Naylor is an experienced event professional with more than a decade of leadership in large-scale festivals, national sporting events, and community-driven productions. She currently serves as Event Manager for the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce, where she leads the planning and execution of events that support local business growth, community engagement, and regional visibility.
Mandi's background spans some of the country's most high-profile events, including the NFL Draft, Super Bowl, NASCAR Chicago Street Race, and major music festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, CMA and Austin City Limits. Her expertise includes food and beverage management, credentialing, site operations, logistics coordination, and vendor management—often overseeing complex, multi-layered event environments with thousands of attendees.
Throughout her career, she has held key leadership roles including Catering Manager, Beverage Manager, Credential Manager, and Accreditation Inventory Manager. She is known for her ability to manage large teams, streamline operations, and deliver exceptional guest experiences under high-pressure conditions.
Mandi holds a degree in Organizational Communication from Middle Tennessee State University, where she focused on employee communication, special events, and fundraising. She combines her strong organizational skills with a passion for creating memorable, impactful events that bring people together.
Join the #1 community and career platform for the live event industry: https://www.giggs.live/
Stay up to date:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live
Host: Nikki Sanz
We're bringing back one of the most practical conversations from the Giggs archive. Nikki Sanz sits down with Rachael Bronstein, founder of Life's Jam — a financial coaching service built specifically for the touring and live events community.
70% of music industry professionals are freelancers. Just under half report feeling financially anxious or stressed. Rachael has spent the last few years building the resources most of this industry never had — coaching tour managers, road crew, and music professionals through the unique financial chaos of feast-and-famine income, 1099 tax surprises, and the lack of a safety net most W2 jobs come with.
This episode gets into the actual mechanics: how to handle 1099 tax planning, when to set up an LLC (and when not to), how to build an emergency fund big enough to handle the off-season, what order to put your money in (debt, retirement, brokerage), and why mental health and financial health are more interlaced than most people realize.
What you'll learn:
Sponsor: MOC is looking for new volunteers to help share the joys of live music. Volunteer Guides are the friendly faces who host the programs as volunteer musicians perform hopeful songs to put a smile on the faces of hospital patients, families, and caregivers. To learn more about becoming a Musicians On Call volunteer, visit https://www.musiciansoncall.org.
Join the #1 community and career platform for the live event industry: https://www.giggs.live/
Stay up to date:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live
Host: Nikki Sanz
Recorded live at Rock Lititz, Brandon "Fitz" Fitzgerald is back by popular demand after his previous episode (#19) became one of the most-DM'd conversations we've ever put out. One year later, Fitz comes back with a year on the road that includes Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter, Post Malone's world tour, Playboi Carti, and a set up in New Orleans during the city's biggest snowstorm in 55 years.
Fitz gets into what it was like joining a Beyoncé rigging team full of legends he watched as a 19-year-old stagehand, the mental upheaval of jumping camps tour after tour, and why sometimes the job means people stressed out crying in the corner 20 minutes before showtime but knowing you made it happen.
He also gets technical in a way that's accessible: snow load, dynamic load, why a 101,653-pound show isn't always a 101,653-pound show, and why riggers carry legal liability most fans never think about.
What you'll learn:
Sponsor:
MOC is looking for new volunteers to help share the joys of live music. Volunteer Guides are the friendly faces who host the programs as volunteer musicians perform hopeful songs to put a smile on the faces of hospital patients, families, and caregivers. To learn more about becoming a Musicians On Call volunteer, visit https://www.musiciansoncall.org.
Brandon "Fitz" Fitzgerald bio:
Brandon "Fitz" Fitzgerald is a tour rigger from Washington, DC, with deep roots in IATSE Local 22 and a foundation built across stagehand work, permanent installs, counterweight rigging, Vectorworks drafting, and the full breadth of touring production. Over the last year, he's worked as a production rigger for Playboi Carti, Post Malone, and Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour — joining a rigging team led by industry legends he watched as a 19-year-old stagehand. He's also crossed into creative production and one-off events, including a high-profile New Orleans gig that ran headfirst into the city's biggest snowstorm in 55 years. Fitz is a vocal advocate for mentorship, safety culture, and giving credit to the local rigging crews who keep this industry standing — literally.
Join the #1 community and career platform for the live event industry: https://www.giggs.live/
Stay up to date:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live
Host: Nikki Sanz
We're bringing back one of the most popular conversations from the Giggs archive. Nikki Sanz sits down with Marty Hom — a true legend of the touring world with 40+ years of experience tour managing The Rolling Stones, Beyoncé, Fleetwood Mac, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Nicks, Shakira, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, Van Halen, Olivia Rodrigo, Lionel Richie, and more.
Marty started with Bill Withers in 1985 as one of the only Asian Americans in the industry. Four decades later, he's the guy making $150,000 calls in a control room during a Beyoncé stadium evacuation, canceling a sold-out Shakira show over a buckled stage roof, and staffing Olivia Rodrigo's world tour with a 49% female crew. This one is full of stories, hard-won wisdom, and real talk about what it takes to build a career, and a life, on the road.
What you'll learn:
Join the #1 community and career platform for the live event industry: https://www.giggs.live/
Stay up to date:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.live
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-live
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.live
Host: Nikki Sanz
From the publisher's feed
The Giggs Podcast, hosted by Nikki Sanz, Founder & CEO of Giggs, the #1 community and career platform for the live event industry, dives into the world of touring and live events to share the…

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