Who are you?
My name is Lisa Manton and I am the co-owner of Element Live Productions which is a production, sound and light business in Sydney. I am originally from the UK but have lived and worked in the US and Switzerland over the years and now my home is Australia.
My father worked in the TV industry and so I grew up around this being involved in many shows on stage along the way. I was ‘encouraged’ to get a career, and after completing a Computer Science degree, I used this as a tool to earn money and travel, (rinse and repeat). I met my best friend on an aeroplane, he sat next to me and we both ordered a gin and tonic and knew it was fate. We are married and have three fabulous kids and live in Sydney.
Describe the work you do
Every day is a different day, in fact, I would go to say each hour is. My work involves looking after the cash and ensuring it flows, following up on leads and working on the jobs if needed. I may work on a lighting job that involves lighting up beautiful spaces, working on production with our ground support stage at a fabulous festival or even helping the crew get ready for an event in the warehouse. I am in and out of great spaces and have worked and accessed locations that most people would never even see. I know my way around Sydney due to working at so many amazing venues and locations. Tomorrow I am constructing a 2m mirror ball sculpture in the morning and organising truss for next week’s installs in the afternoon, coupled with sorting out some financial items so we can buy more lights from Showtech!
What led you to your current work?
My partner was in the corporate world, and his dream was always to run a production company after years of being a DJ in clubs etc. He was born with a light in his hand and asked me if I would go for it with him. Why not I thought? I love variety and so this seemed like an interesting world to step into. We took the plunge and worked together to build a business from scratch working alongside many great staff members to produce unforgettable productions etc. and continue to do so.
As I have travelled so much, I have never worried about material things from a personal point of view, so I could cope with a setback on the cash front whilst we kick-started it. As long we are all fed and the kids are happy, that’s all that matters.
What are you working on now or about to start work on?
We are about to build a series of huge truss structures for a set of well-known events over the next 10 days, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of something quite spectacular in Sydney. We are also working on a great TV series assisting with the lighting (with our new lighting controller) which will be great, working with a new event team at a beautiful new hotel in Paddington for a new movie and working on the production for a large show which will be live at the end of July using our new stock of lights which is quite exciting!!
What are the good things about your job?
I am very service driven, and so working on events ranging from a private affair to a large-scale production, I really enjoy working with the clients to ensure they are happy. In that short limited period of time, I will get to know them and guarantee we deliver their dream. Walking away when you know it will go well and they are delighted is the best feeling in the world. I love the fact that because it is our business, I can go that extra mile to push for the best. It is even better when you see our staff adopting the same ethos. I really enjoy the variety, the buzz when the show is on and you know you are part of it. I also love meeting all the people behind the scene like the security teams etc. Everyone has a different story and a different journey and in the thick of it, you come together as one unit to make it fabulous for the client.
What are the worse things about your job?
The push for tighter budgets from clients and balancing this. Also working on the lower budget but still delivering exceptional quality. Additionally, when you work with a company on a quote and you are really excited about it and the client pulls the plug due to problems on their side, I am not quite hardened to this yet. I know it is part of the world we are in, but I get so invested and then flattened if this happens!
What, so far, has been your career highlight?
I think the highlight would have to be working during World Pride. I particularly loved Oxford Street in the middle of the night bumping in the truss arches for World Pride. The street at night reminded me of going out in London and the atmosphere was incredible. Being a part of World Pride meant a great deal to me, and I was delighted we could assist as we did. We rolled out our mirror balls, truss and lighting to so many different areas of the event and I was so proud to say we helped with this.
What is the most blatant example of sexism you have encountered at work?
I have always worked in a male-dominated world, being in the IT industry prior to this was possibly the most sexism I have encountered, in the early days people in my new team actually refused to talk to me because I was a woman. It was only when I showed them my resume and explained I needed to work, as I was not married to a rich guy and I needed to earn a living that I was finally respected.
I find in this industry it is calmer, guys are not as disrespectful. Some will look for the guy in the team to ask questions to and that’s ok, I am used to that. The only time I would step in is if I see or sense a safety issue, and I have had to do that. But I would have to say who I was and go from there rather than just discuss the issue. Even though I have many tickets for this role, like the forklift licence, working with heights etc. many guys tend to want to do this for me, and it depends on how I feel as to whether I want to push to climb that ladder/truss structure or step back and watch.
What advice would you give to any woman thinking of a career in the entertainment industry?
It is an excellent career for anyone, and if I was going to give any advice it would be to be yourself, try everything and don’t step back. People often say to me, why are you on the tools, as the business owner you should take a back seat and let the ‘men’ do the work; but the thing is I love being in the thick of it, whether that is rolling out a piano with the team mid-production, assisting in truss or staging at great venues like Carriageworks or The Big Top, that’s what I love and this is what I love about what we do. I think you have to grasp every opportunity and run with it. The only thing I hate is that my strength fails me sometimes and I need someone stronger to undo that stage clasp or make the lift, so with that, I will go and work out more and build on this strength. I don’t like asking for help in this regard, and I don’t like playing on it as a weakness. As a business owner (and I am a joint owner with my partner Chris) I have grown massively in the world of business.
What is your career goal?
Continuing to work as we are, ensuring that we provide the quality of service to our valued clients. I know this sounds a bit cliche, but I mean it. I would be heartbroken if I thought we failed someone because we grew too much that our ethos changed. We are moving into working in festivals on a greater scale, using our ground support stage, which is our dream. It is our goal to keep going, to keep producing and to keep having a great deal of safe fun along the way, investing in more amazing lighting and growing in knowledge as the business scales.
