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Who are you and what do you do at Big Weekend?
I head up the team of 10 staff on site from Pearce Hire on the Big Weekend site. Pearce Hire provide Temporary power, Audio and Stage Lighting systems for the entire site and have done for over 20 years. My Job is to make sure that every marquee, stage and food trader has power, which in the middle of Parkers Piece means bringing in generators as there is no power on site. I also make sure that all of the stages have the correct Audio system and Stage Lighting and that it is all installed correctly. I’ve been working on Big Weekend since around 2005.
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What is your occupation outside of Big Weekend?
I am a lighting technician, rigger and electrician in the entertainment industry, so work on events similar to Big Weekend all year around.
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How has that changed due to Covid-19?
Covid-19 has hugely changed the entertainment and events industry, with all work shutting down in mid March pretty much overnight. There are currently lots of companies and freelance technicians who have no work for the foreseeable future and personally I had a full diary of events to work on from mid March to the end of September and all that work got cancelled.
Photo credit: John Scott, 2016 - Main Stage Friday Night
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How has your life changed due to the current situation? For good and for bad?
I am currently spending lots more time at home, both due to the lockdown and the lack of any work in the events sector. I’m now teaching my children at home so my wife can carry on working. My job usually means I am away from home for weeks at a time, so I am making the most of this time by spending it with my family and doing jobs around the home.
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What do you look forward to the most after this?
Returning to work and being able to carry on doing a job that I enjoy and spend time with work colleagues, our industry is quite tight knit and a lot of my work colleagues are also very good friends.
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What is your favourite moment or memory from Big Weekend?
My favourite moment of any Big Weekend is usually the Friday night headline act, as this usually brings in the largest crowd and it is great to see the park completely full and everyone enjoying the act and Big Weekend.
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How much are you looking forward to Big Weekend 2021?
I’m very much looking forward to working on Big Weekend 2021! I enjoy working with the crew from Pearce Hire but also all the staff from Cambridge Live.
To find out more about Pearce Hire click below
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