The production-management side of a live show — who's on the crew and when, the tasks that get you to air, and getting health & safety documents signed off — kept in one shared place.
Getting a live show to air isn't only what happens on air. Before the running order runs, someone has to say who's on the crew and when they're needed, work through the pile of things that must be done, and make sure everyone has seen and signed the safety paperwork. This is the production-management layer, and when it lives in scattered spreadsheets and email threads it's exactly where shows fall down. This guide maps the three pieces and how they fit with the rest of your production. The deeper walkthroughs — crew and call times, H&S document sign-off and production task management — go further on each.
Crew: who's on, and when
Every show needs a crew list — names, roles, contact details and, crucially, call times. A clear crew list is what makes the day run: everyone knows who's doing what and when to arrive. Keep it with the show, not in a separate document that drifts out of date. See how to manage crew and call times.
Safety: sign-off you can prove
Live productions carry a duty of care, and "we sent the risk assessment round" isn't the same as a record that people actually read it. Health & safety sign-off means each crew member acknowledges the relevant documents — and you can show who did, and when. See health & safety document sign-off.
Tasks: everything that has to get done
Under every show is a to-do list — book the kit, confirm the guest, chase the VT, test the stream. Some of it is tied to a specific show; some of it is general, ongoing production work. Tracking it properly — with owners, priorities and due dates — is the difference between "I think that's handled" and knowing it is. See task management for show production.
Keep it with the show
The theme across all three is the same one that runs through running a live show: fragmentation is the enemy. Crew in one spreadsheet, safety docs in an inbox, tasks in a notes app, and the running order somewhere else — that's how details slip. The fix is to keep the management layer attached to the show itself, shared with the team.
How Show Runner handles it
Show Runner keeps crew, tasks and safety with the show. You build a crew list with roles, contacts and call times; upload H&S documents and send each crew member a link to acknowledge them, with a record of who's signed off; and track tasks — both general and tied to specific shows — with priorities, due dates and an update history. It all sits alongside the running order and exports in the production pack, so the whole production lives in one place.
FAQ
What's the difference between crew and cast?
Crew are the people producing the show (director, operators, camera, sound) — the ones who get call times and sign off safety docs. Cast are the people appearing on screen, who you name in lower thirds. Show Runner manages both, separately.
Do I have to manage crew, tasks and safety in separate tools?
No — that fragmentation is what causes things to slip. Show Runner keeps all three attached to the show, alongside the running order, so the plan, the people, the to-dos and the paperwork are in one shared place.
Can tasks be general, not just tied to a show?
Yes. Tasks can be linked to one or more shows or stand alone as general production work, so your ongoing to-dos and your show-specific list live together. See task management for show production.
Start with the people: manage crew and call times. Or start for free.