Jessica Ambrose

Tour Manager & Live

Music Freelancer

Image: @elairecreates

Experienced Tour Manager, Artist Liasion Manager, Production Manager and Stage Manager

 

I’m Jess and I work freelance in the live music industry. I have a range of experience across Production, Artist Relations and Event Management, most recently working as a Tour Manager. Before moving full time into live music and events I worked for over a decade in the travel industry where I specialised in creating and booking bespoke round the world itineraries.

 

My work experience is listed below and you’ll see I’ve worked with a range of artists from grassroots acts and community groups through to festival headliners and legacy artists. I’ve also worked in theatre, performing arts and exhibitions. My experience spans small club tours and theatres through to international festivals and state of the art venues. 

 

Some of the work I’m most proud of includes my time working for Manchester International Festival as Festival Artist Liaison Manager where I booked all travel, accommodation and ground transport for over 300 artists and their crew including international travel and visa documentation. I oversaw a team of eight who ran all the hospitality on the ground with two of the team assisting with the advancing. My background in the travel industry really came into play during this time and helped me juggle the busy schedule.

 

I loved the work that came after this, being asked to lead the Artist Liaison team on the ground for the first events in Factory International’s brand new venue Aviva Studios. Including my favorite project, A Night with the Johnny Marr Orchestra which saw Johnny and his band take over the 5000 capacity warehouse alongside a 30 piece orchestra for two nights with five days of rehearsal.

 

I’ve worked as Production Manager, Stage Manager and Venue Manager across a range of festivals here in the UK and internationally. I’m a UK and EU passport holder and I have a full UK driving licence. In 2024 I was shortlisted for Access All Areas Freelancer of the Year and for the Production Futures awards.

 

Right now I’m focusing on my touring work as Tour Manager, Production Coordinator, Assistant Tour Manager and other production related roles but I still have a keen interest in venue based and festival work. If you have any questions or would like to get in touch about opportunities in touring, live music or festivals please use the form at the bottom of the page or contact me via LinkedIn.

 

I’ve been described as a calming influence with patience and the ability to stay cool under pressure. I worked in the travel industry during the pandemic, bringing stranded travellers back to the UK amongst the chaos of changing entry requirements and airline cancellations. That was a test of my resilience and crisis management skills which has helped me many times in the music industry! One of my best friends calls me the human swiss army knife; I’ve always got a skill, a past experience or some kind of tool to help me figure out a solution to a challenge.

 

I'm really interested in mental health and touring, I have completed the Mental Health First Aid Course with Music Support and have attended further training with them around mental health in the industry. I'm also really passionate about the local music scene and supporting working class artists. I'm a part of the West Yorkshire Music Network steering group, working to shape the music industry in the region.

 

Outside of work I’m a keen traveller, I’ve lived in Australia, New Zealand and Canada and have travelled extensively throughout Asia, Australasia, Central America and Africa. I love the outdoors and like to hike, swim and snowboard whenever I can. You’ll also often find me lost in a good book.....when I have the time!


Client Highlights:

Factory International
Manchester International Festival
Edinburgh International Festival
Deer Shed
Hidden Door
London 2012 Olympics

Artist Highlights:


Amyl & the Sniffers

Johnny Marr (A Night with The Johnny Marr Orchestra)
Children of Zeus & Special Guest Ghetts
Angelique Kidjo
Alison Goldfrapp
John Grant
Richard Hawley
Portico Quartet
Penelope Isles

Ellur
tiLLie
George Ezra
First Aid Kit
James Bay
Hot Chip

Event Highlights:

MOVE Manchester with Joe Wicks
Marina Abramović MIF25 Research and Development
Kalabanté Productions: Afrique En Cirque
Yayoi Kusama: You Me and The Balloons
Find Your Eyes by Benji Reid
R.O.S.E: Sharon Eyal, Gai Behar and Young with Ben UFO

Touring

 

Assistant Tour Manager

Amyl and The Sniffers

Cartoon Darkness European Headline Tour

UK & Europe Summer Festivals

June-August 2025

 

Merch Manager

Amyl and The Sniffers

Cartoon Darkness European Headline Tour

June-August 2025

 

Tour Manager

tiLLie 

UK Headline Tour 

March 2025

 

Tour Manager

Ellur

SXSW Austin Showcases; Live at Leeds Showcase at Seven Grand

and the Northern Sound Showcase at the British Music Embassy

March 2025

 

Tour Manager

tiLLie 

UK Tour Support for Delilah Bon

October-November 2024

 

 

Live Music, Festivals & Events

 

 

Artist Liaison Manager

Blankets and Wine 

Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture

September 2025

 

Artist Liaison Manager

New Music Biennial 

Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture

May-June 2025

 

Stage Manager 

Wildkind, Kent

Stage Manager for the Auditorium Stage for Camp Kindling

SM for Woodshed and Clubhouse stages for the two weekends of Camp Wildfire

August-September 2024

 

Artist Liaison

Garage Tent

Summertime Live, Northampton

August 2024

 

Production Manager

(Part of the Bradford Producing Hub PROPEL scheme)

Deer Shed Festival, North Yorkshire

May-August 2024

 

Artist Liaison

Factory International, Manchester

Research & Development for Marina Abramović's Balkan Erotic Epic

April 2024

 

Artist Liaison 

Factory International

The Jungle Book

April 2024

 

Stage Manager 

Factory International

The Fête of Britain

March 2024

 

Lead Artist Liaison

Factory International

MOVE Manchester led by Joe Wicks

February 2024

 

Lead Artist Liaison

Factory International

Children of Zeus with special guest Ghetts

December 2023

 

Lead Artist Liaison

Factory International

A Night with the Johnny Marr Orchestra

December 2023

 

Lead Artist Liaison

Factory International

Ellen Van Loon, OMA: Space for Expression- Intersections in Architecture

November 2023

 

Lead Artist Liaison

Factory International

Kalabanté Productions: Afrique En Cirque

October 2023

 

Lead Artist Liaison

Factory International

The Welcome

October 2023

 

Festival Artist Liaison Manager

Factory International

Manchester International Festival 2023

May-September 2023

 

Fundraising and Sponsorship

Hidden Door Festival, Edinburgh

October 2022-April 2023

 

Sales and Development Officer for Scotland

Ambassador Theatre Group

Edinburgh Playhouse, Glasgow King’s Theatre and Theatre Royal

January 2022-April 2023

 

Artist and Concert Support

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

July 2022

 

Artist Liaison

Hidden Door Festival, Edinburgh

June 2022

 

Operations Executive

The Prince’s Trust, Scotland

November 2020-January 2022

 

Artist Relations Intern

Envision Festival, Costa Rica

February 2020

 

Event Assistant

Sponsorship and Development Team

Edinburgh International Festival

July-August 2019

 

Box Office Assistant

Hidden Door Festival, Edinburgh

May 2019

 

Venue Manager

Solas Festival, Perth

June 2018

 

Stage Manager

Hidden Door Festival, Edinburgh

May 2018

 

Production Assistant

Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Canada

July 2017

 

Production Assistant

Squamish Valley Music Festival, Canada

August 2015

 

Games Maker

Technology Team

London 2012 Olympics

July-August 2012

 

Founder, Promoter, Event Manager

Banana Peel, Halifax

October 2008- September 2009

 

Radio Presenter and Producer

Phoenix FM, Halifax

September 2008-September 2009

 

 

 

 

Travel Industry

 

Travel Expert, Interim Store Manager and Local Area Marketing Representative

STA Travel

Leeds: September 2019- September 2020

Edinburgh: January 2018- June 2019 (part time while studying for MSc)

Leeds: January 2016- February 2017

York: December 2013- October 2014

Leeds: November 2010-September 2012

 

Customer Relations, Tickets and Validation Senior Host

Whistler Blackcomb, Canada

February-April 2017

October 2014-April 2015

 

Lead Guest Service Agent

Ziptrek Ecotours Whistler, Canada

April-October 2017

April-October 2015

 

Guest Service Agent

Ziptrek Ecotours Queenstown, New Zealand

April-October 2013

 

Reservations Agent

Stray Travel, New Zealand

November 2012-April 2013

 

Education

 

 

MSc International Event and Festival Management

Edinburgh Napier University

September 2018-May 2019

 

BSc Creative Music and Sound Technology 2:1

Leeds Metropolitan University

September 2005-May 2008

 

Training 

 

Event Crew Essentals 

Event Crew Training: April 2025

 

 

Self Awareness and Self Care

Music Support: March 2025

 

 

Introduction to Event and Production Management

Guildhall School of Music: May-June 2024

 

Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid England, delivered by Music Support: May 2024

 

Addiction and Recovery Workshop

Music Support: February 2024

 

Event Safety Passport

SPA Alliance: Expires January 2029

 

Emergency First Aid at Work

Study Flex: February 2024

 

Skills Bootcamp in Event Production

Academy of Live Technology: January-February 2024

 

Introduction to BSL

BETCU Training: April 2024

 

Excel Skills

BETCU Training: April 2024

 

Motivating your team, Thinking Creatively & Building Resilience

City of Glasgow College: Sept 2021

 

Event Safety and Security

Mind Over Matter Consultancy: May 2018

 

 

Testimonials

tiLLie

Touring Artist

Tour Manager

UK headline and support tours

u absolutely crushed it jess! handled it all like a champ without bringing an ounce of stress 🏆 thank you for always being such a pleasure while taking care of business! u rule ❤️‍🩹

Johnny Marr

Musician

Lead Artist Liasion

A Night with the Johnny Marr Orchestra

She's f***ing great is Jess 

Kera Stewart

Touring Musician

Tour Manager

UK Headline and support tours

thanks for keeping us safe, serenading us in the van, taking care of us and being lovely & calm always! You are brilliant and we will miss you! thank you so much for everything as per usual! Can’t wait until the next tour! 

Joe Wicks

Fitness Coach

Lead Artist Liasion MOVE Manchester led by Joe Wicks

Best artist liasion ever (via Instagram)

I currently have space in my calendar for new clients and projects. Please get in touch with any questions or availability requests.

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