Meet the Team: Roland Furi - London Regional Senior Crew Chief

In this month’s edition of our ‘Meet the Team’ series, we have decided to have a chat with Roland Furi, one of our London Regional Senior Crew Chiefs. Read on to find out more about Roland, his time at Gallowglass, and learn about his experience in the events industry.

1. How Long Have You Worked at Gallowglass?

Well I couldn't believe it the other day when I looked at the calendar, it's been a decade, but it only feels like yesterday when I sat my induction. Time flies when the office team keeps you busy.

2. What Was Your First Day Working at Gallowglass Like?

Oh, it was "A sweet one Bru" as they said it back in the day. Sports & Stadia, it was freezing cold, the wind was howling and the cold went right through everyone. Those of you who have experienced it, know exactly what I’m talking about.

3. Have You Always Wanted to Work in the Events Industry?

Not really, I didn't know back then that such work existed. Gallowglass gave me a chance, a lifeline when I needed it because I was unemployed and desperate to earn some money. I would have worked any job at the time, but this turned out to be the right decision.

4. How Has Your Career Progressed During Your Time at Gallowglass?

I was moving up ranks quite fast, determined, proactive, punctual and confident; I became a crew chief in just under two years. Obviously, there are always ups and downs, but every time I was unsure about what the next step in my career was, something new always came up, a challenge and an opportunity to learn something new.

This allowed me to gain huge amounts of experience which has made me very comfortable going into any shift, meeting new clients, mentoring new Gallow recruits and I feel incredibly privileged to now be a London Regional Senior Crew Chief.

5. What is the Most Rewarding Part of Your Job?

As in any other job, if the customer is happy with your services, I’m delighted as well. A good crew chief should bring out the maximum effort from every crew they manage. Without them, the simplest of jobs can be a real struggle. You have to give credit where credit is due.

6. Describe an Average Day in Your Position?

It’s quite straightforward, meet the Client, gather all the tasks for the day, have a toolbox talk with the boys, and crack on. I like a busy day where there's always something to do.

Whether it be unloading trucks, setting up staging, set, audio, video walls, lighting and then de-rigging everything at the end; keeping busy is what I like most of all. After all that, you get the handshake at the end of a shift after a job well done and move onto the next one.

7. Tell Us the Funniest Story You’ve Experienced During Your Time at Gallowglass?

So many to tell, where do you begin. Working on SPOTY in Belfast, a crew manager from the Belfast crew came in and put salad dressing on his dessert/cake instead of custard. We watched him do it, not knowing if he knew what he was doing, but couldn’t say anything because this moment was going to be golden.

He looked up after his first bite and said, “this custard is a wee bit tangy” in a northern Irish accent. We fell over laughing because we could see the look on his face as he tried to work out what was going on, but he still managed to finish it in the end.

8. What Advice Would You Give to Those Aspiring to A Career in Events?

You have to make sacrifices. When you’re young and bold, this is your cup of tea. If you’ve just started, make sure you want to do it and do it 100%. Be flexible, be ready to go at any moment; there’s a lot of stops and starts but be patient. Gain any experience you can; it will give you a great platform to potentially move onto bigger things like rigging and site managing, for example.

Thank you to Roland for taking time out of his day to chat with us! We hope that you have found this interview insightful and learnt more about both Gallowglass and what it is like to work within the events industry.

If you are interested in hiring some last-minute event crew, then why not get in contact with Gallowglass? Give us a call on 0345 300 2468 or email us at events@gallowglass.com. We would love to discuss your plans for your upcoming event and see how we can help and make it run smoothly!

You might also be interested in:
Meet The Team: Interview With Nick Grecian, Managing Director
Meet the Team: Interview with Adam Cable, Regional Manager – London