Duncan Northern: Interview With Tinc Productions CEO

Duncan Northern is the CEO and President of Tinc Productions. He started at Tinc in 2012 as a stagehand, working his way up to President in 2018. Born and Raised in Colorado, his background as a technician and stage manager culminated in his eventual progression into Production Management. He is dedicated to bringing top shelf production supervision and technical direction to a wide variety of projects.

Tinc Productions specializes in helping create memorable events and theatre through production management and labor services. Based in NYC, and led by CEO and President Duncan Northern, Tinc has a long history in the entertainment industry working on fashion shows, corporate events, high profile theatrical productions and immersive experiences. Recent credits include Broadway’s Slava’s Snowshow, The Play That Goes Wrong, Little Shop of Horrors, Emojiland, Rock of Ages Hollywood, Broadway Bounty Hunter, Puffs, and Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show–Shanghai. Tinc’s newest project, A Turtle on a Fence Post, opens for previews on October 26, 2021.

Hi Duncan, thanks for talking with us at TheatreArtLife! How are you doing, and how are things in NYC at the moment?

It is a fascinating time to be in New York City and work in entertainment. The pandemic and industry shut down certainly took its toll on me, the company and the industry as a whole. The shutdown made me question the viability of live entertainment and how we could ever rebuild a machine that entertains the rest of the world— a machine that is steeped and built on hundreds of years of hard work and came to a grinding halt for 18 months. The fascinating thing about what is happening right now is it’s like watching that whole machine—with all of its history and relationships—be built back up at 20X speed as we come back. It is truly a wonder and an honor to be a part of the rebuild.

What is a typical day like at Tinc? Do you find that you work across multiple productions at a time (or did pre-pandemic) and how does it work?

Typical is not a word that we use in our office very often, because there is nothing typical about our day-to-day or week-to-week. We work on productions in any variety of stages; shows that are running and have been running for years, shows that are about to go into production, and shows that are years away from even entering a theater. We’re involved in all of those processes and because of this, we are constantly facing new challenges and creating opportunities to get the shows where they need and want to be. On top of that, we’re also working on events and providing labor across the city and the tri-state area. So, typical isn’t something that I know, and I consider that a true blessing.

I understand you have a broad and varied background before moving into Production Management – how did you first get your start in the industry, and how did you get from that first gig to where you are now?

As a fairly young stage manager and technician, I found that I kept walking onto job sites that were not well organized, unsafe, and sort of a misery to be around. I had very little room to better the conditions in either of those rolls. So I combined my technical experience with my management experience and became a production manager. My start really happened while working on Great Comet when it was still in the tents on 45^th Street, before transferring to Broadway. I was only supposed to be there for two weeks lending a hand to the Production Manager, but ended up running the load in after day three and working on the show through its closing. I call it my “3-hour tour” but I learned so much from that amazing team.

If you could choose, what has been your career highlight so far?

I got to the city after running away from the circus less than 24 hours after joining it. I hopped a train from upstate to NYC and knowing virtually no one, lived on a living room floor for the first six weeks. After three weeks I was broke. So, I got a host job at a restaurant on 43^rd Street across from the Sondheim Theatre— not unlike so many others when they come here to pursue their dream. After talking my way into starting the next day, I got a meal at the end of my first shift. It was the first time I had eaten in a while and I broke down, scared and unsure.

After a few weeks I got my first theatre job, and since then, have made my living in entertainment. Ten years later (almost to the day) I loaded my first Broadway show into the Sondheim theatre, across the street from that very restaurant where I had had my shift meal. At lunch time on day one, I went there and I ordered the exact same burger with fries. As I ate, I reflected on how I was no longer that scared and nervous kid. I knew I had accomplished something I was proud of, and had done it in a city where those types of full-circle moments are the exception, not the norm.

And conversely, what do you wish you had known then that you know now, or what advice would you give to those just starting out in the industry?

How long do I have to answer? I mean, who amongst us doesn’t look back at our younger selves and think, “wow, I was a fool and I should have done it so different.” If I had to give a little bit of advice to anyone coming into the industry and starting out, I would say the following. First, know your worth and don’t settle for less because you are only cheating yourself. Second, take risks (I hopped a train to NYC and it worked out…). Don’t be afraid to take a less walked path and find your own way. Third and maybe most importantly, what we do, the work that we bring into the world is full of community so build as big and as broad a community as you can. Even on my worst days, the community that I share with so many other professionals have always had my back and they will have yours as well if you let them.

What is Tinc Productions currently working on, and what can we look forward to next from you?

Well we just got done bringing Little Shop of Horrors (recently seen on The Tonight Show) back to audience with that amazing creative and technical team. Next up is the reopening of The Play That Goes Wrong in mid-October followed by A Turtle on a Fence Post in November, and more in 2022.

To get in touch with Tinc, visit their website tincproductions.com, check out their Facebook, or email them directly at info@tincproductions.com

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