How it works

A hold is a claim on someone’s calendar. This just makes it visible.

Touring already runs on avails and holds. First hold, second hold, challenge, release. It works — it just lives in text threads and a PM’s private spreadsheet, where nobody can see it but them.

If you’re crew

Read the crew rules →

01

Block out what you cannot work

You are available by default, so productions can find you from day one. Mark the dates you are away, and post blocks when you want to confirm you are open.

02

Fill in your profile once

Roles, consoles, tickets, credits. PMs see it before they call, so you stop retyping the same five answers.

03

Answer holds

When someone wants you, it shows up with the dates, the rate, and who’s asking. Accept or decline in two taps.

04

Know where you stand

If two productions want the same weeks, you can see whether you’re first up or behind someone. No more guessing.

Create your profile

If you hire crew

Read the production rules →

01

Search by what matters

Console, certification, home base, union status — and only crew whose dates are actually open.

02

Place a hold

Pick the dates, offer a rate, send it. If another production already holds those dates, yours takes the next position behind theirs.

03

Challenge when you need an answer

Holding second and need the slot? Put the production ahead of you on a clock. They confirm the booking or release the dates.

04

Book it

Confirming clears every competing hold automatically. Everyone else finds out without you making a single call.

See who’s available

What actually happens to a hold

Three productions can hold the same crew member for the same dates. The order is what matters, and it moves on its own.

01

First hold

The only tier that can be confirmed. Everyone behind is waiting on this one to move.

02

Second hold

In line. Can challenge the hold above it to force an answer, rather than waiting indefinitely.

03

Third hold

Further back. Moves up automatically whenever anything above it releases or lapses.

The clock starts when the hold is sent

Every hold carries a response deadline set by the production that sent it — 48 hours by default, and each company can change its own. Crew see the deadline on the hold itself.

Nobody answers, the hold clears itself

Past the deadline the hold expires on its own and everything below it moves up a tier. No chasing, and no calendar left blocked by something that went quiet.

A production can force the one ahead of it to decide

Challenging happens between productions — the crew member is not asked anything. It puts the company holding the slot above you on a clock, set by their own response window rather than yours.

Silence on a challenge means release

The convention the industry already runs on. The production holding the slot had its window. If it passes without an answer their hold releases and the challenger moves up.

Confirming clears the field

The moment a first hold is confirmed, every competing hold on those dates is cleared and each production is told. You do not make a single call.

It runs on its own, every few minutes

Expiries and lapsed challenges are processed in the background rather than the instant a deadline passes, so give it a few minutes before assuming something is stuck.

A worked example

Two productions want the same monitor engineer for the same week.

  1. 1

    Kite Productions holds Ricky first.

    They found him, sent a hold, and he accepted. Kite is first in line.

  2. 2

    Halberd Staging holds him second.

    Same dates. Ricky accepted that one too — more than one production can hold him at once.

  3. 3

    Halberd needs an answer, so they challenge.

    Kite goes on a clock set by Kite’s own response window. Ricky is not asked anything.

  4. 4

    Kite confirms, or Kite loses it.

    Confirming books Ricky and clears Halberd’s hold. Saying nothing until the clock runs out releases Kite, and Halberd becomes first.

Ricky answered once, when each hold arrived. Everything after that is between the two productions.

The parts people ask about

Crew

What happens if I get a better offer?

Decline the hold. It releases immediately and whoever was behind you moves up. Nobody has to chase you for an answer.

Crew

Can a PM see my rate?

Only if you set it to public. Default is on request, and you can hide it entirely. Budget filters never leak a hidden rate.

Both

What is a challenge?

When two productions hold the same dates, the one in second place can put the one ahead of it on a clock — usually 48 hours. That production confirms or releases. Silence releases it. The crew member is not involved.

Crew

Who sees the notes a PM writes about me?

Only that PM’s own team. Notes and hire-again flags never cross companies and are never shown to crew.

Both

Does a hold expire?

Yes. Unanswered holds and lapsed challenges clear themselves, so nobody’s calendar sits blocked by something that went quiet.

Crew

What does it cost crew?

Nothing. Posting dates, answering holds, and your profile are free.

Production

Who sets the response deadline?

The production placing the hold, from their own settings. 48 hours is the default, and they can pick anything from one hour up to a week. The deadline is shown on the hold, so crew always know how long they have.

Production

What if I am third and the first two go quiet?

You move to second, then first, without doing anything. Promotion happens automatically as holds above you expire or release.

Crew

Can a production hold me and never confirm?

Not indefinitely. Every hold has a deadline, and anyone behind them can challenge to force the question.

Put your dates somewhere people can see them