#106 Joe Sanchez: 36 Years in Touring. From Fan to Global Production Leader

Joe Sanchez is the CEO and founder of 1826, a tour and event production company born in London and now based in Los Angeles. In this conversation, Joe shares the unlikely, very human story of how a music fan became one of the most trusted operators in global touring and experiential events.Joe traces it back to his first concert: Queen at Wembley in 1986. A few years later, at 19, a lucky run-in with the band The Cult got him a spot on a U.S. arena tour—carrying bags, looking after a bandmate’s dog, and doing whatever the day demanded. That early “say yes and solve the problem” mentality became a pattern: merchandising work with the Manic Street Preachers, then tour managing in the 90s, and eventually stepping up into production management—owning the logistics and technical complexity behind the show.A major turning point came when Joe was recruited to become Rihanna’s production manager during her peak stadium era. That experience helped set the foundation for his next chapter: starting 1826 in 2013 from the spare room of his home in Laurel Canyon so he could build a company, stay off the road, and scale by running multiple tours at once. The business grew steadily—until the pandemic nearly wiped it out. Joe explains how they survived through government support and creative pivots like the Dodgers Holiday Festival, then rebounded fast after 2021—expanding from a handful of employees to ~55–60.Today, Joe describes 1826 as the “Mercedes/BMW” of concert touring: not cheap, but precise, reliable, and built on relationships and detail. He explains why vertical integration matters—bringing more services in-house through a design studio, travel agency, rigging capability, and storage—so quality and reputation aren’t dependent on outside vendors. Joe also shares how a single bold “yes” helped them break into Formula One events and how that credibility pulled in corporate work like Airbnb.Along the way, Joe emphasizes culture, fairness, and “karma”: paying people well, paying freelancers promptly, treating teams like family, and building trust over decades. A standout personal moment: his daughter performing at Coachella—onstage with Tyler, The Creator—dressed as a goat.About Joe Sanchez:- https://www.eighteentwentysix.comAbout Federico Ramallo ✨👨‍💻🌎🚀 Software Engineering Manager | 🛠 Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | 🤝 Connecting 🇺🇸 U.S. teams with top nearshore 🌎 LATAM engineers- 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/- 🌐 https://densitylabs.io- ✅ https://prevetted.ai🎙 PreVetted Podcast 🎧📡- 🎯 https://prevetted.ai/podcast- 🐦 https://x.com/PrevettedPod- 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/company/prevetted-podcast00:00 Introduction to Joe Sanchez and 182601:43 The Journey into Live Event Production09:08 Founding 1826 and Early Challenges10:20 Navigating the Pandemic and Recovery18:12 Growth and Expansion of 182621:48 Innovations and New Ventures27:26 Positioning in the Market and Future Outlook28:52 The Complexity of Live Performances30:54 Transitioning from Hands-On to CEO32:47 Building a Family-Oriented Company Culture34:42 The Importance of Social Responsibility in Business36:08 Supporting Employees and Their Growth37:40 Organic Growth vs. Investment39:44 Reputation and Client Acquisition43:05 The Journey of Problem Solving46:48 Reflecting on a Unique Career Path