Why Parrot Ox is a producer, not an agency

Why Parrot Ox Is a Producer — Not an Agency

At Parrot Ox, we’re sometimes asked if we can be paid a fee to find engagements and then hand those over to the artistic company to execute. Essentially, can we be your agent rather than your producer? We understand where the ask comes from: we broker relationships, we connect work with opportunities, and we help shows land in the world.

But we don’t work like that, because to us, landing the engagement is the beginning, not the end. 

An agent’s role is usually fairly transactional. An engagement is secured, terms are agreed, and then the baton is passed to the artistic company to deliver. The relationship may begin with care and skill, but it often ends at the point of booking.

That’s not how we work.

We Are Presenter-First

Parrot Ox is explicitly presenter-first. That doesn’t mean we work for presenters at the expense of artists — it means we understand that strong, lasting outcomes only emerge when presenters are genuinely supported.

We take time to deeply understand each presenter’s context: their audiences, pressures, ambitions, constraints, values, and the reason they exist in the first place. That understanding shapes how we place work, how we frame it, and how we support it once it’s programmed.

Crucially, we don’t step away once a season is locked in. We remain the conduit between the artistic company and the presenter for the entire engagement — from contracting and planning through to delivery and reflection.

Supporting the Whole Engagement

This ongoing presence benefits everyone.

For artists, it means having a producer who understands presenters from the inside — not abstractly, but practically. Someone who can anticipate friction, translate expectations, manage nuance, and hold relationships steady when pressures rise.

For presenters, it means working with a partner who understands artistic realities, touring life, creative risk, and the complexity of making ambitious work land well. Someone who takes responsibility for the relationship, not just the introduction.

The result is a stronger season, clearer communication, and far fewer unpleasant surprises.

A 360-Degree Perspective

We’ve worked as presenters, and we’ve worked inside artistic companies. That gives us a genuine 360-degree understanding of the sector’s shared challenges — and its specific, often unspoken needs.

But we don’t rely on generalisations.

Each relationship is different. Each venue, festival, artist, and project has its own ecosystem. We invest time in understanding the specifics, because trust isn’t built through templates, it’s built through attention.

And with trust comes possibility. More ambitious programming. More unusual partnerships. More room to take creative risks together, and that’s what motivates us to get up in the morning. 

Producing is not only a promise, it’s the whole story

Producing also means staying present when things go wrong, and they always do. Touring is complex. Live work is unpredictable. The sector is already stressful enough without adding confusion, silence, or resentment to the mix.

We are expert problem-solvers. We pride ourselves on making the impossible happen, not on paper, but in practice. That skill only matters during execution, when schedules shift, expectations clash, or unforeseen obstacles appear. Getting the gig is just the beginning, we’re who you call when the going gets tough.

Through It All

Parrot Ox produces work because we believe relationships are not complete at the point of booking. They’re proven over time, in moments of pressure, collaboration, and shared success.

We’re there through it all, for our artists, for our presenters, and all in support of the work itself.

To us, producing is being able to imagine what’s possible, bring the right people together to make it happen and then removing every obstacle until it succeeds. We’re here for all of it.