A Little Background

I’ve spent most of my life now, behind the scenes of entertainment.
A place where ambitious dreams and ideas become real life
experiences that last a lifetime in the mind of the fans.

I first started working high-end tour productions in 2002,
and was invited on my first tour in 2004, as the Lighting Crew Director
for Cavalia.– A live equestrian show, that traveled as the largest
“Big-Top” show to tour at the time. This was one of my early
production leadership roles, as I started my entry into the production world.

Much of my career since then, has been spent as a Stagehand, Rigger
and Audio/Visual Technician with local crews in the PNW.
We’ve setup for some of the largest touring productions in history,
including world-class artists such as Cher, The Rolling Stones,
Lady Gaga, and a very, very long list of major touring acts
throughout the years.

I started the Rigging part of my career, in early 2003 with Metallica’s’
Summer-Sanitarium tour. For a little perspective, it was about 100ft high at the top
of the grid and had a giant inflatable roof on each side.

A Life Behind the Stage

The Touring Years

Rigging and production work from the road.

‹

1
/
6

›

There is nothing like the feeling of walking up there.
It was like you’re on an inflatable bouncy house but,
we’re just over 100 feet in the air at the center.

Rigging, in entertainment, is the largely unseen and unknown
architecture of nearly every show. Riggers suspend the lighting,
video, audio, scenery, pyro/special effects—and occasionally even
the performers themselves. Sometimes a full show might hang 100’s of
thousands of pounds over the artist and the crowd. Often in a new
venue, for every show across the country.

These positions require precision, intense on-the-spot problem-solving,
an understanding of scale, and in the case of rigging ABSOLUTE TRUST,
as the constant threat of death or injury is very high.

In fact after getting accustom to the environments, I tried another route
to fill up my schedule during the off season. Which was another precision
based position, called Rope Access. Our local Rigging team
would repel off various buildings around Seattle to hang numerous over-sized signs, banners
and safety systems.
For me, it was just developing a new specialty. They told me when I started
“If at first you don’t succeed, rigging is not for you”. So I knew I found a home.

I was able to use my Rigging position, to start playing with
all the different departments, to really explore all the ways of
the stage. My curiosity pulled me through nearly every corner
of the production world: lighting, audio, video, rigging, cameras,
theater systems, high-angle work, and on the side I was learning
to build computers, design websites and create logos and graphics.
I learned some different fabrication for multiple projects, started a bit of photography,
made some music, and even had a hydroplane crew-chief spot…You know, just for fun.

From 2012 to today along side of shows, I sold a couple traffic control
lighting inventions to the city of Seattle for the tunnel system,
I painted a few murals (seen around the site like the “Sea-Dragon”)
and more recently I’ve been getting deeper into the lighting design world
for the stage. (i.e. bands, galas, fundraisers, benefits, film and stages.)

Over these many years, I’ve learned how things are engineered,
how they are illuminated, how they move, how an audience
experiences them—and how a small detail can completely
change what someone feels.
Which is ultimately what led me to become the artist I am today.

I have always been fascinated by illusions. As a child, it was
magic tricks and optical illusions to shock my family and friends.
Today, it’s become the machinery of show business: light, scale,
atmosphere, perspective, timing, and surprise.

That “shock-n-awe!” from all the shows well, as an artist,
I still chase the same reactions to this day.
That moment when someone stops, looks again, and realizes
they are experiencing something they did not expect.
That’s my sweet spot, and where I like to play.

So when you bring me an idea, just know, I don’t approach it
from a single discipline. I bring a curious lifetime of them.
And together, we can create something that is not simply beautiful
or impressive—but distinctly your own masterpiece,
and a very difficult to forget experience.