Thirty years in live event production and AV. Started as a stagehand. Now I run AV systems and performance spaces for a school district. Cable still has to land. Power still has to be safe. The show still has to start on time.

I'm the District AV Technology Coordinator at ISD 197 in West St. Paul, the formal title for the work. Before that I spent years in professional production and in education leadership. Different rooms, same problems.

I'm also the Education Coordinator for IATSE Local 490. That role exists because the live event industry is short on skilled techs and the K-12 system is full of kids who would be great at this work if anyone showed them the door. My job is to open the door.

The book, Backstage Essentials: Skills for Stagehand Technicians in Live Event Production, comes out in 2026 from Routledge. It's a practical guide to the work. Stagecraft fundamentals, crew management, safety, and how to build a program that lasts past the person who started it. Written for the people who actually have to run the show.

Credentials

CTS (AVIXA), CETL (CoSN), CIT (CEDIA), AVIXA SME for CTS exam development. Member, USITT. Education Coordinator, IATSE Local 490.

Contact

bill@backstageessentials.com ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0002-7157-8582