Bill Larsen
Author and Educator in AV and Live Event Production
Bill Larsen has spent thirty years in audio visual technology and live event production, and he teaches what he does. His work runs across the field: designing and running AV systems and performance spaces, lighting and live events, video production, and the kind of training that gets people ready to do real work in a demanding industry.
He writes the certification exam that working AV professionals take to prove their craft. As a Subject Matter Expert for AVIXA, Bill helps author the CTS (Certified Technology Specialist) exam, the leading credential in the industry. He holds the CTS himself, as well as the CETL (Certified Education Technology Leader) and the CIT (Cabling and Infrastructure Technician).
His first book, Backstage Essentials: Skills for Stagehand Technicians in Live Event Production, is forthcoming from Routledge. It is a practical guide for the people who actually have to run the show, covering stagecraft fundamentals, crew management, safety, and how to keep a production program running. It is written for the new technician on their first call and for the programs trying to train them well.
Bill is the District AV Technology Coordinator at ISD 197 in Minnesota, where he runs AV systems and technology infrastructure across the district and has built programs that bring students into the field. He is also the Education Coordinator for IATSE Local 490, developing training that connects working stagehands with the skills the industry expects.
Through Backstage Essentials, he develops training and educational resources for live-event technicians.
Credentials
CTS, Certified Technology Specialist (AVIXA), and Subject Matter Expert for the CTS exam
CETL, Certified Education Technology Leader (CoSN)
CIT, Cabling and Infrastructure Technician (CEDIA)
MBA
Member, AVIXA, USITT, and CoSN
What Bill works on
Authoring and revising practical training resources for live event and AV technicians
Teaching the technical side of AV: installation, AV over IP, and systems integration
Speaking and curriculum development for AV education and workforce training
Lighting design and live event production
Contact
Email: bill@backstageessentials.com