For the new hand told to show up at 6 AM for their first call, and given no other information.
Show up to your first call already knowing what they expect.
Writes the certification exam working AV pros take to prove they know their craft. Runs the training program for one of the unions that supplies live event crews. Wrote the book on this for Routledge. Thirty years of live event production.
The crew already knows what they expect when you check in.
Where to be. Who to listen to. What to do, and what not to do. Most new hands figure it out by getting yelled at.
This course teaches what the people running the call already expect, before anyone has to say it. Six units, twenty-five lessons, one final.
Most entry-level courses in this space teach audio. This teaches the whole call: safety, crew, professionalism, gear, load in and out, and signal flow. Audio is one unit of six.
The call sheet says 6 AM. This covers everything else.
Six units. Twenty-five lessons. Work at your own pace.
Safety and Site Awareness
Identify the common categories of live event site hazard: energized power, suspended loads, moving traffic, dim or shifting light, trip hazards. Recognize them in a working venue.
The Crew
Identify the standard roles on a live event crew by name and recognize who you take direction from in a given situation. Department heads, hands, and who calls what.
Show Day Professionalism
Check in for a call on time, with the gear and information the call sheet requires. Understand the rhythm of breaks, meals, and dismissals.
The Gear
Identify by sight and name the common audio gear on a typical event: microphones, stands, cables, snakes, consoles, amps, and speakers.
Load In and Load Out
Read a truck pack and unload gear in the order the build needs it, without damaging the truck, the gear, or the people in the dock.
Signal Flow Basics
Describe what an audio signal is and how it travels from a source to a destination through cables and gain stages.
Built and taught by Bill Larsen.
Thirty years in live event production and AV. Nearly a decade running performance spaces inside a public school district. I've walked too many new hands onto a call with no idea what was about to happen to them, and watched too many of them quit before they got good. This course is what I wish someone had handed me on day one. Bill.
Self-paced. Work through the units in order. Take the final when you're ready.
On passing, you get a certificate of completion from Backstage Essentials LLC and a badge you can share. This is a certificate of completion. Backstage Essentials is not an accrediting body.
So you can decide if this is the right thing to buy.
What this is
- An entry-level course for live event work, taught by someone who runs live event calls.
- Structured and sequenced, built on the same framework used to design professional certification exams.
- Six units: safety, crew, professionalism, gear, load in and out, signal flow.
- A certificate of completion you can put on a resume and link to.
What this is not
- Not a church audio course. Good ones exist. If you only want to mix on Sundays, take one of those.
- Not OSHA 10. If your employer requires it, take OSHA 10.
- Not ETCP. That's for working riggers and electricians.
- Not AVIXA CTS. CTS is for AV systems integration and design.
- Not endorsed by IATSE. A private course that teaches what crews already expect new hands to know. (IATSE workers have free training through the Training Trust Fund. This is for everyone else.)
- Not an accredited credential. A certificate of completion from a private LLC.
One time. No payment plans, no bundles, no expiring codes. Self-paced with lifetime access to the course.
Questions you'd actually ask.
Will this get me a job?
No course gets you a job. This gets you ready for the first day of one, which is most of why new hands wash out.
Is this an accredited certification?
No. It's a certificate of completion issued by Backstage Essentials LLC. Backstage Essentials is not an accrediting body.
Is this endorsed by IATSE?
No. It teaches the kind of knowledge crews and stewards already expect new hands to bring to a call, but it's a private course from Backstage Essentials LLC. IATSE workers have free training through the IATSE Training Trust Fund. This course exists for everyone else.
How is this different from a church sound course?
Those teach audio. This teaches the whole call: safety, crew, professionalism, gear, load in and out, and signal flow. Audio is one unit of six.
How long do I have to finish?
It's self-paced and you keep access. Most people finish in about 6 to 8 hours, on whatever schedule works.
What if I fail the final?
Retake it as many times as you need. The course is on your side, not in your way.