How long have you been with Switch?
My first day at Switch, then Busch Creative Services, was as a freelancer. Nobody had an email address or even a flip phone, the Internet wasn’t a thing and the second “Die Hard” movie had just been released.
Which clients/projects are currently on your radar?
As Equipment Rental Manager, I touch nearly every production, as does everyone in the technical department. We’re a great team! In a recent 10-day period, there were 25 trucks filled with equipment and scenery coming in or going out of our shop. As a Technical Director, I most recently worked on the NATAS Mid America Emmy Awards and the Ameren Missouri Festival of Lights and am gearing up for programming the Budweiser LED billboard in New York’s Times Square for the New Year’s Eve celebration.
How did you first get involved in this industry?
Directly; I was a Technical Theatre major.
I began college with the intention of majoring in math. At some point, I realized if I was going to continue skipping early morning calculus classes because I’d been up all night working in the theatre, maybe I should reconsider and focus on my other passion. But more indirectly, my involvement in music and art from an early age had a natural progression toward theatre.
What about your personal background (education, hobbies, interests) helps to inspire/enhance your professional life?
I love the outdoors almost as much as I love working with a talented team on a challenging project. Being able to combine the two with outdoor festivals and events is the best of both worlds.
Is there any project in particular you would consider a breakthrough?
All of them are breakthroughs. Each project is a unique, customized creation put together to meet the client’s goals, each with a separate set of parameters. Sometimes it’s budget, sometimes it’s logistics, sometimes it’s an unusual venue. They’re all pieces waiting to be put together in an insightful way.
Bonus Question: If you had to spend the next 10 years stranded on a deserted island, what three albums would you choose to bring with you?
I can’t pick three. I can only narrow it down to a handful of artists: Holly Cole, Tom Waits, Imagine Dragons, Nelly, Eminem, Matchbox 20, U2, Johnny Cash, Iz, and Elvis. And Jimmy Buffet, just in case I find Johnny Depp guarding a stash of rum buried by pirates.
)
