A Royal Summer
- Sep 19, 2017
- 2 min read
In April 2017, I left VStar Entertainment after a year and a half touring with Sesame Street Live: Make A New Friend to pursue an exciting new opportunity as Theatrical Technical Engineer at the Royal Caribbean Entertainment Studios in Miami, FL. In that role, I provided lighting, audio, and video support for the casts and creative teams of shows preparing to embark on contracts on Royal Caribbean and Azamara Club cruise ships. Strange though it may seem, I have still never set foot on a cruise ship.
Although I didn't necessarily find Miami to my liking, I had a chance at Royal Caribbean to learn new skills - especially in the realm of audio and wireless systems - strengthen many of my old ones, sink my teeth into some pretty daunting projects, and work with a whole lot of incredibly talented performers, technicians, vocal directors, and choreographers.
Now, though, it is time to relocate once again. I have accepted a contract as Head Electrician on Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story On Stage, and I couldn't be more excited!
On this tour, I will be rejoining some old friends - Justin Gamerl, Mason Wisecup, and Adam Uhlig, who are heads of the carpentry, sound, and props departments, respectively. I am also thrilled to be working on an electrics team with Travis Triplett as my Assistant Electrician again, and together we plan to kick some major butt!
The past year for me has been filled with turbulence, hard decisions, and occasional setbacks. It has also been filled with tremendous professional and personal growth. I left the first company that ever hired me to work in entertainment professionally, and I will always have a special place in my heart for the furry friends that got my foot in the door. I will always owe Sesame Street Live and VStar Entertainment for their part in preparing me for the opportunities that I have available now and into the future.
Finally, I want to give a shout-out to my many, many friends and co-workers from past productions, who are also embarking on exciting new opportunities:
On a separate NETworks tour, my old Head Electrician from Sesame Street days Logan Garrett is on to a new contract as Head Electrician on A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder.
VStar Entertainment keeps a lot of lovely folks busy on two different Paw Patrol Live! shows (Jeff Dietzel, Megan Kraft, Fred Drenkow, and so many more) as well as The Sesame Street/USO Experience for Military Families trekking across Europe (Jenna Lorson Gamerl -new last name and all-, Dan Votta, Fred Mursch, Sarah Ginnetti, Jestina O'Dell, Crystal Meyer, Heather Huber, and the rest of their fantastic team).
I've also learned that an acquaintance from Minneapolis, Jordan Herman, is going out on his first full-time contract with Norwegian Cruise Lines.
I wish the best of luck to everyone I know who's out on new adventures, and I'm very excited for when our paths cross again - we'll definitely have some great stories to tell!
Edited on 9/27/2017 after accepting the position with NETworks.
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