Author: Emily Drew

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The LRLR Raffle and BTS at USITT 2025

The LRLR Raffle to Support Behind the Scenes at USITT

The Long Reach Long Riders and Behind the Scenes will host their annual fundraising raffle at the USITT Conference March 5-8 in Columbus, OH. The Long Reach Long Riders, who have raised over $1,000,000 for charity in their decades of holding annual motorcycle rides, will be riding June 14-21 through Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado on the “Salt Lake Sidewinder Ride.”

Tickets for the raffle are an affordable $5 each or 5 for $20 and can be purchased at the Behind the Scenes booth #305A (across from ETC) throughout the show. Winning tickets for nine regular prizes and one grand prize will be drawn at 1pm on Saturday, the final day of Stage Expo.

The prizes, provided by our generous donors, are: Grand Prize, Spotlight Annual Subscription from Vectorworks; Ghostlight from Altman Lighting; a $250 cash gift card from Barbizon; Event Safety Summit 2025 Registration from the Event Safety Alliance; Nespresso CitiZ Espresso Machine with Aeroccino Milk Frother from IA Stage; ETCNomad Education Edition with Gadget II from Musson Theatrical; $250 Gift Certificate from Sapsis Rigging; a Full Conference Pass to ESTA’s 2025 Midwest Rigging Intensive from ESTA; USITT 2026 Full Conference Registration from USITT, and a $250 Gift Voucher to Production Advantage Powered by VLS from Vincent Lighting Systems.

The Behind the Scenes Boutique will also be open for business during the show featuring a Buy One, Get One 50% off promotion on all our clothing and holiday cards in celebration of our 20th anniversary year.

The booth will feature the Behind the Scenes Mental Health Initiative which provides tools and resources to support entertainment industry workers and promote mental health and well-being. Brief presentations highlighting Mental Health Tools and Resources, an Intro to Mental Health First Aid, and an Intro to Bystander Intervention in the Entertainment Industry will be offered twice daily during show hours on Thursday and Friday. Posters with information on suicide prevention, bullying and harassment, alcohol and substance abuse, and more will be available in booth #305A through the Behind the Scenes Mental Health Initiative.

For more information about the Long Reach Long Riders, visit lrlr.org.

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Early Winter Virtual Trainings

Highlighting Early Winter Virtual Trainings

The Behind the Scenes Mental Health Initiative is offering a variety of upcoming virtual trainings to help provide people with the information and skills to identify and assist when their colleagues are struggling with a mental health or substance use issue or are the target of bullying and harassment. BTS seeks to create safer workplaces and decrease the stigma surrounding mental health in the entertainment industry.

Mental Health First Aid

Join the over 1600 entertainment industry professionals who are making a real difference in their workplaces by becoming a certified Mental Health First Aider. MHFA takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations, teaches how to listen non-judgmentally and give reassurance, and how to refer to appropriate professional support.

The first Mental Health First Aid virtual classes for 2025 are posted for January 13 and 24 and February 2 at btshelp.org/mhfa. The course is delivered in two parts. The first is a 2-hour self-paced online course that must be completed prior to an interactive 6 hour virtual, live instructor-led session.

The registration fee is $125. IATSE Members and those working under IATSE agreements may be eligible for Training Trust Fund reimbursement upon proof of successful completion of the course. A limited number of partial and full scholarships are available to individuals not eligible for reimbursement.

Private group classes of 10 -25 are available – contact [email protected] for information.

 Bystander Intervention in the Entertainment Workplace

Have you ever witnessed a co-worker being bullied or intimated? Would you like to know how to safely intervene? In just 90 minutes you will learn five easily accessible tools for use in any workplace to safely intervene without the worry of retaliation. Entertainment industry scenarios will help you understand how to choose tools to match your comfort level.

The webinar is free but advance registration at btshelp.org/bystander is required in order to receive the zoom login. Upcoming 2025 dates are January 27 at 7pm ET, April 27 at 4pm ET, and July 28 at 7pm ET.

Behind the Scenes is partnering with Right To Be, a social justice organization that specializes in education around bullying and harassment, to present these free interactive webinars. These webinars are sponsored by the IATSE International and are open to all entertainment industry workers.

Dealing with Alcochol and Substance Use Issues in the Workplace: Why and How we Help

Substance misuse has reached epidemic proportions in our society and in our industry. It’s very likely you will encounter someone with this problem in your workplace – it could be anyone: a co-worker, a manager, someone who reports to you.

In this interactive webinar, developed by both industry professionals with lived experience and an addiction specialist, you will learn tips and tools to assist you in responding to this type of situation including how to recognize the signs and symptoms of addiction, how to start a conversation with someone you are concerned about, what if they don’t want to stop, and treatment options and industry resources.

The webinar, on February 10th at 7pm ET, is free but advance registration is required in order to receive the login. Registration will open in early January – visit btshelp.org/workplace to enter your email to be notified when registration opens.

Organizations interested in a private webinar should contact [email protected].

Visit btshelp.org/mentalhealth to see all the available tools and resources in our Mental Health Initiative.