Copyright 2024, Behind the Scenes Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
Menu
Rick Rudolph is the retired President of Stage Equipment and Lighting (SEAL), located in Miami, Fla., where he was involved with all of the major system sales. Rick began working with the Gill family in 1977. Rick grew up around the birth of color television. His father was the chief electrician at NBC’s first color studio who started his own business, Lite-Trol Service Company. Rick later became a Vice President of the company. Rick attended Johnson State College in Vermont where he studied technical theater, and Long Island University in New York where he earned his BFA, studying lighting design with Lee Watson. In the course of his professional career he has been a stage-hand, designer and field service technician. Rick was elected to the ESTA Board of Directors as a Dealer director in 1999. Rick received the Swan Award, ESTA’s highest honor, in 2009.
David M. Saltiel is a retired partner with the law firm of Golan Christie Taglia LLP. He practices primarily in the areas of real estate, entertainment and corporate law. David received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Illinois. Selected by Chambers USA America’s Leading Business Lawyers as one of the top Media & Entertainment lawyers in the United States, David is also recognized by the Leading Lawyers Network as being among the top commercial real estate and entertainment lawyers in the State of Illinois. David serves as a founding member of the Board of Directors of Chicago Children’s Theatre. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Lawyers for the Creative Arts and is currently a member of the organization’s Honors Council. Mr. Saltiel is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association.
Mark Heiser, CVE, is Venue Director for the Denver Performing Arts Complex at Arts & Venues for the City and County of Denver. He has been with Denver Arts & Venues since 2016. Previously Mark was Managing Director of The David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. The Koch Theater is the resident home of the New York City Ballet. Prior to his tenure in New York, Mark was General Manager of Cal Performances at the University of California Berkeley, one of the largest performing arts presenting organizations on the West Coast. In addition to his role as Treasurer for Behind the Scenes, Mark serves as ex officio board member for Opera Colorado and the Colorado Ballet. Mark has a Bachelor’s Degree in Drama from the University of California at Irvine and a Master’s Degree in Dramatic Art/Arts Administration from the University of California at Davis.
Liz Campos is the Executive Director for the IATSE Entertainment and Exhibition Industries Training Trust Fund. She has been with the organization since 2012 when the TTF was a staff of one and has worked since then to build the organization into one with the robust programs, infrastructure and staff that exists today. She has over 25 years of experience working with labor, workforce development, education, and training. She has worked with Taft-Hartley ERISA Training Funds for over 17 years. In addition to working at the IATSE Training Trust Fund, she created and directed successful training programs as an Assistant Director for the SEIU UHW West and Joint Employer Training Fund in California and served as an Assistant Director for the 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds in New York. She also worked for the California Labor Federation on supporting the development of labor workforce development/training programs. While still in New York, she developed and managed programs for several non-profit adult education, literacy and job training. She started her career a VISTA Volunteer in South Minneapolis where she launched a goal and incentive program for teens coming to the organization looking for mentoring, support and guidance. Liz has her MSW in Community Organization and Planning from Hunter College School of Social Work in New York City and her Bachelor’s in Urban Studies from Macalester College in St Paul, MN.
Caroline Chauvet is the global brand manager for Chauvet — a leading manufacturer of entertainment lighting and control systems. Caroline fuses her competitive over-drive, indomitable curiosity, and the storytelling know-how of a Medill journalist to distill complex technologies into user-centric ahas! In addition to championing the brands, she directs related product positionings, commercialization plans, marketing communications; defines go-to-market and expansion strategies and ensures a great customer experience with a particular focus on the rental and system integration markets.
Dawn Chiang designed the lighting on Broadway for “Zoot Suit”, was co-designer for “Tango Pasion”, and associate lighting designer for “Show Boat”, “The Life” and the original production of “La Cage Aux Folles”. Off Broadway, she has designed for the Roundabout Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, and co-designed the first two seasons of the “Encores!” concert musical series at City Center. Dawn was resident lighting designer for New York City Opera, where her designs included “A Little Night Music” and “Fanciulla del West”. She is the lighting designer for the award winning FDNY Fire Zone at Rockefeller Center, New York. She has worked on the concert tours of Paul Anka, The Carpenters, Diana Ross, and Loggins and Messina.
Moe Conn is the full time Technical Director and Designer at CCBC Catonsville Center for the Arts Theatre. He has an MFA in Scene Design and Technical Theatre and a BA in both Alcohol Learning and Drug Studies and Technical Theatre. Moe has been working in technical theatre since 1993, as a designer, technician, technical director, and educator where he has spent most of his professional career. Moe has served as the Technical Director and Designer for Cockpit in Court Theatre, Maryland’s oldest summer theatre. He has also worked on numerous productions at in the Baltimore area. Moe has received multiple nominations for Best Scene Design, Received Best Scenic Design from the MD Theatre Guide’s Readers’ Choice Awards for his design of Sunset Boulevard. Moe is one of the original Long Reach Long Riders starting in 2004 and has been a part of the core since its inception. He continues to serve on the ”Horde” of Directors as they move forward. Moe is the last of the first nine still riding with the LRLR. For the last 19 years he has volunteered with Behind the Scenes and can be found in the booth at USITT and occasionally LDI helping provide awareness and support for the charity. He also plays a mean Kazoo.
Jim Digby is 30 plus year veteran of the entertainment industry. He is the founder and Chairman of the Event Safety Alliance® and owner of Collaborative Endeavor Group (CEG), providing international touring strategies and complete production solutions for the live entertainment industry. He served as the long time Director of Touring and Production for the multi-million selling artists Linkin Park, and has previously worked with artists as diverse as The Backstreet Boys, Bon Jovi, and Marilyn Manson. He is a four-time recipient of Tourlink’s “Production Manager of the year” award, as well as Parnelli’s “Production Manager of the Year” award for 2012.
Kate works in marketing communications and scenic design at ETC, where she also serves on the Board of Directors. Prior to joining the entertainment lighting manufacturing industry over a decade ago, Kate received her BA in Theatre and Art History from Williams College and worked for several years building props and designing scenery Off- and Off-Off Broadway. She is currently based in New York City.
Ben is an International Representive with the IATSE Tradeshow Department where he assists Locals with organizing and negotiating, plans IATSE tradeshow exhibits, and facilitates trainings for IATSE Locals in coordination with the IATSE Entertainment and Exhibition Industries Training Trust Fund. He is a proud member of IATSE Local 2 in Chicago and IATSE Local 18 in Milwaukee. An Audio Engineer and Rigger by trade, Ben has extensive career experience which has involved working for numerous companies supervising the rigging installation of auto shows across the country’s largest convention centers. Ben has worked in all aspects of rigging for concerts and corporate events and was an Audio Engineer for conventions and conferences. He spent nearly ten years working at Navy Pier in Chicago where he assisted in the planning of countless events and supervised the design and implementation of all permanent and portable audio systems. Ben is a fierce advocate for safety and continuing education. He was an early adopter of the ETCP certifications, gaining his ETCP Arena and Theatre Rigging certifications in 2009 and his ETCP Entertainment Electrician certification in 2010. After recently joining ESTA’s Technical Standards Program Rigging Working Group, he successfully ran for Vice President of ESTA’s Board of Directors. He holds an associate degree in Audio Technology from the Indiana University School of Music (2002), a Certificate in Labor Relations from the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, an OSHA 10 completion card, Aerial Lift certifications, a First AID/CPR/AED/Stop-the-Bleed certification, and PADI Advanced Open Water Diver / AIDA 2 Freediving completion cards.
Susan McGuirl is the Chief Marketing Officer for HUB International Limited. She is the former Head of North America Entertainment for Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Allianz. Susan has been in the insurance industry for over 25 years holding various leadership positions in both claims and underwriting. Prior to joining Allianz, Susan was the COO of Travelers Entertainment. Susan was instrumental in developing the partnership between Allianz and the Event Safety Alliance. She continues to be an advocate for safety, encouraging collaboration between entertainment experts and the insurance community.
Tobin Neis is the Director of Marketing for the Barbizon Lighting Company. His varied background includes work in industrial and traditional theater, museums, broadcast, houses of worship, and corporate audiovisual environments. He graduated with a BA in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and an MFA in Theatre Technology from Indiana University. Tobin is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) and is an ETCP Recognized Electrical Trainer.
Eddie Raymond, is the immediate past President of ESTA, and the retired Vice President/Training Director of IATSE Local 16 in San Francisco. He spent the first twenty three years of his professional life working seasonally for the American Conservatory Theatre and for other theatrical and motion picture employers in the Bay Area including many stints at Industrial Light and Magic. When the Geary Theatre was heavily damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and A.C.T. became homeless, Eddie found himself supervising the adaptation of odd spaces into theatres and overseeing the technical areas of rebuilding the Geary. He has also served Local 16 on the Apprentice Board since 1981 and the Executive Board since 1984 until he retired in 2014. Eddie is past president of the San Mateo County Central Labor Council and currently sits on the IATSE Craft Advancement Program committee teaching the OSHA 10 General Industry Safety curriculum nationally and advising the International’s Training Trust Program on training and curricula.
Paul is the Senior Vice President of Sales at LiteGear. He is a recognized entertainment lighting and technology global sales leader with more than 25 years’ experience and a strong track record of building relationships and loyalty with customers across all facets of the motion picture, television and music industries. He is also a member of several key industry trade associations and has served in key leadership positions to leverage his skills and expertise to support others in his field. Paul began his career at Paramount Pictures in the Backlot Operations division, where he learned foundational elements of the business from behind the lens. He also spent several years leading lighting sales and rental operations for industry icon Mole-Richardson Co., where he built an extensive global customer base of dealers, rental companies, DP’s and gaffers. Before joining LiteGear, Paul ran marketing and rentals at The Camera House in North Hollywood, which presented a new and welcomed opportunity to learn the camera side of cinematography. Outside of his role at LiteGear, Paul is an active IATSE 728 set lighting technician, and an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), for which he serves as the Awards Sponsorship Committee chair. For the past ten years, he has also been a member of the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) and its affiliated Production Equipment Rental Group (PERG), where he served as council chair for three years.
Lori is the Executive Director of the Behind the Scenes Foundation. She was the Executive Director of the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) for almost 30 years until her retirement in 2018. She was instrumental in the founding of the Theatrical Dealers Association, later ESTA, in 1987 and in 1990 became its first employee, eventually becoming Executive Director. Prior to that she spent over ten years with San Diego Stage & Lighting Supply, eventually becoming General Manager. After a brief stint as a professional dancer, Lori began working for Bruce Kelly & Associates, a theatrical consultancy firm, and also began her long association with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra as a stage manager. Lori freelanced continuously in San Diego as lighting designer, ALD, or stage manager for many of the local dance companies, the San Diego Master Chorale, the San Diego Gilbert & Sullivan Company, the Starlight Civic Light Opera, and the Old Globe Theatre. After moving to New York she worked for Rosco Laboratories prior to full time employment with ESTA.
Bill Sapsis, President of Sapsis Rigging, Inc., began his career in 1972. His work on Broadway includes the original productions of A Chorus Line and The Runner Stumbles. Bill opened Sapsis Rigging in 1981 and has grown the company into a multi-faceted installation/production/service company with clients on 5 continents. Bill’s articles and lectures on rigging and safety can be found in numerous publications worldwide. He has authored two books; Heads and Tales and Entertainment Rigging for the 21st Century. Bill is a member of the Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP) Council. He serves on ESTA’s Technical Standards Committee and is co-Chair of the ANSI accredited Rigging Working Group. He is a member of the Behind the Scenes Foundation Board of Directors. He is a USITT Fellow and a member of ABTT. He is a founding member of the Long Reach Long Riders, an industry-based charity motorcycle group. He is also the producer of the North American Theatre Engineering and Architecture Conference.
Brad Schiller is an industry veteran, with over 30 years of experience in the lighting industry. Starting his career in the mid 1980’s, Brad worked as a technician and programmer on many different productions including The Crystal Method, The Smashing Pumpkins, ZZ Top, Mötley Crüe, Tim McGraw, Shania Twain, Metallica, The Oscars, The Grammys, the Super Bowl, Stars on Ice, and the Sydney Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Since 1996 Brad has also been employed by leading industry manufacturers High End Systems, Vari*Lite, and Martin. His roles have included Lighting Designer, Programmer, Sales Support Specialist, Director of Control Systems Development, Product Marketing Manager, and Senior Business Development Manager. A self-described “lighting geek,” his deep-rooted passion for lighting began at a very early age. Brad’s career has allowed him countless opportunities to work around the globe, and across diverse facets of the industry.
Jeff Siegel is an experienced and accomplished professional in the entertainment lighting industry. He currently serves as the Director of Eastern Region Systems for Barbizon Lighting, where he leads the east coast systems group and has played a key role in many of the company’s largest and high-profile projects. Jeff began his career at Barbizon in 1998 as a Systems Integrator and worked his way up to the position of Regional Estimator before becoming Director. Throughout his life, Jeff has had a passion for live entertainment and has spent many years working in local production. He began his career in Junior High School and continued to work in the field throughout college. During this time, he also gained valuable experience working for his family’s electrical contracting business and spent several years as a volunteer Firefighter/EMT. In addition to his work at Barbizon, Jeff has held several other notable positions. He served as the Technical Director and General Manager of a concert and event venue, producing over 300 concerts and events. Additionally, he has been an active member of the community, serving on several fundraising boards as a secretary and treasurer. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Technology Education from New York Institute of Technology.
Todd has over 20 years of experience in the event technology industry with a primary focus on executive leadership and business development. During the rapid growth and technological advances of the 1990’s, Todd ventured out from his work as a technician and formed a lighting and rigging company that served the Arizona and California markets and eventually expanded to include lighting design services on a national scale. Through the growth of that business, Todd learned that there were great opportunities not yet being explored in the corporate theatre realm which, ultimately, led to an alignment between his company and his current role with PSAV. Starting from the ground up, Todd led PSAV’s business development effort for rigging and continues to serve as Vice President of Rigging Services for PSAV’s global portfolio encompassing 945 rigging locations across 11 countries. He is responsible for $100M in annual revenue and continues to provide strategic direction for their future growth. Todd is the President of ESTA.
Court Watson (he/they) is a live performance Set and Costume Designer. He grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia and has been a New Yorker since 2003. He currently serves United Scenic Artists, Local 829 membership on the Respectful Workplace Committee, the Costume Designers United Best Practices Committee, and acts as Chair for the Costume Exam Committee. He is a member of the faculty of New York University’s Tisch Drama. Design credits include King for a Day, Annie Get Your Gun, and Blizzard at Marblehead Neck (Glimmerglass Festival), Les Contes d’Hoffmann (National Center for the Performing Arts, Beijing), La bohème and Rigoletto(Wolf Trap Opera), Der Ring des Niebelungen, Samson et Dalila, La bohème and Three Decembers (Virginia Opera), La Chauve-Souris (Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur), Jekyll & Hyde and West Side Story (Magdeburg, Germany), Hänsel & Gretel, Spamalot, Annie, The Sound of Music, The Nutcracker, Jonny spielt auf, Die Fledermaus, Der Himmel über Berlin, Wir gründen eine Bank, and Frau Luna (Salzburger Landestheater), Rockville and AIDA (Amstetten, Austria), All’s Well That Ends Well (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Guys & Dolls, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Liberty Smith, and Little Shop of Horrors (Ford’s Theatre), Good News!, Meet John Doe (Goodspeed), Jahreszeiten, Appalachian Spring, and The Sleeping Beauty (Richmond Ballet), Hannah Senesh, It Must Be Him and Dear Edwina (Off-Broadway). He was an Assistant Designer on numerous Broadway and West End shows, including Guys & Dolls, Grease!, Lestat, Little Women, The Coast of Utopia, Cry*Baby, South Pacific, Mauritius, High Fidelity, Imagine This, and Prince of Egypt. He holds an MFA from New York University and a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. He serves on the faculty at NYU’s Tisch Drama. He serves as chair of the USA829 Eastern Region Costume Design Exam Committee.
Pat is proud to be a wardrobe worker and has worked for many years as a dresser on Broadway and in the wardrobe departments of soap operas, and elsewhere, when asked. She has been a member of the IATSE since 1986 when she joined ACT as a traveling wardrobe employee. Pat transferred into Local 764 on April 24, 1989 and has served as a trustee and officer since 1995. She currently serves the membership as Local 764’s President, and as such, oversees the local’s contract negotiations and arbitrations, chairs meetings of the Board and Membership, represents the local at industry and union functions, and deals with the day-to-day business of Local 764, along with the Business Representatives and other elected officials. An International Representative since 2007, Pat has worked with locals of many types, but especially closely with wardrobe locals across the United States and Canada, to assist them in strengthening their local unions. Pat is currently the Director of Education and Training for the IATSE International, and was elected to the post of International Trustee on April 30, 2013. She is also a member of New York Women in Film and Television, serves on the ETCP Certification Council, and was recently assigned by International President Loeb to take part in the AFL-CIO’s National Labor Leadership Initiative. She is a Trustee on the International’s Training Trust Fund, which helps to provide craft-skills training to IATSE workers, and is a trustee on the IATSE National Benefit Funds.
Copyright 2024, Behind the Scenes Foundation. All Rights Reserved.