Expert Details
Entertainment Production & Event Safety
ID: 740798
Oregon, USA
Expert began his career in professional theater, serving as Head Carpenter and Technical Director for a grand opera company and working across all technical departments at a major performing arts center over a 20-year tenure. Expert went on to serve as Technical Director and Production Designer for a wide range of high-profile engagements, including major film world premieres, corporate product launches, national touring productions, and themed attraction installations for entertainment venues internationally. Expert's special event work has included site design and coordination for events of national significance, including a U.S. Presidential Inauguration, events on the National Mall and U.S. Capitol Grounds drawing audiences in the hundreds of thousands, and a NATO defense ministers' training exercise requiring a Top Secret security clearance.
Expert began an expert witness practice following his consultation on the rigging and scenery aspects of a major 2011 stage collapse at a state fair that resulted in seven fatalities—an incident that became a significant catalyst for safety reforms across the concert and event industry. Since then, Expert has served as an expert witness in over 25 cases for both plaintiff and defendant, specializing in production issues, structural integrity of event setups, and industry safety standards, providing written reports, depositions, and court testimony.
Expert holds an Associate of Arts degree from Pasadena City College and completed coursework in Industrial Design at California State University, Long Beach. Expert holds certifications from the FEMA Emergency Management Institute in incident command and special event contingency planning, and is a Voting Member of the ESTA Technical Standards Program. Expert is a founding member and contributor to the Event Safety Alliance and holds memberships in several leading entertainment technology and safety organizations. Expert has contributed to industry publications and international standards for entertainment rigging practices, and has served as both an instructor and speaker within the entertainment technology field.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1968 | Degree: AA | Subject: Liberal Arts | Institution: Pasadena City College |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 1975 to 2023 | Employer: Self | Title: Independent Technical Director / Production Designer | Department: |
Responsibilities:Over the course of nearly five decades, Expert served as Technical Director, Production Designer, Site Designer, and Rigging Designer for hundreds of theatrical productions, large-scale special events, concerts, corporate events, film premieres, and themed attraction installations internationally. Expert's engagements have included site design and coordination for the 2017 U.S. Presidential Inauguration (National Mall, Parade, and Lincoln Memorial concert), site coordination for events drawing audiences of 60,000–400,000 on the National Mall and U.S. Capitol Grounds, technical direction for major film world premieres (including productions for Disney and other major studios) at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Superdome, and aircraft carriers, and technical direction for themed attraction installations at entertainment venues internationally. Responsibilities across these engagements have included production design, technical direction, rigging design and installation, site layout (including CAD design), event supervision, vendor and stakeholder coordination (including with government agencies such as the National Park Service), and safety oversight. Expert has held a Top Secret clearance in connection with government-related event work. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1983 to 1994 | Employer: Opera Pacific Company | Title: Head Carpenter and Technical Director | Department: |
Responsibilities:Responsible for all technical aspects of approximately 50 grand opera productions at a major performing arts center in Costa Mesa, CA. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1983 to 1996 | Employer: Orange County Performing Arts Center | Title: I.A.T.S.E. Stagehand, High Rigger, Flyman, Department Head | Department: |
Responsibilities:Worked across all technical departments over a 20-year tenure. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1982 to 1995 | Employer: Irvine Meadows Amphitheater | Title: House Master Soundman | Department: |
Responsibilities:Supervised crew, sound rigging, and house sound operations for a 16,000-capacity venue across over 600 shows. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1984 to 1991 | Employer: Pacific Amphitheater | Title: Stagehand, Spotlight Operator, Rigger | Department: |
Responsibilities:Worked over 200 shows. |
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Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| Served as an expert witness in over 25 cases to date, retained by both plaintiff and defendant, specializing in production issues, structural integrity of event setups, and industry safety standards and best practices. Litigation work has included written expert reports, depositions, and court testimony in cases involving staging failures, rigging hazards, and performer and crew injuries. |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| • Event Safety Alliance — Founding Member and Contributor • ESTA Technical Standards Program (ESTA TSP) • PLASA (Professional Lighting and Sound Association) • USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology) • GCMA (Global Crowd Management Alliance) • Local 504 IATSE — Member, 35 years |
| Licenses / Certifications |
|---|
| • FEMA Emergency Management Institute — completed ICS-100, ICS-200, IS-00015.b, and IS-00700.a • ESTA Technical Standards Program (ESTA TSP) |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
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| Expert has contributed to industry publications and standards-setting efforts, including: • Contributed chapters on structures and rigging to a widely used industry best-practices guide for the event industry • Contributor to rigging drawing and rigging practices standards committees through a major lighting/sound industry association • Contributor to an international code of practice for entertainment rigging • Additional professional activities: instructor (developed rigging and stagecraft training programs for a IATSE local, 1984) and speaker (panel moderator at a major • production industry convention, 2003–2004; presenter at an event safety conference, 2013) |