Professional Highlights

These days, my professional life is all about people, whether it is collaborating with creative artists, negotiating with unions, leading a large staff, or working with contractors and vendors on major improvement projects. Beginning my career with a focus on technical and structural design has given me a foundation for understanding systems of all types and the language to understand the needs of technical staff and contractors.

Production Management

I've been production managing, project managing and/or presenting regional theater, commercial theater, and commercial entertainment since 1997. Working at OSF has allowed me to learn how to production manage in a true repertory environment in which every aspect of the art is homegrown - these increase the  complexity of the work by an order of magnitude as compared to my previous stops. I have experience with multiple solutions to the age old conundrums in technical theater - calendaring, information sharing in the cloud, scheduling staff, facilitating communication, tech tables, transfers, mother nature...    

Leadership of Staff

OSF and CTG, I have been responsible for transformations of the structure and working conditions of the Production staff. As the first Director of Production of both organizations, I have had the task of modernizing the Production Departments so that they are built to execute the artistic vision while also maintaining humane work practices and policies. These efforts have included encouraging team environments and team building, setting professional expectations of behavior and performance that apply to all, creating new positions, implementing training and safety policies, creating communication and information pathways that work, having tough conversations when necessary, and much more, of course! My favorite guidebooks in these matters are First, Break All The Rules, The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, and The Happiness Advantage.

Major Renovations, Large Construction Projects

Being a major part of the planning and designing of the renovation of the Mark Taper Forum (2008) is a huge accomplishment given the transformation of that space "from a zero to hero," from a technician POV. Additionally, I have been the lead or part of the team for multiple infrastructure projects at OSF such as renovating the Bowmer stage floor, catwalks, lighting systems, followspot booth replacement, building the Production Building, building the Rehearsal Center, replacing the Bricks, and renovating the Allen-Elizabethan sound system. Every professional stop has featured new buildings or major improvement projects, from It's Tough to be a Bug at Disney's California Adventure to the original rigging package for the Kirk Douglas Theatre to redoing the proscenium of the Ahmanson Theatre.  

Negotiator, Collective Bargaining Agreements

My first contract negotiation for management was the original I.A.T.S.E. CBA for the Kodak Theatre. Since then, I have been at the table for two or three rounds of contracts at CTG for the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees Locals 33,  768, and 706. These were all separate contracts with separate negotiations and constituencies with unique needs, yet ultimately they must all work in harmony. At OSF, I was the lead negotiator for our successful negotiations with the newly formed Local representing the run crew. This negotiation was more intense as it was a first contract with no history to inform it - the contract had to be created from whole cloth. I led the negotiations over nine months (26 negotiation sessions) while simultaneously managing the employee relations of the bargaining unit staff and to running the standard operations of the festival.