For our next set of TPN tips we turn to Larry Rickel, Lead Technical Manager here at TPN. We’ve been waiting to talk to Larry because there seems to be a gap in our Q & A. Because he’s so FULL of useful information, we’re splitting his session into two parts: Technology and Experience. Let’s talk tech.
TPN: So Larry, the best way to start is at the beginning. What got you into the industry and how long have you been with TPN?
LR: I’ve been with TPN 15 years. Vadino got me into this industry. I knew John from many years ago. He was lighting dance at the Broadway Performing Hall and I was working as a tech. I acted as Master Electrician for a lot of his shows, so we hit it off pretty well. We’d run into each other from time to time, our paths would cross, and eventually I got hired for an Exhibit job that fell through (Paris Air show), but Richard Moore (TPN co-founder, retired) said he could use me in Events.
TPN: Ah, so Richard Moore is a large part of the reason why you were able to stay that day.
LR: Yeah, although no one really knew what I was gonna do. As a matter of fact, for the first two weeks I hand drafted (because we didn’t have CAD in those days!) the offices so I could figure out where I was gonna sit.
TPN: Alright, so other than that, because I know you’ve moved on from seating plans, let’s steer the conversation towards our tips for the day. Can you describe the difference between a Technical Director and a Technical Manager?
LR: Really, Technical Manager is kind of a TPN thing. At TPN we have TDs and TMs. Technical Director responsibilities sit primarily with the AV provider…so audio, projection, switching and data, broadcast, webcast, that sort of thing. The Technical Manager then helps to integrate the physical elements of those departments, along with any scenic support, venue supplied equipment, rigging, lighting…that’s kind of where the dividing line falls. TM also has input into onsite staffing, meaning local labor. But so does a TD, each in their own realm.
TPN: So what would you say if you had to pick one singular thing, one piece of technology, that you feel is kind of the lynchpin of everything you’re talking about? What do you feel like a show could not stand to lose?
LR: A flush toilet. Well, I don’t know…I’d have to think about that because there’s so many things that as a conglomeration create the modern corporate event. If I go back to the basics, the basics are this: if you can’t hear and you can’t see, you don’t have a show. That doesn’t mean that audio is the most important, but that’s how we communicate. And what is shown on the screens actually supports what is being said. And what goes behind everybody, all the goo and the ga, the scenery and pretty stuff, all that does is support what you’re hearing and what you’re seeing. I was doing theatre when the big scale corporate events started to take off. And it’s hard to say who started that, but I think some of the big tradeshows, the world of technology, the creation of Apple, IBM, MS and Intel jumping into the personal computer arena really changed the ball game because so much had to be changed around the data that had to be fed out to the screens.
TPN: Your expertise is so niche and a crucial step to the whole. It’s like when everything’s working you’re not gonna get noticed. Its only when it breaks.
LR: That’s true. We’re like the front line in football right? An offensive tackle, or guard, or center…they don’t like to have their face up on the screen because the only time that happens is when they’ve jumped off sides or done something wrong. You’ve got the bedrock of your line, you got a lot of flash and dazzle out there and everyone loves to talk about the quarterbacks and the running backs and the wide receivers, as well they should. They’re highly talented, capable individuals. But without your line, you got nuttin’! That’s what we provide.
TPN: If you were looking for a TM to come onto your team today, what sort of qualities would you be looking for?
LR: They’d have to have demonstrated knowledge of most of the systems that we work with, which means that they’ve had hands on experience scenically. A theater TD is one thing I usually look for. Doesn’t have to be there, but that’s one thing I look for. Or, someone who’s worked at the sergeant level if you will, in a projection company or an AV provider. They have to know certain software (CAD, Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.). I don’t really want to be training people on those things. I’m happy to train people, and prefer to train people, after they have the basics. You have to be able to run a crew, and probably the most important thing is that you’re not looking at what’s in front of you. You’re looking four hours, eight hours, two weeks down the road. You manage ahead of yourself, so that when the next thing happens, you have a sense that it was gonna happen.
The reason people hire us is because we manage risk at a very high level. And the only way to manage risk is to be able to “what if” scenario and know what you can do when something goes horribly, horribly wrong. We’re kind of pessimists. In a way, we‘re like “what are we gonna do if that doesn’t happen?” It makes me proactive. I remember the first gig I did for TPN was in Atlanta, GA. And if you know anything about Atlanta, you know everything has to do with peaches. So I contacted the lift provider a couple weeks before the show and I told him I needed scissor lifts and how many I needed. He asked for the address and I told him it was 1.2.3 whatever Peachtree Street in Buckhead. And he said “great, sounds wonderful”. Now I foolishly had them deliver the equipment the day of load in, the day of the show, which was not a good idea. I said “it’s gotta be there right at 8am”, and they were like “no problem”. I should never have done that; it should have gone in the day before. That was the first lesson I ever learned at TPN. I learned it the hard way too. We got there, and there was no heavy equipment and I had a team of 8 riggers standing around looking at me and they couldn’t do anything. Meanwhile, and this is before we all carried cell phones, I’m in the lobby on the pay phone talking to the guy and he says “well, do you have any idea how many Peachtree streets there are in Atlanta?”
Eventually the equipment got there a couple hours later, and the show went up and it was fine. But it really taught me…now I call a long time in advance, make sure they understand it, I set it up so it’s there the day before, I go and look at it, I operate it to make sure they all actually work, and then I go back to my room. So, it’s that sort of healthy paranoia that you need, because if something can go wrong, it will. And you’re under an extraordinarily tight timeline. You have a crew of vendors and local crew sometimes as high as 165 people. You can’t mess around with 165 people. Just think of what the dollar value is per hour!
TPN: Is it wrong to approach a VIP during a show? When’s the right time and what’s the right time to connect?
LR: Unless your job requires you to do so, stay away.
TPN: So let’s say we have a new guy onsite and they know no one. What can they do, besides wrongfully approaching somebody at the top onsite, to get noticed? Or what should they not do that day?
LR: They should do their job. Really, they should do their job and nothing outside of that. Take what you do seriously and offer help wherever you feel you can.
TPN: What would you say is the single best characteristic that you rely on in an employee or an independent contractor?
LR: Honesty is big for me. If you don’t know, tell me. If you can’t do it, tell me. If you forgot, tell me. Don’t try and keep it a secret and cover it up. Also, being open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. I have a personal fault in that; it’s really hard for me to do that. You’re working within a team environment and everyone’s input can have merit, and should have merit. So be willing to look at other points of view and consider them equally. Be reliable. There are a number of things I learned from a former colleague at Broadway but probably the most important thing was call time. Okay, 8am means hammers in the air at 8am. It does not mean getting my coat off at 8am. So being on time does not mean getting there when the call starts. Any stage hand will tell you this. Its 15 minutes before, its 10 minutes before, its ready to hit the ground rolling…it’s that sort of reliability and letting people know right away if you’re not gonna make it. It’s not all about timing, and reliability means a lot of different things. Following the rules that are whatever they are…
To be continued…