Evo-Lite is an LED lighting manufacturing startup specializing in LED backlighting. This companies tenets are rooted in aesthetic, problem solving, and communication, all of which align perfectly with my own. I was hired as a Systems Integration Apprentice where my primary function was to learn about the different products we create and how they integrate with each other. After being promoted to a Systems Integration Specialist, my responsibilities became interfacing with clients and using my product knowledge to help them complete their projects. After some time, my position was shifted to territory sales manager, and my responsibilities were changed to include working closely with our rep network to assist with commercial and architectural backlighting applications. Because of my background and hobbies, I was also tasked with drawing projects, research and development projects, and some inventory management. Evo-Lite is a small company from a personnel standpoint, so being able to shift tasks and responsibilities quickly to support the team is part of what makes this job dynamic and interesting.

I was initially hired by the Colorado Ballet Company to assist in a traveling show designed to introduce children to dance. My supervisor and myself would stretch a dance floor at various schools and even some hospitals, then the CBC performers would dance selections from the upcoming season for an audience of students or patients. Once that project had ended, I stayed on as a contractor managing the in-house performance spaces. These duties included upgrading then AV equipment in the rehearsal studios, managing the lighting and audio inventory in the primary performance space, some lighting and sound design, and general upkeep of the building including some minor plumbing and finishing carpentry.

This job was an entirely new experience for me, but helped me discover and refine professional skills previously unknown to me. My responsibilities included greeting customers, sharing product knowledge, and managing installations. I was concerned that my background in exclusively events and performance wouldn't transfer well to flooring sales, but I was surprised to find that having an aesthetic and aptitude for problem solving made me more than equipped to succeed here. During my employment, my communication skills improved noticeably and I learned some sales soft-skills which I now apply daily.

Being on the overhire list is not the same as being a union member, I am not a union cardholder. I was on a list of available freelance contractors coordinated by the IATSE local 7 union. Whenever I had free time or needed supplementary income, I would call the overhire line and confirm my availability to work. If any upcoming events required hands, they would assign me to an exhibitor or event company and I would perform any necessary duties. Most of my experience was setting up trade shows which consisted of laying temporary carpet, assembling trade show booths and decorating event locations. That said, there were some outliers: I was trained and certified as a ground-level rigging specialist and was on two occasions assigned as a supplementary electrician at Red Rocks Amphitheater and once at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, which is unusual for non card holding members.

I started at PM as an event hand, primarily setting up events as well as participating in any peripheral responsibilities like truck packing and some light carpentry. After showing an aptitude for setting up and managing lighting equipment over time, I was given the roll of head electrician. I still participated in event setup, but my primary roll onsite became managing a team to set up any lighting, sound, AV or rigging equipment. In the off season or between events, I became the defacto inventory manager of all related equipment as well, this involved collaborating with our warehouse manager to create a new inventory system from scratch.

While getting my BA in theatrical scenic and lighting design at CSU, I had the opportunity to work as a carpenter in the CSU UCA scene shop for a semester. This job provided some income, but was primarily designed as a way for students interested in production design to experience trade skills while providing the arts center with invested laborers. My daily duties primarily consisted of framing, but there were always unique set-props that needed building so my other responsibilities varied greatly from day-to-day. I had a fairly extensive background in framing and finishing prior to working here, but on the job I learned how to weld, build furniture, and do some advanced joinery. I also had the opportunity to work with our paint shop and learn some painting techniques for scenic treatments.

I was selected to participate in Santa Fe Opera's 2016 repertory opera season as part of the stage crew. Despite being one of my shortest employments (as a season only lasts ~3 months) I consider this to be by far my most formative. My job responsibilities primarily consisted of preparing the performance space for productions and rehearsals, but that responsibility contains multitudes. For the first month, I assisted in the assembly of scenic elements as well as necessary upkeep to the space for maximum efficiency, including painting, deep cleaning, and repairing the stage and peripheral areas.Just before the season opened, our crew began training to set up and tear down each of the 5 scheduled performances. To allow for the maximum number of performances, a set would be installed at night for a morning rehearsal, then that set would be disassembled and replaced before the evening performance with a new one, all 5 sets being assembled and torn down multiple times a week. This resulted in working hours from noon until 3 to 5 AM with only 3 scheduled days off for the whole season. These sets were generally made up of large waggons and heavy scenic elements which would be designed modularly and bolted together onstage, all of this work was taxing enough to require a calisthenic regiment before beginning work. I've never worked so hard in my life, but this job taught me what I'm capable of and has become a cornerstone of how I operate as a professional.

In the second year of earning my BA in theatrical scenic and lighting design at CSU, I had the opportunity to work as a stage electrician in the CSU UCA lighting shop for a semester. This job provided some income, but was primarily designed as a way for students interested in production design to experience trade skills while providing the arts center with invested laborers. My daily responsibilities included some inventory management and general maintenance of our stage lights. However my primary responsibilities included spending time in the performance spaces hanging, wiring, focusing and maintaining light fixtures for performances. Sometimes this would include being on call after hours if any failures happened during a performance, as well as working long hours to hang or focus a full light plot on a tight schedule. I had developed most of the skills I used on this job while attending a performing arts charter school, but it gave me the opportunity to refine my skills and better my understanding of what's expected when working professionally.