VEGASRIGG & ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Jeff has been in the entertainment business in one form or another for almost 50 years, having begun as a dancer in the New York area as a kid, performing in many local productions, local and national TV shows, and special events in the NYC area. "We did everything from singing, tap dancing, tumbling, pantomime; I was even a ballet adagio partner in those days…it gave me a sense of every aspect of the performing spectrum".
As a teen, he began working on both sides of the curtain…pushing, rigging, and flying scenery, building props, or anything else in and around the stage. After serving his country and being honorably discharged from the USMC, Jeff returned to New York in 1973, and again became involved in local theatre production, no longer performing, and concentrating on the technical side.
In 1975, a lucky break and one phone call from an old friend found Jeff on the road with the Dancing Waters show (a theatrical water fountain that actually "dances" to music), and touring with Liberace nationally and internationally, as he synchronized the movements of the fountains to Liberace's music, as well as occasionally acting as his road rigger. The experience of traveling to countless theatres throughout the world taught Jeff many valuable skills in adapting to various theatrical environments, and dealing with people in the entertainment industry.
In 1977, Jeff moved to Las Vegas, and began working out of Local #720 IATSE, the union behind the entertainment in Las Vegas, taking calls in between travel dates with Liberace. After "bouncing" around town and working in every theatre in Vegas, he was eventually offered a job at the Las Vegas Hilton, then the largest resort hotel in the world. Jeff worked with every big name in the business that appeared on that stage (Elvis, Ann Margret, David Copperfield, Bill Cosby, Gladys Knight, Tony Orlando, Lou Rawls, to name a few), and eventually became the house head fly man. In 1982, Jeff installed all of the automation mechanics for Bal du Moulin Rouge, one of the largest production style shows in Las Vegas at the time. The Hilton stage was also home to several ongoing TV events (Lets Make a Deal, Mike Douglas, The Victor Awards for Sports, Mrs. America, etc). While on the house crew at the Hilton, Jeff was occasionally invited to assist in other Las Vegas theatres (Caesars, Ballys, The Desert Inn, etc.) as they hosted live TV and special events, and occasionally went on short tours with headliner acts as their road rigger.
In 1988, after those 11 years at the Hilton, Jeff ventured out as a freelance rigger, still working out of Local #720, often as the head local rigger on installations (Siegfried and Roy at the Mirage, Star Trek / the Experience at the L.V. Hilton, complete counterweight fly system at the New York- NY hotel and casino, etc.). Opportunity knocked for Jeff in the form of corporate, film and TV events (everything from HBO and Showtime boxing to the national Jerry Lewis Telethon as head rigger and fly man, to rigging stunts and rigging grip work for major motion pictures and TV shows). At this point, Jeff was also working as a road production rigger on corporate events for major production companies.
To further his career as a production rigging consultant, Jeff formed Vegas Rigg LLC, and enlisted several of the best theatrical riggers (and friends) in the business as his associates to assist in handling the increased volume of projects. Vegas Rigg began taking on more and more business (repeat customers and referrals) with the peace of mind in knowing that they had the best and brightest consultant team in the business to take on any technical challenges presented to them, from rigging full sized trucks to fly across a ballroom ceiling, to automated flying video walls, to flying an entire room around a general session for a product reveal.
Sean has been working in the Entertainment Industry for over 30years.
Born into the business while his mother and father were attending college at The Pasadena Playhouse.
Sean has grown up in Las Vegas around the industry.
While attending College in San Diego, He worked part time as a stagehand in Local 122 under the tutelage of his father, a respected and established lighting and sound technician in that local.
Relocating Back to Las Vegas in 1985 He began working in the Performing Arts Center of UNLV. Working with the Arts that traveled through town and specifically with Nevada Dance Theater; building and rigging the sets and eventually retiring from them as the lighting Designer.
During that time he ventured on to the strip through Local 720 as a lighting technician at the Las Vegas Hilton where he met Jeff Riedinger, together they worked with many named Entertainers. After leaving the Hilton he worked as a freelance Lighting tech with Cinema Services (To be merged with and become PRG). This broadened the scope of work from Theater to Film, Broadcast, Special Events, and Corporate shows as both a lighting technician and rigger.