Gregg Baumann, consultant and owner of Gregg Baumann, LLC, is one of the first in North America to successfully pass the Entertainment Technicians Certification Program in both examinations: Theatre Rigging and Arena Rigging, qualifying him as an ETCP Certified Rigger.
“To become an ETCP Certified Rigger technicians must pass a rigorous competency-based examination in arena or theatre rigging. ETCP Certified technicians have made an important professional commitment to safely serve the entertainment industry,” says Meredith Moseley-Bennett, certification coordinator for the ETCP, an Entertainment Services Technology Association initiative created to promote industry safety and a member of the World Entertainment Technology Federation.
There are currently two divisions of the main ETCP Certified Rigger credential: ETCP Certified Rigger—Arena and ETCP Certified Rigger—Theatre. Baumann is one of the first in North America to be certified and one of only 41 in North America to achieve certification in both arena and theatre.
For over 25 years Baumann has been working in the theatre and entertainment industry since attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he concentrated his education in the Technical Theatre Production Program. His work history includes rigger at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage, AK, house rigger and later stage manager for the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee, WI, and rigging and curtain sales manager for Mainstage Theatrical Supply, Inc. From 1992 to 2006 he was vice president and partner for Alchemy, Inc., a Milwaukee-based theatre rigging, theatre curtain, and scenery construction company. Baumann has been a member of the Association of General Contractors since 1994 and holds many certifications from the AGC. He has been a member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) since 1988.
The newly formed Gregg Baumann, LLC provides a range of specialty services including theatrical rigging; curtain and lighting consulting services on new construction and renovation projects; rigging and curtain system inspections; project preplanning; written specifications; construction and jobsite supervision; and compliance recommendations.
The company’s mission is to aid architects, designers, engineers, school districts, government agencies, and advertising agencies in the most cost-effective, functionally diverse and safe designs, construction, installation, and maintenance services. And, to build long-term relationships with its clients that value a high quality, single-focus expertise in the entertainment and advertising industries.
“We go beyond the usual mechanics of the bidding process to offer diversity of design with dedication to safety for each and every project,” Baumann says. “This gives our clients flexibility to provide outstanding performances with the satisfaction of knowing each event will come off without a hitch.”