Ryan Troublefield shares with us his recent promotion to the A1 rotation for the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in DC. He mixed his first show on April 7th.

Ryan was an intern with SIRA while he attended school but then graduated in July of 2011. He received a job referral from the school to a radio outlet in DC, at International TV Services. After working for three years as a sound engineer, the company downsized and he was let go. 

It was then that he applied for stagehand work at IATSE Local 22. He applied diligently for a year before receiving his first call for work. Since then, he has worked in various audio, video, steel hand, power hand, and lighting positions at some of the top local venues, including the Verizon Center, the Washington Convention Center, the National Mall, and the Gaylord Hotel.

After months of irregular and grueling work, Ryan has been able to establish himself as a hard worker, ready to do any task asked of him. The first call from the Kennedy Center came in November of 2014. Ryan found himself at the intersection of preparation and opportunity; there was an A1 position opening soon. He worked a number of shows as an A2 and received his shot as an A1 earlier this month.

Ryan credits the training and instruction that he received at SIRA for where he is now. "Learning how to do things hands on and being taught about the importance of work ethic are just a couple of the invaluable lessons I learned at SIRA.", he says. "The key is, in this field, it's up to you."

Ryan also says he has no intentions to rest on his laurels. This past weekend, he worked as a steel hand, from 1:00am-9:00am, breaking down the Earth Day concert at the National Mall. All work is good work.