About Andrew
Blessed with a career, not a job.
I am Andrew Venegas, a Seattle-based 50ish year old entertainment rigger, and entertainment rigging is my passion!
In 1991, I was given an opportunity to work with a group of aspiring student stage technicians from the Art Institute of Seattle. I have been working in live entertainment ever since. My tour history includes a short, but interesting, 2001 run with the UniverSoul Circus as production rigger, an amazing experience with Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath with RJD) as production rigger in 2009, and most recently, with Jane's Addiction as stage manager on their 2012 Escape Artist tour.
In addition to touring, I have developed and trained several arena rigging teams in the Pacific Northwest market. I have worked extensively as the Head Rigger and Fly Operator in Seattle"s historic Moore Theatre, maintaining and operating their 33 lineset "sandbag/hemp" counter-weight rigging system, and have served the role as "house rigger" for the Experience Music Project, now MoPOP, Museum of Pop Culture.
In 2011, I licensed Jolly Rigger LLC. as a direct response to our local industry's need for a more specialized rigging provider. Eventually, an insurance premium increase and employment taxes made operating in our under priced market to unprofitable to justify continued operations. I am currently licensed as Andrew Venegas Entertainment Rigging Inc.
In addition to being ETCP Arena certified (Renewed July 2021, #8821), currently IRATA Level 1 and SPRAT Level 1 certified (Jully 2021), I have received training through Rigging Seminars (Boston 1998), and from Rocky Paulson in 2006. I have sought out mentorship throughout my early career and still maintain relationships with a league of extraordinary gentleman to assist in sourcing and solution development.
In recent years, I have worked consistently through On Sight Access, LLC., a Seattle-based rope access and entertainment rigging specialty service provider (more on them here) hanging acrobats in theatrical environments and building single/double purchase counter-weight rigging systems in remodel and new construction environments. Additionally, through OSA, I utilize my rope access certifications on a consistent basis. I will be testing up both my RAT certifications to Level 2, this summer, 2022.
