Over the 34 years of its existence, Mark Huber, President of Omaha, NE-based Theatrical Media Services (TMS), has built Theatrical Media Services into a trusted, reliable and experienced production company. TMS is well-respected and they have been nominated for the Parnelli Awards’ Lighting Company of the Year award numerous times. “Honestly, being shoulder to shoulder with the likes of PRG, Upstaging, and Bandit Lites is such an honor that it’s just nice to be included [with that group],” says Huber. TMS is unique in that it can be as big as it needs to be; and it can be as small as it needs; serving their Omaha community’s needs as well—and as competently—as national tours including Dave Mathews Band, Mannheim Steamroller, and so many others.
What started as a young man following his then-girlfriend and her band to Nebraska is now an impressive operation doing great work, both for the local community and way beyond. Of course, it started with just a few PAR cans, but TMS today is a full-service turnkey operation handling everything from production integration services to installation, sales, rentals, as well as design and consultation. The shop has a deep and varied inventory, experienced people, and probably most importantly, the ability to earn fierce loyalty.
Stick-to-itiveness
Huber hails from Illinois, specifically the small town of Kankakee, an hour’s drive south of Chicago (claim to fame: it’s referenced in the Steve Goodman’s song, “City of New Orleans”). He jokes about the challenges he faced as a kid: “I probably had ADD, but instead of diagnosing that and giving me a pill, they shipped me off to a boarding school in Colorado.” There he developed some technical and electrical skills. This was the 1960s, and so his true schooling was building Heathkits, amps, dimmers, and even keyboards. Attending Bethany College in Kansas, he dated a woman who sang in a band. “I had enough of a scientific mind and was engaged with theater growing up, so I got involved with lighting the group,” he says. It was an inauspicious beginning: At one of her gigs, the lighting guy was AWOL, and Huber was asked to fill in. When asked what compensation was, he was informed he was to be paid in tequila. And off he went. He followed her and the band to Lincoln, NE, and his lighting career took a slightly more professional turn when he got a job for Lightwerks (they paid in dollars, not tequila). In 1980, he met his future business partner, Tim Kohlmeyer, at a gig. Huber was doing lights and Kohlmeyer was providing the generators. “He called a couple of weeks later and said, ‘Hey let’s start a company,” and I said, ‘Hell yeah.’” They started Lincoln Lighting Productions with “20 PAR cans and a couple of Lekos.” In 1985, they were bought by a company in Omaha and partnered with that owner until they decided to go back out on their own. In 1988, the pair founded Theatrical Media Services. Kohlmeyer died in 2013, but he is not forgotten. “There’s no way I could have done any of this without him,” Huber says. “His work ethic and his sense of humor still serve me and everything TMS does.”
Mannheim Steamroller, founded by Omaha-based Chip Davis, has been working with TMS almost from the beginning of the touring group’s history. Working with Davis and Steamroller started out as a small one-off at Omaha’s Orpheum Theater. From there TMS started doing a handful of shows supporting Steamroller, which then became a month-long tour. When Steamroller expanded beyond Christmas music, the group started doing small tours at different times of the year including a popular Halloween show. Today, 35 years later, Steamroller tours a ‘Red’ and ‘Green’ tour simultaneously, and TMS is still supporting Steamroller. [For more on that 35th Anniversary Tour, see PLSN, January 2022, page 22.]
In 1990, a big break came knockin’ in the form of Harry Connick Jr. That led to an even bigger break in 1994 when they were called in for a one-off with Dave Matthews Band. “After that, they said we did a good job and that they wanted us everywhere they went. Then, boom, we were off to the races.” The Dave Matthews Band is an example of the loyalty that TMS has from clients. “That’s all through [LD/VD] Fenton [Williams], and especially with that group, if they like what you do, they bring you along. They always surround themselves with people that they trust.”
The foundation of TMS’ success was that the partners knew the importance of continually investing in the company. When the opportunity with Connick came, those assorted PAR cans and Lekos were joined by a few High End Systems Intellabeams, and then a couple of Cyberlights, and “next thing you know you had a hundred, and you think, ‘Wow, we’re in the big time.’” This constantly investing in the inventory continues to this day, but equally if not more important are the people working the lights. “I call it ‘Midwestern stick-to-itiveness,’ he adds with a laugh. “People from the Midwest get it and will do whatever they can to make sure the show goes well.” But the two elements—technology and good people—are symbiotic. “It starts a chemical reaction as the leading technology attracts good people. I have people here who have been with us 20, 25, 30 years. That is huge. What more can you ask for?”
TMS’ beginnings were based out of a rented 4,000-sq. ft. facility, and then it doubled, then expanded twice more until they landed in their current building, a 30,000-sq. ft. space they broke ground on in 1999 and moved into in early 2001.
Not Just Surviving—Thriving
Since July 1 of 2021, it has been “get on your mark, no get set, just go crazy,” he says. “We were very fortunate that we had the people to keep up with the work.” Though some of those people had been moved from the road to management, but as a testimonial to the stick-to-itiveness Huber speaks about, they got out from behind the desk and hit the road because that was what was needed to make things happen. “It was a huge team effort to get Primus, Dirty Heads, Dave Matthews Band, and Mannheim Steamroller out for successful tours and shows.”
TMS also does plenty of installation work, especially architectural lighting, both permanent and temporary. A recent notable job was a complete renovation of Omaha’s historic Benson Theater. Built in 1923 as a vaudeville theater, it languished during years of neglect, and now it is a downtown crown jewel. They’ve handled corporate events for WorldVentures and Berkshire Hathaway. They support plenty of schools including University of Virginia, Creighton University, and University of Nebraska. They have an especially strong relationship with the University of Nebraska, as they take care of men’s and women’s basketball; football (Go Cornhuskers); graduations and other university events. They’ve been there for festivals like Bonnaroo and Hangout Music Fest, and like any good local company, they still handle the occasional large wedding with the same aplomb as they do for a large Las Vegas corporate event.
While sound and video are provided, the focus continues to be on lighting, and they have always leaned heavily on Martin, Robe, and Vari-Lite gear. “Lately we’ve been bringing in more Elation because they have done a pretty good job of creating quality products, especially in the LED world. Most of our LED lights are from Elation or GLP.” They are heavily into MA Lighting grandMA consoles but have some High End Systems Hog consoles as well. “Our trussing is all Tyler Truss.”
As TMS continues to thrive, they also continue to build trust and loyalty with their clients. “In today’s world, basically the accountant is running everything—I hate to say it’s about dollars and cents, but it is. For us that means that sometimes you go the extra mile,” Huber says. This translates to situations of when the client really wants those extra lights, but the budget doesn’t allow it, TMS has been known to throw them in the truck anyway. “You just pay it forward and do what needs to be done to make the show look good.” Huber and TMS are the dictionary definition of stick-to-itiveness, to which their many clients have attested by the fact that they continue to come back year after year.
Theatrical Media Services (TMS)
- 7510 Burlington St., Omaha, NE 68127
- 402.592.5522
- www.tmsomaha.com