CHICAGO – Chicago Stagehand, a non-union affiliated stagehand labor company that began operations last year with one client, announced its official launch recently. Company founder Dave Eaves stressed that Chicago Stagehand is not associated with Chicago's IATSE Local 2 or any other labor organizations. "We're a company made up of mostly recent college and university graduates with a handful of veteran corporate guys to guide the ship," Eaves said. "Most of the clients we've serviced are seeking reliable and friendly help in moving and setting up gear by guys and gals that have a basic understanding of event production, lights, audio, video and staging. We charge a fair price with simple working terms. We don't do meal penalties or apply surprise fees or hidden charges."
Chicago Stagehand has one permanent concert account, with the Horseshoe Casino (The Venue) in Hammond, Ind. The company provides stagehands, runners and wardrobe crew for concerts that have been staged there, which have included performances so far by Kenny Rogers, Alicia Keyes, Paul Anka, Bette Midler and Liza Minnelli.
"The company was built around the Horseshoe account," said Eaves. "They needed support for their live events, and after a few negotiations with their general manager, I founded a labor company to service their events. The group of stagehands that we pulled together worked so well as a group I decided to pursue other work, so here we are."
For more information, please visit www.chicagostagehand.com
