Mountain Productions’ 33rd Annual Hoist School and our annual Staging School kicked off last Monday morning with a class full of the next industry professionals. Dozens of students from three continents came together for a legendary week of hands-on training, education and fun. Read more
For some of us, going to a conference, meeting, or any group session can be intimidating. Networking can be a chore and somehow always seems awkward at first.
What do I say? How do I react? When should I approach someone?
Although it may be against your normal instincts to throw yourself out there and meet as many people as possible, it is one of the best ways to get the most out of every group experience in your professional career.
Our CM Hoist School is rapidly approaching. This training seminar provides a lot of benefits, including high quality-training from industry-leading instructors and exclusive sessions with representatives from the brands of gear we use every day in the field.
This year we are introducing a new series of vendor sessions that will give our attendees first-hand seminars with the renowned brands that they use on a daily basis. The CM Hoist School Lunch and Learn vendor sessions will provide discussions hosted by brand representatives that are focused on informing and updating our attendees on the latest equipment they have to offer.
While attendees enjoy lunch, our vendors will present a quick dive into their products and most recent offerings. Students are encouraged to interact and ask questions—you’ll get the answer straight from the source!
Don’t take our word for it—past students who have attended our CM Hoist School had some great things to say about the training upon completing the multi-day event. Take a look at what our graduates thought of the CM Hoist School!
One of our favorite things about CM Hoist School is getting to meet the diverse group of students we receive each year. Over the years, we’ve worked hard to make sure that the CM Hoist School is an enjoyable and informative experience in every way, and we have been grateful to welcome students from all over the globe as the school’s popularity grew.
We love to hear back from our graduates, and how our training has helped them to succeed with their individual endeavors. Recently, we were contacted by one of our past attendees, whose story is too good not to share…
Mountain Productions’ CM Hoist School is entering its 32nd year of annual training, and we couldn’t be more excited. Since its creation in 1985, the CM Hoist School has grown immensely from a small-town training session to a world-wide education experience, drawing the best trainers and talent in the entertainment industry from all across the globe.
We took a nostalgic trip back in time to explore the history of our CM Hoist School. As the industry grew and evolved throughout time, so did our training. 32 years later, our school has expanded with more students, bigger workshop areas, and more seminars and vendors showcased than ever before.
We’re excited to host Ed Leahy from Chicago Flyhouse as the new rigging trainer at our 32nd CM Hoist School event. Ed is a veteran of the rigging industry, working with the world renowned Chicago Shakespeare Theater as their Technical Director before transitioning to The Chicago Flyhouse Inc. as their Head Trainer and Cruise Ship Division Manager. Chicago Flyhouse is a diverse production company providing a wide range of theatrical rigging services, including stage/studio rigging, automation, softgoods, safety/fall protection, and more. Ed took some time to talk to us about the Safer Venue program (Chicago Flyhouse’s rigging inspection program), what he’s seen change in the industry over the years, his career launch into rigging and more.
Click here to view the full 2016 CM Hoist School Photo Album on Facebook
It’s one of our favorite times of the year, and now that it’s over, we’re already brainstorming how to make next year even better. Our 2016 CM Hoist School welcomed attendees from all over the country, and representatives from 7 major industry brands who came together for 5 days of hands-on training, education and fun. (If you’re like us, we love getting our hands dirty with some motor maintenance!)
Attendees shuttled into Mountain Productions on Monday, ready to jump right in to class. Half of our students were introduced to Dave Carmack and began their training in Lodestar maintenance and repair, while the other students sat with Eric Rouse for the rigging seminar.
The 31st Annual CM Hoist School: February 29th – March 4th
March is one of our favorite times of the year, because we bring in the month hosting our Annual CM Hoist School. For 30 years, Mountain Productions has been educating and providing the resources necessary to start a career in entertainment rigging and production. Our Hoist School takes a deep dive into chain hoist maintenance with one of the leading manufacturers in entertainment, Columbus McKinnon. But why should you attend our 31st year? Here are 10 things we’re sure you’ll enjoy if you attend:
1) Mountain Productions’ campus
Students are welcomed to Mountain Productions with a tour of our operations. As you walk through the multiple buildings and offices at our location, you’ll see familiar equipment, and probably something new along the way. We take pride in maintaining our workspace, and invite you to see where it’s all made!
We’d like to thank everyone who attended our 29th Annual CM Hoist School, as well as our vendors and seminar leaders. This was the first year that the Hoist School was extended to 5 full days, and students were treated to extended rigging and motor classes taught by CM’s Dave Carmack and ETCP certified rigger, Eric Rouse.
Other seminars included a truss class led by James Thomas Engineering’s Tray Allen, a seminar covering slings with Spanset’s Jeff Wallace, and education in motor control and load monitoring with Motion Laboratories’ Mike Webb. Below are a few pictures from Hoist School week. If anyone who attended has pictures they would like to share, please post them in a comment to this blog or to our Facebook page. (www.facebook.com/mountainproductionsinc) We’d love to see them!