About me
Ethan Gilson, a graduate of Emerson College
(1998, BFA, Design Technology – Lighting),
has 25+ years of experience working in the
entertainment rigging and lighting
industry. He began his career as an
equipment specialist/technician, and, upon
completing his degree, took on the role of
lighting designer at Advanced Lighting and
Production Services, Inc. (ALPS). As his
career developed, Gilson distinguished
himself as a rigging specialist—designing
rigging systems for portable and permanent installations. Today, he is
the owner of Entertainment Rigging Services LLC, a company that
specializes in entertainment rigging inspections, training, design, &
installation. Gilson has worked in venues of diverse size and function
including, but not limited to hotel ballrooms, Las Vegas convention
centers and arenas, New York theatres, and outdoor festivals.
Gilson has been inspecting theaters and arenas of all sizes throughout
the United States since 2006. In 2005, he received one of the first
certificates granted by the ETCP in Arena and Theatre Rigging (Cert. #
0048). Gilson has established himself as an authority in the field, and
since 2014, has served as an ETCP Rigging Certification Subject Matter
Expert, a position which includes designing questions for certification
exams. Gilson’s national reputation has led him to serve as chair to
several ESTA (Entertainment Services and Technology Association)
Technical Standards Program task groups, whose goal is to establish
ANSI standards for safety in the industry in the areas of fall arrest and
suspended rigging. In 2020 he was a recipient of the ESTA TSP “Above
and Beyond Award” which celebrates those volunteers that have made
significant contributions or effort that advances the Technical Standards Program. In 2021 Gilson was elected to the ESTA Board of
Directors as the Professional Services Director.
Gilson is OSHA 10/30 certified (Cert. # 002371128/21-602016902), an
OSHA competent Person for Scaffolding, an OSHA competent person
for Fall Arrest & Rescue, & is ANSI A92 complaint MEWP trainer. He
continues his own education through trainings such as: ETC factory
trained installation/technician of Prodigy Hoists, Tomcat U, Mountain
Productions Hoist School.
In 2012, Gilson became an ETCP Recognized Trainer and launched
Entertainment Rigging Sessions to prepare today’s riggers for the
industry’s explosive growth and to promote safety standards
throughout it. These sessions are recognized by the ETCP as qualifying
instruction for certification/re-certification. Gilson is a member of the
Event Safety Alliance and its Safety Summit Core Development
Committee, whose goal is to coordinate with the ETCP to promote
safety, training, and certification throughout the industry. Gilson has
partnered with manufacturers such as Total Structures, the annual LDI
trade show, the Event Safety Alliance, various colleges/universities,
unions, and local manufacturers to provide educational rigging
sessions, tailoring sessions to meet the needs of each class. Gilson
continues to stay abreast of the latest technology and advances in the
industry, sharing this knowledge with his students. Recently,
Vectorworks has requested Gilson’s services to speak, as a user, with
distributors about their Braceworks software.
Gilson is the host of Shackles, Burlap, & Lies, an industry podcast about
the Entertainment Rigging industry and the people who work in it.
