Author and
Educator.
Bill Larsen has spent thirty years in audiovisual technology and live event production, and he teaches what he does. His work runs across the field: designing and running AV systems and performance spaces, lighting and live events, video production, and the kind of training that gets people ready to do real work in a demanding industry.
He writes the certification exam that working AV professionals take to prove their craft. As a Subject Matter Expert for AVIXA, Bill helps author the CTS (Certified Technology Specialist) exam, the leading credential in the industry. He holds the CTS himself, along with the CETL (Certified Education Technology Leader) and the CIT (Cabling and Infrastructure Technician).
His first book, Backstage Essentials: Skills for Stagehand Technicians in Live Event Production, is forthcoming from Routledge. A practical guide for the people who actually have to run the show, covering stagecraft fundamentals, crew management, safety, and how to keep a production program running. Written for the new technician on their first call and for the programs trying to train them well.
Bill is the District AV Technology Coordinator at ISD 197 in Minnesota, where he runs AV systems and technology infrastructure across the district and has built programs that bring students into the field. He is also the Education Coordinator for IATSE Local 490, developing training that connects working stagehands with the skills the industry expects.
Through Backstage Essentials LLC, he develops training and educational resources for live-event technicians.
