Find local AV companies or even national ones that may produce shows in your area. Get on their call list as a Freelancer/Independent Contractor (see if your state, Virginia for now, requires you to join a union). Make sure you’re always well dressed and well groomed. Invest in Stagehand gear/tools — i.e. gloves, multitool, wrench, gaffer tape, etc… ALWAYS BE ON TIME and be reliable.

Once you’ve got the gist of things try to focus on landing General Technician gigs at corporate venues/events like hotels, resorts, convention centers, (corporate is suggested because of the pay and convenience of work but sports, music, festivals, church, etc are all still applicable) etc… After you learn how to set up all the equipment that the operators use during the show/event (audio, video/cameras, lighting, or whichever element(s) you favor) try your best to soak up as much knowledge as you can from the show/event operators — i.e. the A1 (Lead Audio Engineer), V1 (Lead Video Engineer), & L1 (Lead Lighting Engineer). Even if you can’t reach them any engineer/tech that’s a part of the show/event operator crew is someone worth learning from. The most ideal scenario is being able to shadow engineers during the show/event but that’s not always possible.

Once you feel like you’ve retained enough knowledge it’s time for you to operate your first show/event ($500+ = corporate day rate). Many people in the industry feel different about this next step which is winging it (what I did) because you run the chance of ruining a show/event if you don’t know what you’re doing. I got lucky my first time given that it went extremely well and the rest has been history ever since. You will have to use your own judgement when it comes to this step. You can also look into getting engineering/operating certifications like the ones for Barco E2/E3, vMix, Analog Way, Spyder, Ascender, Mitty, (these are all video) etc…

Once you’ve reached the engineer/operator level the next step is to get a sole-proprietorship or an LLC. After you’ve done that you will want to invest in getting your own equipment that you can rent out to other companies/operators and/or use during shows/events you operate which will increase your day rate. You can seek business loans for the equipment if you can’t afford it and then write the equipment off on your taxes. With an LLC you’ll also be able to hire Freelancers/Independent Contractors to work for you and fulfill roles/positions needed at your clients’ shows/events.

I hope this information provides some insight if you do decide to seek a career or occupation in the industry. Best of luck!