Work in concerts, ice shows, theatre, circus, arena productions and immersive installations, plus the operating changes behind them.
Founded in 2022, EMP brings project-based leadership to live entertainment and experiential businesses.
Event planning, local-partner coordination and oversight of installation, the event run and dismantling for Enchant Lite stadium events.
Rob managed production operations and coordination with local partners for three Enchant Lite stadium events in 2024 and 2025. His responsibilities included installation crews, electrical support and repairs during the six-week run, followed by dismantling and relocation.
As VP of Operations for Immersive Experiences, Rob led operations for Perceptual Experience on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.
Licensing and permit planning; coordination with fire and police departments on crowd flow; mall and property-owner coordination; transportation, installation, opening and daily operations.
A two-floor exhibition of 25 works of art, including large suspended installations that reveal different images as visitors move around them.
Production logistics and technical coordination for The Vampire Circus and Santa Circus at Los Angeles’ Ricardo Montalbán Theatre.
Scheduling, logistics and technical coordination for the theatre engagements.
Led an 18-person rigging team hanging 1.1 million square feet of fabric at heights of up to 240 feet, creating a complete blackout inside a Major League Baseball stadium with a translucent roof. The team also took on display assembly and additional event rigging.
Roof blackout installation: 270 curtains totaling 1.1 million square feet of fabric, suspended at heights of up to 240 feet. The assignment expanded to Christmas display assembly and additional rigging throughout the event.
Rob managed production operations and coordination with local partners for three Enchant Lite stadium events in 2024 and 2025. He coordinated between Enchant and the local partners who arranged the stadiums, communicating Enchant’s requirements and making sure partner questions were answered.
He oversaw the installation team and two crew members who stayed onsite throughout the six-week run to operate the electrics and repair damage. His oversight continued through dismantling the event and moving the equipment.
A short view across the stadium installation, showing the scale, lighting and layout of the seasonal experience.
As VP of Operations for Immersive Experiences, Rob led planning, installation and operations for Perceptual Experience on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile: 25 works of art displayed across two floors of a mall venue.
His responsibilities included licensing and permit planning, working with fire and police departments on crowd flow, and coordinating event requirements with mall management and the property owner. He also led transportation, load-in, opening and ongoing operations throughout the months-long exhibition.
The exhibition included artworks measuring 20 by 20 feet and intricate installations with nearly 2,000 hanging elements. Installing and aligning these pieces required detailed planning and coordination. The same suspended pieces form entirely different images from different viewing positions. A red-and-white basketball shoe becomes the Michael Jordan Jumpman silhouette; another installation reveals a power symbol from one side and the female symbol from the other. Other artworks shift from a heart to a peace sign, from “NO” to “WAR,” and from “FREE” to a map of America.
Artwork by Michael Murphy. Rob served as VP of Operations for Immersive Experiences, leading transportation, load-in, launch and ongoing operations for the Chicago experience.
A visitor’s walkthrough of the Chicago installation, where Rob served as VP of Operations for Immersive Experiences.
Visitor footage from the Perceptual Experience Instagram account. View the Instagram account ↗
Rob’s work with The Vampire Circus began with operations and business development for Cirque Factory. He later supported both The Vampire Circus and Santa Circus through EMP Productions at Los Angeles’ Ricardo Montalbán Theatre.
EMP’s responsibilities covered scheduling, production logistics and technical coordination for the theatre engagements.
An 18-person rigging team. 270 curtains. 1.1 million square feet of fabric installed at heights of up to 240 feet. Follow the transformation that prepared a Major League Baseball stadium for Enchant Christmas.
EMP’s original assignment was the stadium roof blackout. As the installation developed, the team also took on the assembly of Christmas displays and additional rigging throughout the event, helping complete work beyond the initial scope.
One example was an illuminated whale delivered with an incompatible stand. The team assembled the piece and suspended it from the stadium ceiling, making it usable within the event.
Before founding EMP, Rob spent decades working in touring productions and operations management. Shows he has managed or worked on have performed in more than 50 countries. His background includes ice shows, circus, arena productions and immersive installations.
14 years touring, followed by four years in Feld’s corporate office overseeing shows.
Rob started as a technical stagehand and moved into production management, company management and senior operations roles.
At one time, the five Sesame Street Live tours, Marvel Universe Live! and Jurassic World Live! made up seven concurrent productions under Rob’s oversight, with multiple units operating internationally.
Responsibilities included personnel, labor relations, travel, freight, budgets, venue coordination and performance delivery across overlapping productions.
Three years in operations leadership.
As Vice President of Operations, Rob helped transform an indoor touring experience into a drive-through event, keep it moving through the pandemic, and transition it back indoors.
The challenge extended beyond changing the format. Each city and state brought different operating rules, distancing requirements, mask policies and vaccination requirements. Plans had to adapt market by market while keeping teams coordinated and the guest experience moving.
Reworked the staffing, logistics and site layout so guests could experience the event from their cars.
Managed three touring units through changing COVID restrictions and labor shortages across more than 200 U.S. and Canadian markets.
Moved the operation back indoors as pandemic conditions and local requirements changed.
The three touring units worked through changing COVID restrictions and labor conditions across more than 200 markets without a canceled performance day.
10 years with Cirque du Soleil.
A decade with Cirque du Soleil, progressing from Technical Operations Director to General Manager / Company Manager of international big top shows. His work included OVO, Varekai and Quidam, supporting productions across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Major Cirque du Soleil productions involved more than 100 containers and 300 people. International movement required coordinating border crossings, licenses, permits, customs, immigration and carnets alongside production and site requirements.
One relocation took the show from Perth, Australia, to Antwerp, Belgium, via Amsterdam aboard two 747s. Trucks carried the equipment from the Perth site to the airport for transfer onto airline pallets. In Amsterdam, the equipment was unloaded, removed from the pallets and transferred to semi-trucks for the drive to Antwerp. The tent, generators, bathrooms and bleachers remained in Australia. In Antwerp, the team installed the show in a European tent three meters smaller in diameter than the Australian tent, modifying the setup to fit and meet the stricter local regulations and touring requirements.
Engagements could stay in one market for up to six months, combining the demands of a major installation with sustained site operations. Work spanned touring management, large production teams, site infrastructure, venue services, permitting, freight, labor and openings. He also managed guest services and relationships with local communities.
Set responsibilities at each site, track progress and resolve issues that local teams cannot handle alone.
Bring budgets, forecasts, staffing, vendors and logistics into the same plan. Rob’s Jurassic Quest logistics redesign reduced annual freight expense by more than $1.5 million.
Prepare staffing and operating plans, adjust them as requirements change and train the team that will run the site.