NW StageEvents Done Better

NW Stage LLC is a comprehensive event production company located in the Pacific Northwest. NW Stage has a wide range of clients from high profile political figures to local non profit and corporate organizations. NW Stage has a dedicated and knowledgeable staff, including stagehands, designers and apprentices from The Tacoma School of the Arts and the Tacoma School District. Not only is NW Stage dedicated to providing the best services to its clients, but it is also a dedicated contributor to the greater community.

NW Stage, LLC was formed by Ron Geier in 2004 as “Audio Production Services (APS),” representing a corporate sound company focusing on Tacoma area non-profits and businesses. In 2006, APS bought its first stage, merged operations with Rise Up! Productions, another special events production company formed by Bob Barnes, and adopted the name “Northwest Staging and Sound Design.” (NWS).” NWS began to create custom events for clients and initiated their long partnership with the arts-based public high school “Tacoma School of the Arts.”

In 2007, NWS expanded into the political and rally arena, and began producing political rallies and corporate fundraisers for then Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire and Senator Patty Murray; the company went multi-state by producing a press event for a then unknown presidential candidate named Senator Barack Obama.

In 2008, NWS expanded its multi-state production schedule by becoming the event planner and producer of two large-scale contract rallies that toured from the Oregon Convention Center to the Tacoma Dome, and realized recorded attendance of over 50,000 people. Later that same year, NWS developed another larger outdoor stadium scale political rally and press event for soon to be vice president Joe Biden, where it serviced over 200 members of the nation’s press corps and juggled the security needs of this high profile event.

From 2009–2010, NWS continued to develop new clients and focus on increasing the range of event services offered, expanding into state-of-the-art live video production and event planning, including large-scale outdoor summer parties and events. In 2010, NWS produced its first statewide convention for the Washington State Democrats.

The years from 2010 to 2012 saw another two election years, with statewide rallies, fundraisers, and many mini-stop tours. During this period, NWS expanded its apprenticeship and training programs and developed closer ties with the Tacoma School of the Arts. In 2011, NWS produced the last national American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) convention, where the contentious debate on the issue of a merger with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) into SAG-AFTRA passed and a new organization was born. NWS planned another Washington Democrat state-wide convention in 2012.

Convention services were enlarged in 2013–2014; NWS helped several clients reimagine their long-standing conventions and fundraisers, helped them move into larger venues, and helped them plan and expand their event palettes. In 2013, NWS also designed and created custom stages for the Seattle Art Museum's unveiling of the MIRROR facade (the last public art bequest of Bagley and Virginia Wright) and produced the long- standing Tacoma Maritime Fest, which saw all-time highs in attendance, offerings, entertainment, and festival footprint. January 1, 2014 marked the reincorporation of Northwest Staging and Sound Design into NW Stage, LLC, a long overdue change.

In 2015, seasoned NWS partner Bob Barnes hung up his mantle of “NWS Chief Rabble Rouser” to focus on his political protest and social justice roots, again under the auspices of Rise Up! Productions. NWS began providing convention services for the Washington State Association of Fire Fighters and saw the largest SEIU 775 convention ever produced from inception to completion.