In the fast-paced world of live event production, execution is everything. Whether it is a multi-city concert tour, a high-stakes corporate sales convention, or a stadium-sized sporting event, the success of the production ultimately rests on the shoulders of the crew behind the scenes.

In a recent interview, Jeff Giek, founder and CEO of Rhino Staging, sat down at our client-partner Gateway Studios & Productions Services‘ facility in St. Louis to discuss the company’s founding, our unwavering national mission, and what an ideal client-vendor relationship looks like.

Watch the full interview below.

A Founding Motivated by Safety

Every great company begins by solving a painful problem. For Jeff, the journey began as a rigger in Arizona, working alongside his peers. Seeing a critical gap in how crews were being managed, he realized the industry needed to evolve.

“I realized that the company we were working for wasn’t really doing it the way we felt like they should have been doing it,” Jeff recalls. “It was really motivated out of wanting to make sure my friends were safe and that they were being taken care of.”

When Rhino Staging launched, the live entertainment production industry was still finding its footing. “When we started, the industry was still in its infancy,” says Jeff. “We were still trying to figure it out. There were people that were rigging without harnesses. No one wore hardhats.”

Building on a Strong Start

Driven to protect his crew, Jeff established new benchmarks. “I remember in the early 90s we made it a requirement to wear hard hats. So I am super proud of the fact that we were on the leading edge of those types of things.”

Those founding principles and practices have created a key strength of Rhino Staging – the loyalty and longevity of its workforce. “We have so many just amazing people that could have done lots of other things in their life, but they chose to stay with Rhino and help build it into what it is today,” Jeff says.

The Mission: Nationwide Scale Built on a Company Culture

Today, Rhino operates as a premier labor solution across the continental United States. From major entertainment hubs like Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Nashville to critical production markets like Houston, Denver, San Diego, Atlanta, Orlando and more our ongoing mission centers on three core pillars:

• Safety and Training: Elevating industry standards through strict, early-adoption safety protocols.
• Mentorship and Culture: Investing in the people who build the shows. “For me, it’s all been really rooted in safety and training and mentorship,” notes Jeff.
• Operational Continuity: Giving tour managers a single, centralized point of contact for their entire multi-city route.

The Rhino – Gateway Studios Partnership

A highlight of the interview explores the relationship between Rhino Staging and the team at Gateway Studios. This partnership serves as an excellent case study for how modern event labor can integrate with premium production venues.

“We are super excited about Gateway, we just felt like, wow, what a great marriage this would be,” says Jeff. “We pride ourselves on being the best and we feel like this place is the best. From a production standpoint, every rigger that’s been in here has just said, ‘Wow, this is amazing.’ It was clear to me as soon as we came in here that the production elements were the centerpiece.”

Planning a Multi-City Tour or Event Series?

Don’t leave your backstage execution to chance. Rhino Staging provides dependable, elite production labor across the continental U.S. Reach out to our Business Development team today at 888-468-7446 or info@rhinostaging.com to discuss your crew needs.

More About Rhino and Gateway

Read more about the Rhino – Gateway partnership in an interview with Steve Davis, Rigging & Rope Access Advisor for Rhino, about a fall protection rescue demonstration for firefighters of the Monarch, Missouri Fire Protection District that took place at Gateway in May of 2025.