Joe Gallagher’s name and reputation is so tied to live event staging that it seems like his own company started years ago. But while Gallagher Staging and Productions, Inc. is barely a year old, the Gallagher name is a 30-plus year institution.
Gallagher Staging offers a variety of products and services in live event production. From basic ideas to custom work, the growing team does what they can to make every client’s vision a reality. “No one in the industry can match our ability to design for better efficiency and execution,” Gallagher says.
Like Father, Like Son
Joe Gallagher is a California native who started out in this business promoting and booking local bands. “I got burnt out on that and went to work for Eric Pearce” [now owner of SGPS]. In 1992, he jumped to All Access Staging & Productions. He started off driving a truck before being promoted to supervisor and sales positions. In 2001, he helped partners form Accurate Staging.
In October, 2011, after a decade-long run, Joe resigned from Accurate “to be my own boss.” He notes that when he left his secure position at Accurate Staging, the economy was still in the throes of the Great Recession — not the best of times to launch a new business. But while acknowledging that it was a “big step,” he had few concerns about the timing of it all. “I wasn’t worried one bit.”
Although he was starting from scratch — having left his cell phone and computer behind — he quickly got the word out when he opted to hang his own shingle. “PLSN is why we got most of our hits initially,” he says.
Along with the chance to be his own boss, Joe Gallagher also wanted to have his son, Joey, involved in the newly-formed company “100 percent — he didn’t fall far from the tree,” Gallagher says. “I’m getting ready to step out in five years, and the young kids like Joey have all the new ideas.”
A Simple Plan
The business plan at Gallagher Staging is simple: “We look to do things better at a lower cost for our clients,” Joe says. “We’re about new ideas, using new technologies, doing things faster, better, cheaper. These new technologies include cutting with lasers and C&C machines rather than by hand, among other things.”
Not even a year old, Gallagher Staging has 30 employees, many with 20 or more years of experience in the staging industry. Disneyland is one of the company’s main accounts, keeping the Gallagher team busy with a range of events, from weddings to grand openings for new rides. MTV is also a client — Gallagher Staging supports their annual Video Music Awards. Gallagher Staging is also supporting tours for Jay-Z and Chris Brown. Beyond that, “we’re going to go after more corporate events, which is really starting to come back. Aside from all of that, it’s mostly about the bands — I’ve always been all about the bands.”
New Ideas
While Joe Gallagher is mindful of passing the torch — “I want to make this for my son, I want this to be his baby” — he adds that “I’ll always be involved. I like the people in this industry, and I still love going to the shows.”
The young business is building upon a foundation of industry experience. Along with the knowledge of what works and what doesn’t, the company has a pretty good hunch of what’s needed. One case in point: the G-Block — “a revolutionary ballast,” Joe Gallagher says.
Used for truss grids, truss arches and for dead weight, the 3,500-pound, 36-inch cube G-Block encases a cement core in black powder-coated steel to prevent chipping and the risk of lost ballast weight.
The product features bolt patterns for 12-by-12-inch and 20.5-by-20.5 inch box truss on five sides, as well as bolt truss in four horizontal directions, for applications requiring outriggers or to bolt tower truss vertically. It is also forklift-accessible from two sides and receives screw jacks for leveling.
Son Joey notes that, for applications like the red carpet event at the MTV VMAs, six or eight G-Blocks might be used behind walls. The demand is such that Gallagher can’t make G-Blocks quickly enough. Joe noted that they expected to be boosting their inventory form 80 blocks to 130 by the end of September, with other staging companies renting the blocks as well.
“The G-Block was initially created to increase safety standards,” Joey adds. “And it’s obviously not a big ugly concrete block in the middle of an event. The fact that it can adapt to any situation makes it incredibly functional in our business.”
“I’ve learned over the years that the smart way to do things is to ask those who have the right experience and knowledge to resolve questionable matters,” Joe adds. “So we rely a lot on our engineers.”
Along with more G-Blocks, Gallagher Staging has plans for more truss products in the works. But whatever else Gallagher Staging decides to do, it won’t take them away from the music.
“I love every aspect of the touring industry,” says Joey. “I love the diversity of the work, and how things are changing constantly. One minute you’re doing a rock ‘n’ roll show with pyro, and then next day you’re on a TV set or high-end corporate event like Dreamforce,” an event targeting the cloud computing industry held in San Francisco in September.
One of Joey’s specific joys is catering to his production team’s needs. “I love the fact that, on a moment’s notice I can get a call from one of our guys on tour that requires us to jump through hoops to make something happen. Something got lost, something suddenly doesn’t fit, and we have to bend over backwards to fix the issue. Doing that is really fulfilling.”
Going forward, Joey says he wants to focus on touring first, though he sees the company developing additional new products as well. “We’ll always be looking for making packaging easier, shipping easier, and everything we build will be constructed in a way that won’t fail.” Joey illustrates his goal for Gallagher Staging with a conversation: When creative teams are discussing a new project or event, he wants them to say, “That’s a complicated project — you better get Gallagher Staging on it.”
