CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, September 23, 2014

A Rock N' Roll Industry Cluster Is Booming In The Heart Of Amish Country

www.forbes.com: Business was going well for set design company Tait Towers, the company that built the sets for all ten highest grossing rock tours of all time, including for Madonna, U2, and the Rolling Stones. But they had a problem: they were running out of space. They needed more buildings. They wanted a state-of-the-art production rehearsal facility where bands and their production teams could practice putting together and rehearsing the various elements of the show. But they couldn’t expand because they are headquartered in Lititz, Pennsylvania, a leading community in the preservation of farmland.

2 comments:

Philip Rheinheimer said...

That a tiny farm town in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania is now the capital of the entertainment touring world is awesome and astonishing. For all of these companies to come together in that kind of space provides untold opportunities to further the touring industry and innovate in ways that weren't possible before. Being able to walk across the street to talk to someone about an idea you have or deliver urgent equipment is great and what strikes me most about the whole campus. The closeness of all of these companies should push the industry to bigger and greater heights. The danger of getting complacent is a real one but I think there is enough diversity in the industry to help prevent that. Just because there is an audio or video company on the campus doesn't mean that they will only work exclusively with each other. There are plenty of other well known and highly sought after companies based in other places that will continue to provide touring equipment.

What is also striking is that these companies are breathing new life into a struggling farm town. Their business is booming while the rest of the town is in a recession and to realize that and want to help the community is really great. By bringing all of these companies and people to Lititz they are opening up business opportunities that otherwise wouldn't have any footing. Companies giving back to the communities they are based in is wonderful and I wish it happened more often.

Mike Vultaggio said...

It is amazing that this little farm town in the middle of Pennsylvania is the home for some of the biggest names in the touring industry. The beauty of this is that it is very often that these companies will be working together on projects and having the ability to drive or walk across town to meet with the group they are collaborating with is very useful. I remember this summer the sound company I was working for was in the same complex as two other sound companies and whenever we needed something we would very easily be able to cross rent equipment between companies, We also were able to plan new purchases based on the existing stock of the other companies in an effort to easily integrate systems.