When you think of places that you could go to be inspired, a Bee Gees concert might not be high on the list. But for Show Pro grad, Jeronimo Carbi, that very event sparked an enormous life change that put him on the path the career that he enjoys today.
Carbi had just graduated high school in his native Argentina and was gearing up to study business management and economics in college when he got a call to run follow spot for the Bee Gees on their One Night Only tour stop. Carbi had been working in event production since he was thirteen, and jumped at the opportunity to work with a famous act. “After that, I pretty much decided that I wasn’t going to do economics anymore,” Carbi explains, “so I started looking into schools. I knew I didn’t want to go too much into the arts, I wanted to learn the technical side.”
That led him to Full Sail – a little over a year later, Carbi graduated from Show Production and a week after that, he landed a cruise ship job with C-Deck, an entertainment staffing and production services company. Since starting on his first cruise ship back in 2001, Carbi has worn a multitude of professional hats. “My background allows me to do many things,” explains Carbi. “With the ship I’m currently on, we have fifteen technicians and two production managers, one head of light and sound and six stage staff members. With a ship like this I have a pretty big rig so my hands are full. However, if I go to a smaller venue, I’d not only be the production manager, but I might have to do sound, lights, and video as well. It all depends on the ship and how complex the show are in that venue.”
Cruise ship shows can vary dramatically depending on what type of clientele is aboard. Typically, a ship can feature everything from Vegas and Broadway-style revues to jugglers, comedians, and more. “They might have a whole Miles Davis tribute, where it’s jazz the whole cruise. It always changes. With the Queen Elizabeth 2 … all the people were sailing with us for four months. So you have to be very careful when you’re planning your shows as far as lighting and sound. These people are going to see two shows a night for four months so you have to be very careful what you do.”
Carbi is so good at what he does, he’s known by his employers as the go to guy for ships that require a little extra TLC in the gear department. “They send me because they know I know the way the system works and they know that I know how to approach ship problems and how to talk to the different departments on board… Anywhere you throw me, I hit the ground running and I’m able to troubleshoot things while interacting with the personnel. It’s not just about being able to do a show, you have to be able to have that human aspect and be a very good people person.”
Those people skills have continued to pay off – most recently, in the form of a new job with Cirque du Soleil. Beginning in March 2006, Carbi will hold a new title as assistant head of lighting on the European Dralion tour. “It might sound super cheesy, but this is a dream come true, because Cirque is an industry standard as far as creative content and technology go. Getting the opportunity to work with the best in the industry is just unreal… it’s not going to hit me until I get there.”
“The thing about show production and touring is that, yes, you have a lot of time constraints and your schedule is usually very intense, but I’m twenty four right now and I’ve seen the world. When you can go back home and say to your friends, ‘I’ve traveled the world and I get paid for it.’ It’s just incredible being able to say that. I’m just very happy with my decision and this career path.”
