On site at an event, concert, or production, you make the sound and visuals run, rigging, operating, and fixing AV gear in real time, often with no margin for error. Where the show depends on the tech behind it.
The work is hands-on and fast: setting up gear, running cable, operating mixers and projectors, and striking it all down after. You're part of a crew, often under tight load-in windows, working long days around events. Live means no second take, so staying calm when something fails mid-show is half the skill.
What people underestimate is the long, irregular hours and the physical toll: heavy gear, late nights, and feast-or-famine scheduling. Work tends to be freelance and gig-based, the pay uneven, and conditions swing from a clean theater to a muddy festival. The technology keeps evolving, so you stay learning.
It fits someone quick, unflappable, and physically up for it. If you want predictable hours or a desk, the lifestyle won't suit. But if you like the adrenaline of live work, and the quiet pride when the tech is flawless, the work can be genuinely rewarding, gig after gig.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Arts & Media roles →On site at an event, concert, or production, you make the sound and visuals run, rigging, operating, and fixing AV gear in real time, often with no margin for error. Where the show depends on the tech behind it.
Median pay for an AV Tech (Audio Visual Technician) is about $55K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $35K to $98K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Operations Monitoring, and Complex Problem Solving.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 3.3% through 2034, with roughly 70,080 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Operations Technician, Audio Visual Specialist (AV Specialist), and Video Operator.
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