On Friday, October 16, the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) hosted an event dubbed “Creating Moments that Move People – Global Concert Touring with Luke Magette (Stevens ’24),” where an alumni guest speaker spoke about his experience at TAIT Towers, a global company that provides services for live entertainment experiences for large-scale audiences, and the design behind concert productions.
This event was a part of Media Month, a series of events hosted by HASS aimed at highlighting careers in media and entertainment and helping students discover potential careers in those areas. Another event hosted was an ARTS 14C Studio Tour at Jersey City, which exposed students to a multidisciplinary arts organization that provided students with professional support to bring their art to life.
The two presenters were Mechanical Integrators working at TAIT. One of the speakers, Luke Magette, was an alumni who graduated from Stevens in 2024 with a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Film Studies. The presenters started the session with a brief overview of the company and its mission of exploring the impossible around the world. Afterwards, they discussed some of the tools used, like a stage deck, which is a portable stage platform that serves as the concert stage’s surface. These stage decks come in large stacks and have rolling legs to make it easier to move around. While most typically have a wooden surface, the stage decks can have video tiles or see-through surfaces.
Afterwards, the duo explained the various projects they were involved in, like Kendrick Lamar & SZA 2025, Shakira 2026, and Forrest Frank 2026. However, they noted that their work wasn’t limited to concerts. TAIT worked on cruise ships, theme parks, and custom machines. One of the presenters’ recent projects was a renovation of Goldman Sachs HQ’s theater. Since that project was a long-term installation, it needed to be more precise and have more documentation. There were many iterations, and it was difficult to implement the theater’s unique curved wall. Yet, compared to a fast-paced concert, it was more rewarding to see their work growing instead of leaving it forever.
After the presentation, the participating students got an opportunity to test some of the aforementioned technical equipment, including the stage deck. The event concluded with a networking session where students could ask the presenters any questions they had. During the session, Magette commented that he used his Mechanical Engineering skills frequently in his position, as there was a noticeable amount of overlap with networking and controls. He elaborated that within his role, you needed to be a strong communicator, understand the level of responsibility on your shoulders, and want people to have faith in your leadership. His coworker mentioned that you learn many soft skills, like project management, throughout the years. You learn how to cooperate with the client and designers under tight deadlines. It forces people to collaborate in ways that they normally wouldn’t. These are the soft skills that you can take beyond a single job.
