Brett Rhinehardt with Aerial Concepts Inc.
Where do old mascots go? Well we found one in Brett Rhinehardt who is a leader in providing aerial entertainment in sports.
We caught up with Brett and found out more about his current projects and Aerial Concepts capabilities.
Gameops.com: Tell me about Aerial Concepts. Who is behind it? What is your background? When did you start?
Brett Rhinehardt: Terry Parker and I started Aerial Concepts Inc. a few years ago when we saw that there was no one offering really exciting high-angle entertainment to the Sports market.
The company is a great combination of our backgrounds. I was a professional mascot for 12 years (Seattle Mariners? Moose, Nashville Predators? Gnash, NIKE, ESPN, etc.), so I come from a performance and creative side. Terry was in Special Operations in the US military, and then went into the concert industry handling rigging of the overhead elements: lights, sound, flight systems, etc. And we both have rock climbed for years, so the combination of performance, creative, technical, application and overall drive to do really ill-advised stunts makes for a good relationship.
Gameops.com: Give us a couple examples of your work.
Brett Rhinehardt: We have a contract to provide rigging services for the EAGLES (the band) Reunion Tour, currently on the road. In September we worked with the Houston Texans (the team, not the band) to create a Charlie's Angels skit. We trained 6 of their cheerleaders to rappel and implemented the entire aerial system that included their mascot, TORO, riding a zip line with 4 seconds of free fall. It was spectacular. We helped the NBA's newest team, the Bobcats, introduce their new mascot.
Gameops.com: Who do you do the most work with?
Brett Rhinehardt: Right now we are split between sports and the music industry. We have two tours under contract and are working on a third traveling show. At the same time, we are working with more than a dozen different teams to put together performances for them.
Gameops.com: Walk us through the process of building a stunt with a team? First contact, building, permits, training, practice, event.
Brett Rhinehardt: The first step is conveying the concept and explaining the impact of the stunt. These performances can be significant in defining a character and setting the tone for pre-game and even an entire game presentation.
Second we like to do a site-survey of the venue so we know exactly what we are working with. We use this visit to see what we can do from a technical perspective and to creatively design all the performance options.
The next step is training (assuming the client has a performer/mascot that is willing to work with us simply for the enjoyment of others). We traveled to Houston on a few occasions to train the cheerleaders, and for new performers we are happy to take whatever time is necessary. In many cases, the system is designed with the performer having no control, and therefore requiring little or no training. All they have to do is make the decision to jump. Then gravity and Aerial Concepts do all the work.
Once we install the system, everything is thoroughly checked and tested using weighted bags. Then before we let the client go, Terry or I will test the system. The next step is rehearsals, as many rehearsals as the performer needs to be comfortable.
On the day of the game we do a final full dress rehearsal to make sure all costuming and cues are on target. Then we confirm all the communications with the game ops and production crew. The final step before performance is to recheck the entire system looking for any last minute production changes that may affect us, like additional pyro.
To be honest, come game time, everything is already done and its all over but the roar of the crowd...which never ceases to amaze me.
We really just love being a part of making that happen.
