Name: Ryan Hazen
School/grade level: Junior, Cedar Springs High School
Passion: Audio and video production
Cedar Springs — If you’ve found yourself at one of the plays, concerts or presentations at Cedar Springs High School in the last few years, chances are you’re familiar with the work of Ryan Hazen, even if you don’t know it.
Ryan, a soon-to-be junior, is the student behind the scenes of the high school’s productions. For the past two years, he’s been a district employee, splitting his time between work in the IT department and the high school auditorium.
He enjoys working in IT, but the auditorium is where his true passion lies. His job involves lighting and sound duties for auditorium performances, as well as overseeing general day-to-day operations for the venue.
“I’ve always been interested in (audio and video production), especially in this space,” said Ryan from one of the auditorium’s 600 seats. “Every musical, play, band concert, choir concert I’ve seen in here, I’ve loved it.”
The best part of the job, he said, is the sense of accomplishment that comes from working with others to bring a vision to fruition.
He recalled how it felt when he experienced that feeling for the first time.
“I went from basically nothing — the stage was blank — to a fully working show with all the actors, the crew, the lighting, the sound, everything,” Ryan said. “You can go from a blank slate to all of that in a matter of days.”
SNN chatted with Ryan during a recent visit to the high school, learning more about his passion for AV, and his hopes for the future.
How old were you when this became something you were interested in? What’s the story there? Ryan was a freshman when he first became involved with the auditorium. He was interested in doing tech for a performance at the time — the play “One Stoplight Town” — and “it ended up that I liked what I did,” he said.
He signed on for a few more plays, and eventually Technology Director Auston Wittenbach offered him a job, which included part-time hours in the auditorium during the school year and in the summer.
He gladly accepted the gig.
“That was an easy yes,” Ryan said.
Wittenbach said Ryan is doing a bang-up job, and that in a very short time he’s become an integral part of the district’s tech team.
“The auditorium wouldn’t be able to function as successfully as it does without his knowledge and work ethic,” Wittenbach said.
‘I’ve always been interested in (audio and video production), especially in this space. Every musical, play, band concert, choir concert I’ve seen in here, I’ve loved it.’
— junior Ryan Hazen
A few related accomplishments: Ryan counts pulling off “Cinderella,” this year’s musical, as a significant achievement.
“It was a very, very tech-intensive show, and I think it turned out pretty good,” he said.
Is there a teacher or teachers who have had a big impact on you in this area? In addition to Wittenbach, Ryan credits media teacher Justin Harnden with helping him get his foot in the door.
Harnden, who’d been filling in as auditorium manager after the previous manager left, took Ryan under his wing and prepped him for the job.
“He took over here for a while before somebody else could step in, and he ended up teaching me. I’m the one that stepped in for him,” Ryan said of Harnden. “He’s the one that taught me most everything in this space. Soundboard, lightboard rack, recording, projector, everything.”
Do you plan to pursue this professionally? Ryan said he’s enjoying his time in the auditorium so much that there’s no question he’ll try to leverage his experience into a career. IT is his backup, and he’s currently enrolled in Kent Career Tech Center’s Networking and Cybersecurity Program.
Envision yourself 10/20 years from now. “I’m hoping either I’m hired by a larger (production) company, or I start my own (AV production) business.”
The biggest lesson you have learned from your involvement in this is… “Leadership and being relaxed under pressure. If there’s an event going on here and something breaks, you have to find a way to calmly figure out how to fix that before the event starts.”
Also, “Sometimes not everything can get done. It sucks, it happens, stuff breaks, some things you can’t do. You just have to make do with it and be flexible.”
Other hobbies/interests: Ryan is an active member of his local Boy Scout Troop 222, and he also enjoys playing synthesizer and baritone in the marching band.
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