#69 Accurate Staging | The Family Business Holding Up Travis Scott, Ye, Chevy Commercials, and Underwater Stages

Accurate Staging has spent 25 years building the structures underneath some of the biggest names in live entertainment — Travis Scott, Ye, Zara Larsson — without most of the audience ever knowing the company's name. Founded in 2001 by brothers-in-law Jose Cantu and Freddy Gomez, the company has grown from a single warehouse into facilities across Los Angeles, Nashville, and Atlanta, staffed by sons, grandsons, nephews, and decades-long employees who call each other family too. Giggs went behind the scenes at their LA and Nashville shops to see how a company this size builds everything from a viral Chevy commercial to the rolling stage that carried players onto the field for the FIFA World Cup at SoFi Stadium — and even certifies its own crew to build stages at the bottom of a lake.What you'll learn:What it takes to launch Travis Scott onstage from a hydraulic "toaster"Inside the inflatable dome hiding a 32-foot scaffold structure that becomes Kanye West's rotating globe stageThe overnight scramble that built an NBA All-Star basketball court from 250 decks after a single 5 p.m. phone callThe behind-the-scenes story of a viral Chevy commercial build, including a custom track system built to roll five cars into positionWhy some crew members are scuba certified, and what it actually takes to build a stage structure underwaterWhat it took to survive months without pay after opening four months before September 11, 2001 and again during the COVID pandemicHow three generations of one family — including Jose's grandson Adrian — are running the company's next chapterFeatured guests:Jose Cantu — Co-Founder & COOJose started welding stages for another entertainment company at 18 years old in 1986, building the first Mötley Crüe drum riser early in his career. In 2001, he and his brother-in-law Freddy Gomez left steady jobs to start Accurate Staging from a single warehouse — surviving a near-total business wipeout after 9/11 and going on to build for Kanye West, Travis Scott, and a viral Chevy commercial, among hundreds of other projects.Freddy Gomez — Co-Founder & CEOFreddy came from construction and design, with earlier experience at Showlites, before partnering with his brother-in-law Jose to start Accurate Staging in 2001. He worked every role in the company's early years — designer, fabricator, installer — through 20- and 30-hour days, and has helped grow the company from a single flatbed truck's worth of gear to a multi-city operation.Adrian Wexler — Project Manager & Executive AssistantJose's grandson, Adrian grew up in the company's warehouses and has worked his way from painting decks and washing truss as a kid to leading Accurate Staging's operational modernization — including introducing Slack-based systems for job communication and site updates.Herman McDonough — Operations Manager & Crew ChiefHerman has spent over 20 years in the live events industry, starting out building props for Las Vegas magicians before moving into staging. As crew chief, he oversees inventory, crew staffing, and job prep across Accurate Staging's LA warehouse.Johnny Cantu — Sales RepJose's eldest son, Johnny has been around the family business most of his life and has worked professionally at Accurate Staging for over 15 years, handling client relationships across touring, corporate, and festival work.Mike Munoz — Sales RepMike, a member of the Cantu family, has spent 16 years at Accurate Staging and leads major touring accounts, including work with Kanye West and Travis Scott, out of the company's Nashville facility.Joe Castellanos — Sales RepJoe has spent 16 years at Accurate Staging, starting out cold-calling from a client binder before building a career in sales and project management. He still gets in the field with the install crew on jobs.Jake Lacher — Lead Project Manager & Technical DesignerBased in Nashville, Jake came from a background in technical theater direction before joining Accurate Staging, where he now leads custom design and CAD work for touring clients including The Red Clay Strays and Zara Larsson.Find your next Gigg and join the #1 community for the live events industry: https://www.giggs.live/Stay up to date:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giggs.liveYoutube: https://youtube.com/@giggs-liveLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/giggs-llc/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@giggs.liveHost: Nikki Sanz