HITTING THE RIGHT BUTTONS. Tyler Edmondson, right, is assistant director of Event Services at UW-Eau Claire. (Submitted photo)

With the hundreds of events that take place each year on the UW-Eau Claire campus, it would be expected that the person directing that complex technical and logistical work and a 40-student production crew would carve out much needed relaxation when away from campus.

Not so for Tyler Edmondson, assistant director of Event Services. He says he has a personal philosophy of “leaning into challenge,” a mantra that recently fueled his second completion of the Marji Gesick 100-mile trail run Sept. 20 in Marquette, Michigan, with a finishing time of 37 hours, 30 minutes.

“This run was much harder than my first time at the 100-mile,” says Edmondson, who also completed the 50-mile run in his first attempt in 2020. “My training took a hit last summer due to COVID-19, so this one was rough. I reached a point in the 90s stretch where I didn’t think I could do it, but with the help of my support team, I found that last little bit in the well and made it to the finish.”

Edmondson, a 2013 Blugold theatre arts graduate, describes himself as a casual runner prior to finding this race, but something about the ethos of this grueling event really stuck a chord with him and he says he’s “hooked.”

Edmondson, who also has a master’s degree in adventure-based experiential learning, says the parallels between an event like the Gesick run and his work with students at UW-Eau Claire are significant. “Since my own time working on campus events as a student, to my professional work in staging and production in Colorado, to my current role with students, the same ethos rings true – there is much to gain in pushing through suffering to do a very difficult job,” he says. “Whether it’s a 100-mile trail with 13,000 feet of elevation change or the weeklong setup and 12-hour tear down of the Viennese Ball, we go in knowing that it’s going to be really hard at moments, but we are doing it together.”

Edmondson on a trail run. (Submitted photo)

This community-building experience is exactly the kind of high-impact learning that Edmondson and the Event Services team seek to offer the dozens of student Event Production Crew (EPC) members each academic year. (These crews work on off-campus events, too, including Volume One’s Sounds Like Summer Concert Series.)

We asked Edmondson a few questions to help our campus and community get to know this key campus leader a little better.

What led you to your work with University Centers and the student event crews? Describe your career path for us.

Foundationally it started at UWEC as an undergrad comprehensive theatre major. I spent much of my time backstage supporting the technical elements of mainstage shows and student-driven productions, and worked for the EPC. These experiences allowed me to grow as a leader, strong communicator and capable problem solver.

After graduating, I was hired full time to support the EPC and Davies Center. During that summer, I took over duties for my supervisor who had an extended absence, an experience that set the tone for my professional development. I had to grow into the role very quickly, suddenly supervising 20-plus student crew members and coordinating all technical logistics of large-scale events throughout campus. Through these major challenges, I learned, failed, grew and came out of that academic year a skilled young professional ready to take on the world.

When that contract ended, I moved to Denver, Colorado, with little more in place than an apartment and family in the area — no plan, job or professional contacts. I found gigs supporting performance venues, theaters and summer stock companies such as the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. I worked odd jobs, food service and had a stint at a tech startup.

During this time, I found my way into experiential education and started working as a facilitator at ropes courses, as an instructor at a day camp and a trip leader. I taught rock climbing, skiing at a ski school in the mountains, primitive fire building, winter ecology, snowshoeing and plant identification, while facilitating community building.

Around that time, I learned of an events leadership position opening at UWEC, and a few months later I was driving a U-Haul back to Eau Claire to start my career.

What is something that you want all students interested in working for the EPC to know about the job and how your management team works with students?

Our goals and purpose with the EPC staff are to develop a strong and supportive community while developing tangible high-impact practices for each employee. EPC does essential work here, applying their knowledge and skill to ensure that every performance, every production and every speaker, from the chancellor to the nervous student giving their first major research presentation, has a successful and trouble-free experience.

We want our crew members to graduate with leadership skills that include strong communication, troubleshooting, customer service and public speaking. We have alumni come back to us for the "I didn't know" conversation, various versions of their realization that the skills they gained doing the hard work on events continue to serve them in their careers and lives.

In your various roles on campus, is there a part of your work you’ve remained especially passionate about?

Having a hand in events that reach someone's core absolutely keeps me coming back each day, events like The Fire Ball or Viennese Ball. I love seeing our student crew take ownership and have pride in the work they do to ensure the experience creates a special magic produced by the live event experience. Working with students and developing a strong community is something I love. It's taken years of consistent work, but we see our students become leaders who facilitate community building — the model is working.

What do you enjoy most about being part of the campus and Eau Claire community?
What a beautiful campus and city we get to live in! I love the food and access to art and performances. Our proximity to nature and abundance of trails and waterways brings me so much joy. Eau Claire and campus is so vibrant. There is always something to do or be a part of.

Had you not landed in this line of work with University Centers, what might you have envisioned yourself doing for a living?

Most likely working in outdoor/experiential education, though I can imagine I would have found my way back to higher ed at some point.

When you are not on campus, where in Eau Claire is your favorite spot to be?

I love to be at parks, outdoor music venues or a nice patio or cozy spot for drinks.

What was the last great book you read that you would recommend to fellow Blugolds?

East of Eden by John Steinbeck.