Zach Wright
Graduation Year: 2008
Location: London, England
Type of Creative: Live Entertainment Management
What They Do: Senior Technical Director for TAIT, a world-class live experience company that provides design, producing, production management, and technical supervision services to events like Governors Ball Music Festival, Formula 1 After Race Concert Series, Soundstorm Music Festival, and the NBA All-Star Game & Halftime Show. Zach specializes in advising and helping creative teams achieve their vision for live TV and event industries. Wright has also participated in multiple Guinness World Records, including the world’s tallest stage, largest LED screen on a stage, tallest and most flames on a stage, and largest marquee-style tent and floor.
Their Journey: After graduating from Wellington, Zach went on to get a BFA at Purchase College, SUNY, with an eye on working in commercial theatre technical production. However, his trajectory changed course when working as an intern on the “Daily Show” when his production manager on the set referred him to TAIT for an internship the following summer. It was this opportunity that helped him realize he much preferred the faster pace of live TV and event industries compared to commercial theatre production. Wright was hired full-time by TAIT upon college graduation in 2012 and has worked on projects all over the world since. Zach finds great satisfaction in his work because of the people he works with and the teamwork needed to bring creative visions to life. Every project is unique, presenting a distinct set of challenges he must solve, and he credits Wellington’s educational foundation in developing effective learning strategies.
The Wellington Impact: While at Wellington, Zach always felt that the teachers tried to “meet students where they were,” emphasizing the school’s focus on individual student needs and fostering a supportive environment. This manifested itself in his courses at Wellington, where effective learning strategies were the focus, not just memorization. Since each project he currently works on presents a new set of challenges, he sees the value in identifying knowledge gaps and formulating the right questions. His key is to understand what he doesn't know and how to find the answers through a structured learning process, prioritizing important information.
Zach’s creative instincts were sparked at Wellington through his work in theatre production and involvement with the school’s jazz group, Blue Notes. The recording of the Blue Notes album was his first experience with live sound and still influences his current work in audio engineering. In addition, he was heavily involved in theatre production and was even hired by the school (as a student) to be a technical assistant to manage BPAC events like middle and lower school productions. He found the independence fostered by these activities helped him develop self-starting and leadership skills.
Wright’s advice for current Wellington students is to believe in one’s ability to achieve goals regardless of perceived limitations and continuously explore new experiences because even negative ones can lead to unexpected career paths.