It’s exhilarating to start fresh. But, change also leads into the unknown.
Choosing to step into that unknown can be daunting, but Patrick Hentz, Project Manager at MediaMerge, is no stranger to taking on the challenge of new opportunities.
Catching the Lighting Bug Early
“My interest in Lighting started in high school,” Patrick says. “I was really into Live Theater, and the way that Lighting Design could shift the entire mood of a production really caught my attention.
After high school, Patrick attended the University of North Alabama. Rather than focusing exclusively on the Arts, he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and Business Management while continuing to remain active in the world of Live Production.
Problem Solving in the Church and Beyond
Although the spheres of Lighting Design and Project Management might not always overlap, Patrick’s unique skills and experience in both worlds perfectly prepared him for his time at the Church of the Highlands, where he worked before joining MediaMerge.
As the Lighting Director for every Highlands campus, Patrick had a lot on his plate. Procurement, service planning, lighting integrations, as well as direct oversight of additional lighting staff and volunteers – Patrick oversaw it all. By the time he left in 2019, the Lighting Team had grown exponentially, and Patrick shifted his focus to working with churches around the country.
“I participated in a lot of training events and roundtable meetings,” Patrick explains. “I focused primarily on the Lighting Design aspect of Live Production for large churches and secular events. My lighting expertise fused with my managerial knowledge, and my niche became Project Management, Design and Integration.”
Building Bridges
Over the years, Patrick’s career overlapped and intersected regularly with Stephen Kirkland, who oversees Church Outreach for MediaMerge.
“Stephen and I have been friends since we worked together at Highlands. We maintained that friendship for years, even when we no longer worked together each day,” Patrick says. “We happened to run into each other one afternoon and Stephen mentioned MediaMerge needed a project manager. Our friendly conversations became an impromptu interview.”
That chance encounter led right to another surprise: Patrick was hired and immediately dove right into the middle of a project for First United Methodist Church of Montgomery. Entering a project that’s already half-complete is never simple. However, Patrick’s ability to quickly build relationships with the teams at FUMC helped him finalize the project with excellence.
Here’s to the Future
“It hasn’t really been a direct road to Project Manager,” Patrick notes, “But all of my interests, studies, and job experiences have helped me develop a skillset perfectly suited for my role at MediaMerge.”
And MediaMerge definitely puts those skills to use: managing projects, handling logistics, communicating with clients and juggling timelines, and keeping external contractors and the MediaMerge team up-to-speed with project progress. The list goes on.
“Oh! And don’t forget the actual Lighting. I still get to do that too!”
Patrick loves his new role. All those experiences, all those learned skills, and all those relationships built along the way – they all led Patrick to MediaMerge.