Jim Niesel is a Senior Theatre Consultant with the global engineering and consulting firm, Arup. After graduating from the University of Arizona, he spent eight years in Southern California working in various capacities of technical production for venues such as South Coast Repertory Theatre, Knott’s Berry Farm, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and Chaffey College, among others. In the past seven years as a consultant,  he has designed or assisted on over 40 projects in the United States and 6 international venues.
           As a Theatre Consultant at the international design and engineering firm Arup, he is responsible for designing and coordinating the integration of lighting, video, audio, seating and rigging and performance machinery for all types of facilities from Houses of Worship to Corporate Theaters to major Performing Arts Centers both domestically and internationally.
           He is an active member of the Rigging Working Group, part of the Technical Standards Program of ESTA, the Entertainment Services and Technology Association and an ETCP certified theatre rigger.