When most youngsters have been ready in lengthy traces to experience curler coasters at Hershey Park, Ryan Stana discovered himself gravitating to one thing that gave him a a lot greater thrill: the park’s theater. “I’d sit and watch the exhibits — and I used to be captivated,” he informed Entrepreneur. “And after I was a senior in highschool, I used to be nonetheless watching these exhibits, however I began to note this ‘unpolished’ high quality. Perhaps my rose coloured glasses broke, however I noticed a chance to deliver excellence and innovation to attraction and leisure leisure.”
Stana says he had two desires when he was a child: to turn out to be a Broadway performer and to turn out to be a instructor. And people two passions got here collectively when, shortly after school, he launched his personal stay experiences firm RWS Global. “I’m very fortunate,” he says, “Each of my dad and mom are entrepreneurs and are extraordinarily supportive — they taught me that with arduous work, something is feasible.”
Since its launch from the nook of a crowded New York Metropolis condominium (extra on that later), RWS has turn out to be a powerhouse in stay leisure, casting Broadway exhibits like The Lion King, creating leisure and experiences for cruiselines like Disney Cruise Line, producing international occasions just like the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Video games, and far more.
Credit score: RWS World
Entrepreneur spoke with Stana to get the total image of how he launched and grew his firm. Very similar to the exhibits and occasions RWS World produces, his story is filled with drama and motion.
Inform us concerning the second you determined to start out your individual firm.
As quickly as I completed school, I moved to New York Metropolis and have become an affiliate producer for company and retail occasions. I used to be making $600 every week. The corporate I used to be working for had wonderful artistic, however they didn’t know how one can function and price range. I can not consider I am even saying that as a result of after I was in highschool, I used to be horrible at math. However I spotted, “Hey, they’re making $200,000, however they’re spending $250,000.” I noticed that you’ll want to have a stability between artistic and operational considering. So in the future I referred to as my dad and mom and mentioned, “I hate this job.” And so they have been like, “Ryan, why do not you go and open your individual enterprise?” And I mentioned, “OK.” So I give up.
In order that’s the choice — how did you truly begin the enterprise?
I went again to my condominium in New York Metropolis. I had two roommates on the time, Barry and Colby, and I mentioned, “I’ll open an workplace within the nook of our lounge. And when the telephone rings, I want you to reply it so it feels like folks work right here. I will deduct cash from our utility invoice each month if you happen to do. I despatched out an e-mail that evening to all of the folks I had labored with and mentioned, “I now work for RWS World. In the event you’re , please attain out.” I did not inform them that I owned it as a result of who was going to belief a 21-year-old?
And when do you know that this concept was going to work?
About three weeks in, Clear Channel referred to as me about an upfront presentation and requested me to pitch for a $150,000 occasion. I keep in mind getting into and pitching, and as I used to be leaving the room, the shopper got here out and mentioned, “Ryan, we’re supplying you with this gig.” And I knew we had one thing particular in our key providing: turnkey operations. We deal with the creativity, the folks and the operations, and have systemized the method.
Your organization does so many various kinds of occasions. Are you able to boil it down for folks unfamiliar with the stay occasions house?
We are the world chief in creating stay moments throughout leisure and sports activities. We’re basically damaged down into six divisions: Design vacation spot, the place we are literally designing theme parks, zoos, aquariums, museums, customer facilities. Then we now have our land manufacturing division, the place we’re offering short-term experiences and stay exhibits in theme parks, retail facilities, and seasonal programming. We do pop-up model experiences in motels and resorts. Then we now have our at-sea manufacturing division, the place we offer full-scale Broadway-type productions and immersive experiences on cruise ships. Then we now have a retail and merchandise division. And our sixth division is our casting division. We offer over 8,000 jobs the world over for technicians and performers. We create a trajectory for our expertise, so you can begin working for us at Six Flags, transfer to a cruise ship, and if you happen to do properly, get positioned in a Broadway present or a business. That permits us to nook the market.
Credit score: Medora Musical
As a performer, might you simply say, “Hey, I’ll solid myself as Simba?”
I could not say that and nor would anybody need me to say that anymore. I nonetheless get lots of pleasure in seeing the success of our expertise. That is what drives me. And after I say expertise, it is not simply the folks on the stage. It is seeing the folks in our workplace have success as properly.
Are you able to give us a way of your organization’s income progress?
We reached near about $50 million in income a yr after the pandemic. We have now grown to 9 figures since then. We expanded principally via acquisitions. We acquired a casting firm in 2016 (Binder Casting), then we bought a vacation spot design enterprise in 2021 (JRA). We then purchased our largest competitor in Europe in 2022 (ted). After which we bought the sports activities division in 2024 (Nice Massive Occasions), and most just lately bought an app (Concord Helper) that helps performers study their music in a quicker method, which permits our productions and our purchasers to economize. In 2023, we additionally took on a non-public fairness agency, Bluestone Fairness Companions. I offered off a minority quantity of the enterprise to maneuver our firm into the long run.
Did theater faculty put together you for all of this?
I simply study as issues come. I really consider that in case you have a ardour for what you do, you’ll determine it out. I informed a buddy just lately that you just needn’t spend time getting an MBA. You probably have a ardour and you’re employed arduous, you are going to have success. However if you happen to suppose being an entrepreneur shouldn’t be 24/7? You are lifeless improper.
How do you develop in a manageable method that does not unfold your self too skinny?
I’ve made it a degree since day one to not make our success primarily based on myself or any particular person. It is about having the techniques and processes for the corporate to develop. And having a timeline for motion. We are saying these are the issues we need to accomplish in 2025. And if a brand new thought comes up, nice, we bump it to 2026. So as soon as we have laid that basis, the mixing of these companies may be very easy. Now I’d be mendacity to you to say that it has not been bumpy once you’re shopping for six+ corporations, however you hearken to folks and respect what they are saying, and transfer ahead.
How do you flip your mind off? Can you watch exhibits and never have your work mind going?
I can not loosen up after I watch a present — that I can promise you. Folks would in all probability giggle after I say this, but it surely’s about discovering a work-life stability. And the one one who can change a work-life stability is you as a person. I all the time guarantee that as soon as every week, I’ve in the future that I shut off. That’s Ryan’s lazy day, the place I simply watch senseless tv and chill and spend time with my husband and my household to keep in mind that with out these folks, I could not be doing what I do.
