When most children have been ready in lengthy strains to trip curler coasters at Hershey Park, Ryan Stana discovered himself gravitating to one thing that gave him a a lot larger thrill: the park’s theater. “I’d sit and watch the exhibits — and I used to be captivated,” he advised 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. Possibly my rose coloured glasses broke, however I noticed a possibility to convey excellence and innovation to attraction and leisure leisure.”
Stana says he had two goals when he was a child: to develop into a Broadway performer and to develop into a trainer. And people two passions got here collectively when, shortly after school, he launched his personal stay experiences firm RWS International. “I’m very fortunate,” he says, “Each of my mother and father 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 condo (extra on that later), RWS has develop into 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 International
Entrepreneur spoke with Stana to get the complete image of how he launched and grew his firm. Very like the exhibits and occasions RWS International produces, his story is full of drama and motion.
Inform us concerning the second you determined to begin your personal 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 per week. The corporate I used to be working for had superb artistic, however they didn’t know function and finances. 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 it’s good to have a steadiness between artistic and operational pondering. So sooner or later I referred to as my mother and father and stated, “I hate this job.” And so they have been like, “Ryan, why do not you go and open your personal enterprise?” And I stated, “OK.” So I give up.
In order that’s the choice — how did you truly begin the enterprise?
I went again to my condo in New York Metropolis. I had two roommates on the time, Barry and Colby, and I stated, “I’ll open an workplace within the nook of our lounge. And when the telephone rings, I would like you to reply it so it feels like folks work right here. I am going to 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 stated, “I now work for RWS International. If you happen to’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 bear in mind moving into and pitching, and as I used to be leaving the room, the consumer got here out and stated, “Ryan, we’re providing 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 several types of occasions. Are you able to boil it down for folks unfamiliar with the stay occasions area?
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 now we have our land manufacturing division, the place we’re offering momentary experiences and stay exhibits in theme parks, retail facilities, and seasonal programming. We do pop-up model experiences in accommodations and resorts. Then now we have our at-sea manufacturing division, the place we offer full-scale Broadway-type productions and immersive experiences on cruise ships. Then now we have a retail and merchandise division. And our sixth division is our casting division. We offer over 8,000 jobs internationally 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 effectively, get positioned in a Broadway present or a business. That enables us to nook the market.
CREDIT: MEDIOR MUSICAL
As a performer, may you simply say, “Hey, I’ll forged myself as Simba?”
I could not say that and nor would anybody need me to say that anymore. I nonetheless get quite a lot of pleasure in seeing the success of our expertise. That is what drives me. And after I say expertise, it isn’t simply the folks on the stage. It is seeing the folks in our workplace have success as effectively.
Associated: This 34-Yr-Previous Was ‘Wildly Un-Passionate’ About His Day Job, So He Began a 9-Determine Aspect Hustle: ‘Be an Animal’
Are you able to give us a way of your organization’s income development?
We reached near about $50 million in income a yr after the pandemic. We now have grown to 9 figures since then. We expanded largely by way of 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 Large Occasions), and most lately bought an app (Concord Helper) that helps performers be taught their music in a quicker method, which permits our productions and our shoppers to save cash. In 2023, we additionally took on a non-public fairness agency, Bluestone Fairness Companions. I bought 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 be taught as issues come. I really consider that when you’ve got a ardour for what you do, you’ll determine it out. I advised a buddy lately that you just need not spend time getting an MBA. When you’ve got a ardour and you’re employed arduous, you are going to have success. However if you happen to suppose being an entrepreneur isn’t 24/7? You are useless mistaken.
How do you develop in a manageable method that does not unfold your self too skinny?
I’ve made it some extent since day one to not make our success based mostly on myself or any particular person. It is about having the methods and processes for the corporate to develop. And having a timeline for motion. We are saying these are the issues we wish to accomplish in 2025. And if a brand new concept comes up, nice, we bump it to 2026. So as soon as we have laid that basis, the combination of these companies may be very easy. Now I’d be mendacity to you to say that it has not been bumpy while you’re shopping for six+ corporations, however you take heed to folks and respect what they are saying, and transfer ahead.
Associated: These Roommates Began a Aspect Hustle in Their Denver Condo. Now It is an 8-Determine Enterprise With $1 Million Months: ‘Go Be Unreasonable.’
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. Individuals would most likely chortle after I say this, however it’s about discovering a work-life steadiness. And the one one who can change a work-life steadiness is you as a person. I all the time guarantee that as soon as per week, I’ve sooner or later 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 do not forget that with out these folks, I could not be doing what I do.
