RWS Entertainment Group Expands Leadership Team to Support Unprecedented Growth

New York, NY – April 5, 2022 – RWS Entertainment Group, the world’s exclusive, full-service provider of award-winning guest experiences and attractions, has added key positions to the global leadership team and promoted long-time employees to help guide daily operations. The staff additions and promotions allow Founder and CEO, Ryan Stana to sharpen his focus on the future while the leadership team delivers elevated experiences for clients, employees, performers and technicians. Recent changes include the promotion of Danielle Kramer to Executive Vice President, Operations, the appointment of Ryan Murphy to the position of Vice President, Production Services & Operations and the hiring of Augustus Bennett as Director, Human Resources.

• Danielle Kramer, Executive Vice President, Operations joined RWS at its inception nearly 20 years ago. She embodies the RWS brand: creative, professional, compassionate, fearless and dedicated to excellence. Kramer has excelled in nearly every aspect of company operations, bringing shows to life for dozens of high-profile brands and events. She has led projects from concept to reality for clients including Mattel, Hersheypark, Six Flags, CBS, Westfield Properties and the 2009 Emmy Award-winning production – Macy’s Stars on Broadway. Respected among clients and peers, Kramer will play a major role in leading the company with her vast experience in the entertainment industry.
• Ryan Murphy, Vice President, Production Services & Operations, has almost two decades of theatrical and event management credits including 98 Broadway, national tour and international productions. He previously worked for Troika Entertainment and most recently for Aurora Productions as Vice President/Production Manager, where his projects included the Broadway production of To Kill a Mockingbird and The Lehman Trilogy, the first national tour of Hadestown and more. Murphy holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Niagara University of Rochester and serves as an adjunct instructor at Columbia University in their MFA Stage Management Program.
• Augustus Bennett, Director, Human Resources comes to RWS with an extensive portfolio of employee management, talent relations, television and theatrical experience. He has designed, implemented and taught training programs to align with company policies and legal compliance standards and has already been instrumental in crafting the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) policy at RWS. Bennett’s professional goal is to create a symbiotic relationship between leadership, employees, business partners and other artists. He previously worked at Entertainment Partners & Central Casting, where he was the principal decision-maker for onset human resources concerns alongside Disney, Warner Bros., Netflix, NBC Universal and other network/production companies. Prior to that role, Bennett was a Regional Human Resources Manager at Rockport Administrative Services.

Recent RWS promotions also include Craig Laurie, Executive Vice President, Creative; Kevin Kreczko, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Business Development; Joe Christopher, Senior Vice President, Production and Tarrah Vedder, Senior Vice President, Administration.

• Craig Laurie to Executive Vice President, Creative: Combining his vast experience in various arts mediums, Laurie oversees the creative for RWS Entertainment Group’s projects to make sure the client’s needs are not only met but exceeded. RWS projects that Laurie has led creative on include the award-winning Lincoln Center Stage for Holland America Line in partnership with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; 54 Below at Sea, an award-winning branded Guest Entertainer experience in partnership with New York’s Feinstein’s / 54 Below for Azamara; as well as stage productions and experiences for MSC Cruises, Azamara, IAAPA, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, Six Flags, Cedar Fair, Palace Entertainment, Madame Tussaud’s, Macy’s Herald Square and Iberostar Resorts.
• Kevin Kreczko to Senior Vice President, Marketing & Business Development: Kevin Kreczko is an award-winning executive entertainment producer, director and production management professional with more than 20 years of experience in sales, creative marketing, event production, product development and business operations. Kreczko has been instrumental in the conception and creation of some of the theme park industry’s most popular consumer events including Six Flags’ Holiday in the Park, Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream and SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration. Kreczko previously worked at Lionstone Development as Vice President, Creative and Marketing and has been with RWS for five years.
• Joe Christopher to Senior Vice President, Production: Joe Christopher has 17 years of experience within the theatrical industry with an impressive background general managing Broadway shows, national tours, international productions, special events and more for The Kennedy Center, Troika Entertainment and RCI Theatricals. Christopher has spent the last four years at RWS, initially developing new theatrical productions and overseeing the casting operation, but most recently managing several divisions within the production department, including developing RWS Fun Crew™: Staffing Reimagined from the ground up.
• Tarrah Vedder to Senior Vice President, Administration: Tarrah Vedder started her career at RWS more than 15 years ago. She has honed her experience with an unrelenting passion for quality, working on commercial shoots with MTV Networks and in the theatrical events department for the Broadway/Off-Broadway production company, Manhattan Theatre Club. While at RWS, Vedder has produced events for Vera Wang, Victoria’s Secret, Kohl’s, CBS Television and Mattel. She has also produced the Emmy-Award winning production, Macy’s Stars on Broadway, as well as multiple award-winning productions for Holland America and Celebrity Cruises.

“When I started RWS nearly twenty years ago, one of my top goals was to provide career opportunities for performers, designers, technicians, stage managers and all of the incredible roles that are so important to the entertainment industry,” said Stana. “Many of the leaders in our company have been part of RWS from the early days. They are the reason RWS has been successful and I am thrilled to watch them grow and lead our company into the future.”

Over the past two decades, RWS has established a career trajectory for performers and technicians, giving them the opportunity to follow their dreams, develop their skills and showcase their talent on stage and on screen. RWS’ 8,000 seasonal roles provide performers and technicians with a memorable summer job, a roadmap to success or the opportunity of a lifetime.

With offices in New York, London and Cincinnati, RWS continues to expand with full-time, seasonal and contract positions: https://rws.applytojob.com/.