How Children’s Television Led to Stagedge

A Senior Producer on Career, Colleagues and the Role of a Lifetime

As a Senior Producer at Stagedge, Joey Toppan translates her experience producing the magic of live children’s television into sharp, effective live events for clients. Her portfolio spans pre-production logistics for virtual and live programs through on-site execution. As the main liaison between Stagedge’s production teams and the client, she relies on strong organization, flawless execution and comfort with the unpredictable. We sat down with Joey to discuss her role and how television prepared her for event management.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your role at Stagedge.

JT: I’m a Senior Producer, and every day looks different. I’m the primary contact for our clients—the person who tracks every event detail and ensures the right information reaches the right team members.

Q: That sounds like a lot to manage. What is the most important part of your role?

JT: Open communication. It’s tempting to handle everything yourself, but your team needs that information to do their jobs. I stay in constant contact with clients when details change and immediately share updates with our production team.

Q: How does someone choose a career like this?

JT: What first sparked my interest was a lifelong dream of working on Sesame Street. I studied TV production at Emerson College, then interned at PBS affiliate WGBH on the show Zoom. I did everything from making corn dogs to organising wardrobe. After graduation they hired me to feed a 50-person crew—an early lesson in production logistics.

Q: That’s a lot of responsibility right out of the gate. How did you learn to do the job?

JT: I had no idea what I was doing at first, but I learned quickly. That job still informs my work at Stagedge: organisation is key—and so is keeping the crew happy (and fed). From WGBH kids’ shows I moved into broader production and agency work, which ultimately led me to Stagedge. I never made it to Sesame Street, but children’s television carried me into the live-event world.

Q: What is the best part of a career at Stagedge? What would you tell someone considering a role here?

JT: I work with the best people in the business—they’re colleagues, friends and family. Everyone knows their job inside and out. My love for live-event production kept me going even when the pandemic forced us into virtual events. At Stagedge you’ll always be surrounded by the sharpest professionals in the industry.

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Stagedge: Creating Immersive Experiences for 50 years — Boston’s premier full-service event-production company, delivering live, virtual and hybrid brand experiences worldwide.