Windsor’s Tony Bahno keeps stars like Lady Gaga and Beyoncé safe during major events

April 22--Tony Bahno is not just your ordinary "insurance guy." The 58-year-old Windsor man's work as senior vice president of "risk control" for Marsh Risk and Insurance Services, one of the world's largest insurance brokers, puts him smack in the middle of some of the most thrilling entertainment events of the year, including The Superbowl and The Academy Awards.

It is Bahno's steady and experienced presence that makes sure no one, from the audience and crew to megastars like Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, get hurt.

In fact, it was Bahno who came up with the plan to get Gaga and her entourage safely up to the roof of NRG Stadium in Houston for her throat-catching half-time spectacle literally under the stars at Superbowl 51.

On the field, he's responsible for the safety of up to 1,400 people between the stage crew, special effects team, performers and various volunteers.

A tuxedo-clad Bahno was backstage at this year's Oscars, watching a debacle unfold as the cast, director and producers of "La La Land" scampered up to the stage to accept a Best Picture award they hadn't actually won.

Bahno has clocked more than 30 years as a safety specialist for various large insurance carriers. He's been a safety specialist for everything from racetracks to The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus.

He and his wife, Diane, have lived in Windsor for 20 years and have three grown kids, Julianne Ryan, Laura Hickman and Andrew Bahno, all in their twenties.

Q: Describe what you do?

A: "I work with a wide range of industries that include construction, wineries, sports and entertainment, hospitals, hotels and casinos. All during the whole process I'm trying to reduce the risk associated with their operations. I'm looking at safety concerns from an employee's standpoint and a public standpoint...I'm making a safety assessment of an event, from how it is being built to how it is going to function during the time people are going to be there to how it is going to be deconstructed. There are different risks, different safety things that crop up during each of those distinct part of the process.

During preproduction for instance, observing building the stage, putting in lights, hanging things from 200 feet up in the stadium. I have to go and take a look at that and make sure individuals are doing that in a safe and productive manner."

Q: For the most recent Superbowl you created the safety plan for Lady Gaga's rooftop performance and flying dive into the stadium. What did that entail?

A:"It's up to me to help my client work through the risks involved in that particular thing that entertainer wants to do. In the case of Lady Gaga, when she wanted to go onto the roof of the stadium. I was involved in how we were going to get her and her entourage, including her mother and her father, her sister and security people, and another 25 production people and camera crew, from a certain part of the stadium up safely to the roof level and down safely, and in a fairly dark environment....We had lights put in the area and some flashlights...I knew I had people who weren't used to going up ladders. The risk for them was going up a ladder of about 10 feet and then another ladder that was 15 feet, and then through a hatch onto the roof. You don't want anyone to carry anything. And they had to do it in the dark because the whole shot of her in the opening was done at night. It was really cool just to be a part of that."

Q: Although it appeared that Lady Gaga was diving into the stadium from the roof, the opening songs were filmed ahead of time. How was that pulled off?

A:"While all the other components to the stage were being put together, and once the house lights went down, she made her way into the stadium, and one stage hand rigged her up on a harness and while everyone's attention was diverted to what appeared to be her on the roof, she was being hoisted up in the dark 90 feet up."

Q: Were you nervous when these stunts are actually happening?

A: "There's a company involved in actually flying people, hooking them up into a harness and doing it whether its a rock concert or a halftime show. They've been doing it for 60 or 70 years. I got to meet them the first time working a halftime show with Katy Perry (who flew on a shooting star above the crowd while fireworks exploded around her), and at two Oscar shows where there were aerial acts."

Q: How was Lady Gaga to work with?

A:"She was very comfortable with what she had to do. It speaks to her professionalism as an artist and on top of that she was very gracious and sincerely appreciative of all the effort that goes into making the show. It's rare that somebody in my position gets to actually meet the talent. It was probably the biggest high so far of my career when she gave me a hug and thanked me for what I was doing. That never happened before and maybe it will never happen again."

Q: What's going on in your head during the actual show?

A:"When a stunt first starts, we're all a little anxious. But I just have the confidence and the trust that everybody has done their job the right way. It's like, 'OK, here we go. Let's see how this plays out.' I'm confident and a little apprehensive, but mostly confident. Nothing phases me."

Q: Have you ever had to step in and change anything during a live show?

A:"At one of the Oscar shows, there were a series of staircases off to the side of the stage. They were only supposed to be used by the camera people to access the stage.

Somebody in a nice gown and heels who was excited and not looking where they were going could fall off that stair and into the orchestra pit. I was sitting back and watching someone go up those stairs not once but twice. I had to jump into action and find the right people to talk to who were responsible for escorting those people from their seats.

I said, 'Tell them if they use the main staircase they're going to be on camera longer. So with the subsequent award winners we didn't have that problem. And this year, the stage was redesigned without those side staircases."

Q: Where are you stationed at The Oscars?

A: "I can pretty much go anywhere that I want to. So at various points within the process I might start at the red carpet. Backstage I get a bird's eye view of the winners when they first come off the stage and they have their Oscars and they're just beside themselves."

Q: You were backstage when Faye Dunaway was given the wrong envelope and announced the wrong Best Picture winner. What was the scene like?

A: "It was very very hectic. Between all the people that were associated with the show there was shock and disbelief. Some people thought it was a joke. There were a lot of questions shouted back and forth."

Q: What went through your mind?

A: "I thought, 'Is Jimmy Kimmel making a joke"? But in reality, I'm not surprised it happened. The one thing you cannot get roped into when you're in this industry, is to become star struck and look around. Oh there's Brie Larson! Or there is Emma Watson! They're literally standing 3 feet away from you."

Q: Do you take pictures?

A: "I do but I don't repost them during the event. Mine are more artistic shots. For example at The Superbowl I'm taking pictures of what the flame effects look like or when Lady Gaga lands. As a rule, I'm not there to take pictures. I'm there to use my eyes to make sure nobody trips over anything. When you're back stage at The Oscars they're moving parts around. Theres a crew of 30 to 40 stagehands that have to move something past cameras to get it out on stage before they come back from commercial break.'

Q: Have any celebrities talked to you?

A: "When you're at The Oscars, you're just sitting there and people walk by and some stars say hello. Vince Vaughn, Justin Timberlake."

Q: What's the most important personal quality you bring to the job?

A: "It's getting to understand what your client does and what their risk are associated with what they do. The thing that keeps me engaged is that I have an innate curiosity just to see how stuff is done and how a show is put on. And I truly love a challenge."

Q: How did you fall into this line of work?

A: "I was a natural science major at Indiana University of PennsylvaniA: I got hired out of school by a large insurance company that had a training program for people who had science degrees and they started me on the path to this career."

Q: Do you have retirement plans?

A: "There's an old adage that if you really enjoy what you're doing it's not like work. I'm very fortunate to love what I do and I just want to keep doing it as long as I can."

You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at [email protected] or 707-521-5204. On Twitter @megmcconahey.

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