Behind the Stage Door Documentary Trailer

It's the late 1960’s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and if you didn’t work in the steel mills or glass factories, you weren’t going to make it in this town. But a shaggy haired kid from Creighton, Pennsylvania wasn’t going to play by those rules. Rich Engler wanted to play music and be a part of a cultural movement that was sweeping the globe, Rock N’ Roll. From his early days playing drums in his band, The Grains of Sand, to becoming one of the top grossing concert promoters in the United States, Rich Engler is the embodiment of the rags to “riches” American Dream come true.

In this pilot episode for an upcoming series focused on the behind the scenes of the music business, we feature Pittsburgh’s legendary rock n’ roll promoter, Rich Engler. During the rise of stadium rock in the 1970s and well into the 1980s arena rock era, Mr. Engler was instrumental in promoting rock and roll in the Steel City before the corporate machine took hold of promotions and ticket distribution in the late 1990s. While the steel industry and economy in Pittsburgh suffered during the 1970s and ‘80s, Rich Engler had the music scene hopping, handling the day’s top acts and making Pittsburgh a focal point of interest for those acts to stop and play. He not only does the tireless work of the promoter include landing the talent; advertising locally to attract patrons; preparing the venue and staffing the stage, theater or arena; managing the inner workings of each artist’s shows, but also handling the musicians and the unique requests of the pampered performers including food baskets, massage tables and bottled spirits flown in from around the globe. And let’s not forget birthday cakes... The list seems endless. He's golfed with Graham Nash, Alice Cooper, Huey Lewis, gone hunting with Harry Connick Jr., dined and partied with David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Axl Rose and Jefferson Starship. He soothed the fragile egos of Billy Joel and Eric Clapton. He told Gene Simmons, in no uncertain terms, to keep his hands off his wife. He even traded a vintage car in exchange for the rights to promote a tour with Sha Na Na. Many of the acts he promoted became friends, and this pilot gives the viewing audience direct access.

Hearing Rich spin his tales and recollect the exploits of some of the artists he promoted, it is clear that there has not been a series to document the inner workings and the bizarre nature behind the scenes of the music industry. Sharing Mr. Engler's legendary exploits in this pilot episode are industry icons such as Doc McGhee (manager of Kiss, Motley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Hootie and the Blowfish, Scorpions & Night Ranger); Peter Asher (promoter and manager for Neil Diamond, James Taylor, Diana Ross, Linda Ronstadt & Badfinger); Phil Earhart (Drummer and Manager for Kansas); Joe Grushecky (Founder of the Iron City House Rockers and collaborator with Bruce Springsteen), Benny Faiella & Herman Granati (Granati Brothers and Jaggerz); Norman Nardini and Frank Czuri (Diamond Reo); Jack "Johnny Angel" Hunt (Cordells and Johnny Angel & The Halos); and artists Donnie Iris and Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root. Not only have these icons made themselves extremely available, but there is also a genuine feeling of excitement and eagerness to share their stories of Rich's legendary status in the industry and how he helped create a cultural phenomenon. He has promoted the best and most popular acts in the world, including The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac, The Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Madonna, Aerosmith and Genesis.
In 1977, Mr. Engler and his partner Pat DiCesare, purchased the Stanley Theater (3500 seats), an aging movie house in Pittsburgh, and quickly transformed it into one of the nation’s top concert halls. In 1978, Billboard magazine named the Stanley the No. 1 mid-sized concert auditorium in the United States. DiCesare-Engler Productions was ranked as the No. 2 production team for the same year. He helped the concert experience become a multi-billion dollar industry and was there when many of the promoters were bought out by a large corporation that changed the industry forever. The business of rock and roll began to overshadow the music and the music scene changed forever.