Dennis B.  

OBJECTIVE:

To team up with talented people while filling a challenging position, where my varied experience will add value to the production & companies involved while building lasting relationships.

 

EXPERTISE:

Special FX 3 Pyro, Propmaker, Electronics, Welder/Fabricator, miniatures.

IMDB- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1485879/

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisbentivengo

 

ITT Technical Institute - Torrance, CA

A.A.S. Electronics Engineering Technology

 

Special Effects – Hollywood, CA

Special Effects Technician 2008 to present

Special Effects 3 Pyro, Propmaker, Electronics Tech, Welder/Fabricator

Practical Special Effects for Commercials, Television, and Feature Films ie: pyrotechnics, fire, wind, rain, smoke, steam, welding, car disassembly / assembly. Working with various materials: metal, wood, molds and forms, foam, fiberglass Plexiglas & Lexan, precise cutting of material, setting up and operating props and gags, weakening structures, handling and wiring high end explosives, pyro trips, gerbs, propane effects, gasoline, diesel fuel, air mortars, pneumatic poppers, wind machines, foam machines, rain bars, pipe ramps, hydraulic motion control set up, ground rigging, and all facets of SFX for motion pictures. “I was mentored by SFX-1 Pyro Kelly Kerby, who has vast knowledge and experience in Special Effects. I also have had the privilege of working with numerous other talented and top notch Special Effects guys in the industry and value the experience greatly.

 

Disneyland – Anaheim, CA

Pyrotechnician 2006 to 2010

Basic Commercial Pyro License & Theatrical Trainee Pyro

Set up, troubleshooting, installation, repair, of all mechanical and pyrotechnic systems relative to the daily fireworks shows at Disneyland, and California Adventure for special events: Servicing the pneumatic air-launch system, Fantasmic barges, and working with water & stage theatrical pyrotechnics. Handling, wiring, and firing of 1.3G and 1.4G pyrotechnic devices and binary compounds used in daily firework shows: “Remember”, “Believe”, “Magical”, “Halloween Scream”, “July 4th”, “New Year’s Eve”, and other special event shows.

 

Flight Safety International - Long Beach, CA

Flight Simulator Technician 2001 to 2002

Member of a crew responsible for: Daily electronic, electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic maintenance & troubleshooting of 13 Flight simulators on full motion base gimbals, as well as assisting flight instructors & crew with operation of simulators. Performing daily pre-flight check of all simulators to maintain their F.A.A. type ratings

 

Vindicate Audio & Lighting - Bellflower, CA

Stage Manager, Sound, Lighting 2006 to 2015

I manage the crew for setup & strike; Make adjustments between acts, as well as troubleshooting issues. I have extensive experience mixing live sound for various bands & styles of music including medium to large groups. Set up, and operation of: Yamaha MG32/14FX, all stage microphones and monitors, truss mounted equipment, DMX lighting, LED cans & PAR 64 cans, fog machine, and lighting scheme design. (Sound since 2005 and lighting since 2008)

 

Gameworks - Long Beach, CA          

Electronics Technician 2003 to 2005

 

Installation, troubleshooting and repair of video games, pinball machines, attractions, bowling lanes. Also worked with AMX audio/visual/lighting system, provided clients with Power-point presentation feed to projectors, and other media as well. I was responsible for the technical operation of the entire facility on a nightly basis.

 

ICG Communications - Irvine, CA

Telecommunications Technician 1998 to 2001

                                                      

Responsible for: alarming all central office equipment, & network rings using Nortel Digital Facility Monitoring System. BNC certified, DFMS certified. I worked directly with company engineers to turn up network rings using equipment described. Cabling: power, 100, 50, & 25 pair wire, coax, CAT 5 cable installation, with meticulous attention to proper routing & dressing techniques which raised the standard for co-location installations, company wide.

Test equipment used: T-BERD 224, 950, 2209, 2310, and some CN Nettest CMA

Corporate Office: phone line installation / moving / trouble shooting, as well as data installation / trouble shooting for Irvine Headquarters. Lead data expansion projects in Headquarters. I was selected as a key team member in a re-cabling project of the entire Los Angeles Headquarters to bring it up to CAT-5 standards).

Installation of: Nortel & Lucent / AT&T OC-48’s, OC-12’s, OC-3’s, SLC-2000’s, Copper Mountain DSLAM’s, Nortel FMT-150 MUX/DMUX’s, Tellect DSX-3 & DSX-1 panels, relay racks, CAC’s, Lucent MSDT’s, Lucent Narrowband shelf's, and extensively worked with data patch panels.

 

Teksystems – Los Angeles, CA

Telecommunications Technician 2005 to 2008

Outsourced Telecommunications Technician for different companies on short-term projects usually ranging anywhere from 1 day to 3 months. CAT 6E, CAT 6, CAT 5, and 100 pair cable termination / trouble isolation with extensive phone closet work, along with VOIP, DS-1, and DS-0 phone work.

 

VOLUNTEER:

 

The Well – Bellflower, CA            

Stage hand, Sound Mixer 2005 – 2008

Setup the stage for different talent according to their needs, performed sound check, and live mixed a wide variety of artists on a weekly basis. Mackie - 32ch mixer, Rowland m-400 V-mixer

 

Hands of Mercy – Bellflower, CA & Ensenada, Mexico

Built small homes for needy people in Mexico.

 

PERSONAL:

 

Fluent in English & Spanish, type 52 wpm, constantly striving to improve in every aspect of life and being a good steward of my gifts and talents. Adaptable, work well under pressure, very safety conscious, hard working, taking pride in my work, reliable, work well with different personalities, self motivated, pay attention to detail, and lead by example.

 

Equipment and Programs used: Audio: Mackie 32ch mixer, Rowland m-400 V-mixer, Yamaha MG32/14FX mixer. Pyro: Pyro-digital firing system Computer: Mac OS-X, Photoshop, Illustrator, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Sound Track Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Premier Pro, Sun DFMS, Excel, Word, Outlook, Powerpoint, Procomm plus, Exceed, Netman, Visio. Networking: Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 7/8, XP, Electrical: General knowledge of production electrical, -48V telecom, 220VAC and 110VAC. Electronics: Familiar with all types of Electronics components and replacing components on serviceable circuits. Lighting: Familiar with Set and Stage lighting.

 

Accomplishments: IATSE Local 44, Co-Produced a feature film (cast & crew of 50), produced two award winning short films (crews between 15 and 40), and produced the filming of a 2 day concert (crew of 15).  Have been a key crew member on stage, large commercial, TV, and Feature film productions closely working with talent as well.

 

Interests/Hobbies: Putting God first, being a good husband & dad to 2 beautiful boys, film production, writing, directing, cinematography, editing, graphic design, stage production, pyrotechnics, photography, painting, wood work, metal fabrication, classic car restoration, mountain biking, snow boarding, diaper changing ninja, and hopefully bass guitar & Argentine bombo player and horticulture soon.