For thirty years, the international event producer lived life in the fast lane, with productions so massive they resembled small towns rather than events. Where others see a party, he sees logistics, timing, crowd flow, and pure magic —all at once. For him, work wasn’t just a job—it was a kind of addiction. Always on. Always pushing for more. And now? Now he’s slowing down. Not because the drive is gone—quite the opposite. But somewhere around 60, something starts to gnaw at him. The realization that there’s more to life than just next-level shows and audiences in the millions. “I’ve been working my butt off my whole life,” he says, relaxing at his home in Spain.
Taking a step back for someone like Rutger isn’t an exit. Nor is it retirement. It’s more like a remix. Less rushing, more choosing. Fewer all-nighters on productions, more enjoying the moment. And in a way, that might just be his most human move yet. Because no matter how hard the beats are or how big the shows get… in the end, everyone just wants to live a little between the drops. “In any case, I don’t want to start any more companies just because I see something fun come along,” he says with a laugh. “But I’m definitely still a consultant, and I’m still producing events in America. I’m still a co-owner and partner at Backbone International, a production company.” Among other things, the coming months will feature a major Red Bull project in four U.S. cities, a club opening in Bali for 15,000 guests, and the launch of a project in Los Angeles focused on Dutch companies and the 2028 Olympic Games.
From dance music to the world stage
His name is forever intertwined with a long list of legendary large-scale productions. He started at Xtrema Outdoor—one of the biggest at the time—and Solar, and later became involved with Tomorrowland in Belgium. For Tomorrow World, he even moved to the United States. Later came EDC, the world’s largest EDM festival, with editions in Las Vegas, Orlando, and Mexico City, among other locations. Speaking matter-of-factly about the sheer scale of those events, he says: “EDC Las Vegas attracts around 185,000 attendees per day. That’s definitely on a massive scale, isn’t it?”
Dutch down-to-earth attitude as an advantage
Although he’s worked internationally his whole life, Rutger still feels, without a doubt, like a true Dutchman. “In fact, I think that’s exactly why I’ve come this far. Because we’re just down-to-earth. Because we never settle for anything. We always want to be smarter, to do things better. Especially not doing things just because that’s how we’ve always done them. That was also the reason—I think—that I joined Insomniac back then,” he explains modestly. In his view, the Netherlands is still leading the way in festival production - 100%. Not just creatively, but practically as well. “No other country hosts as many festivals per square kilometer. We think through every logistical detail. How everything fits on a truck, how to build efficiently, how to adapt more quickly.” And that mindset, combined with a wealth of experience, proved to be an advantage in the U.S. as well. Where distances are vast and productions are often large-scale, Rutger brought with him precisely that Dutch down-to-earth attitude and that distinctive, innovative spirit rooted in his homeland.
F1 Las Vegas: Extreme in Every Way
One of the most extraordinary projects of his career has been Formula 1 in Las Vegas. It’s exceptionally complex on virtually every front. “For starters, it’s a street race. And it’s in a city—and not just any city, but Las Vegas. We’re talking about the Strip, after all. That makes this operation fundamentally different from a festival on a closed-off site. The city keeps going; traffic has to keep flowing, and after every practice session, the road has to be reopened. Right before the race, everything has to be closed off again, and the road has to be completely cleaned. Not a single speck of debris can be left behind. Every speck of oil has to be removed immediately. We worked day and night. We were completely on it. We actually started preparations a year in advance. It presented challenges on every front.” For him, being part of this was the ultimate boyhood dream. “I’ve been an F1 fan for 40 years, and then suddenly I get to work with all those people. We did it. And how. This was next level. Period.”
Visitors want more and bigger
Anyone involved in live production can see how the industry is changing. According to Rutger, that change isn’t just about technology, but mainly about expectations. Visitors want bigger and more spectacular events. Meanwhile, costs need to come down, and budgets are under increasing pressure. “Of course, those two factors work against each other. With festivals, you’re not in the best position when it comes to budgets. That’s why you have to be so creative.” And for that reason alone, collaboration in this sector is crucial. “A successful event is never the work of just one party. As a producer, you’re responsible for putting on the best event possible. The client, organizer, or promoter assumes you’ll figure it out. But they have to give you the right tools—and the budget is that tool. We provide the know-how, the people, and the suppliers. But ultimately, it’s the sum of all kinds of factors,” he says. “And those factors are, in addition to good sponsors, generally suppliers. Without good suppliers, you simply can’t pull it off.” He therefore advocates for long-term relationships rather than chasing the lowest price every year. “I don’t like switching suppliers year after year,” he says. “That leads to a price war, and then no one can operate sustainably anymore.” According to Rutger, cheap isn’t always smart, either. Especially not when it comes to crucial components. “If the LED screen fails at a festival, you’re out of a main stage these days.”
For Rutger Jansen, work isn’t just a job—it’s a kind of addiction
With drones, you can make stages five times as big
Stages have also become increasingly larger and more impressive in recent years, but there’s a limit to that. He became involved in the world of drone shows. “With drones, you can make a stage five times as big in one go. We were already putting fireworks into the sky, but you can’t choreograph them as beautifully as you can with drones.” In 2018, he worked with drones at Burning Man, right in the middle of the desert. “That’s where we started showing the world what we could do with them.” According to him, drone technology is set to advance even more rapidly. And Rutger also believes AI will have an even greater impact. “I don’t think we’ve even begun to realize what we can do with AI. It’s really crazy. Everything is getting faster, better, and cheaper. The creative side, in particular, is changing. At the same time, we still desperately need all those people who are just setting up the stages,” he concludes from Spain—his new home, where he’s living life to the fullest because the sun there simply shines almost all the time.
Want to know more? During Festivak, on November 18 and 19, Rutger will be in conversation with Freke Reimer of Solid Event Crew. He’ll discuss the value of long-term supplier relationships, the rise of drones as a game-changer for the experience, and the impact AI is having on creative production. Honest, inspiring, and drawn directly from real-world experience. A candid conversation you won’t soon forget.