Stagehand (per diem)

Paramount is hiring a Stagehand on a per diem basis at CBS/WBBM-TV in Chicago, IL. This role sits within the stage and production department, supporting live television news broadcasts alongside theatrical and special event productions across CBS’s local broadcast, social, and streaming platforms. It’s a fit for an experienced stage professional who knows how to work a live television environment and can move between electric, carpentry, and lighting duties without being told twice.

About the Role

As an IATSE Local 2 per diem Stagehand, you’ll be filling scheduled studio shifts for productions, vacation relief, and special projects as needed across Paramount’s CBS/WBBM-TV operation in Chicago. A typical day puts you on set alongside Directors, Producers, and News staff, prepping and striking stages for live television news production. Shifts rotate across days, nights, early mornings, weekends, and holidays, so flexibility is part of the job.

Key Responsibilities

• Set up, test, and operate lighting, sound, and video equipment before and during live television news productions, including work in AR/VR environments.
• Build and strike sets according to Director’s instructions, using hand tools and stage rigging to spec and on schedule.
• Assist performers, guests, and visitors on set, making real-time adjustments to staging, props, and microphone placement during live broadcasts.
• Unload equipment and materials from trucks, transport heavy gear between locations, and maintain clean, organized stages between productions.
• Operate curtains, move scenery, and reposition props quickly during scene changes on live and theatrical productions.
• Support on-site and off-site company productions and special events, including spotlight operation and lighting maintenance as directed.

What You Bring

• Active membership or eligibility with IATSE Local 2, including completion of required Local 2 safety training.
• Proven stage experience in live television and theatrical productions, covering electric, carpentry, and properties disciplines.
• Physical capacity to lift up to 75 lbs and work safely on lifts and ladders following on-set safety protocols.
• Working knowledge of lighting, sound, and video equipment operation, with AR/VR environment experience preferred.
• Strong troubleshooting instincts for equipment issues under live production pressure.

Why This Role

Paramount’s CBS/WBBM-TV operation in Chicago runs consistent live television production, which means steady per diem call opportunities for the right stagehand rather than one-off gigs. The pay rate for this position is $36.03 per hour. For a Local 2 stagehand looking to build hours across live broadcast production and episodic television work at a major network, this kind of ongoing relationship with a studio of Paramount’s scale is worth having.

Apply now for the Stagehand (per diem) position with Paramount and put your stage credits to work in a working Chicago broadcast studio.