Mark Comiskey certainly qualifies for “star” status. Comiskey, a media specialist for Kellogg Information Services since spring of 2001, doubles as the videographer for the Blue Man Group (he’s coming up on his fourth anniversary with them), while also running his own theater company, Plasticene, which has been in Chicago for over 10 years. So you’re the videographer. What exactly does that entail?Within the show itself, there are two video screens. I’m basically responsible for anything that comes out on those screens, essentially running and maintaining them. Some of the material is pre-recorded and the rest comes from a live camera. During the show, I do a lot of live editing and mixing of different elements, such as combining live and pre-recorded video. It’s about pushing the right button at the right time. Do you find it hard to balance your job at Kellogg with your responsibilities as the Blue Man Group’s videographer?Actually, they’re strangely complementary in a lot of ways. You’re dealing with a lot of similar issues, in terms of making sure the video formatting is correct, framing and various things. A lot of times it ends up using a similar skill set, even though the material may not be as fun and crazy. You don’t see professors throwing paint… How would you say your personal background influences the jobs you have now?My background before Blue Man was mostly theater, as a performer. Performing live in front of an audience teaches you to either freak out or figure out how to move on. I think it’s one of the things I bring to my position as videographer now. Once I was trained into the use of the instruments and had a sense of familiarity with the way things are run, if something wasn’t working, I just decided, “I’m going to do this.” And usually, even if you may be scrambling, it’s just about keeping calm. What do you like most about being the Blue Man Group’s videographer?For the most part, it’s just fun. It’s live theater, so the same show will be different each time. There’s always new things, surprises and different audience reactions. There are times when it seems like there’s a small audience, but they end up being the greatest in the world. You never can tell. It takes a Blue Man one hour to get in costume before the show. How long does it take you to get ready? Do you have any pre-show rituals?No, it doesn’t take me nearly as long. Pre-show, our crew always has a circle meeting. On one level, it’s just an announcement of things happening and guests arriving, but another part of it is everyone coming together to touch base, and get a feel for the vibe of the evening. And it’s not just crew, but the Blue Men, too… We’re all friends. Being in the company and working, it’s all part of this. There is very little hierarchy between crew, performers and band on set. There are no stars. Any advice to future videographers?Get whatever experience you can. Even if it’s a day, or actually performing, or doing something else outside technical aspect of it – it all ends up being useful in a lot of ways. Using different experiences, such as working on a crew or editing can all be very helpful. You never know what to expect.If you had a do-over, would you choose the same path?I’m an eternal optimist. Every decision or job I think I’ve had for reason, whether it’s doing theater, working at the post-house downtown, or being a bike messenger. I actually worked at Starbucks for a year, and it was one of the most valuable years of my life. The value had nothing to do with Starbucks, but every step is relevant in getting me to where I am today. And I’m not done steppin’ yet.