CSE alum brings life to some of the biggest spectacles in entertainment

Josh Koser credits his mechanical engineering and theatre arts majors for making these events possible

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/12/2025) — From stadium-filling world tours to amusement parks and cruise ships, University of Minnesota alumnus Josh Koser, who has degrees in both mechanical engineering and theatre arts, works to bring to life some of the biggest spectacles in entertainment.

After graduating in 2021, Koser now works for TAIT, a worldwide entertainment company that produces concerts and other live events across the world. Some of its recent productions include work with Taylor Swift, Cirque Du Soleil, Nike, Beyoncé, and the Olympics.

“It’s cool to see something I worked on get that huge,” Koser said of some of the events in which he’s been involved. “That’s not something I ever thought I would get to be a part of.”

As a mechanical integrator, Koser is part of the crew that develops and implements the technical elements that make these large events possible. Depending on the size of the project, Koser works on teams ranging from 10 to hundreds of people to build and implement the mechanisms that make creative visions come to life.

“I was the kid taking stuff apart and building random stuff in the garage, so getting paid to do that is kind of the dream,” Koser said.

His team collaborates with artists on projects from amusement park installations to concert sets, ensuring that both the artistic vision is executed and the structures are mechanically sound, safe and fully operational. Most recently, he worked to bring Paul McCartney’s vision to life for his Got Back Tour, which came to Minneapolis Oct. 17, 2025.

Koser says his time at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and the skills he developed through his double-major in mechanical engineering and theatre arts helped him merge the creative and technical facets of his skill set to turn his passions into a career.

“Working between the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science and Engineering certainly requires some going back and forth, but once people understood what I was attempting to accomplish, everybody was super supportive,” Koser said.

Read the entire story on the University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts website.