Thankful for Behind the Scenes Workers: A Thanksgiving Tribute to the Unsung Heroes

A personal letter about being deeply, genuinely thankful for behind the scenes workers — the people who make everything possible and rarely get the credit they deserve.

Originally wrote November 20, 2012

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This Thanksgiving, I want to go beyond the standard gratitude list — the kids, the family, the friends, the job, the life — and talk about the people I am thankful for who probably never get thanked at all. Being thankful for behind the scenes workers is something I feel in my bones every single day, and this week feels like exactly the right time to say it out loud. These are the people I think about first, appreciate most, and genuinely consider some of the greatest human beings I have ever had the privilege of knowing.

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Why Being Thankful for Behind the Scenes Workers Matters So Much

There is a specific kind of person who keeps the world running — who does the work that most people walk right past without blinking, without acknowledging, without even seeing. I am talking about the guy I drove past at 7:00 AM in the Snyder truck, heading out to pick up rentals from the night before while everyone else was still asleep. I am talking about the cooks and chefs who never leave the kitchen, the people cleaning up trash while others celebrate lavishly around them, the dishwashers, the shuttle drivers, the crew laying pipe and drape in an empty room hours before anyone arrives to enjoy it.

People like Eric and Patrick at PDA — people most event guests would never meet, never know by name, and never think to thank. And yet without them, the experiences everyone enjoys most would not look right, sound right, or feel right. Being thankful for behind the scenes workers isn’t just good manners. It is an accurate understanding of how the world actually works.

Research on workplace dignity and recognition consistently shows that feeling seen and appreciated is one of the most powerful motivators a human being can experience — and one of the most commonly withheld from the people who need it most. That is something I cannot accept quietly.

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How Being Thankful for Behind the Scenes Workers Shapes How I Show Up

When I arrive at an event — any event — the first thing I do is not find the bar or locate the food station. I look around for the crew. I find the people setting up, breaking down, running cables, hauling equipment, and keeping everything moving behind the curtain. I say hello. I make sure they know I see them and I am glad they are there. And even though my role requires me to spend most of my time out front, welcoming guests and celebrating with others — which I genuinely love — if I’m being completely honest, I would often rather be in the back with my people, catching up, helping where I can, and thanking them for what they do.

Hospitality industry workers and event production professionals are among the hardest working people in any field, logging hours that most nine-to-five workers would find genuinely shocking. They sacrifice weekends, holidays, sleep, and comfort so that other people’s most important moments go off without a hitch. They deserve more than to be walked past without a word.

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The Behind the Scenes Workers Who Have Made My Work Possible

Being thankful for behind the scenes workers is something my dad instilled in me from childhood — raising me to be genuinely giving and loving toward all people, regardless of title, income, or role. I cannot thank him enough for that. It is one of the most valuable things he ever gave me, and it has shaped every professional relationship I have.

People like Arnold at Hospitality Staff are the embodiment of everything I mean when I talk about being thankful for behind the scenes workers. Whether he is cleaning up trash, serving a beer, or welcoming someone to an event, Arnold does it with the biggest smile and the most genuine spirit of anyone in the room. He makes every single event better simply by being present in it. That is a gift — and it goes largely unrecognized by the people standing right next to him.

The event industry runs on people like Arnold, like Eric and Patrick, like the shuttle driver and the pipe-and-drape crew and the person washing dishes in the back. The Charleston hospitality community in particular is full of extraordinary behind the scenes workers who show up day after day with professionalism and pride. They deserve to be celebrated — not just during Thanksgiving week, but every single time we benefit from their work.

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A Thanksgiving Message to Every Behind the Scenes Worker

This Thanksgiving, I want every behind the scenes worker who has not been thanked today — who is probably working right now while others celebrate — to know this: what you do is extraordinary. The world is a genuinely better place because of you. Being thankful for behind the scenes workers is not a seasonal sentiment for me. It is how I try to move through every event, every workday, and every interaction.

You are seen. You are appreciated. You are some of my favorite people on earth.

With deep gratitude and a full heart, Angel

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Learn more about Angel Holmes and everything she’s passionate about at sipindipity.com/angel-holmes.