with John Daniels - Lighting Designer at Karpe Diem
On this episode, we discuss growing up in Saudi Arabia, getting a worldly education, how to pull inspiration from world travels, being an immigrant in your own country, human rights in the Middle East, interning in Miami, lighting as function vs. lighting as art, training the next generation to maintain a level of quality, how pre-vis can help provide the best quality of art, the transition from lighting the set to lighting air, and how to decide when to keep it classy and simple or flashy and wild.
With John “Ozzie” Osborne - Lighting Designer at Ozterity Lighting
On this episode, we discuss storytelling with light, maintaining a diverse skill set in the lighting industry while maintaining a core set of values, the importance of democratic collaboration and authoritative decision making, the importance of mentorship, working for any artist that pays us and being picky about our clients, working with full creative freedom as opposed to some guidelines, working to travel, lighting for camera in the digital age, and using lighting to inspire folklore and affect history.
“Perfection is achieved not when there Is nothing more to add, but when there Is nothing left to take away”
Please visit: www.linkedin.com/in/korbella
with Adam LaBay - Laser Designer at Precision Lasers
On this episode, we discuss the endless opportunities and creative outlets that lasers provide, laser safety, laser artistry, how the laser industry has adapted to the isolation period, the birth of Laser Banding as a new art form, abandoning the bass to buy a laser rig and start a laser company, how lasers can become part of the lighting design process and integrate into the lighting programming, bitcoin, and the future of laser development.
Please visit: www.precisionlasers.com, www.instagram.com/iamthelaser
with Steve Richards - Principal at Original Syndicate LLC
On this episode, we discuss how the future of the lighting industry will be forever changed, how will we maintain our level or compensation, what does and does not belong in a deal memo, being a pragmatic mentor, when an email and a handshake is good enough, how to properly define out terms for employment without presenting as a prima-donna, how to keep in line with covering ourselves vs. being demanding, and whether or not we should include repercussions for late payment in a contract.
disclaimer: this is not legal advice.
Please visit: www.origsyn.com
with Megan Alksninis - Lighting Designer at Megrose Designs
On this episode, we discuss paying attention to details, the difference between a perfectionist and a jerk, when good enough is good enough, how to strive for perfection without sweating it, how even drunk people are entitled to a great performance, the joys of happy accidents, donating pre-vis time to make ourselves have a great show, focusing on minute details without losing the big picture, working with Atreyu, New Found Glory, Refused, The Amity Affliction Freelance and more.
Please visit: www.megrosedesigns.com
with Mike Wood - Lighting Designer/Director & Educator out of Nashville
On this episode, we discuss how to maintain living rates post-pandemic, how far we should be willing to compromise, how transparent we need to be about our rates, having difficult conversations about what we make among trusted companions, the idea of a transparent open-source database of pay rates, if it is ever okay to work for free, using union wages as a barometer, collective bargaining, and the notion of paying your dues.
Please visit: www.mikewoodld.com and instagram.com/mikewoodld
with Brian Vaughan - Director of Lighting at Fireplay!
On this episode, we discuss coming up through the church scene to do bigger shows, when to work for art’s sake and when to work for a paycheck, when is it okay to work for free? Charities? Church? Opening Band?, the benefits of free text support, how we will keep our rates at a good level post-pandemic, and how much of your show file belongs to the client and how much belongs to the programmer.
Please visit: www.fireplay.com and www.instagram.com/brianvaughan
with Kathy A. Perkins - Lighting Designer and Professor of Theatre out of North Carolina
On this episode, we discuss how much progress we have made as an industry to promote inclusivity and how much farther we have to go, her unique experiences in theatrical lighting and the entertainment industry, being willing to express herself in multiple mediums including research, books and lectures, the role of race and class in the arts, where racism and classism exist in our industry, the steps that unions have taken to promote inclusivity in theater, her upcoming book - Telling Our Stories of Home, and how to encourage diversity in entertainment.
Please visit: www.kathyaperkins.com
with Daniel Dawson - Lighting Designer for Black Label Society
On this episode, we have a discussion between expat lighting designers, how he got into the industry, what the lifestyle is like in Mexico right now, moving from tech to crew chief to designer, mentors that have taught him what he knows, How his technician skills affect his designs, calling on radio to fix a light when you know its a cable and not the programming, bringing family and kids to a show, some things that we will never take for granted again, and the love and respect for our rock ’n roll community.
Please visit: linkedin.com/in/daniel-dawson-665b6278
with Jeff Ravitz - Lighting Designer and Founding Partner at Intensity Advisors
On this episode, we discuss his upcoming book - Lighting for Televised Live Events: Making Your Live Production Look Great for the Eye and the Camera, considering a career (or a career expansion) into television, considering every angle in a multi-camera shot, what discussions need to be had to prepare for a live broadcast, lighting for different skin tones, how the entire world is being broadcast.
The book explores how to retain the essence and excitement of a live production while assuring that the show looks its best on-camera for the millions of viewers that can only see it on their TV, computer, tablet, or mobile phone screen. Readers will learn how to adapt an existing stage show for the camera, as well as how to design live entertainment or events specifically for TV. Filled with real-life examples and illustrations, the book covers a wide range of topics.
Please visit: www.intensityadvisors.com and https://www.routledge.com/Lighting-for-Televised-Live-Events-Making-Your-Live-Production-Look-Great/Moody-Ravitz/p/book/9780367256661
with Paul Fine - Principal Designer at Fine Design Associates
On this episode, we discuss the importance of peer to peer events, applying theatre techniques to corporate events, corporate events return even after live music, how corporate shows provide a different lifestyle from concert and theatrical professions, how to make the audience feel like they are stepping into an embassy, lighting corporate shows for impact above utility, unfair labor practices at venues, unfair business practices by large rental houses, and the similarities of rock ’n roll touring and the corporate world.
Please visit: www.finedesignassociates.com
with Dustin Snyder - Lighting Designer and Director
On this episode, we discuss what extraordinary lengths we would go to to do lighting, what great lengths we have gone to to keep a job, how to be a better negotiator, how to be a hard worker without compromising our ethics, having special requests when taking a job, How demanding we can be on a job (special diet, work hours, extracurricular activities, rental cars etc.), having to wear two and three hats to stay under budget in the lean market, a vegan tangent and finally, what we will have to do post-pandemic to keep up our perks and necessities?
Please visit: linkedin.com/in/dustinbrettsnyder
with Jesper Luth - Production Manager, Lighting Designer and Director
On this episode, we discuss minimalism, how minimalism has influenced our design processes, how minimalism has changed our lifestyles, the influence of early days in theatre where we had to light multiple act shows with very little inventory, the art of walking into an in house production to implement your show, how to general impact with the least amount of gear, how to simplify a punt page for maximum efficacy, prioritizing simple yet effective rigs, The Historical Society of Concert Touring, and how people can help submit.
Please visit: www.jesperluth.com and https://historicalsocietyforconcerttouring.org/
with Paul Boken - Vice President at Mulvey & Banani Lighting.
On this episode, we discuss how he transitioned from stage lighting to become an architectural lighting designer, what an architectural lighting designer does and how stage lighting techniques can transfer, the importance of human-centric designs, some beneficial skill sets for an ALD, some of the challenges facing ALDs, a need for "content" that drives modern lighting systems, and how modern programming and content generation of these systems requires us to draw on the stage lighting talent pool to create meaningful installations.
Please visit: www.mbii.com
with Rob Denton - Lighting Designer at RDentex Design and Interim Head of Lighting at The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University
On this episode, we discuss how to create enthusiasm for the next generation of entertainment professionals, helping the students of 2021 get a chance to work in the entertainment industry, how the mew generations will adapt to the new way of entertaining the masses, what the next generation is learning about our industry, the importance of learning from a professional in our field, the proper class size, the resiliency of today’s youth, and how we can be socially/professionally productive during the isolation period.
Please visit: www.rdentex.com
with Justin Cheatham - Associate Designer at The Activity
On this episode, we discuss being a “fancy” programmer in the new world, why we all need to learn to pre-viz, how video and VR have overtaken lighting as a focal point, how being a drummer and musician can help you program, the importance of asking for help, the bravery necessary to ask for a mentorship, how to mask incompetence with over-preparation, and growing up on Sesame Street.
Please visit: www.the-activity.com/index.php/team/justin-cheatham
with Dennis Size - Executive V.P. of Design at The Lighting Design Group
On this episode, we discuss what the pandemic has taught us about leadership, how we have to adapt our leadership skills for tomorrow versus a year ago, how we've changed ... and conversely how colleagues/friends think we've changed, what we have to be proud of today ....having made it through this terrible year, what we have really learned about ourselves and the way we cope with disaster, the new entertainment industry workflow, how to adapt our storytelling to match the new industry.
Please visit: www.ldg.com
with Andres Campos - Lighting Director and Programer for Marc Anthony
On this episode, we discuss the necessary passion to be in our industry, how important international relationships are, getting his start in the church environment, building a powerful work ethic, transitioning from programmer to trainer, the South America market vs. North America, working as a freelancer as opposed to working for a company, the logistics of allowing consoles on the internet, and how to accept tech service phone calls when we are on the road.
Please visit: https://www.instagram.com/andrescampos_ld/
with Deborah Gottesman, MBA, P.Eng., LC, AssocIALD - Principal, Gottesman Associates
Deborah is an electrical engineer with an MBA in Real Property. Her career spans over 30 years in all facets of the lighting industry, including design, engineering, management, education, and manufacturing. This gives her a unique contextual understanding of architectural lighting from all perspectives.
On this episode, we discuss how to pivot to an architectural lighting position, the typical path that one should follow when entering the field of architectural lighting design, what an architectural lighting designer does, what types of projects ALD's work on, project time frames, scopes of work, beneficial skill sets for an ALD, and the similarities between stage lighting and architectural design.
Please visit: www.gottesman.ca
