Light Talk with The Lumen Brothers

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview esteemed production designer Bruce Rodgers. Join Bruce, Ellen, Dennis, and David, as they discuss: Bruce's genesis in the entertainment business; The beginning of Tribe Inc; Working with Bobby Dickenson; Challenging moments from 20 Years of Superbowl halftime shows; Conquring the design challenges for Prince, The Who, Bad Bunny, and Kendrick Lamar; "Let's go to Plan C"; "390 connections in 8 minutes!"; Working with the artists' creative teams; Developing the idea of "The Grass People"; More sophisticated audiences; and Advice for students of Production Design. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview Broadway lighting designer Kat Morrill. As part of Light Talk's Young Designers Series, and to begin our 10th Season of LIGHT TALK, join Kat, Ellen, Dennis, and Steve, as they discuss: Playing in the Pit; What is easy and what is difficult; Pretty Big on Punctuation; Getting started at Brooklyn College; How music came into Kat's life; Kat's process when working with a new director; Designing for cruise ship shows; Working at the SoHo Playhouse; Running Showtrax for "O"; Staying up to date with the latest technology; Teaching programming; The relationship between the designer and the programmer; The future of programming and AI; Arts and the St. Regis Mojawk Tribe; and Advice for young designers. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister talk about everything from The Bupkis Awards, to "Kaye is Yiddish for Trebek". Join Ellen, Dennis, Steve, David, Stan, Brackley, and Zac, as they celebrate and discuss all the insanity from the 9th Season of Light Talk. They comment about the past year, the future years, and finish off with a hilarious game of "Light Talk Jeopardy". Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister talk about everything from "And the winner is..." to Girl Scout Cookies. Join Ellen, Dennis, Steve, and Zac, as they discuss: The Academy Awards Show; The Penultimate Episode of Season 9; Recomended texts about Broadcast Lighting; What is the best way to prepare to show your video projection portfolio; Zac and Wendel on "Artistic Finance"; The pleasures of working with Slide and Pani projectors; Video cues run by MIDI trigger or manually?; Merit badges for stagehands; How to stay inspired; and More of the most common mistakes that young designers make. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister welcome Creative Director Melody Tsang and Lighting Designer/Programmer Caleb Franke to the show! Join Caleb, Melody, Ellen, Zac, Steve, and David, as they discuss: The creative and production process for the Elation Lighting Booth show at LDI 2025; Winning the LDI Award; Learning and Programming the Obsidian lighting console; Preparing for "Plan B" changes; A 14 year-old touring with "Thorn"; Learning creative direction at the Parsons School; The new Elation automated lighting fixtures; LILI laser technology; The future of AI in lighting and creative direction; and Wise words of advice for young lighting artists and creative directors. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister "Breaks Out the Bucket" to answer unanswered questions from the 2025 Light Talk at LDI Show, and discusses the Merger of Tait and Silent House. Join Ellen, Dennis, Steve, Zac, and David as they discuss: Rolling or folding light plots; What are the most common mistakes young designers make; What the differences are between your relationship with the Lighting Supervisor vs. your relationships with the Associate and Assistant Lighting Designers; When programming your own show, how to make sure that programming does not affect your creativity; A shout-out to Andy Fig; Lighting a Rodeo; The mega-merger of Tait and Silent house; and, The craziest things that we have seen in the theater. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister welcome acclaimed lighting designer Ben Stanton to the show! Join Ben, Ellen, Zac, Steve, and David, as they discuss: Shoverling snow; Early days at UMASS as a jazz drummer; Teaching at Brooklyn College; Early inspirations; Beyond Synergy; Discovering lighting from music; How drumming connects with the creative process of lighting design; The connection of jazz and lighting improvisation; The process behind "Maybe Happy Ending"; Using Lightstrike; "A Strong, single gesture..."; The process behind "Fun Home"; Living and working with a video designer, and raising children when both parents are working on the same production; Relying on our programmers; How to prepare students for their future in the profession; Finding and choosing a mentor; and What makes YOU unique. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister welcome Award Winning Director and Production Designer Eric Siegel to the show! Join Eric, Ellen, Dennis, Steve, and David, as they discuss: Nautical navigation; Getting started in TV Direction and Production Design; Studying at NYU; Focusing on story and concept; Professional Internships; Discovering directing; Working at "Good Morning America"; Working with Lighting Designers on Film, Theatre, and TV; Creating with Cinema 4D; The Future of Drone cameras in television and film; The Evolution of the TV Director's Role working with New Technology; The Most Challenging Projects; A Papal Mass vs. Diana Rigg; Dealing with security requirements; and Great advice for young designers and directors. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister review the 2026 Grammy Awards Show, Super Bowl Halftime Show, and The Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies. Join Dennis, Steve, Zac, David, and Guest Lumen Sister Hannah Kerman, as they discuss these three epic events and their lighting and stage designs. Backstage during the lighting process of the Grammys; The incredible New Artists sequence; Working with previz on the show; Dennis' obsession with red dresses; How they lit Lady Gaga; Politics be damned, they also discuss how they really feel about Bad Bunny, and the MAGA Alternative Halftime Show; and Lighting a daylight halftime show. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister continue their interview with Legend of Light, Bob Dickinson. Join Bob, Ellen, Dennis, Steve and David as they discuss: The future of AI in broadcast lighting; The development of broadcast lighting following camera technology; Lighting Elizabeth Taylor; Using multiple angles to build in flexibility; Considering color temperature in lighting for live and broadcast; Working with content creators; Lighting in front of video walls; Issues with virtual lighting content; Being disciplined with color and cues; The Athens Olympics; The future of Full Flood; Noah Mitz; and Wise words for students of lighting design. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview Legend of Light, Bob Dickinson. Join Bob, Ellen, Dennis, Steve and David as they discuss: Yacht and other small boat ownership; Going with your instinct; Getting started in Broadcast Lighting; Solid Gold; Working on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert; Discovering moving lights and moving them to broadcast; Bob's first (and almost last) Oscar gig; Working with "assholes"; The importance of learning how to manage Divas; Designing the Tony Awards; and Working with programmers. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Sisters interview lighting designers/programmers, Aria Hailey and Erica D. Hayes. Join Aria, Erica, Kelsey, and Ellen as they discuss: The challenges of being a woman in the industry; What its like to be the only woman on the bus; Opening doors; Great women designers working in theatre and the concert industries; New pathways; How to get the courage to step in; Being mistaken for another person on the show; Is it important to bring a women's perspective to lighting art?; Working with advocates; "Women in Lighting" LDI panels; Networking connections; Teaching overseas; The future of AI in programming; Dream AI tools; "Claude"... Making a programmer's life easier; Dream jobs; and Advice for the next generation of women in lighting design. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview renowned lighting designer, Jeff Nellis. In this episode, Jeff, Ellen, Steve, and Dennis discuss: Getting into the business; Early High School lighting connections; Working in the Sphere; Using Virtual Lighting; Williamstown Theatre Festival; Working with "Screamers"; Working in Ken Billington's studio; Aqua-Marine and Salmon; Tales from "The Wall of Flops"; Jeff's first Broadway show, "Primate"; UVLD, Industrials, and the corporate world; "Dramatic Design Without the Drama"; Choosing color temnperature for corporate branding; and IMAG; and Advice for young designers wanting to get into the corporate lighting world. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this episode of LIGHT TALK, as part of our Young Designers Series, The Lumen Brothers and Sister interview USITT PAT MacKay Diversity in Design Scholarship Winners Darius Knight Evans and Elena Hewett. In this episode, Elena, Darius, Ellen, Steve, Dennis, and David discuss: How young designers find the right education; Different paths in discovering lighting design careers; Connecting with the right people in the industry; This years' interesting LDI presentations, panels and products; Exciting innovations; New ideas for post-graduate education; Suggestions for future LDI conferences; The next steps; How young designers are using and dealing with AI and AGI; Coping with stress; and Words of wisdom for other young designers. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.

In this 2026 New Years Extravaganza, Ellen, Steve, Dennis, and David discuss: What we did last night; Swag Complaints; Comfy Socks; Lighting "Rockin' New Years Eve with Dick Clark"; Where broadcast lighting designers dock their yachts; Video quality in movie theaters; Outstanding art direction on Apple TV; The future of projections; Fake theatrical lights in projectipon content; "Maybe Happy Ending"; The brilliance of Vince Gilligan; Why lighting designers wear Cowboy hats; Things we want to see in 2026; Heathkit light organs; Alexa horror stories; and our New Years resolutions. Nothing is Taboo, Nothing is Sacred, and Very Little Makes Sense.