Lighting Controls Podcast

Like so many other lighting controls specialists, Adam originates from the theatrical lighting world, so he unabashedly loves DMX512. But don’t call it "DMX," lest the DMX512 police arrest you. But seriously, Adam talks about DMX profiles, charts, HSI, and the importance of the manufacturers putting all of this information and more on the cut sheet. And remember, just because it’s a DMX512 fixture doesn't mean it can be programmed the same as another DMX512 fixture. That's what profiles are for. Adam is an architectural lighting designer with a BA and MFA in Theatrical Lighting Design. With a foundation in stage lighting for plays, musicals, dance performances, fashion shows, and corporate events, Adam brings a dynamic, storytelling-driven approach to architectural lighting. Over the past decade, they have designed lighting and control systems for projects ranging from LAX terminals and the Seattle Aquarium to university buildings, Netflix production studio offices, and performing arts centers. Their expertise in both theatrical and architectural controls allows them to craft immersive, intuitive lighting environments that enhance user experience and bring client visions to life. In addition to design work, Adam collaborates with manufacturers to refine and evolve lighting control products for greater functionality and usability. They also hold two patents for architectural lighting accessories, further demonstrating their commitment to innovation in the field.

Connect with Adam:
firstcircledesign.com
linkedin.com/in/adamrlevine

Sponsor: MaxLite

www.maxlite.com 

“I want one button that turns everything off when I leave.” For Chase, in the high-end residential world, that is often where the conversation with a homeowner begins, and that is where the lighting controls design begins. These aren’t complicated multi-media building facades, but with the different expectation of what makes good lighting controls and good lighting design, communication with a homeowner is paramount.  

Employed at TSP Smart Spaces, Chase was educated in IT, but is a home automation designer by nature. He has 18+ years in the business of IT, lighting control, AV, and security services. Chase takes every opportunity to explore and implement the right solution through collaboration and ultimate vision. 

Connect with Chase:

Instagram: this_wandering_bison
linkedin.com/in/chase-michael-rowe-06045239
Website: tsp.space

Sponsor: Dali Alliance dali-alliance.org

“Architainment”. You might hate the term, but Sam has embraced it as it perfectly describes what he does. Coming from the theatre world, and tiring of tech week and the cue-to-cue’s, Sam moved into the 9 to 5(-ish) world of architectural lighting. He still holds onto that creative theatricality and applies it to theme parks, building facades, and bridges. But that doesn’t mean the work headaches have gone away. Listen to his story about the Manhattan building project that started out great, but devolved into weeks of extra work when the contractor fell behind. Sam is the sole proprietor of At Full Lighting, a company that specializes in large-scale entertainment and architectural lighting installations. Before starting At Full Lighting, he held various positions in many different areas of the lighting industry. He’s sailed the high seas as shipwide show control on cruise ships, spent ten months living in Dubai commissioning & programming a new amusement park, and has volunteered his time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival two years in a row. Sam has worked for various manufacturers and lighting integrators in the US and abroad, acting in various roles such as Project Manager, Service Technician, and Programmer. He has been an ETC Factory Certified Technician for twelve years and a member of their Advanced Programmers Group for the last eleven. He is also a certified trainer for ETC’s Eos line of consoles. He received a BFA in Theatrical Lighting Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. Sam has been based out of New York for the past thirteen years.

Every once in a while we get guests who worry that they won’t have something to say on the podcast. Yoelit Hiebert, an electrical engineer who worked on the Tomahawk weapons system, has plenty to say and it’s worth listening to. Working on something as complicated as a self guided missile, documentation is vital. While we’re not going to accidentally blow something up with lighting controls, Yoelit argues that documentation will save time, money, and headaches. 

Yoelit has been working in the LED lighting industry for nearly twenty years and currently serves as both the Quality Manager and R&D lead at PLC Multipoint. Yoelit really likes solving problems and her work gives her plenty of opportunities to do just that in the complex and rapidly changing world of lighting control. 

Yoelit Hiebert has both a B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering.  She is a Professional Engineer and Lighting Certified.  Yoelit is active in industry standards development and serves as the Vice-Chair for the IES Lighting Control Systems Committee.  Yoelit also serves as Vice-Chair on the Lighting Controls Association Board. 

Although a St. Louis native, Yoelit has spent the last five years living and working in Connecticut.

Connect with Yoelit:
plcmultipoint.com
www.linkedin.com/in/yoelit-h-hiebert-pe-lc-2b47034 

Sponsor: mwConnect www.mwconnect.us  

Chris joins Webster and Ron to talk about the NAILD Lighting Specialist in Controls certification program. On this one, they are all three guests, because they are all three instructors for the program. If you’ve been wavering about registering, this podcast can help you decide if it’s for you. Webster is taking on the Specialist track, Ron the Distribution track, and Chris the Installation track. If you’ve been thinking of incorporating controls into your sales, give this a listen. Son of the founder of O’Shea Electric, Chris comes by this industry honestly. Finding his interest in theatrical lighting, he worked for, among others, Strand Lighting, Thea Enterprises representing Lutron, Chelsea Lighting, and most recently at PG Elite Lighting Service as Manager of Sales and Marketing. As Chris O'Shea Theatrical Lighting Design from 1996-2018, he has been a designer, stage tech, and board-operator for over 180 productions from the local church to Carnegie Hall. He is now the Head of Marketing and Business Development for Control Force.

Connect with Chris: www.controlforce.com

Financially supported by NAILD (www.naild.org)

Presented by The Lighting Controls Association (lightingcontrolsassociation.org) 

Lighting controls are all about communication—between systems, between disciplines, and between people. But where do the lines of communication break down? Can you separate controls from lights? What is an integrator, and what does a bad one look like? When is the ideal time to bring an integrator into a project? Along with Sara, we dive into these questions and explore topics like tape light, scope gap, egress lighting, and the importance of effective communication in project success. Plus, Sara shares how you can become a member of WILD (Women In Lighting and Design). Sara Schonour, LC, IALD, MIES (Pronouns She/Her) blends engineering, illumination, education, entertainment, and entrepreneurship fluidly as a consultant in her favorite industries. She spent 16 years at world-renowned architecture firm CannonDesign, building and leading their award-winning Lighting Studio. She then joined the Lytei team as VP of Education and Community Engagement. Now, as the founder of her consulting firm, Luxsi, Sara continues to help shape the lighting landscape. She is deeply engaged in the lighting world, serves on multiple industry and advisory boards, and acts as an enthusiastic ambassador to the broader design community and beyond. Sara speaks regularly at events, on podcasts, in classrooms, and at conferences on various topics surrounding light and life. You can see Sara in action on Netflix’s hit show, Baking Impossible!

Connect with Sara: www.luxsi.org
IG - saraschonour
LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/sara-schonour-14856a5

Sponsor: mwConnect www.mwconnect.us 

This one’s a bit different. Ron plays host to Michael Colligan AND Webster as they discuss the new NAILD Lighting Specialist in Controls training and certification program (naild.org/ls-c). Webster explains the “who, what, when, and where,” while Michael gives us the “why” from his perspective as a lighting distributor. This is about additional revenue for distributors and ensuring their teams have a basic understanding of lighting controls.

Michael Colligan owns a lighting distribution business in Toronto, Canada. He is also the co-host and creator of the Get a Grip on Lighting podcast (getagriponlighting.com) and the Restoring Darkness Podcast (restoringdarkness.com), and the co-creator of the Lighting Controls Podcast.

Register for the NAILD Lighting Specialist in Controls training and certification program here: naild.org/ls-c.

Connect with Michael: linkedin.com/in/michael-colligan-64380016
Financially supported by NAILD (www.naild.org)
Presented by The Lighting Controls Association (lightingcontrolsassociation.org) 

Chris comes to us from NEEA, Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. Energy savings from LED‘s is pretty much tapped out. Chris explains how utilities are now looking at lighting controls as the next evolution in conserving energy, and how they reach their goals. He enlightens us on how switching the time out on an occupancy sensor from 7 to 5 minutes can make all the difference in reaching the savings target. And please, if there's a projector in the room, don’t place the occupancy sensor too close to it. Spoiler alert: the sensor sees hot air movement. For over 25 years Chris Wolgamott has worked in the utility business in the Pacific Northwest, as a program manager, energy efficiency engineer and product manager. Mr. Wolgamott is recognized as a subject matter expert (SME) for LLLC (Luminaire Level Lighting Controls). He works extensively with lighting manufacturers on where the future of lighting and controls are headed. His work in the utility business has allowed him to gain vast knowledge on how incentive programs are developed and run. As the Senior Product Manager for Commercial, Residential Lighting and Commercial Efficient Rooftop Units (eRTU) with NEEA, Chris works with manufacturers on increasing the efficiency of lighting, lighting controls and natural gas rooftop units. Chris leads all emerging tech research on lighting products to support transformation of the commercial and residential lighting markets. Chris is the SME for the natural gas Efficient Rooftop Unit program and High Performance HVAC program, working with industry to transform the commercial HVAC market. Chris started his energy efficiency career at NW Natural Gas Co. working with residential and commercial customers to find ways to more efficiently use natural gas. After 6 years in the natural gas industry he decided to switch and went to work for Eugene Water & Electric Board, a local public utility. Chris worked with the commercial energy efficiency department to promote electric conservation. It was during this time that he found his passion for lighting. 7 years later he moved to Portland OR to work as a contractor for Bonneville Power Administration. During his 3 years at BPA Chris was the commercial lighting energy efficiency engineer for the Energy Efficiency department. His time as the lighting engineer was spent working with the utilities of the Northwest to promote high quality and efficient lighting. 

Lyn is back earning her 3-times jacket! Lyn starts with the statement that nobody knows what they’re doing and we go from there. Lyn talks about the reason to use the term "commissioning provider" rather than agent or authority (Check out her blog post on the subject: https://kw-engineering.com/commissioning-titles-agent-authority-provider-one-right/). Which makes sense seeing as she is now the President of the Building Commissioning Association. If the MEP thing doesn’t work out, we feel confident she could be pretty successful in stand-up comedy.

Lyn is an MEP Coordinator for DPR Construction. She uses her 25 years of experience to start up and build quality into integrated systems for HVAC, electrical/lighting, control systems, fire protection, backup power, and technology. In her spare time (lol), she’s the chair for the update to ANSI/IES LP-8 (the standard for lighting/controls commissioning) and is President of the Building Commissioning Association. With Rick Miller, she created the framework for the new standard on control sequences for lighting control systems (LP-16) and was vice-chair. She also teaches classes on lighting controls and supports Techbridge, an afterschool STEM program.

Recent changes from the IALD suggest that lighting designers can have their own controls teams. While this approach may work in some cases, Bryan raises some important considerations. Through our discussions on over 80 episodes of The Lighting Controls Podcast, we’ve explored the complexities and challenges that come with lighting control systems. Each project has unique needs, and a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t always lead to the best outcomes. Bryan has observed instances where control designs have been replicated across projects in ways that didn’t align with the specific requirements. His perspective is that leveraging dedicated lighting controls professionals can help ensure systems are designed and implemented effectively. Bryan Lussier, currently the Lead Controls Systems Specialist at Apex Lighting Solutions, has over 20 years of experience in the lighting industry. As an entertainment and architectural lighting professional, he has worked with various distributors, manufacturers, and specifiers in different roles. Bryan is an award-winning theatrical lighting designer, a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), and has served as the master electrician for national tours and facilities. In architecture, he holds the Licensed Controls (LC) and Certified Lighting Control Professional (CLCP) certifications and is a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). Additionally, he is the President of the Designers Lighting Forum of New England (DLFNE) and is currently very busy planning Boston Lights 2025 in October. Bryan’s expertise extends beyond these achievements. He has a pending patent for a Light Emitting Diode (LED) Sports Lighting Luminaire Assembly, which provides a comprehensive guide on optimizing the application of LED lighting sources in sports lighting scenarios.

Connect with Bryan: linkedin.com/in/bslussier
https://www.apexlightingsolutions.com/
https://twitter.com/bslussier
https://www.facebook.com/ApexLightingSolutions
https://www.linkedin.com/company/apex-lighting-solutions/
https://www.instagram.com/apexlighting_apexbuilding

Sponsor: mwConnect www.mwconnect.us