What happens when you sit down with an interior designer who's spent years shaping the energy of some of the country's most ambitious sports venues—and ask her how light transforms hospitality into emotion?

In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego to sit down with Edith Ponciano, an elite interior designer whose work has redefined what it means to experience a sports venue. From Collegiat to NFL and multi-use stadiums nationwide - she talks about how the gameday experience is being redefined. It's a deep dive into the philosophy, process, and creative tension that transforms a stadium from a place to watch a game into a destination where people feel something the moment they walk in. Recorded on location at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA, this conversation reveals why lighting isn't just an element of design—it's the emotional foundation that makes hospitality work.

Edith reveals why sports venues should feel like hotels, why lighting creates energy, not just illumination, and why the most successful spaces blur the line between architecture, interiors, and atmosphere.

This conversation goes deeper. It's about the tension between creating beauty and creating energy, the challenge of selling something people feel but don't see, and why the most rewarding moment isn't the rendering or the approval—it's walking into the space on opening day and watching 35,000 people experience something you helped create. Edith shares why she loves working on sports venues despite not being a sports fan, why collaboration matters more than ownership, and why lighting designers need stronger advocacy from the design community if the profession is going to grow.

💡 Key topics explored:

• Why sports venues should feel like hospitality spaces—and how that mindset reshapes design decisions

• How lighting creates energy versus experience—and why that distinction matters in different spaces

• The three-tier budget structure for sports venues—and how lighting gets allocated across public, club, and premium spaces

• Why decorative lighting often takes priority over architectural lighting—and when that needs to change

• How to collaborate with lighting consultants early enough to influence the design—not just execute it

• Why renderings lock expectations—and how to build flexibility into the visualization process

• The challenge of selling lighting as a luxury when it's not a statement piece—and why it's 25 to 50 percent of what makes a space work

• How to navigate value engineering without destroying the design intent

• Why integrated architectural lighting details matter more than product selection—and how to fight for them

• The importance of bringing lighting designers into the process during schematic design—not after documentation starts

• Why lighting designers need stronger advocacy from interior designers, architects, and the broader design community

• What makes opening day the most rewarding moment—and why validation comes from people experiencing the space, not approving the rendering

Whether you're a designer wondering how to collaborate more effectively with lighting consultants, a lighting professional trying to understand how interior designers think, or anyone curious about what it takes to create spaces that make people feel something without knowing why—this conversation offers a rare, honest look at the intersection of hospitality, sports, and the emotional power of light.

Listen now to discover why lighting isn't just part of the design—it's the energy that makes everything else work.

❤️ Big appreciation for the partners who support this work and trust the vision. They believe in thoughtful conversations, strong community, and letting designers' voices lead. Grateful to build this together.

1️⃣ Eureka Lighting - https://watch.lytei.com/EurekaRabbitHole

2️⃣ Kelvix - https://watch.lytei.com/Kelvix

3️⃣ LEDflex - https://watch.lytei.com/LEDFLEX

4️⃣ Diode LED - https://watch.lytei.com/diode

5️⃣ Targetti USA - https://bit.ly/targettiusa

• 00:00:00 Opening: Sports Venues as Hospitality
• 00:02:03 Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:03:12 Welcome to Snapdragon Stadium: Culture Meets Design
• 00:04:36 Blurring the Lines: Indoor-Outdoor Stadium Experience
• 00:09:23 The Role of Lighting in Creating Energy vs. Experience
• 00:10:31 Architectural vs. Decorative Lighting: Finding the Balance
• 00:19:51 Budget Breakdowns and the Value of Lighting
• 00:26:45 Working with Lighting Consultants: Collaboration from Day One
• 00:36:53 Before We Continue: Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:48:25 The Chair Swap: Lighting Designer Answers Designer Questions
• 01:00:26 Looking Ahead: Tennessee Titans Stadium and the Future

What happens when you sit down with a lighting designer who's saving 90% of his time using AI—and ask him to show you exactly how he does it?

In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Dubai to sit down with Faraz Izhar, a lighting designer who has transformed his entire workflow using artificial intelligence—not as a replacement for creativity, but as a power tool that amplifies it. This isn't a conversation about theory or hype. It's a candid, deeply practical look at how AI is being used right now to create cinematic presentations, automate boring tasks, and unlock creative possibilities that simply weren't feasible six months ago.

Faraz reveals why prompting is the new soft skill of the design era, why AI agents are already handling luminaire schedules and technical documentation, and why the best measure of success isn't the rendering—it's how fast you can iterate, explore, and communicate your vision to clients in ways that make them feel the project before it's built. He walks through the entire process: how he uses Midjourney to create custom mood images tied directly to project narratives, how Kling and Google Veo transform static renders into cinematic sequences that show transitions from dusk to night, and how Suno generates soundtracks that elevate presentations into immersive experiences.

But this conversation goes deeper. It's about the tension between automation and intuition, the risk of cultural homogenization, and why the human element must remain at the forefront—even as machines learn faster than we ever imagined. Faraz shares why guardrails matter more than speed, why AI hallucinates and how to catch it, and why the industry needs to embrace this technology now—not because it's perfect, but because the designers who don't will be left behind.

💡 Key topics explored:

• How AI reduced concept development time from one week to three hours—and what that means for creative exploration

• The tools that matter: Midjourney for images, Kling for video sequences, Suno for soundtracks, and custom AI agents for technical documentation

• Why prompting is a soft skill—and how poetic, metaphorical language unlocks better results than technical jargon

• How to build custom AI agents that automate luminaire schedules, extract data from manufacturer PDFs, and format everything in seconds

• The importance of guardrails: defining what AI cannot do before you start—and why cultural context matters

• How AI understands lighting nuances: color temperature, beam spread, grazing techniques—and where it still struggles

• The difference between generative AI and AI agents—and why both are essential to modern workflows

• Why trust must be earned: manual checks, proofreading, and the human sniff test that keeps AI outputs honest

• The risk of bias, hallucination, and copyright infringement—and how to stay ethical while using powerful tools

• What AI can't do yet: integrate into Revit and Dialux for automated photometric calculations—but why that's coming soon

• Why the human element must remain: intuition, sensitivity, and the ability to know when AI has gone off track

• The future of lighting design: faster iterations, cinematic storytelling, and a profession that embraces technology without losing its soul

Whether you're a designer wondering how to get started with AI, a firm leader trying to understand what's possible, or anyone curious about how technology is reshaping creative work—this conversation offers a rare, honest look at what's working, what's not, and why now is the time to embrace the tools that will define the next decade of design.

Download the cheat sheet:

❤️ Big appreciation for the partners who support this work and trust the vision. They believe in thoughtful conversations, strong community, and letting designers' voices lead. Grateful to build this together.

1️⃣ Eureka Lighting - https://watch.lytei.com/EurekaRabbitHole

2️⃣ Kelvix - https://watch.lytei.com/Kelvix

3️⃣ LEDflex - https://watch.lytei.com/LEDFLEX

4️⃣ Diode LED - https://watch.lytei.com/diode

5️⃣ Targetti USA - https://bit.ly/targettiusa

What happens when you sit down with someone who's built one of the world's most successful lighting design practices—and ask him what it really takes to turn creativity into a sustainable business without losing the soul of the work?

In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Paul Miles, founder of a global lighting design practice spanning nine studios across four continents, to unpack the philosophy, pressure, and people-first thinking that transformed a passion for connecting people in space into a thriving international firm. This isn't a conversation about business strategy or portfolio highlights. It's a candid, deeply human look at what it means to build something meaningful in a creative industry—why empathy is the foundation of every great design, why clients get the projects they deserve, and why the hardest part of running a design practice isn't the work itself, it's balancing the desire to obsess over every detail with the reality that fees are tight, timelines are brutal, and you still have to keep the lights on.

Paul reveals why design starts with people, not products, why interrogating the brief matters more than jumping straight into fixtures, and why the best lighting design often means keeping it simple—even when your instinct is to over-design. He walks through the uncomfortable truth that designers are often undervaluing their experience, the challenge of selling creativity in a world that wants everything quantified, and why sometimes you just have to give the client 450 lux because that's what they need. But he also shares the joy that keeps him coming back: that moment when you walk onto a project, turn off all the lights, and slowly bring each circuit to life—breathing soul into a space and watching people respond without even knowing why.

💡 Key topics explored:

• Why empathy is the foundation of great design—and how understanding people shapes every decision

• The importance of interrogating the client's brief and asking why before jumping into what or how

• How to balance creative obsession with commercial reality—and why that tension never goes away

• Why designers massively undervalue their experience—and the challenge of pricing decades of knowledge into a two-day project

• The myth that lighting design has to be complicated—and why simplicity is often the right answer

• How to push back on unrealistic briefs and disconnected scopes—and why it takes courage to do it

• The reality of building a global practice: empowering teams, stepping back as a founder, and watching others shine

• Why clients get the projects they deserve—and what separates award-winning work from checkbox design

• The danger of designing by numbers—and why the industry needs to remember that lighting is about feeling, not just metrics

• How AI is starting to challenge creativity in ways that are both exciting and terrifying

• Why the lighting industry needs better representation, professionalization, and evangelism—and what's holding it back

• The privilege of working at the crossroads of creativity, technology, sociology, psychology, and ecology

❤️ Big appreciation for the partners who support this work and trust the vision. They believe in thoughtful conversations, strong community, and letting designers' voices lead. Grateful to build this together.

1️⃣ Gotham Lighting - https://watch.lytei.com/gotham

2️⃣ Kelvix - https://watch.lytei.com/Kelvix

3️⃣ LEDflex - https://watch.lytei.com/LEDFLEX

4️⃣ Diode LED - https://watch.lytei.com/diode

5️⃣ Targetti USA - https://bit.ly/targettiusa

• 00:00:00 Opening: Design Is About People
• 00:01:22 Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:02:58 The Why Behind Every Design
• 00:08:33 The Business vs. The Craft: Balancing Creativity and Commerce
• 00:12:44 Selling the Toolbox: How to Value Design Experience
• 00:14:09 The Industry's Education Problem
• 00:15:22 Knock Knock: Making Lighting Design Essential
• 00:16:09 The Middle East Market: Opportunity and Pressure
• 00:32:09 Clients Get the Projects They Deserve
• 00:29:45 Before We Continue: Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:35:27 The AI Test: When Technology Challenges Creativity
• 00:36:32 What Challenges Design Most Right Now
• 00:39:54 The External Pressures: Sustainability, Neurodiversity, and Design by Numbers
• 00:39:03 Sponsor Spotlight: Tarjeti USA
• 00:44:17 Keep Playing With Light
• 00:48:13 People Are the Purpose
• 00:50:22 Closing Thoughts: Professionalizing the Industry

In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Chip Israel and Kelly Jones, co-CEOs of Lighting Design Alliance (LDA), to unpack the philosophy, process, and people-first culture that transformed a small firm into one of the industry's most respected design teams—and what happened when they recently merged with a larger technology-focused company to unlock the next chapter of growth.

This isn't a conversation about business strategy or growth metrics. It's a candid, deeply human look at what it means to build something together, trust your gut when the path isn't clear, and create opportunities for the next generation—even when that means relinquishing control of the very thing you spent decades building. Chip and Kelly reveal why culture isn't a slogan, it's how you work every day, why showing up matters more than having all the answers, and why the best measure of success isn't the rendering or the award—it's seeing your team grow into leaders themselves.

💡 Key topics explored:

• Why culture is built through daily actions, not slogans—and how trust and respect create the foundation for everything else

• The importance of surrounding yourself with great talent and giving them the freedom to run with opportunities

• How to let go of control as a designer and leader—and why trusting your people is the hardest and most essential lesson

• What it really means to show up for your team and clients, even when it's inconvenient

• Why the marketplace is changing—and how firms need to adapt to design-build, turnkey projects, and new ownership models

• The role of mentorship in shaping the next generation of designers—and why giving junior team members client exposure is critical

• How Epic Universe became a once-in-a-lifetime project that elevated the bar for themed entertainment lighting worldwide

• Why partnerships in business require hard conversations, mutual respect, and complementary skill sets

• The decision to merge with a larger firm—what drove it, what it means for the team, and why purpose and culture alignment mattered more than the deal itself

• Why enjoying the journey and taking advantage of every opportunity matters more than having a perfect roadmap

Whether you're a designer wondering how to build a sustainable practice, a young professional trying to figure out what comes next, or anyone curious about what it takes to grow something meaningful in a creative industry—this conversation offers a rare, honest look at partnership, growth, and the courage it takes to trust the journey even when you can't see where it's going.

Listen now to hear what two decades of collaboration, trust, and shared passion reveal about building a lighting design firm that puts people first—and why showing up and enjoying the ride might be the best advice anyone can give.

❤️ Big appreciation for the partners who support this work and trust the vision. They believe in thoughtful conversations, strong community, and letting designers' voices lead. Grateful to build this together.

1️⃣ Gotham Lighting - https://watch.lytei.com/gotham

2️⃣ Kelvix - https://watch.lytei.com/Kelvix

3️⃣ LEDflex - https://watch.lytei.com/LEDFLEX

4️⃣ Diode LED - https://watch.lytei.com/diode

5️⃣ Targetti USA - https://bit.ly/targettiusa

• 00:00:00 Intro: Lessons Learned and Trusting Your Gut
• 00:01:18 Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:02:33 The Merger: A Natural Evolution
• 00:05:34 Building a Culture of Trust and Empowerment
• 00:06:09 The Art of Letting Go: Leadership and Delegation
• 00:07:29 What Drives Great Design Teams
• 00:08:34 Culture Isn't a Slogan: It's How You Work Every Day
• 00:10:00 The Unexpected Merger: How It All Came Together
• 00:12:22 Hard Work, Efficiency, and Surrounding Yourself with Talent
• 00:13:32 No Roadmap Required: Embracing the Non-Linear Journey
• 00:15:19 Complementary Leadership: How Chip and Kelly Work Together
• 00:15:50 Endless Opportunities: The Future of Healthcare and Beyond
• 00:16:38 Taking Risks: From Disney to Career-Defining Moments
• 00:17:22 Risk, Fear, and Making Decisions
• 00:19:11 Dealing with Hard Conversations
• 00:19:44 Future-Proofing the Firm: People, Legacy, and Showing Up
• 00:20:59 Sponsor Spotlight: Kelvix, Leadflex, Diode LED
• 00:24:37 Adapting to a Changing Marketplace
• 00:26:35 The Scale Question: Small Firms vs. Large Firms
• 00:28:46 Giving Back: Education, Mentorship, and Community
• 00:30:07 The People Thing: Learning to Let Go When It's Not a Fit
• 00:31:42 Sponsor Spotlight: Tarjeti USA
• 00:32:33 What Gets Them Pumped: Epic Universe and Beyond
• 00:36:18 The Next Chapter: Hiring Friends and Building the Future
• 00:37:21 Advice to Your Younger Self: Show Up and Enjoy the Journey

What happens when you sit down with a lighting designer who's spent decades crafting immersive luxury experiences across the Middle East—and ask him what it really takes to turn a journey into an emotion?

In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Dubai to sit down with Paul Miles, a veteran lighting designer who has shaped some of the region's most ambitious hospitality projects—from desert resorts where car headlights announce arrivals 15 minutes away, to the monumental facade of Atlantis The Royal, to restaurants where the threshold experience matters as much as the destination itself. This isn't a conversation about fixtures or specifications—it's a deep dive into the philosophy, process, and pressure of designing light that doesn't just illuminate, but immerses.

Paul reveals why luxury is different for every client, why the journey matters more than the photo, and why the best lighting design happens when you deliberately don't design around existing products. He walks through the 12-month process of developing a single facade detail, the crude cardboard models built in-office to sell falling leaf effects, and why sometimes you have to convince a client to let you design the back-of-house with the same care as the front lobby—because their staff matters as much as their guests.

💡 Key topics explored:

• How luxury is defined differently for every client, brand, and geographical context

• Why immersive design isn't about spectacle—it's about making people feel comfortable while subconsciously guiding them through space

• The critical importance of walking the guest journey before designing a single fixture

• How collaboration with architects, interior designers, and landscape designers unlocks 100% success—and why lighting can only achieve 30% alone

• Why Paul's team deliberately avoids designing around existing products—and the creative innovation that forces

• How crude office models made from foam board and foil help sell complex lighting concepts

• Why tight budgets demand double creativity—and why back-of-house design can be just as rewarding as front-of-house luxury

• The balance between design perfection and construction reality—and why flexibility is essential in fast-track projects

• Why the best measure of success isn't the rendering—it's the expressions on people's faces when the space is lived in

❤️ Big appreciation for the partners who support this work and trust the vision. They believe in thoughtful conversations, strong community, and letting designers' voices lead. Grateful to build this together.

1️⃣ Gotham Lighting - https://watch.lytei.com/gotham

2️⃣ Kelvix - https://watch.lytei.com/Kelvix

3️⃣ LEDflex - https://watch.lytei.com/LEDFLEX

4️⃣ Diode LED - https://watch.lytei.com/diode

5️⃣ Targetti USA - https://bit.ly/targettiusa

• 00:00:00 Opening: The Power of Collaboration
• 00:02:06 Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:03:27 Welcome to Dubai: Defining Luxury Through Light
• 00:06:50 The Journey: Designing Immersive Guest Experiences
• 00:15:01 Creativity Beyond Budget: Innovation with Constraints
• 00:15:15 The 12-Month Process: Atlantis Royal Facade
• 00:18:10 Sponsor Spotlight: Leadflex, Diode LED, Kelvix
• 00:20:37 Desert Immersion: Challenging Standards for Context
• 00:14:13 Probing the Journey: Research, Site Visits, and Discovery
• 00:29:31 Sponsor Spotlight: Tarjeti USA
• 00:31:02 Flexibility and Reality: Making It Work On Site
• 00:33:22 The Pressure and the Process: Trusting the Design Phases
• 00:35:13 Experiencing the Space: When Design Becomes Feeling
• 00:38:33 Closing Thoughts: The Journey Continues

What happens when you sit down with a lighting designer who's spent two decades navigating one of the world's most dynamic, culturally complex markets—and ask him how culture, design, and architecture really intersect?

In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel travels to Dubai to sit down with Siddharth (Sid) Mathur, a veteran lighting designer who has witnessed firsthand the transformation of a city that went from drilling pilings for the Burj Khalifa to becoming one of the most internationally influential design hubs in the world. This isn't a conversation about fixtures or specifications—it's a deep dive into the forces that shape how we design, who we design for, and why understanding people is the single most important skill a designer can have.

Sid walksreveals why uniformity is the death of design, why a 70-year-old client and a 25-year-old client want completely different things from their lighting (even if they live in the same city), and why the most important part of any project isn't the rendering—it's the person-to-person connection that makes everything else possible.

But this conversation goes deeper. It's about the tension between creative vision and client expectation, the exhausting reality of juggling five different cultural contexts in a single day, and why lighting design—despite all its challenges—remains one of the most rewarding professions for those willing to treat it like the marathon it is. Cedar shares why he pushes the envelope on every project, why lighting is the makeup that keeps the perfect marriage of architecture and culture going, and why one person's sparkle is always another person's glare.

💡 Key topics explored:

• How culture influences perception, preference, and aesthetic—and why that matters for every design decision

• The generational divide in lighting expectations: why older clients want uniformity and younger clients want mood

• Why social media is reshaping design trends globally—and what that means for lighting designers trying to stay relevant

• The evolution of Dubai's design aesthetic from flashy luxury to contextual, barefoot elegance

• Why understanding people is more important than understanding products—and how to read culture on every project

• The challenge of designing for international clients who want their home in Dubai to look like a hotel in Miami

• Why visualizations and renderings have become essential tools—and the double-edged sword they create

• How to balance client expectations with creative vision—and why sometimes you just have to give them 450 lux

• The importance of pushing boundaries on every project—even if 99% of it is conventional

• Why lighting design is a marathon, not a sprint—and what keeps designers coming back despite the exhaustion

❤️ Big appreciation for the partners who support this work and trust the vision. They believe in thoughtful conversations, strong community, and letting designers' voices lead. Grateful to build this together.

1️⃣ Gotham Lighting - https://watch.lytei.com/gotham

2️⃣ Kelvix - https://watch.lytei.com/Kelvix

3️⃣ LEDflex - https://watch.lytei.com/LEDFLEX

4️⃣ Diode LED - https://watch.lytei.com/diode

5️⃣ Targetti USA - https://bit.ly/targettiusa

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:42 Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:03:06 Welcome to Dubai: Culture Meets Construction
• 00:05:10 Culture's Influence on Perception, Preference & Aesthetic
• 00:07:25 The Convergence Problem: Uniformity vs. Authenticity
• 00:10:16 Social Media, Trends & the Death of Design
• 00:13:19 What Developers, Clients & Generations Really Want
• 00:14:45 Dubai's Evolution: From Gold to Barefoot Luxury
• 00:17:39 Lighting's Role in Culture: Technical vs. Creative
• 00:20:14 The Client Brief: Pinterest Boards vs. Professional Vision
• 00:23:36 Before We Continue: Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:26:01 Service, Not Art: The Designer's Moral Obligation
• 00:30:23 Showing vs. Telling: Why Seeing Is Believing
• 00:33:45 Context Is Everything: Designing for Maldives, Kenya, Dubai & Beyond
• 00:38:28 Reading People: The Secret Skill Design Schools Don't Teach
• 00:37:33 Sponsor Spotlight: Tarjeti USA
• 00:42:39 The Builder, The Architect & The Culture of Compromise
• 00:45:32 The Ironman of Design: Passion, Frustration & Legacy
• 00:47:14 Pushing Boundaries: The Outdoor Chandelier Story
• 00:50:54 The Perfect Marriage: Culture, Architecture & Lighting

What happens when someone who's spent decades inside the lighting industry's machinery gets straight to it?

In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Geoff Marlow, a veteran consultant and industry strategist who has witnessed firsthand the seismic shifts reshaping architectural lighting—from the rise of LED technology to the relentless wave of consolidation, private equity takeovers, and the erosion of relationships that once held this industry together.

Geoff walks through what he calls TTO—the convergence of talent scarcity, technical complexity, and the shift from products to outcomes—and explains why the industry's failure to address these forces is creating chaos across every layer of the supply chain. He reveals why manufacturers, reps, distributors, and designers are all pointing fingers at each other's margins while missing the bigger picture: the process itself is broken. Projects are treated as linear when they're actually iterative. Relationships are treated as poetry when they need to be built on definitive, measurable trust. And consolidation—whether it's reps buying reps, manufacturers buying manufacturers, or private equity rolling up portfolios—keeps failing because purpose is missing.

But this isn't just a diagnosis. It's a call to action. Geoff argues that the industry needs to move from inductive chaos to deductive clarity—starting with outcomes, not guesswork. Those margin dollars aren't owed, they're earned. That partnership isn't owed, it's earned. That enthusiasm isn't owed, it's earned. And that if the industry can't create a shared language, a shared purpose, and a shared commitment to solving problems together, it will continue to eat itself from the inside out.

💡 Key topics explored:

• Why talent scarcity, technical complexity, and outcome-driven expectations are colliding—and what that means for everyone in the channel

• The myth of the linear project process—and why lighting is actually a highly iterative, parallel-processing challenge

• How consolidation (reps, manufacturers, PE) keeps failing because purpose and customer clarity are missing

• The shift from specification-driven projects to design-build dominance—and what that means for designers and manufacturers

• The hidden economics of distribution, rebates, and margin compression—and why salespeople default to what's easiest, not what's best

• The danger of regional expansion without local execution—and why customers don't care how many dots are on your map

• Why pricing transparency means different things to different people—and how to navigate that complexity

• The four things every person needs before they commit: care, clarity on what "good" is, understanding what good gets them, and a sense of purpose

• Why the industry needs a think tank—and what happens if we don't create one

Listen now to hear why the lighting system is broken—and how a think tank can help us fix it.

❤️ Big appreciation for the partners who support this work and trust the vision. They believe in thoughtful conversations, strong community, and letting designers' voices lead. Grateful to build this together.

1️⃣ Gotham Lighting - https://watch.lytei.com/gotham

2️⃣ Kelvix - https://watch.lytei.com/Kelvix

3️⃣ LEDflex - https://watch.lytei.com/LEDFLEX

4️⃣ Diode LED - https://watch.lytei.com/diode

5️⃣ Targetti USA - https://bit.ly/targettiusa

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:52 Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:03:39 The Talent Crisis and the Iterative Reality
• 00:07:09 COMPASS: Eight Constraints Defining Today's Projects
• 00:09:15 Deductive vs. Inductive: Why the Industry Builds Backwards
• 00:12:10 The Relationship Equation: Beyond Poetry to Performance
• 00:16:08 Getting Local: Why Leadership Must Leave the Building
• 00:21:48 The Specification Evolution: From Must-Be to Multi-Name
• 00:25:05 Channel Tension: Does Everyone Like the Members That Are There?
• 00:26:10 Sponsor Spotlight: DiodeLED, Kelvix, LED Flex
• 00:28:33 The M&A Problem: Why Spreadsheets Don't Understand Relationships
• 00:36:36 Margin Dollars Aren't Owed, They're Earned
• 00:40:21 The 50/50 Market: Spec vs. Commodity
• 00:43:24 White Goods, Rebates, and Broken Incentives
• 00:47:15 Sponsor Spotlight: Targetti USA
• 00:48:07 Design-Build's 50% Future: What's Your Plan?
• 00:50:37 Respecting the Designer's Palette
• 00:51:54 This Is Solvable: Finding Those Who Teach You to Get an A

What happens when you pull back the curtain on how architectural lighting actually gets made—from whiteboard sketch to installation—and discover the hidden complexity, creative tension, and human ingenuity behind every luminaire?

In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with two veterans from opposite ends of the manufacturing spectrum: Gary Trott from Acuity Brands (one of the largest lighting manufacturers in North America) and Tom Howe from Kelvix (a nimble, specification-focused flexible linear company). Together, they unpack the entire product development journey—the messy, exhilarating, frustrating, and deeply collaborative process that transforms an idea into the light you experience in buildings every day.

This isn't a sales pitch or a product demo. It's a rare, candid look at what it really takes to design, engineer, source, manufacture, and deliver lighting in an industry where nothing is standard, every project is different, and the pressure to move fast constantly battles the need to get it right. From the roller coaster of engineering pilots to the art of saying "no" to impossible requests, Gary and Tom reveal the uncomfortable truths about an industry caught between creativity and commerce, innovation and execution, vision and reality.

They discuss why service matters more than product, how architectural brands can thrive inside big companies, and why luminaire design is experiencing a Renaissance now that LED technology has stabilized. The conversation goes deep into supply chain strategy, the myth that one person can do it all, the critical role of controls, and why curiosity—not market demand—drives true innovation. Along the way, they bust myths, share war stories, and explain why even a "simple" two-foot change can ripple through an entire manufacturing process.

💡 Key topics explored:

• The two-part product development process: ideation vs. execution (and why both are brutal)

• Why vertical integration vs. horizontal supply chains matter—and what each enables

• How flexible linear lighting gets made (spoiler: it's not as simple as it looks)

• The role of controls in modern lighting—and why interoperability still isn't solved

• Why manufacturers resist the temptation to design too early and start by deeply understanding problems

• What happens when market demand conflicts with true innovation

• The myth that change is simple—and what really happens when a spec changes mid-project

• How machine vision, testing systems, and skilled labor coexist in modern manufacturing

• Why human-centric lighting hasn't unlocked yet—and what's holding it back

• The future of lighting: modularity, reuse, sustainability, and less waste

• What keeps these industry veterans motivated: people, collaboration, and seeing their work come to life

Whether you're a designer who's ever wondered why a \"simple\" modification takes three weeks, an architect curious about what happens after you hit submit on a spec, or anyone who's fascinated by how the things around us actually get made—this conversation offers a behind-the-scenes look at the craft, complexity, and constancy of purpose required to bring light into the world.

Listen now to discover what it really takes to turn an idea into a luminaire—and why the people behind the process matter just as much as the product itself.

❤️ Big appreciation for the partners who support this work and trust the vision. They believe in thoughtful conversations, strong community, and letting designers' voices lead. Grateful to build this together.

1️⃣ Gotham Lighting - https://watch.lytei.com/gotham

2️⃣ Kelvix - https://watch.lytei.com/Kelvix

3️⃣ LEDflex - https://watch.lytei.com/LEDFLEX

4️⃣ Diode LED - https://watch.lytei.com/diode

5️⃣ Targetti USA - https://bit.ly/targettiusa

• 00:00:00 Intro
• 00:01:33 Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:02:48 Meet the Guests: Gary Trott and Tom Howe
• 00:03:28 What People Get Wrong About Architectural Lighting
• 00:05:11 Finding Your Lane: The Art of Specialization
• 00:06:57 The Luminaire Design Renaissance
• 00:08:38 Step 1: Ideation and Product Specification
• 00:13:55 Step 2: The Product Development Roller Coaster
• 00:21:16 Supply Chain Realities: Local vs. Global Manufacturing
• 00:30:11 The Controls Conversation: Where Are We Now?
• 00:40:09 Curiosity vs. Market Demand: The Innovation Dilemma
• 00:55:04 Behind the Curtain: The Manufacturing Reality
• 00:58:14 Mythbusters: Change Isn't Simple and Everyone Can Innovate
• 01:00:54 What Keeps Them Going: People, Passion, and Pride

What happens when three of New York City's most accomplished lighting designers sit down to talk about the state of their profession, with the Empire State Building and JP Morgan Tower framed in the window behind them?

In this special episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel brings together a powerhouse roundtable of lighting design leaders to unpack the evolution, challenges, and future of architectural lighting. Recorded live in New York City with the iconic skyline as backdrop, this conversation goes deep into what it really means to design light in 2025—and what needs to change. Martin Van Koolbergen (KGM Lighting), Nathalie Faubert (CBB Lighting Desing), Bruce Taylor (Susan Brady Lighting Design)

From nurturing new talent to navigating the relentless pace of modern projects, these designers reveal the uncomfortable truths about an industry caught between artistry and data, emotion and efficiency, tradition and trend. They discuss why lighting design is still treated as a luxury rather than a necessity, how LED technology forced the entire profession to evolve, and why the constant demand for meetings and instant gratification is pushing designers to the edge of burnout.

This isn't just shop talk—it's a candid examination of what's working, what's broken, and what the next generation needs to carry the profession forward. The conversation touches on everything from the tension between photo-realistic renderings and hand sketches, to why trust is the number one thing clients can offer, to the surprising ways technology both helps and hinders great design.

💡 Key topics explored:

• How new talent is reshaping lighting design—and what established firms are learning from them

• The battle between instant gratification and thoughtful design process

• Why lighting designers have become educators whether they wanted to or not

• The difference between sustainability as a mindset versus a checkbox

• How trends emerge, evolve, and eventually fade in architectural lighting

• Why collaboration between firms matters more than protecting trade secrets

• What makes designers feel most alive—and why it spans the beginning, middle, and end of every project

• The hope for 2030: better education, broader access to good lighting, and recognition that lighting design isn't a luxury—it's essential

Whether you're a designer navigating the pressures of modern practice, an architect wondering how lighting consultants really think, or simply someone who's ever wondered why some spaces just feel right—this conversation offers rare insight into a profession that shapes how we experience the built environment every single day.

Listen now to hear what three brilliant minds reveal about the past, present, and future of lighting design—framed by a city that never stops building, never stops evolving, and never stops demanding better light.

❤️ Big appreciation for the partners who support this work and trust the vision. They believe in thoughtful conversations, strong community, and letting designers’ voices lead. Grateful to build this together.

1️⃣ Gotham Lighting - https://watch.lytei.com/gotham

2️⃣ Kelvix - https://watch.lytei.com/Kelvix

3️⃣ LEDflex - https://watch.lytei.com/LEDFLEX

4️⃣ Diode LED - https://watch.lytei.com/diode

5️⃣ Targetti USA - https://bit.ly/targettiusa

• 00:00:00 The State of Lighting Design: Talent, Technology & Evolution
• 00:06:30 Bridging Generations: Experience Meets Innovation
• 00:07:51 The Emotion vs. Data Dilemma in Lighting Design
• 00:12:08 Breaking Out of Silos: Collaboration & Creative Freedom
• 00:14:30 The Impatience Advantage: How New Designers Are Reshaping the Industry
• 00:21:40 The Instant Gratification Era: Speed, Pressure & Design Quality
• 00:01:30 Before We Jump In: Sponsor Spotlight
• 00:34:55 Trust & Education: What Designers Need Most From Clients
• 00:37:09 What Hasn't Changed: Timeless Principles from Empire State to JP Morgan
• 00:43:42 Trends, Technology & the Copycat Culture
• 00:54:48 The Education Imperative: Designers as Translators of Technology
• 01:07:52 Sustainability: Beyond the Buzzword
• 01:19:29 Complacency, Capacity & the Path of Least Resistance
• 01:27:51 What Makes Us Feel Alive: The Beginning, Middle & End
• 01:34:30 Looking to 2030: Hopes for the Future of Lighting Design

What happens when the people who control your home's technology realize most homes are getting lighting fundamentally wrong?

In this episode of LytePOD, host Sam Koerbel sits down with Richard Millson, a master integrator with nearly 30 years of experience creating seamless smart home experiences for luxury residences. Together, they unpack why most homes — even $30 million estates — fail at lighting design, and how the advent of LED technology has forced integrators to become lighting experts whether they wanted to or not.

Richard reveals the uncomfortable truth: most residential projects don't have professional lighting designers involved. The architect, electrician, or builder handles it, not out of malice, but because they genuinely believe "four cans and a fan" is fine. Meanwhile, integrators are left to control whatever shows up on site — fixtures that don't dim properly, don't match in color temperature, or literally leave million-dollar artwork half in shadow. This conversation goes deep into how technology is reshaping the entire lighting industry — from fixtures with built-in intelligence to wireless control systems that let you redesign your lighting after your house is built. Richard shares why his company now specifies fixtures themselves (it's not about the money) and how showing clients what's actually possible with modern lighting creates those "I didn't know my house could look like this" moments.

💡 Key insights:

• Why LED changed everything — and made lighting exponentially more complex

• How intelligence is moving from wall switches to the fixtures themselves

• The difference between selling technology and creating experiences

• Why integrators and designers need each other more than ever

• How to create intuitive control systems that guests can use without training

• The future of residential lighting and where the industry is heading Whether you're a designer wondering why integrators suddenly care about your fixture selections, an integrator trying to navigate the lighting landscape, or a homeowner who's ever wondered "what does this switch do?" — this episode reveals what it really takes to get lighting right in luxury homes.

Where Richard works: https://millson.net/

Join the fun - learn more about Lightapalooza (our sponsor) - https://lightapalooza.com/

Listen now to discover why lighting might be the most misunderstood — and most impactful — element in your home.

• 00:00:00 The Problem: Most Homes Get Lighting Wrong
• 00:01:27 Richard!
• 00:03:37 The LED Revolution Changed Everything
• 00:05:50 From Control to Design: Why Integrators Must Evolve
• 00:07:40 The Art of Collaboration Without Competition
• 00:16:07 Educating Clients: The Power of Demonstration
• 00:23:26 Creating Intuitive User Experiences
• 00:29:35 The Future: Flexibility and Addressability
• 00:34:24 Industry Evolution and Consolidation
• 00:38:01 Lighting as the Gateway to Early Project Involvement