In 1999, Valy Tremblay launched Proluxon (www.proluxon.com), a company dedicated to supporting visual designers and helping them make their concepts become reality. One of the early pioneers in pre-visualization in Québec, he recently partnered with industry veteran Andre Girard to bolster a company that strives to live on the cutting edge of technology. From playing with batteries and bulbs as a child, to harnessing the power pre-visualization in the present, he strives to stay ahead of the curve.
PLSN: How did you get started in lighting?
Valy Tremblay: I was in third grade and was playing with batteries, wires and bulbs [Laughs]. I just don’t know where it came from; it’s always been there and just evolved. I used to pick up old TVs from the garbage and dismantle them when I was eight. It probably started in another life. I just don’t know [Laughs].
When you started working, you moved towards touring. What led you to that?
When I was a teenager, I used to go to concerts a lot. I saw myself doing that, so it was kind of a dream for me that was possible to go towards. I also wanted to travel around the world.
You did that for a while, and in 1999 you started Proluxon. For a company that specializes in 3D modeling,previsualization and renderings, that was kind of ahead of the curve. What made you decide to do that?
Staying ahead, focusing on new stuff and slowing down on touring. I started so early that in my early 20s I was already a technical director. I was involved in this business since I was a teenager. I started doing shows when I was 14 or 15, I was doing clubs, but don’t tell anyone, and I was touring in clubs by 16. When I got involved in the real business, I got going pretty fast. I moved to lighting and technical directing pretty early. My goal is to always stay ahead and bring in new technology. So that’s why, in 1999, and probably the last part of 1998, I had my eyes on WYSIWYG. I liked it a lot and I knew that nobody around was doing that. I inquired a little bit, and at one point, I asked myself a question: do I buy a house or a big computer and WYSIWYG? WYSIWYG was pretty expensive at that time–it was around $10,000 and with a $15,000 computer. It was my first real investment. So, I had to decide if I buy a house and do my lawn every week, or do I develop something new. It’s a Canadian company, Cast Software, that developed WYSIWYG, so they were close to me. It wasn’t like going to California to inquire. It was just jumping in the car and knocking on their door to say, “Hi, I’m Valy and I want to know more about your product.”
I met Ben Sanford at that time. He’s still at Cast. I spent a day with them and went through the software. It was kind of my first training. I was already doing a bit of Auto- CAD and I’ve been involved with computers since Apple II.
How did you develop a market while pioneering a new way of pre-production?
It was early. And the market in Québec is a bit different than the rest of the continent. The level of business was a bit low but I wasn’t doing only that. Proluxon was programming, 3-D modeling and using WYSIWYG. I believed in it, but I was already a consultant and I kept selling my service as a technical director and consultant to producers. I always remember the first time I sold my services. I was the technical director so I had the budget in my hands. I went to the producer and I told him we could save $20,000 and I’d charge him $10,000. He didn’t ask me how; he just understood he was making $10,000, so he agreed to go ahead. At that time, I had to put the board on my kitchen table with the screens on the sink counter.
When you go to a producer you don’t know, it was hard to try to explain to him to just invest and save money, since you can’t touch it or see it and it’s not something real. But the first few gigs, I was in charge of the budget and I already had a relationship with the producer and I could say, “You won’t hire me again if I mess up as a technical director, so, as technical director, I suggest you save some time and save some money.” So I had two commitments at once.
Now everybody seems to be into pre-vis, so it’s gotten easier, hasn’t it?
Yeah, and other companies are developing other software, so it’s gotten very competitive. I would say the hardest part is to bring someone into the studio. Once, I get them here, even a producer or director who doesn’t know much about lighting or manipulating lighting, the sale is done, right away, 100% of the time.
It’s pretty much getting them to walk through your door…
You just have to make him move between his office and my studio. When I wasn’t involved in any other part of the gig, that was the hardest part. But then producers started talking. They would talk between each other and say, “You know, I saved money because that guy has a studio and we did a big part of the production there and it was great.” So, it was hard to start up, but after that it just kept going.
The lighting designers got interested pretty fast, too, so I started to sell WYSIWYG. That’s not where I make much money, but the goal was to spread the software all around because when an LD comes in with a piece of paper, half of the budget goes towards the drafting. So, I propose to them to use their own WYSIWYG, and if they need a complex 3-D model, or any kind of support, including training, we’re always there. Then, when you come to the studio, you are going to spend your money on lighting not drafting.
Where does most of your business come from today? Are you still TD’ing? And the rest of it?
About 75% percent is the studio, sometimes even more. We now specialize in supporting visual designers and that can be any support. I still program light boards for a few designers that I’m close to. I also do a lot of R&D for them. The main focus of Proluxon is supporting visual designers and that was confirmed with my recent association with Andre Girard. We are a team that can support any designer in any way. Our motto is, “Just Imagine!” We’ll manage everything else.
What does the future hold for Proluxon and Valy Tremblay? Where do you go from here?
From here? Things are limitless! I want to keep the Proluxon’s team growing. Since visual design involves always more and more technologies, knowledge and work, I think that designers sometimes need a full team behind them to achieve their design. I want to keep ahead of the curve. After all these years, I’m still ready for new challenges and I have the same enthusiasm I had at the beginning of my career.
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