Not everyone realizes the power of networking as early in their careers as Ross Tyler Blitz, profiled in PLSN’s June 2020 “NextGen” column. After realizing his love for lighting during summer camp at age 10, Blitz followed his bliss. At 13, he volunteered as followspot operator at the Willow Theatre in Boca Raton, FL. In his spare time, he absorbed lighting magazines and found a hero: LD Bryan Hartley. He Googled him and emailed questions. “I thought ‘What’s the worst thing he can say, ‘No?’ Thankfully he could not have been a nicer person. He invited me to load-in, and we talked all things touring,” Blitz says. “Yes, his parents brought him to the arena during the day,” Hartley recalls. “He knew all the lingo and products. I was impressed with his knowledge.”
-Debi Moen, from “NextGen,” PLSN, June 2020, page 42
