Today, ER Productions, the international, award-winning laser show design and special effects company, has credits spanning high profile events, advertising, television, and worldwide concert tours, and along with its role as a supplierof special effects, the company also designs and builds its own products. But back in its formative years, the company had humble beginnings. It was founded by friends Marc Webber and Ryan Hagan in 2007 with headquarters in the U.K., and Lawrence Wright joined the small team in 2011. Since then, the company has grown, and now also has offices in Spain, Australia and, most recently, the U.S. Wright is now general manager of ER Productions’ Las Vegas office.
PLSN chatted with Wright, who took us on the journey of his career path over the last decade and back to his early passion for lasers and SFX.
A Colorful Career
Wright’s career includes impressive stints at the storied club Ministry of Sound, trial by fire in the wild nightlife club circuit of Ibiza, Spain and being at the helm of the Guinness World record “Largest Laser Show” at LDI 2017 in Las Vegas. (There, ER Productions claimed a record by unleashing a 30-minute spectacle with beams from more than 300 laser heads.)
Wright’s journey started while he was 14 and still in high school in drama class department. “I was way more interested in what was going on backstage than onstage,” he says. Following his schooling years, Wright went to work at Ministry of Sound in 2008. MOS is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub that first opened its doors back in 1991. It was Wright’s “first professional gig,” one that he took full of advantage of. “I really was in a great position to learn all the production aspects in the club,” he says. But what really fired his imagination was getting the opportunity to “sink my teeth into lasers and special effects, because I was always wishing the lights could move quicker, change color faster, have different shapes.” Lasers fit those perfectly.
Which brought him to the still-nascent ER productions in April of 2011. Self-described as bright eyed and bushy tailed on his first day at ER, Wright was ready to see the world. But as the old adage goes, be careful what you wish for.
“My first role in the company was as a laser technician, with probably the craziest first day ever in a job. Upon arrival that first day, I loaded up a Ford Transit to the max with equipment, was given a plastic folder with documents at lunch time and began the drive to Ibiza for an eight-month posting on the Spanish party island! We did at least six or seven shows a week, sometimes as many as ten — a definite trial by fire. It was a real sink or swim moment, but I figured if I could survive that, I can survive anything.”
After eight months in Ibiza, Wright returned to the U.K. He went on to do shows with Groove Armada, implementing the first-ever system for the DJ to trigger lasers from stage. This tour took him on his first trips to Dubai and South America. A constant array of world tours, television (America’s Got Talent) and videos (Zayn Malik’s “Like I Would,” with over 65 million views) would follow with artists such as Metallica, The Australian Pink Floyd Show, Kylie Minogue, Queen + Adam Lambert and the Miley Cyrus transition from Hannah Montana; the Bangerz tour. Wright also lead the development teams at ER that created the first small DMX-powered laser — the Burstbox — and the proprietary Cyclone.
Mentors and Design Approach
Wright points to ER founders Webber and Hagan as major mentors in his expertise with lasers. “I owe those two a lot for where I’m at in my career, and the exceptionally talented Rob Sinclair,” with whom he worked very closely the next five years.
He attributes his days touring as a tech another invaluable experience in shaping his design approach. Understanding the fundamentals of what does and does not work laid the groundwork for his ability to look beyond the design and at the logistics of loading a production in and out daily. “One is always aiming for 100 percent, so I look to what can I do to make sure it performs at 100 percent. This taught me how to design a show that was fast to set up and guaranteed to work.” The Guinness World Record, he adds, “solidified my approach in how to design shows that are deployable efficiently by multiple people in a short space of time.”
Transition
Around 2015 amidst the whirlwind momentum of tours and shows taking place at an ever-increasing pace, the team at ER were able to step back for just a moment and realize shows were being shipped to the U.S. practically every week. Wright had by this time toured extensively in the states. Discussions of having an office in the U.S. took place often enough that the Webbers asked Wright to draw up a business plan. Clearly it was time to establish a U.S. office.
“Becoming general manager of the U.S. office was a gradual process,” says Wright. “I was still being requested to do tours while at the same time working on the layout of our office and warehouse. Interviewing, hiring people, and staffing the warehouse was an ongoing process as well. As our staff grew, I was able to assign duties to others and concentrate more on the business management of the U.S. office.”
Wright credits lessons learned at a young age from his father for his business smarts as a general manager. “My father ran his own business, so not only did I have the benefit of watching how he did that, I also worked as an intern in his warehouse participating hands on.” Armed with the basics, Wright started up a small computer parts buying and selling operation on eBay while still in high school. As his career developed in the live event field, he often took on the role of project manager, implementing his design work for tours he went on. “Working very closely with Marc and Ryan was the glue that brought it all together. They were in the U.S. often, helping me implement the practices they had established in the U.K., with some tweaks to meet the demands of the American market, of course.”
For 2015/2016 New Years Eve, Wright was with Katy Perry at the Wynn in Las Vegas where she was performing the final show of her tour. “Afterwards, I stayed on and began the process of opening our U.S. office operations in Vegas,” says Wright, relishing the opportunity to leverage his prowess at “jumping into things and adapting.
The experience has also given Wright, a strong believer in finding and motivating the next generation coming into the field, a chance to step into the role as a mentor to others. “The technology has advanced incredibly during my time in this business, but without the best people, passionate people operating the gear, then it is really just another kit of tricks. I want to find young people who are where I was at the early stages of my career, interested to push their passion for the laser work.” Lydia Elder, marketing and PR manager for ER Productions, concurs. “We are really investing in people and being at the forefront of lasers and SFX. The team Lawrence has assembled are extremely passionate about programming. We want to continue that build to ensure we are a full-service company.”
For more information, go to www.er-productions.com.
