Andrew Gumper is only 31 years old, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have decades of experience in the live event industry. He has spent the last 20 years immersed in activities ranging from programming lighting consoles, designing the look of various shows and running a production company that took him from his parent’s basement to the helm of AG Light and Sound, one of the fastest-growing production companies in the U.S. PLSN caught up with Gumper to talk about how he did it.
PLSN: How did you get started in the entertainment business?
Andrew Gumper: I started when I was 11, doing shows for my middle school and a local community theatre group. I wasn’t one to act in the shows, so I lit them. That led me to start buying some moving lights so I could make the shows better. I would rent my gear to the theatre, and then to a few local DJ companies in my hometown on Long Island, NY. It started off really small, with just two lights, then four, then eight, and so on.
How did the formation of AG Lighting come about?
My little basement rental shop started getting too big, so my parents pushed me to incorporate. That was back in 1998, when I was just 16 years old. I incorporated and found a small warehouse to work out of.
What was the defining moment at the start of AG Lighting?
A year after I started the company, MA Lighting came out with the grandMA Series 1, the big gray desk with the Push to Erect button. I knew something big was going to happen there, so I jumped on broad and bought the first console in the U.S.
AG Lighting had smaller consoles, but we needed something with more power. The grandMA was the answer. I began programming on the desk and quickly became really good with it. So good, lighting designers were asking me to teach them the desk.
Another big turning point was in 2002. Candace Brightman, who was designing the arena tour for The Other Ones, asked me to come on board and program for her. I was in the right place at the right time, because things started to go south for the next tour Candace was working on, a tour for the
Grateful Dead. Something went south with their current rental company, so Candace and Robby Taylor, the production manager, asked if AG Lighting could handle the tour. Without hesitation, I said yes.
What are some of the other types of production AG Lighting handles?
You name it, we can handle it! We’ve done a number of corporate, live events and TV productions in and around the New York area. In 2007, we were brought on to provide all the stadium lighting for the halftime show for the Super Bowl with Prince. It was primarily to provide ample light levels for HD broadcasting.
What other types of services does AG Lighting provide?
Again, you name it, we can provide it. Lighting, video, LED video walls, staging, structures, media servers — the list can go on and on. We started branching out to other technologies and production support. Our goal is to have a one-stop shop were AG Lighting can provide almost everything you’ll need to put on a show. Having one company do everything makes it easier for logistics and setup.
What are some of the other standout projects AG Lighting has been involved with?
We have done some pretty unique projects. In 2007, we provided the structures for the Cricket World Cup in Jamaica. In 2008, we did the 30th anniversary party for Diesel Jeans. We brought in a massive roof system — 95 feet wide and 300 feet long. We had a month and a half to produce and fabricate it. With such a large roof and need for trussing, we had three different companies working nonstop to build the truss to make the deadline.
In 2010 we hooked up with production designer Steve Lieberman. He was working on Ultra Music Festival in Miami. For that, we provided all of the lighting and video for the main stage as well, and all the video for the rest of the stages in the festival. After that, we did the last EDC [Electric Daisy Carnival] in Los Angeles [before it moved to Las Vegas], at the Coliseum. We put up a massive roof system for the main stage as well, and all the lighting and video. For the second stage, out in the parking lot, we provided another truss system and all the video as well.
From there, the electric dance festival scene just blew up. Everyone wanted to outdo the last. It wasn’t just about a stage anymore. Promoters wanted an entire enclosure to bring all of the festivalgoers into the experience.
It’s not just production for us, either. We’re getting into design and build for installations. We recently completed the installation for the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. Working in partnership with Niles Creative Group, we constructed and built the new video display systems right on the trading floor while Niles Creative designed and produced all the custom video content.
What makes AG Lighting different from the rest?
We always try to stay ahead of the times. We are constantly looking at new technologies as well as responding to our clients’ requests. We love it when a client challenges us. We never say no. While it seems impossible, there is always a way to do anything, and do it safely.
We have started to design our own products for automation and video walls, all based on our clients’ requirements. Where there is a problem and no ready solution, we make that happen.
How big of a concern is safety to you?
At the end of summer in 2011, the Indiana accident was a real waking up point. It put our industry in the spotlight for safety concerns. From there on, we wanted to make sure of structures could be easy to setup and not worry about wind speeds.
We came up with a new arched roofing system. It was designed to hold up to almost any wind speed and provide a strong roof that we could hang almost anything we wanted to. It made its debut at EDC in the New York City area in 2011, and then we shipped across the country to Las Vegas for EDC in June. It’s made its way in to Ultra Fest, Coachella and a number of other events around the country.
How big has AG Lighting grown?
Currently, we have two shops — one on Long Island, near New York, and the other in Las Vegas. We opened that shop just three years ago. Between the two warehouses, we have over 20 miles of various truss — those mega structures alone uses 7,000 feet of custom truss. We also have 10,000 lighting fixtures and 25,000 square feet of video panels. Those are just raw numbers that I can remember right now. When a client needs something, we don’t hesitate, we get what they need. Typically, we buy things in the hundreds to make sure we have what they need. Of course, that is all relative to what they need.
What are some of the trends and new technologies that you see taking hold in the industry?
That’s a hard one. Video and LEDs have already taken over. I’d say we’re on a trend back to simpler times. I think that shows have been getting bigger and bigger, and everyone has been trying to outdo each other, and as a designer and rental shop, I love it. But I see clients getting smarter with their money and pulling back the reins a lot. Yeah, they want the biggest and the baddest, but in the end the audience only sees what you give them, and they will usually be happy with it.
What advice can you give up-and-coming professionals in the industry?
Safety, Safety, Safety. We’re at a turning point in the industry — we need to make our industry safer, or else we all will feel the effects. “Things that have worked 100 times in the past,” or “you saw someone else do it so it must be okay” — that kind of thinking needs to stop, and it’s up to the veterans to train the new generation right. From the outside, our industry looks like all fun and games, and that’s why a lot of people get into it, but we always need to think about the effects of what can happen from what we do.
