Working as an automated lighting programmer is actually a lot like being a contestant on a game show…In the popular Minute to Win It show, for example, contestants are given one minute to complete a task using common household items. The more rounds they complete, the more money they win. An automated lighting programmer usually has to work under extreme time constraints to complete the programming of a show. For instance, you might have to program 20 songs for a tour in just a few days. In many cases, the LD will describe the task at hand (a particular chase for instance) and expect it to be programmed in the next few minutes using the tools within your desk. If you cannot complete the programming to his expectations, then you will lose the round and likely not work with this LD again. However, if you complete all the programming tasks in the allotted time, then you become a champion and will get to move on to further rounds and possible continued employment.
-Brad Schiller, from "Feeding the Machines," PLSN, April 2011
