PLSN Interview

Among the working lighting designers of the world, few names carry the cachet as the name Jules Fisher. His 18 Tony Award nominations have netted him eight shiny statues dating back to 1973. His work extends beyond Broadway and into the realm of film (School of Rock, Chicago, A Star is Born), ballet, opera, television and concert lighting (Rolling Stones, KISS, David Bowie, Whitney Houston). But to speak to the self-effacing man you might never guess that he has met with any success, as he is quick to praise his design partner, Peggy Eisenhauer. Ironically, it is Fisher whom Eisenhauer credits with inspiring her early in her career. Together, they form the design firm Third Eye Studios. Our interview started in their offices in New York and culminated over the phone, as it is quite challenging to pin them down.

If you’re from the Midwest, it’s not hard to figure out that the automotive giants in Detroit and their subsidiaries have met with economic hard times. In the land of buyouts, downsizing and exodus, Tom Bagnasco has been a fixture with the world’s largest auto manufacturer, General Motors, for more than 18 years—a feat for any designer. As an adept small business owner, he has learned plenty along the way and diversified his customer base. In our PLSN Interview, Bagnasco discusses lighting in the D.

The world of professional wrestling is one part theatre, one part soap opera and three parts loud music, rabid redneck fans and outrageous wrestlers. Good or bad, everybody has a take on wrestling. Yet no one can argue with its marketing prowess. Imaging and branding have been prevalent in professional wrestling ever since Terrible Ted, the wrestling bear, took down Bunny Dunlop in the 1950s. But how do they do it now? As WWE’s senior production manager John D’Amico explains, it’s a lot good people, hard work, and of course, a lot of sweat.

You may know Steve Cohen’s work through some of the mega tours that he’s designed lately – Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Justin Timberlake… But you may not know that inside the business-savvy exterior of the man beats the heart of an artist who sees his craft as an extension of the music, who approaches the console like a band instrument and his job like performance art. After running the gamut from the early days with Billy Joel to the over-the-top productions of late, Cohen is settling back into the groove of a pure lighting show and loving every minute of it. He’s currently on the road with Billy Joel again, running the console and getting back to his roots. We caught up to the tour at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas where we spoke with Cohen.

Andre Huff took a unique route on his way to the world of television lighting. He started working for a lighting manufacturer, then in theatre and concert touring. His biggest challenge? Helping his clients understand that not every show can be like the Grammys. In this month’s interview, we caught up with Huff and he explained why it’s a challenge that he’s ready to (True) Grip.

Two-time Emmy-nominated Marisa Davis started a recent weeklong hiatus from The Ellen DeGeneres Show by speaking to PLSN about her career. Prior to her current gig, which is in its third wildly-successful year, she was with the Oxygen network where she honed her skills by lighting talk, variety, game, cooking and even workout shows. Later, she worked in sketch comedy, including Mad TV, Primetime Glick and The Hollow Men. In July 2005, she became a partner at Design Partners, Inc.

The jam band scene is a tight knit group of kindred spirits that are less corporate rock and marketing, and more in-theknow rock ‘n’ roll music junkies. Most bands have die-hard followers and rely on their live performances to not only generate income, but also to create the scene that results in their success. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that LD Dan “Malibu” Krygowski plays a vital roll for the band he tours with, O.A.R., or that he even has his own fan Web site. After all, he’s rock ‘n’ roll at heart, and he’s one of the family.