Stepping into the world of Raw Cereal means diving into a realm of creativity and cutting-edge technology. The global creative and production studio with the intriguing name creates immersive live experiences for some of the world’s best-known artists, with one of the hottest names in country music, Lainey Wilson, thrilling fans with Raw Cereal-designed shows that include Elation RAYZOR series lights.
Raw Cereal
Founded in 2022 by Cort Lawrence and Anders Rahm, Raw Cereal (rawcereal.com) is a comprehensive creative studio based in Los Angeles, specializing in production, show, stage, lighting, and content design for some of the best productions worldwide. In the business for over a decade, Cort and Anders have worked with top acts like J Balvin, Kid Cudi, Machine Gun Kelly, All Time Low and Matchbox Twenty, as well as icons of music like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Beyoncé, Coldplay, and many more.
“We see ourselves as a global agency, delivering creativity to clients worldwide,” Cort Lawrence commented. “We offer both technical and creative expertise, and all the minute details that fall in between. We take our team anywhere the project takes us to get the job done.”
The name “Raw Cereal” originated from a breakfast routine shared by Cort and Anders, who noticed the absence of cereal on the menu at a restaurant in Los Angeles where the two creative minds often met to share their mutual aspirations of building a creative and production studio together. The name embraces the raw potential of unprocessed creativity.
“We’ve always looked past convention to a more creative and innovative approach using cutting-edge technology,” Cort shares, emphasizing that color is especially important in matching and complementing video in their designs. “Because we do a lot of video content, to have a company that really knows about true color and gives us the flexibility and opportunity to access that color spectrum, helps our programmers and makes our jobs a lot easier.”
Lainey Wilson
One of Raw Cereal’s hottest clients is country music’s Lainey Wilson, a star who is clearly on a steep upward trajectory. She’s out on extensive tours with video-rich designs with Elation lighting playing a complementing role in the visual look. “We’re happy to be using some great lights as support in this design,” Cort remarked. “They really help us bring the show to life by capturing the essence of the music and creating custom looks for each song, which makes for a more captivating experience for the audience.”
The 2023 American Country Music Awards Entertainer of the Year and 2024 GRAMMY Award-winner, Wilson opened her massive 2024 headlining tour with back-to-back sold-out shows at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on May 31/June 1. A shooting star in country music, the singer/songwriter has toured Australia, Europe, and the U.S., all in just a few months. “Lainey is a whirlwind of energy that has really caught the world’s attention,” Cort stated of the country singer’s quick rise to fame. “She is hard working, has great music and a great band and we are proud to have been brought on as Creative Producer, Lighting Designer and Show Director for her latest Country is Cool Again U.S. tour.”
Tried and True
Cort uses what he calls the “tried and true” combination of PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADE L and RAYZOR series fixtures as part of a larger lighting package. “On Lainey, we again turned to the PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADE L and PROTEUS RAYZOR 760, but added in the PROTEUS RAYZOR 1960 with its larger face and greater power for big pops of color and wash across the stage.” The 1960, a big brother to the PROTEUS RAYZOR 760, is a high-output LED wash and FX light with 18,000 lumens of power and eye-catching 19-cell front lens. Lighting vendor for the Country is Cool Again tour is Fuse.
PROTEUS RAYZOR 1960
Lainey’ set features an orange pickup truck center stage that rotates on a TAIT rotator and highlighted using PROTEUS RAYZOR 760s. The PROTEUS RAYZOR 1960’s populate two horizontal truss on each side of the stage. “I think they’re the most beneficial light in the show,” Cort says of the 1960s. “Everything in the center is focused around the video wall but the negative space on the sides gives the 1960s room to breathe. They pop and with the dark background they really show their true colors.” The linear PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADE L lights line a top truss with more units tucked below the video wall just behind the truck. More RAYZOR BLADE units work at ground level from each side of the stage.
The Lainey Wilson production is a collaborative team effort, and Elation is proud to play an important role. In conclusion, Cort reflects, “Elation has changed immensely over the last many years and now they have some of the best products on the road. We choose Elation because they are innovative and continue to push the boundaries and that fits in well with the Raw Cereal philosophy.”
Lainey Wilson
Creative Production House: Raw Cereal
Show Designer + Show Director: Cort Lawrence
Creative Director: CeCe Dawson
Creative Producer: Jacob VanVlymen
Lighting Programmers: Tony Caporale, Austin Schneider
Lighting Operator: Mitch Mueller
Content: Director: Drew Best
Content Producer: Tara LaPlante
Production Manager: Emily Waller
Tour Manager: Meg Miller
Stage Manager: Gerald “G” McDougald II
Artist Manager: Mandelyn Monchick / RedLight Artist Management
Lighting + Rigging: Fuse Technical Group
42 PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADE L
16 PROTEUS RAYZOR 1960
4 PROTEUS RAYZOR 760
Photos: Courtesy of Raw Cereal
Further information from Elation: www.elationlighting.com
