The energy shifted every time he came into the room. It was palpable. People wanted to be around him, to bask in the glow of his positive spirit. The real light was not from the products he represented— it was from the light beaming from within.
That light was extinguished on the evening of Thursday, May 23 when Craig Burross, 61, unexpectedly passed away from a short illness. He was in Las Vegas on a business trip at the time. He had successfully beaten Stage 4 liver and colon cancer and was in remission since December 2021, so the cause of death is unclear.
Burross was born on Aug. 6, 1962 in Wichita Falls, TX, where he graduated from S.H. Rider High School. He achieved a degree in audio engineering. But his 33-year sales career would catapult him far from that small town to the top of the entertainment lighting industry —where he was known worldwide— from his sales management roles at High End Systems, Vari-Lite and Robe Lighting.
High End Systems
Industry veteran Richard Cadena shares how he helped “recruit” Burross into the first of those companies. “I was working at High End Systems (HES) and visiting my client, Victor Duncan, in Dallas. Craig was the sales guy in the store, selling gel and expendables. He really made an impression. You couldn’t help but like him. HES was exploding at the time, and Bob Schacherl, then president at HES, was asking who we knew who could help with sales. Telling Burross that HES was hiring, the gel sales guy showed up at the company’s manufacturing headquarters in Austin, TX in March of 1991. “Craig walked in looking like a fashion model from the cover of GQ magazine,” Cadena recalls. “The whole place went dead silent. Everyone stopped and marveled at him. He turned heads! Not only was he good looking and well dressed, but he was so likable. That Texas drawl, always smiling— he was radiating!”
HES Co-Founder/CEO Lowell Fowler says that Burross came on board in time to help launch the Intellabeam 700 moving mirror fixture, followed by a line of other successful products. “Once upon a time, with a customer in NYC, I remember hearing: ‘I’m not sure what I just bought, but wow, what a salesman!’” Fowler notes. “In the world of making people go ‘wow,’ Craig was the true Wowmeister with his dazzling smile and dazzling technical expertise to go with it. In the 33 years since, Craig made countless business relationships, friends, and the many who call him family. He’ll be remembered for his warm personality and warm soul. It seemed he knew everybody. And everybody loved him. His absence is deeply felt.”
Melissa Garbell Tucker remembers the day she got the gig as an HES inside sales rep in 1993. “Waiting in the High End System lobby to have one of my first interviews with Lowell, I vividly remember this bright, handsome smiling face leaning out from a front office. That turned out to be Craig. We immediately connected. Craig and I were the Northeast Sales Team and he couldn’t have been a better fit for that region. He loved staying at the Ian Schrager hotels in New York City and Miami. He would always bring me lovely little gifts from his travels. We were like brother and sister who sometimes disagreed, but mostly always had the best of times! I will truly miss Craig, but I hold dear all the fond memories we had over the years.”
Lighting Designer Marsha Stern was working on the FAO Schwarz toy store in Las Vegas in 1996 with architectural lighting design firm, Johnson Schwinghammer, when she was introduced to Burross. “High End had just come out with the Studio Color wash light, the beta version. It wasn’t even on the market yet. It shows how trusting I was! My first architectural lighting job, a permanent installation, and I spec a beta product! I later learned that one never specs a beta product. But I trusted Craig, he had my back and it worked. That’s why I went back a second time. It was a match made in heaven. Craig didn’t sell you BS. He wasn’t a shyster salesman. He cared and he wanted to make sure that the sale had integrity to it. There was trust, loyalty, having your back. Honesty. He exemplified it. We became good working colleagues and from there it developed into a really special friendship for almost 30 years. I’m grateful that he was a part of my growth professionally and personally. He’s really going to be missed.”
Vari-Lite
In 2000, Schacherl had left HES and joined Vari-Lite in 2001, recruiting Burross on his new sales team in Dallas. Claypaky’s George Masek recalls how this “larger than life” person quickly taught him a lesson early on in a stressful situation while working on the VL team. “On a high pressure show, I was handling it poorly. I was freaking out and quickly descending into uselessness for myself and our crew. Craig stopped me cold. With his Texas drawl voice, he asked: ‘Hey man, what kind of day are you gonna have?’ I was stunned. He asked again with even more force: ‘WHAT kind of day are you gonna have? Because you can decide right now.’ It spun me around completely. I knew he was right to push me. I picked ‘good day’ and damn if we didn’t have a great one while we nailed the project.”
Masek says Burross’ “relentless optimism” was key in the success of the company as well as in his relationships. “Bob had him handle New York for Vari-Lite, which was a completely thankless task. We had a tremendous number of challenges in that market. Craig attacked it; he just moved to New Jersey and his fearless and boundless approach put us firmly on the map in New York. We were all rocking and rolling through life and constantly pushing hard— that is all part and parcel of it. But Craig was so unbelievable. He was the human manifestation of this crazy industry— it is full on in every direction and yet there is also an incredible sweetness and compassion to it that he really embodied. Craig is famous for enjoying life fully. He looked like a rock star most every day even through his health challenges.I deeply admire how he never seemed to stop giving everything 110 percent in spite of all of it. He seemed to always choose to ‘have good days.’”
The development of digital lighting technology at Barco/High End Systems brought Burross back to Austin in September 2004 for a second run there. But in November 2014, he changed course again —without leaving Austin—to join Robe Lighting, where he would work his way up to his final role as Chief Sales Officer/North America.
Robe Lighting
Charlie Hulme, a salesman at HES during Burross’ years, would follow to work with Burross at Vari-Lite and then Robe. Says Hulme, “When I joined Robe, I was talking with Schacherl about the team he assembled, which was comprised of people from High End Systems and who had worked with Bob at Vari-Lite. Bob said, ‘Craig knows everybody in the industry and he is beloved by all.’ And it was so true. He knew everybody. I remember a dealer event with 70 or 80 people gathered for dinner, and Craig introduced every single person in that room; he knew every face, every name, what they did and who they worked for. It blew me away. That struck me: how dialed in he was and how loved he was.”
When Burross invited John Dickson to join Robe Lighting in October 2022, it was,“a full circle moment.” He met Burross in the early ’90s at HES. “I was building Intellabeam, Emulator and Trackspot, and Craig was selling them, and doing it well,” Dickson recalls. He moved on from HES in 1997 to become a tech, programmer and a designer and kept Burross on speed dial. Fast forward 25 years, and Dickson says when the job offer came, “I jumped on it as a leap of faith knowing that Craig always had my back and that he saw the big picture. We are completely devastated as we have lost a visionary and an icon in this business. We have lost a great friend and mentor.”
Another Round
But it’s not just about products. The social scene goes hand in hand with sales in our industry. Whether it’s a round of golf or a round of drinks, the stories of this industry icon holding court to entertain while racking up the expense account are legendary. Ayrton’s Chris Ferrante, who was working at HES in product management, shares tales from the table. “Craig had quite a mischievous side. When I moved to Austin, he invited me out to dinner with him and a lighting designer under the guise of chatting about the Hog 4 console, but what he really wanted was my company credit card as he had maxed his out, again, and he had already taken everyone else out to dinner recently,” Ferrante reveals. “Craig was a proper force of nature. Always passionate, never sitting still and pushing us all to be just that little bit better. He will be missed!”
Spread Joy, Love, Light, Kindness
Burross will be missed. But his stepson, Chase Anderson, is following in Craig’s footsteps with a role at Robe as Business Development Manager handling the next generation of lighting professionals. So his spirit carries on.
Kat Burross, Craig’s wife since 2013, was a frequent companion to her husband as he traveled the globe visiting clients and attending concerts specifying the company’s lighting products. His network became intertwined with hers as they visited old friends and made new ones all over the globe. It wasn’t just concert lighting designers in his world. He was involved with television, theatre, architectural installs, corporate and sports events—basically, wherever there was a need for light, Burross was there.
“Craig was incredibly passionate about the lighting community and the camaraderie in the industry,” Kat shares. “Relationships were everything to Craig. He was so focused on building support systems and making sure everyone understood their value. He knew that elevating others had the potential power to elevate everyone. He saw the ripple effect of spreading positivity and genuine care as the key to success for the community. His Robe family was truly family to him. He was as loyal to his industry as he was to his own family. Craig was the great connector and felt a monumental responsibility and commitment to deepening and expanding the connections that he so tactfully built. He lived for it. It was as natural to him as breathing the air.”
She offers a final thought. “If he could express his wishes for everyone in the lighting community now, he would likely express that he wished for everyone to continue treating one another as family and to spread joy, love, light and kindness to all.”
PLSN sends heartfelt condolences to the family including Kat, sons Caden Burross, Chase Anderson and Matt Anderson; daughter, Paige Anderson, and two grandchildren. He also leaves behind brothers Steve, Terry and Kevin Burross. Plans for a memorial service are underway and will be made public once finalized.
Robe Lighting, Inc. also sent the following statement on the passing of Craig Burross, Robe Chief Sales Officer:
It is with complete devastation and with very heavy hearts that we announce the passing of beloved industry veteran Craig Burross.
From his early career at High End Systems, to his work with Vari-Lite, Craig most recently served as the Chief Sales Officer for Robe Lighting, Inc. where his passion for the entertainment production industry made him one of the most recognized and respected members of our industry.
Away from the office, Craig was a husband, father, and grandfather to a family whom he loved dearly. His wife Kat was often by his side at industry events, and his son Chase is also a member of the Robe North America team.
When speaking about Craig, one can honestly say that he truly loved and cared deeply about all the people in his life. Whether family, friend, or colleague, Craig was always eager to lend a helping hand and believed that when we lift each other up, we all rise together.
While he achieved success in his professional life, his greatest impact was on the multitude of personal relationships he cherished above all things. If you knew Craig, you knew he truly cared about you. His smile and personality would light up every room he walked into, and today we celebrate that light while mourning the loss of our dear friend.
Our hearts are forever with his wife Kat, his family, and all those who loved and knew him. He was truly one-of-a-kind. Keep rock’n CB. We will love you forever. Peace out.
You can read a more in-depth remembrance of Craig Burross from Robe here.
