Robe On Location

Robe connects with live entertainment industry people, personalities, influencers and trend-setters from around the world … talking about projects, opinions, experiences, inspirations and topics of interest from a cool location somewhere on our crazy planet … 

On Location 61 - Ola Melzig in Malmo, Sweden
On Location 61 - Ola Melzig in Malmo, Sweden

Eurovision technical director and “guru” Ola Melzig is back in charge of all ‘show’ elements for this year’s broadcast, which returns to Malmo Arena with the final on May 11th. Apart from 11 being Ola’s lucky number, it is 11 years since 2013, when the event was previously staged at same venue. Shooting from the hip as always, Ola talks to us about the major impact of Eurovision on his life and career.

On Location 60 - Luc Peumans in Genk, Belgium
On Location 60 - Luc Peumans in Genk, Belgium

C-MINE is a striking and interesting former coal mine in Genk, Belgium, now a vibrant creative hub for creative companies and organisations including lighting and multimedia design studio, Painting with Light (PWL). It was our eye-catching backdrop when chatting to PWL‘s founder and artistic director Luc Peumans, who gave up some time for OnLocation, sharing his journey from high school dance performer to entertainment and architainment lighting, show and technical director.

On Location - Ukraine - A Special Edition
On Location - Ukraine - A Special Edition

Human stories are often lost in the fog of war. In September 2023, I had the huge privilege of visiting three beautiful cities in Ukraine and meeting some awesome industry people who were willing to share their stories of resilience and survival in a “hot” conflict zone.

On Location 59 - Norm Schwab at the 64-Leg Ranch in Petaluma, California
On Location 59 - Norm Schwab at the 64-Leg Ranch in Petaluma, California

We met Norm Schwab, co-founder of acclaimed US-based design studio Lightswitch - which celebrated its 30th year in 2023 - at the 64-Leg Ranch in Petaluma, California. We heard about Norm’s incredible lighting design education at Carnegie Mellen University and his equally impressive experiences on the road where he fell in love with rock ‘n roll! His career is now enriched by working across multiple lighting and show disciplines with talented teams of creatives and technical specialists … producing spectacular shows. We encountered some of the 64 legs during the interview!

On Location 58 - Jake Vernum in Brighton, UK
On Location 58 - Jake Vernum in Brighton, UK

A beautiful, bright & crispy summer morning set the scene in Brighton on the south coast of the UK for our interview with production manager Jake Vernum. Born an “industry baby”, Jake’s father who runs a well-known UK lighting, AV, and power rental company, was a massive influence on his career choice, but Jake has independently forged a very successful career as a young and enthusiastic production manager. His current clients include George Ezra and Fatboy Slim, both of whom have been highly active over the last year.

On Location 57 - Pawel “Spider” Pajak in Warsaw, Poland
On Location 57 - Pawel “Spider” Pajak in Warsaw, Poland

Creative visual director “Spider” - as he is known industry wide - is based in Warsaw, Poland and works internationally on a range of cool projects. He loves technology, innovation, being creative and learning every day whilst engaging with interesting and challenging works which often involve multiple visual disciplines. We chat about his ‘accidental’ start in the industry via the techno party scene as a lighting operator and designer, and his more recent work in the R-fields - XR, AR, VR, MR – and contributing to his first feature film.

On Location 56 - Rob Sinclair in Los Angeles, California, US
On Location 56 - Rob Sinclair in Los Angeles, California, US

Quintessentially English in so many ways, lighting designer Rob Sinclair is known worldwide for his innovative, interesting and intelligent approach to lighting and visual design across multiple disciplines. He has recently permanently relocated to the hustle and buzz of Los Angeles and California which he loves, and the OnLocation team caught up with him in a couple of more off-beat LA locations to chat about what has made lighting so central to his life!

On Location 55 - Zhenya Kostyra in Wuerzburg, Germany
On Location 55 - Zhenya Kostyra in Wuerzburg, Germany

Zhenya Kostyra is from Kyiv in Ukraine and currently working for MA Lighting Technology in Germany. Before the war started, he worked with Ukraine’s largest rental and production company, Alight. We talked about his passion for music and how it drove his interest in lighting, his work on major Ukrainian television productions, for the extensive 30th anniversary show celebrating Ukrainian independence in 2021, and most recently as part of Tim Routledge’s FOH team for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool UK.

On Location 54 - Nkululeko Mazibuko at the Soweto Theatre, Johannesburg, South Africa
On Location 54 - Nkululeko Mazibuko at the Soweto Theatre, Johannesburg, South Africa

Nkululeko Mazibuko is a lighting designer and senior technician at the Soweto Theatre in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. He joined the team there in 2012 years ago as a lighting technician when the venue was first opened. He shares his energy, joie de vivre and positive outlook on life as we discover his pathway to becoming a lighting professional, discuss his love of lighting and storytelling and working at this lively creative hub right at the heart of Soweto’s thriving and diverse community.

On Location 53 - David Eversfield in Auckland, New Zealand
On Location 53 - David Eversfield in Auckland, New Zealand

Lighting designer & systems architect David Eversfield from OPTICSHOCK, LD for the recent Opening Ceremony of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, give the OnLocation team a whistlestop tour around Auckland, New Zealand’s lively largest city! Visiting key locations, we discovered some of his massive and diverse body of international work which embraces theatre productions, corporate shows, large scale spectacular events and architainment lighting. It all started inauspiciously when he was 5 years old in a community theatre group.

On Location 52 - John Featherstone at Anaheim Convention Center, California
On Location 52 - John Featherstone at Anaheim Convention Center, California

We caught busy lighting designer John Featherstone from design studio LIGHTSWITCH during lunch break on a show at Anaheim Convention Center in California! With characteristic dry wit, John relates his early years and career start in the UK, his lucky break falling in with The Smiths when they were still a pub band … and how he arrived and fell in love with Chicago, now his home for more than 30 years.

OnLocation 51 - Andres Sarv in Tartu, Estonia
OnLocation 51 - Andres Sarv in Tartu, Estonia

Tartu, Estonia’s fabulous second city, hosts the country’s oldest theatre - Vanemuine – a hotbed of creative expression both nationally and internationally, known for its high production values and commitment to excellence. Andres Sarv heads the lighting department there, so we talked about his work and life in this vibrant environment as Tartu looks forward to its year as European Capital of Culture in 2024.

OnLocation 50 - Tess Falcone at the Hollywood Reservoir, Los Angeles
OnLocation 50 - Tess Falcone at the Hollywood Reservoir, Los Angeles

With the stunning backdrop of the Hollywood Reservoir, Los Angeles - a quiet and less well known green area bursting with wildlife, nature and undulating hills – as a location, we met up with lighting designer and programmer Tess Falcone. We learned how her busy, successful and fun-filled creative career kick started in Denver 10 years ago, as she shared her experiences and enthusiasm for the industry in this lively and vibrant interview.

On Location 49 - Matt Marshall at The Rocks, Sydney, Australia
On Location 49 - Matt Marshall at The Rocks, Sydney, Australia

“The Rocks” in Sydney Harbour is one of the most stunning and iconic locations in the world, so we were hugely lucky to use it as a backdrop to this great interview with lighting designer Matt Marshall whose talents embrace the worlds of contemporary dance, theatre and opera. Matt gives us the low down on the early years of his career, his work with Sydney Dance Company and other brilliant arts organisations, what inspires him and what he loves about the industry and his work.

On Location 48 - George Ivanenko in Los Angeles, USA
On Location 48 - George Ivanenko in Los Angeles, USA

George Ivanenko is a lighting designer from Kharkiv in Ukraine, currently living and working in the USA. After touring internationally with Ukrainian superstar Max Barskih, he was exploring his options for working abroad when the brutal war erupted last year. This accelerated his plans, and he was lucky enough to be able to travel. We met George in Los Angeles and chatted about his design studio, Corporation of Light, their educational activities, his work with Max and his creation of a special visualised lightshow, “Light History of Ukraine”.

On Location 47 - Nicolas Fischtel at the Navarra University in Pamplona, Spain
On Location 47 - Nicolas Fischtel at the Navarra University in Pamplona, Spain

The beautiful grounds of Navarra University in Pamplona, Spain, was where OnLocation caught up with multi-award winning lighting designer Nicolas Fischtel AAI, who made time for us in between rehearsals for a new work he was creating at the theatre there with famous Spanish dance company, Metamorphosis! We chatted about his passion and dedication to the art he has been crafting all his life, his early international training, his enduring love of music and the challenges of lighting the fluid and ephemeral world of dance.

On Location 46 - Theis Wermuth near Aarhus, Denmark
On Location 46 - Theis Wermuth near Aarhus, Denmark

At a secret and tranquil location just outside Aarhus, Denmark’s second city, we caught up with lighting designer Theis Wermuth of design studio Create This. We chatted about Theis’s early career as a DJ through to working with some of Denmark’s most popular music artists like Nephew. We heard about how he dealt with designing lights for 9 summer tours in 2022, even managing to go out and operating most of them himself!

On Location 45 - Priidu Adlas in Tallinn, Estonia
On Location 45 - Priidu Adlas in Tallinn, Estonia

Priidu Adlas from the Estonian Drama Theatre in Tallinn, the beautiful and lively capital city of Estonia, took time out of his busy schedule to chat to Robe’s OnLocation team about his career and work. Born third generation into the theatre, we learned how he took a more technical route whilst learning about the key production and BTS elements to a show as a child and youth, right through to the venue when he currently works full time as Head of Lighting.

On Location - 2022 Year End Round Up
On Location - 2022 Year End Round Up

Louise Stickland presents a special 2022 year-end edition of Robe’s OnLocation project, rounding up some highlights from these exclusive interviews with an array of lighting and production professionals from around the world.

On Location 44 - Rachel Marlow in Auckland, New Zealand
On Location 44 - Rachel Marlow in Auckland, New Zealand

We enjoyed the vibrance and energy of lighting designer and light artist Rachel Marlow in and around some of Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand’s most iconic theatres and performing arts venues. Rachel explained how her career as a lighting practitioner started and talked about some of the diverse and innovative projects on which she has worked with her visual design company, Filament Eleven 11, capturing the vibey mood of this culturally rich and diverse country.

On Location 43 – Eran Klein in and around Tel Aviv, Israel
On Location 43 – Eran Klein in and around Tel Aviv, Israel

Sunset on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea was one of two fabulous locations visited to interview Israeli lighting designer Eran Klein, with the other being a penthouse apartment with panoramic views across downtown Tel Aviv. Eran shared his energy and passion for lighting across multiple sectors, together with some of the people and events inspiring him to learn the art. We also discussed his work with Grammy award winning electronic artist, Black Coffee...

On Location 42 – Stephen Abbiss at Titterstone Clee, Shropshire, UK
On Location 42 – Stephen Abbiss at Titterstone Clee, Shropshire, UK

Birthdays on the road and working around the world with renowned music producer Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook) were hot topics for our OnLocation interview with UK lighting designer Stephen Abbiss. We travelled to the dramatic and windswept hills of Titterstone Clee in Shropshire, to catch up with him and hear some great insights on life and the industry he is completely passionate about.

On Location 41 – Mark Cunniffe at Poole Harbour, Dorset, UK
On Location 41 – Mark Cunniffe at Poole Harbour, Dorset, UK

The whole industry has been talking about Ed Sheeran’s acclaimed “Mathematics” stadium tour which kicked off this summer … so long-term lighting and visuals designer, Mark Cunniffe made time in his busy schedule to meet us at his office in Poole Harbour, UK, to explain how the incredible and highly innovative stage design evolved. He also shared a few details from his early years in the industry, running a large school theatre and his fantastic ‘apprenticeship’ working BTS in London’s West End.

On Location 40 – Fredrik Jonsson in Stockholm, Sweden
On Location 40 – Fredrik Jonsson in Stockholm, Sweden

The impressive waterways and great vibes of Stockholm, Sweden, provided the backdrop for this OnLocation with lighting designer Fredrik Jonsson of Eyebrow Designs! One of Sweden’s top lighting professionals, we chatted about Fredrik’s childhood creativity, his 13 years working at Swedish Television, the 609 potential Eurovision songs he designed during his 20 year residency as LD for Melodifestivalen (Mello), the Swedish Eurovision selection event, as well as the three Eurovision Song Contests that he has lit. And celebrating Tina Turner’s birthday with the superstar in the studio!

On Location 39 – Joakim Faxvaag in Isdammen, Oslo, Norway
On Location 39 – Joakim Faxvaag in Isdammen, Oslo, Norway

In May we visited beautiful Norway and met Joakim Faxvaag, lighting designer for Norwegian public broadcaster, NRK. The interview took place on a hike, amidst the stunning scenery of the Isdammen nature park just outside capital city Oslo. We heard about the start of Joakim’s career, his decade of touring and some of his experiences and projects at NRK as well as what’s great about living and working in Norway!

On Location 38 – Andre Beekmans in Eindhoven, Netherlands
On Location 38 – Andre Beekmans in Eindhoven, Netherlands

Late in 2021, the OnLocation team visited the vibrant former industrial Strijp-S area, now the cool part of Eindhoven in the Netherlands where we met lighting designer Andre Beekmans from the Art of Light. Andre told us how he got going in the industry, about his successful design company, Art of Light, and his work with major international EDM artists like Armin van Buuren, Afrojack, Hardwell and others, as we enjoyed the great Strijp-S vibes and the semi industrial surroundings.

On Location 37 – Michael Broderick in Johannesburg, South Africa
On Location 37 – Michael Broderick in Johannesburg, South Africa

Downtown Johannesburg might be like the Wild West to some, but it has its own special energy, colour, hustle, and unique vibes, so no better place for meeting up with South Africa based theatre practitioner and lighting designer Michael Broderick! In and around the city’s legendary Market Theatre, he shared some of his fabulous thoughts, experiences, expectations, and insights … together with his insouciant passion for the industry!

On Location 36 – Josef Ženíšek in Prague, Czech Republic
On Location 36 – Josef Ženíšek in Prague, Czech Republic

Josef 'Pepa' Ženíšek runs Prague based SMART Production, one of the Czech Republic’s leading event technical providers and producers, which co-ordinates production solutions across all disciplines for music festivals, concerts sporting fixtures, corporates and industrials. Ahead of the 2022 Colours of Ostrava music and performing arts festival, we talked about this as one of his long-standing clients. Pepa also told us about SMART Production and his love for making the seemingly impossible happen!

On Location 35 – Joshua Cutts at Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa
On Location 35 – Joshua Cutts at Hartbeespoort Dam, South Africa

Joshua Cutts is a leading South African lighting designer, known for his creativity and originality, who is working across multiple genres of entertainment – television, music and concerts, corporate & industrial presentations, via his design practice, Visual Frontier. It was a sunny and warm autumn day at Hartbeespoort Dam about an hour’s drive from Johannesburg, where we talked being born into the industry, his early formative years working backstage at Jozy’s famous Market Theatre, through to his 13th season of lighting Idols SA. We touched on how the South African market is adapting and starting to move forward after a challenging two years of the pandemic.

On Location 34 – Sune Verdier in Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
On Location 34 – Sune Verdier in Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark

We travelled to Copenhagen in fabulous Denmark to meet LD Sune Verdier who is well known for his creativity in lighting for music shows, theatre productions and cool corporate events. He also works for busy rental Danish specialist, European Tour Productions (ETP), and for the last few years has designed and managed production lighting for the the Arena Stage at Roskilde, among Europe’s most popular festivals. Sune is a busy guy, but managed to squeeze some time for us to chat about how his industry career got started and some of his recent work.

On Location 33 – Miro Hrg at the Jarun Lake in Zagreb, Croatia
On Location 33 – Miro Hrg at the Jarun Lake in Zagreb, Croatia

Jarun Lake - an expansive green space in the middle of Croatian capital Zagreb - is where we caught up with Croatian lighting designer Miro Hrg on a hot day last summer, together with some very persistent bugs! The location is also the site of the country’s INMusic festival. We chatted to Miro about his industry work, career highlights, his new production design company 21 Productions … and how he counts himself lucky to have one of the best jobs in the world!

On Location 32 – Nick Jevons at Royal William Yard, Plymouth, UK
On Location 32 – Nick Jevons at Royal William Yard, Plymouth, UK

Lighting designer Nick Jevons shared his massive energy, enthusiasm and passion for the industry he loves with us late last summer when we visited his new studio at picturesque Royal William Yard, Plymouth, UK. ‘Industry baby’ Nick recalls his early career and impressions, gives up a couple of special touring moments and experiences from a hyperactive career embracing multiple performance genres from cool indie rock to slick corporate events!

On Location 31 – John Gallagher in Belfast (Titanic Quarter)
On Location 31 – John Gallagher in Belfast (Titanic Quarter)

On a windy day last summer, the OnLocation team met up with television lighting designer and director John Gallagher in Belfast’s vibrant Titanic Quarter. We talked about how John started in lighting, what attracted him to television, what he’s been doing since the pandemic and his love for Ireland, which matches his enthusiasm and passion for his work and his many industry colleagues and friends.

On Location 30 – Mikki Kunttu in Porvoo, Finland
On Location 30 – Mikki Kunttu in Porvoo, Finland

Experiencing the beauty and rawness of the Finnish winter, we caught up with lighting designer, director & programmer Mikki Kunttu in and around Porvoo. We chatted about the influence of contemporary dance in his spectacular career and in shaping his signature creative style which has been seen on numerous international productions, and touched on his ground-breaking work with Cirque du Soleil.

On Location 29 – Christopher Bauder at Dark Matter, Berlin
On Location 29 – Christopher Bauder at Dark Matter, Berlin

The OnLocation team returned to Berlin to hear about Christopher Bauder from White Void’s new light art exhibition, Dark Matter, which opened in 2021, showcasing a selection of his stunning lighting and visual works from over the last two decades. We talked about the motivations driving Dark Matter together with some of the installations, and also heard about the collaboration with different sound artists, all of which make Dark Matter a must-see for anyone who’s interested in light!

On Location 28 - Roland Greil at the Schleissheim Palace, Munich, Germany
On Location 28 - Roland Greil at the Schleissheim Palace, Munich, Germany

In summer 2021 we met lighting designer, director and programmer Roland Greil at the impressive Schleissheim Palace Complex near his home in Munich, Germany. We chatted about Roland’s rich and varied career and in particular his work with legendary rockers Rammstein known for their large-scale, high impact and visually spectacular shows. We also touched on his new international design venture, The Black Project.

On Location 27 - Crt Birsa at Rojnik Ranch, Slovenia
On Location 27 - Crt Birsa at Rojnik Ranch, Slovenia

Based in beautiful Slovenia, we met up with lighting designer Crt Birsa at Rojnik Ranch in the stunning countryside about 20 minutes’ drive from capital Ljubljana. We talked about the start of his career, his international work with 2CELLOS, how he’s stayed busy and focussed during the lockdowns and his creative design company Blackout … amongst other things.

On Location 26 - Jo MacKay at Loch Lomond, Scotland
On Location 26 - Jo MacKay at Loch Lomond, Scotland

A beautiful – and rare – sunny Scottish summer day provided a perfect backdrop for our OnLocation interview with creative show producer Jo MacKay on the shores of Loch Lomond. Jo is a co-director of LarMac LIVE and known industry-wide for her imagination and flair as an event producer! She cut her industry teeth rock ‘n roll style during the 1990s, working with Oasis, arguably one of the highest profile bands of the era. Since then, Jo has enjoyed numerous memorable career moments around the world, some of which she shared with us in this interview.

On Location 25 - Daan Oomen in Amsterdam, Netherlands
On Location 25 - Daan Oomen in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Daan Oomen from Amsterdam headquartered Live Legends is a show designer and director working internationally, who is renowned for his style, flair, and narrative approach to designing entertainment environments. In this OnLocation interview, we talk extensively to Daan about his career beginnings and his work in China, including, most recently, a series of epic superclubs.

On Location 24 - Yaron Abulafia at NDSM Werft, Amsterdam, Netherlands
On Location 24 - Yaron Abulafia at NDSM Werft, Amsterdam, Netherlands

NDSM Wharf in Amsterdam Noord was the location for our interview with lighting designer and academic Yaron Abulafia. This vibrant former industrial area was a great backdrop to hear about some of Yaron’s work, his book, “The Art of Light On Stage”, his thoughts on the role of the lighting designer as an independent artist and most importantly, why we need light in our lives!

On Location 23 – Giovanni Pinna on the Maremma coast, Tuscany
On Location 23 – Giovanni Pinna on the Maremma coast, Tuscany

A sunny summer day along the gorgeous Maremma coastline in Tuscany, Italy, was where we caught up with Giovanni Pinna - one of Italy’s top lighting designers. We talked about how his industry career started as an English-speaking stagehand whilst at high school, and his long-term work with Italian megastar and showman Vasco Rossi, known for his truly spectacular productions. Effervescent and fun-loving Giovanni emphasised the importance of all the people who make this industry rock, the benefits of being a good communicator … and the essence of enjoying life!

On Location 22 - Sam Jones at the Leith Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland
On Location 22 - Sam Jones at the Leith Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland

Back in March – when it was still VERY cold – OnLocation visited Sam Jones in Edinburgh – at the wonderful and charismatic Leith Theatre, where we head about how he started off in the industry and his passion for being visually creative. His work encompasses lighting cool bands of the moment like The Ninth Wave and Half Formed Things, all the way to alternative art and performance shows at events like the Hidden Door Festival. We also touched on one of his lockdown projects, ‘Live in Leith’. Over to Sam …

On Location 21 - Veith Schmidt in Cologne, Germany
On Location 21 - Veith Schmidt in Cologne, Germany

We visited Cologne in Germany to make an OnLocation special with Veith Schmidt which touches on the advantages of GDTF. Veith is a lighting designer and programmer based in this famous cathedral city … so we chatted about his 30-year career, his pandemic project teaching activities, and specifically about the importance, relevance and future of lighting fixtures utilizing GDTF files.

On Location 20 – Andrew Liddle in Old Dalby, Leicestershire, UK
On Location 20 – Andrew Liddle in Old Dalby, Leicestershire, UK

Standby for some dry with and humour! We met lighting designer Andy Liddle at the former army base where he started his engineering apprenticeship as a teenager before running away to go on the road and forge a career in live music and concert touring! We heard about how he started off, some of the many people who mentored and influenced him … and his love of the UK’s very special Glastonbury Festival.

On Location 19 – Roger Williams in Glasgow, Scotland
On Location 19 – Roger Williams in Glasgow, Scotland

The OnLocation team was delighted to be back in the fabulous Scottish city of Glasgow – which seems to be emerging as a favourite UK location - to catch up with television lighting designer and director Roger Williams whist working on a new show for the BBC. He told us about his professional beginnings in the theatre, his 18 glorious years at the BBC and some highlights from his very successful freelance career since then, including lighting “The Jump”, a popular celebrity winter sports competition show broadcast on the UK’s Channel Four.

On Location 18 - Patrick Woodroffe in Batheaston, Sommerset, England
On Location 18 - Patrick Woodroffe in Batheaston, Sommerset, England

Patrick Woodroffe is our OnLocation guest this week … and he needs no introduction to the entertainment lighting industry. As one of the pioneers of contemporary stage and effects lighting design, Patrick has worked with massive stars like The Rolling Stones, AC / DC, Adele, Elton John, etc … as well as designed lighting for musicals, operas, spectaculars, and art projects.

Known for his imagination and painting beautiful pictures with light, Patrick is a global influencer.

In the interview, he highlights the importance of networking and connections as well as creative skills … and we talk specifically about a very recent architectural project, illuminating the Sakhir Tower at the Bahrain International Circuit / Formula 1 racetrack.

On Location 17 – Romain Pissenem at High Scream’s office in Soho, London
On Location 17 – Romain Pissenem at High Scream’s office in Soho, London

Romain Pissenem from High Scream was responsible for the show design of David Guetta’s stunning New Year’s Eve livestream from the Louvre in Paris. We caught up with him at High Scream’s London office in Soho to chat about that … how he became interested in the atmospheric engineering of shows, events and parties and the evolution of High Scream‘s unique and eloquent show design magic!

On Location 16 – Tom Campbell at MIRRAD in Park Royal, West London, UK
On Location 16 – Tom Campbell at MIRRAD in Park Royal, West London, UK

This week’s OnLocation checked out the offices of creative design collective MIRRAD in Park Royal, West London, UK. We met award-winning lighting designer Tom Campbell and heard what he’s been doing during the pandemic and lockdown periods – and things have not been quiet! Looking forward to the industry re-starting, Tom and his business partner have launched a practical and stylish new clothing brand - STNDBY TECHNICAL GEAR Co - tailored to production crew and technicians looking great and working smarter.

On Location 15 - Bertil Mark in the Rhineland-Pfalz, Germany
On Location 15 - Bertil Mark in the Rhineland-Pfalz, Germany

‘Hello on Mars’, a creative community nestling in the beautiful undulating topography of Rhineland-Pfalz a wine producing region in west Germany, was the location for meeting musician, lighting designer and music producer Bertil Mark. In a fascinating interview, we discussed his musical beginnings, his lighting career, some philosophies and his ultimate love for work, life, and places like Japan.

On Location 14 - Jvan Morandi in the Scottish Highlands, Forres, Scotland
On Location 14 - Jvan Morandi in the Scottish Highlands, Forres, Scotland

Braving the cold and ice, the beautiful town of Forres in the Scottish Highlands was location to meet lighting and visual designer Jvan Morandi, and chat about being part of the talented production team on Jean-Michele Jarre’s incredible “Welcome to The Other Side” New Year’s Eve VR livestream concert from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris!

On Location 13 - Marc Lorenz in the English Gardens, Munich, Germany
On Location 13 - Marc Lorenz in the English Gardens, Munich, Germany

We met lighting designer and programmer Marc Lorenz in the leafy, beautiful, and peaceful English Gardens in Munich, sampling a perfect autumn day! We chatted about his career, his teaching activities, the VLLV – the new German association for lighting and media designers and programmers - and how he loves the crazy and creative people who make this industry so special and invigorating!

On Location 12 – Grant Anderson at the Botanical Gardens, Glasgow, Scotland
On Location 12 – Grant Anderson at the Botanical Gardens, Glasgow, Scotland

The warmth and vibrancy of Glasgow in Scotland pushed t the January chills and rain away as we met lighting designer Grant Anderson on a soggy day at the city’s famous Botanical Gardens! We talked about Grant’s career and work, and the specific challenges of lighting illuminated trails including the GlasGLOW3 event which was staged right there at the location …

On Location 11 – Michael Kuehbandner at Olympic Park, Munich, Germany
On Location 11 – Michael Kuehbandner at Olympic Park, Munich, Germany

Munich Olympic Park was the location for our night-time chat with German lighting designer, director, and programmer Michael Kuehbandner. We discussed his career and work, the massive emotional power of lighting and some of his activities during the pandemic including helping to establish the VLLV, a new German association for LDs, programmers, and operators.

On Location 10 – Tim Routledge at Bushy Park, Richmond, UK
On Location 10 – Tim Routledge at Bushy Park, Richmond, UK

We met multi-award winning lighting designer Tim Routledge on a frost morning at Bushy Park in the London Borough of Richmond, UK … and chatted about his career beginnings, his talented team of associates, a selection of lockdown projects and some memorable moments …

On Location 9 – Chris Moylan at Motorwerk Berlin, Germany
On Location 9 – Chris Moylan at Motorwerk Berlin, Germany

We met lighting designer and programmer Chris Moylan at one of Berlin’s fabulous industrial venues - Motorwerk - where he chatted about lighting, programming, creating light art and the importance of live entertainment and performance to well-being … as well as life in the dynamic metropolis of Berlin.

On Location 8 - James Dacre at Royal & Derngate in Northhampton, UK
On Location 8 - James Dacre at Royal & Derngate in Northhampton, UK

We caught up with the incredibly busy James Dacre – artistic director of the Northampton Royal & Derngate Theatre in the UK. He gives the low down on “Made in Northampton”; the importance of theatre in the community; and the technical and creative skills that are vital to keeping the sector fresh, dynamic, and evolving!

On Location 7 – Christopher Bauder in Lichtenberg, east Berlin, Germany
On Location 7 – Christopher Bauder in Lichtenberg, east Berlin, Germany

Christopher Bauder of WhiteVOID and Kinetic Lights is a world-renowned light artist and inventor, known for his ground-breaking creations like SKALAR and Apologue. We caught up with him in Lichtenberg, east Berlin and chatted about his work and “Dark Matter” and exciting new exhibition and light art gallery space which is opening early in 2021!

On Location 6 - Haydn Cruickshank at Teesside Autodrome
On Location 6 - Haydn Cruickshank at Teesside Autodrome

Vroom Vroom!!!! We chased British Pro Drift Championship racer Haydn “H” Cruickshank all the way to Teesside Autodrome in the UK … and chatted about the art of drifting and the science of his amazing drift supercar (H also owns one of the UK’s most successful lighting and visuals rental companies, Colour Sound Experiment).

On Location 5 – Elliot Baines at the North Yorkshire - Gordale Scar
On Location 5 – Elliot Baines at the North Yorkshire - Gordale Scar

We visited the remote, peaceful, and stunningly beautiful wilds of North Yorkshire - Gordale Scar in particular - to catch up with young lighting designer Elliot Banes of SpiralStageLighting and chat about lighting, vlogging and dreaming big!

On Location 4 - Andy Webb at the Cirencester Abbey in Gloucestershire
On Location 4 - Andy Webb at the Cirencester Abbey in Gloucestershire

We rocked up to the leafy green grounds of Cirencester Abbey in Gloucestershire, UK … to catch up with lighting designer and director Andy Webb from Tigz Creative, and chat about the crazy, surreal, trippy, and fun world of pantomime! A very English performance genre!

On Location 3 - Gordon Torrington at the Margate and Dreamland
On Location 3 - Gordon Torrington at the Margate and Dreamland

We travelled to Margate and Dreamland, a classic and popular theme / amusement park on the east coast of the UK to catch up with Gordon Torrington from rental company Liteup … and hear about some of the projects he’s been involved with this summer including #TechsOnTheDecks and #WeMakeEvents as well as the Hot Chip livestream he was working on at Dreamland.

On Location 2 - Philip French at the Peachy Playhouse in Guildford, Surrey
On Location 2 - Philip French at the Peachy Playhouse in Guildford, Surrey

For this week’s On Location, we visited the Peachy Playhouse in Guildford, Surrey, UK … a new and successful socially distanced live performance / entertainment concept that ran over the summer as a direct response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Philip French explains the ideas and challenges he and the team faced in staging this innovative event …

On Location 1 - Steven Haynes at the Greenwich Peninsula, London
On Location 1 - Steven Haynes at the Greenwich Peninsula, London

Robe caught up with Steven Haynes during a #WeMakeEvents / #LightItInRed event at Magazine London, a popular venue on the Greenwich Peninsula in London … to chat about some of the industry campaign work of the summer amongst other things …

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