Brad Schiller was there as the job of Automated Lighting Programmer emerged, and he has influenced the job's evolution over the last 25 years as he moved from freelance to High End Systems to Philips Vari*Lite to Martin Professional. We sat down with Brad and discussed his remarkable career, but the interview was so packed with information that we decided to present it as two episodes. In this episode, we discuss his philosophy on programming and how he's seen the programmer's role evolve, his work on the 2000 Sydney Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies, his time with the band Crystal Method, and how he became part of the High End Systems programming department at a critical time for both he and they.

Brad is also a writer – we discussed Brad's book The Automated Lighting Programmer's Handbook, which has helped many programmers along their way, including your host. It's worth a read for anyone who interacts with intelligent lighting as a designer, operator, or technician. Brad also has a monthly PLSN column about programming, Feeding The Machines; during the interview, he mentioned two articles of note: An Automated Lighting Programmer Is What You Want To Be, a humorous look at programming in a Dr. Seuss vein (page 75 of the PDF), and An Offer You Can't Resist, about ACN and the E1.31 protocol.

If you're attending LDI this year, you can catch Brad on the four Art Of Programming panels, all taking place on Thursday, 10/22. Brad also writes In The Know, an insider blog about Martin Professional. Thanks for checking out our latest episode!

Today's televised events tend to lean heavily on video; in some cases, 80% of the scenery is actually a video surface. How does the content for all that real estate get created, handled and played back seamlessly? To find out, we sat down with Laura Frank: a screens producer working on some of the highest profile events in the world, including the MTV Video Music Awards, the CMT Music Awards, and Black Girls Rock!, as well as theatricals, corporate events, and other productions too numerous to mention.

Laura got her start working electrics in New York in the early 90's, and quickly found a home at the lighting desk. She distinguished herself as a top-flight programmer on the Hog, MA, Virtuoso, and Icon consoles, programming on Broadway, for feature films, and on major events. When she saw digital lighting on the horizon, she started changing direction, and today works entirely in media.

Through her company, Luminous FX, she provides the full gamut of services needed to turn a concept or idea into an amazing show: content templates & specification, 3D design visualization, content production, and server programming. Laura says that in her role as screens producer, she's not a designer, not a technician, but a creative partner who communicates the designers’ creative intent through the highly technical video system. She shares the tools and solutions she uses for multi-screen video environments at LFX Studio.

Thanks for joining us for Season 2! Use the Contact page to let us know what you think!