LytePod

Here at Lytei, we are of the opinion that architects never truly die. As long as their buildings live on, they live on. Today, we say the same about prolific architectural lighting designer Howard Brandston and his body of work that deserves recognition and gratitude for elevating the practice of lighting design to a profession. In remembrance, we spotlight his genius with this podcast episode, or...

There's a new sales channel in town...and it's got exciting possibilities for the lighting design community. Trent Mulligan and David Thomas, the President and the Executive Director of Momentum Group and Rio Grande Reps, explain to us how great lighting is not only a natural fit in the AV and integration channels, but is a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to high-end residential lighting....

Walking the walk isn't easy, but when it comes to rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty, lighting design firm Clanton & Associates and their President, Dane Sanders, make it look natural. Dane isn’t just a theorist, he and his colleagues have a passion for pushing lighting progress: putting into practice advanced ideas and technologies, and bringing stakeholders together to wo...

What a year 2022 was for lighting. From new technology to exciting trends and research, the LytePOD featured a lot of great new episodes (27 to be exact). Sam recaps the top five most listened-to episodes of the year. If your taste is anything like the rest of the listeners, we hope you like them, too. Got a few minutes to spare? Take our short survey >> https://zurl.co/510r << to let...

In the last edition of our Enlighten Americas 2022 chronicles, Co-CEO and President of Lighting Design Alliance, Kelly Jones, shares why she says "everything is a phase" and shares some of the wisdom she's gathered in the different phases of her life so far. From starting off as a driven designer to co-leading one of the industry's most renowned lighting firms to another kind of co-leading on the...

It's always inspiring to see someone speak with authority and passion – two traits Catherine Leskowat, Senior Lighting Designer at Hartranft Lighting Design, has in spades! As anyone who's been to Enlighten Americas or Lightfair recently knows, Catherine is an advocate through and through. Whether it's advocating for designing more holistically for a wider cross-section of body types, abilities, a...

With so many bright stars in the constellation of the lighting industry, it takes a little something extra to stand out. Ben Cantu, regional sales manager at LumenWerx, definitely has the secret sauce when it comes to owning his personal brand. Never without his meticulously matching eyeglasses and footwear, Ben's presence is often felt across the room before he can even say "hi!" In this episode,...

Lighting that's felt but not seen: many lighting designers say that's the holy grail. The notion isn't new, but that doesn't make the lofty challenge any simpler. Brazilian-born Claudio Ramos, acclaimed director of Electrolight in San Francisco, phrases the idea a little differently. He says: "Designing lighting is like a Disneyland ride: if you see what's happening in the background, the magic is...

How do you build a company with sustainability at its roots? You start from the ground up and let every possible decision be guided by a foundation of principles that keep the holistic, big-picture view in mind. That's exactly what Karen Jess-Lindsley, CEO of Lindsley Lighting, set out to do when she teamed up with her partner to start Lindsley Lighting. From leveraging minimalism and timeless des...

"Filling the pipeline" is an ever-present hot topic in the lighting community. No matter where you get your lighting news, you're likely to see a focus on the challenge of engaging and retaining the next generation of lighting lovers — with an emphasis on diversifying the ranks of our industry and reaching new audiences. Sometimes, out of big problems — like social unrest and global pandemics — co...

Design is a dance - and in this week's episode, Addie Smith, Senior Lighting Designer at AE Design, explains why. Whether it be leading or following, the give and take of expertise and creativity in the dynamic process of design mimics the exchange of energy in dance. Learning to lead with heart and grace and cultivating an open-minded, curious mindset as a follower can yield beautiful results — b...

Change is something you can count on in life, and that's true in the business of lighting, too. Loren Kessel, the newly-minted CEO of Delta Light Group North America, knows how to ride the waves of change better than most. His 37-year lighting career hinges on growing multiple lighting businesses from the ground up, building collaborative relationships, and leading by example — all of which culmin...

Product specification has always been a complex process — one that is dependent on strong relationships. Renee Borg, Principal of San Fransisco-based agency, Sixteen5Hundred, dives into the importance of the specification process and how it should be championed to deliver the best outcome. In a world where evolving technology is complicating the procurement of products, the most crucial thing...

Not every career path is linear — sometimes they take a twist or two (or more)! Leigh Gice, Senior Market Segment Manager at Lumenpulse, is a prime example. From a childhood moment of theatrical inspiration, through television production, lighting design, and finally, to her role today translating product ideas into reality at an international lighting manufacturer... let's just say Leigh may not...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an athlete competing at the international level against Olympic champions? Now imagine living that dream — while ALSO climbing the career ladder as a rising star in the field of lighting design. That sums up a day in the life of Sebastien Payannet, international men's figure skating superstar and senior lighting designer at Oculus Light Studio. Jo...

What do lighting design and structural engineering have in common? Turns out, a whole lot more than one might initially think. John Roach, Associate Vice President, Structural Engineer, and Office Engineering Leader at CannonDesign, talks to us about the parallels between the professions and how through collaboration and a well-orchestrated design process, both lighting and structures can intrinsi...

"Solving complex problems by providing multiple solutions at the same time," that's Jon Penndorf's definition of truly sustainable design. Jon is Perkins&Will's Sustainability Leader and believes that great design outcomes are more than the sum of their parts — especially when designing sustainably. Listen in as he discusses the influential role that lighting designers play within the larger p...

Sustainability in lighting manufacturing is one of the community’s hottest topics. Following in the footsteps of the carpet, furniture, and building materials industries, owners and specifiers alike are asking for lighting products to be created with more than just energy efficiency in mind when it comes to sustainability. Join Sam as he talks through the fine points of Finelite’s sustainability j...

The emergence of virtual reality (VR) technology for architecture and design has been making headlines in the past few years — in the future, they've said, VR will become an integral part not just of a client presentation but also of the design process. Well, the future is now. Ernesto Pacheco, Director of Visualization, and Coffield King, Senior Lighting Designer at CannonDesign, joined Sam on th...

You can't miss the buzz in the lighting industry around material transparency, and in part that's thanks to people like Melissa Mattes, senior lighting designer and sustainability specialist at Sladen Feinstein Integrated Lighting. Melissa shares the "why" that fuels her passion for advancing sustainable lighting design practices and discusses how she took her sustainable values to help create a s...

Moving the needle on climate change isn't something the lighting industry can do alone — but we can start by looking at what the AEC sector has put in place and build on that progress. DPR Construction's global sustainability leader, Ryan Poole, talks us through some of the real and perceived obstacles surrounding sustainability in the design and delivery of the built environment and offers his th...

There's something seriously wrong with the way we specify and procure lighting today — ask any lighting designer, and you'll hear a horror story or two about packaging, substitutions, and pricing games that clearly show the system is broken. Enter Paul Boken, VP of Mulvey & Banani Lighting, and one of the contributors to Sourcery, a new content-sharing platform for the lighting design communit...

In part two of Sam's conversation with the Boston Lighting crew: Dan Weissman, Senior Associate and Director at Lam Partners, Kate St. Laurent, Associate Vice President at CannonDesign, and Sara Schonour, VP of Education and Engagement here at Lytei, the group dives into a new set of topics: what designers really want to see in new products, what they need as manufacturer and rep support, and new...

When it comes to lighting design today, Sam sat down with Dan Weissman, Senior Associate and Director at Lam Partners, Kate St. Laurent, Associate Vice President at CannonDesign, and Sara Shonour, VP of Education and Engagement here at Lytei, to explore everything from current design visualization software to designing and documenting and the tools they wish they had but don’t have at their design...

Want to know what's at the cutting edge of lighting tech? VR, AR, data leveraging, and new frontiers of visualization and production aren't just "somewhere on the horizon" anymore — they're already transforming everyday life. Listen to Chris Slaughter, Senior Lighting Engineer at Visual Interest, talk us through some exciting ways technology is changing the way we work in the lighting industry.&nb...