I would like to begin my first column for LD+A by thanking the IES leadership team for the opportunity to serve such an accomplished and innovative membership Society. I previously spent more than 14 years working on various society publications at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), where I enjoyed meeting and learning from a diverse population of engineers who were affecting change across the globe. While stepping into IES still has that “new car smell,” it feels like home, as I have already been greeted by many of you via phone, email and social media conversations. I’m excited to engage with IES Membership to continue to produce high-quality and informative issues of LD+A.
It’s appropriate that my first issue of LD+A focuses on lighting in the hospitality industry since many of my strongest memories are rooted in various travels and (mis)adventures. Early in my career, I decided it was a good idea to leave my job and move out to California to attempt to become a screenwriter. I quickly fell into the starving artist lifestyle, surviving only because a friend pushed me to become a non-union background actor. (“You’ll only make $46 a day, but they FEED you!”) One night at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, CA, after wrapping for the day on the film The Perfect Storm, I walked alone to get to my car. It was dark, with flood lights from the sound stages creating angles of light and darkness. Although night, I could see the grand silhouette of Mount Lee resting beyond the lot’s gates. I stopped for a few minutes and soaked in the silence and grandeur, enjoying a moment where the bustle of movie magic was temporarily dimmed. There have been other visuals seared into my brain over the years: marveling at Walt Disney World’s Cinderella Castle at night with my wife and young children for the first time and visiting Cleveland, OH, to catch a glimpse of the Old Man’s leg lamp at the A Christmas Story House. That fishnet-stockinged leg may get all of the attention, but its illumination is what transforms it into “a major award.”
The emotion produced by lighting designers and technicians is essential to creating these memories within the hospitality industry. Whether it’s hotels, theme parks, restaurants or other locations, I’m looking forward to discovering the continued work of marrying the art and engineering of illumination.
Until then, it’s good to be home. Thanks for leaving the light on for me.
Craig Causer
Editor-in-Chief
c.causer@ies.org