This time we have a chat with Lighting Designer Sarah Landau, who has worked with major artists including Jimmy Eat World, Savages, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and more….
What or who inspired you to work in lighting design for live events?
I loved theatre as a kid, and focused on theatre lighting in college after an inspiring Lighting 101 course taught by Heather Carson (a lighting designer and installation artist). I fell into event lighting after getting a “day job” at See Factor, an equipment vendor in NYC. The faster pace of concerts was immediately more appealing, and my goals shifted to design for music tours as opposed to musicals. I loved going to concerts as s fan, and I dreamed of working with the same artists I listened to.
You work with some big names including Childish Gambino to M83. How did the work come about?
I get the majority of my jobs through networking. It’s all about making an impression on someone and having them think of you at the right time. I have friends, colleagues, and contacts to thank for most of my resume. However, the Childish Gambino gig came through networking from a relationship I built while with M83—and M83 I got by going after it, myself. I originally cold e-mailed the manager, offering my services for free, at a festival I was going to be at with another band already, and then keeping in touch with their tour management until the pieces fell into place.
How has lighting design evolved since you started working in the industry?
Technology is the easy answer–it’s significantly more integrated with other departments (video, automation, interaction etc), and now, more intricacy and precision is possible through very technical programming and timecode. It’s also more diverse–I work alongside more women and people of color. Additionally, i’ve noticed the rise of design firms of all sizes, where people formally pool their talents. I’m still officially a lone wolf.
What has been your most interesting or challenging lighting set up in your career and why?
Easily, my first tour was the most challenging–I was so green! It was just a club tour in a bus and trailer and it meant the world to me. I felt like the show had life or death stakes every night, and I learned more in 6 weeks than I had in the previous 6 years. I’ll never forget the feeling of being at the helm of my own tour design that first night–the sensation of having a secret power as the “wizard behind the curtain” remains a pleasure at gigs to this day.
The event industry can be a very busy one! Do you have any wellness tips?
Getting enough sleep and being out in nature are the two most therapeutic things for me, in general and especially while working. Also, disconnecting my identity from my job–i love my work and put my soul into it, but the ups and downs of a gig are not reflections of who I truly am. Knowing there’s a lot more to my life than my work helps deal with any mistakes, disappointments, stress, and keeps my ego in check after a grand success.
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