On the other side of the pastel green planet...

You can now pre-order my textbook on Amazon !  I am so excited about its release.  This was a strange journey in writing a book, especially since I learned "on the job."

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL ACQUIRES ENTERTAINMENT PHENOMENON BLUE MAN GROUP   Montreal, Quebec, July 6 th , 2017.   Global entertainment leader Cirque du Soleil today announced the acquisition of New-York-based Blue Man Productions, a global live entertainment company best known for the award-winning Blue Man Group show, performed in over 20 countries and seen by more than 35 million people worldwide since 1991. The acquisition of Blue Man Group considerably widens Cirque du Soleil’s audience pool, adding to their portfolio six resident productions established across the United States and Germany, as well as a North American and a World Tour. The transaction is in line with Cirque du Soleil’s vision for the future, as the Montreal-based creative powerhouse looks to further expand globally and diversify its entertainment offering beyond circus arts. With its original aesthetics, award-winning musical talent and immersive experience know-how, the acquisition of Blue Man Group also represent

Nearing my deadline for my upcoming textbook: Media Design and Technology for Live Entertainment Essential Tools for Video Presentation In addition, I have been teaching classes at various regional theater conferences (look for one near you!). Cheers!

Wow, what a year 2016 has been.  I apparently dropped off the face of the pastel green planet.  I have been busy for sure.  This year at work has brought a lot of special projects.  One of my favorites was contributing graphics for Dancing With the Stars (which I enjoy watching with my daughter).  No, I am not credited, as I did this as one of the "other duties as assigned" for my employer.  Totally fine by me, it was fun. Politically, this was an interesting year.  I spent a good deal of time correcting people who posted false news sites on Facebook and other social media.  I know that I strained a lot of relationships, but I felt that it was still necessary.  Scientific American wrote a good article about the reasons that people believe false news (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-convince-someone-when-facts-fail/).  Why is this relevant?  Well, people believe crazy things in the live entertainment field as well.  They don't bother to think things thr

One of the things I am often asked about is "What do I need to have projection/video for my next production?".  Obviously this will never be a simple answer and I will always answer with a battery of questions.  Instead of going into all of the questions, being this is a single sided dialogue, I will over the next several weeks go over what I see as a direction for design.  I plan on giving you a parts manual of sorts.  Each part of a projection system will work together to bring about the end result.  Without understanding how the parts work, it would be impossible to describe the process.  Consider the end result of the video system like a clock face.  The end user doesn't really care what goes into the inner workings, only that they can tell the time accurately.  The clock designer will choose between an analog system with gears, springs, and other mechanical parts or a digital system with its related parts.  In both instances, there is the decision of how the end re

A couple of years ago I helped on a rather large scale project.  It was for a non-profit organization which I particularly like their mission.  So, when I was asked to help out with the visual aspects (projection), I accepted.  However, I didn't realize what I had signed on for. I work on one of the biggest permanent productions in history.  While I am used to working with and conversing with professionals of a similar background, I often forget just how foreign video can be.  After all, most every household has some sort of television that has any number of peripherals connected.  However, even the most experienced home user does not have the necessary vocabulary to discuss a large scale production. Here's the thing.  I am a geek for technology.  I love it.  I'm not just talking about the latest and greatest either.  I love all technology.  See, I went to school to become an archaeologist and my main focus was on ancient technologies.  Why do people make the things the