Written by Mike Graham, product manager for CHAUVET Professional

The people of the modern entertainment technology industry are coming of age, and getting older. I look around and keep seeing younger and younger faces. I find myself saying things like “I was lighting shows when you were watching GI Joe” and “Back when I started out…..(insert old guy statement here).” I go to shows, see old friends, see them working for a different company, see them getting a new line or wrinkle, and see myself not getting any younger.

A guy I used to work with passed away this week. We worked together at Barbizon when I first left the cruise ships. I hadn’t seen him in a few years and I knew he was not well, but still you never expect to hear about something like that. I’ve started to see a new addition to the trade magazines that I never thought about before, the obituary section. I now see more RIP posts on Light Network than I would like as well.

So, to all of us who have been in this business since the 1970’s and 80’s, and still remember lighting controllers that didn’t have any processing speed, get a doctor, get a checkup, and listen to what they tell you. Oh yeah, quit smoking.