Geezers of Gear

LEADING LADIES - EPISODE 31

Pauline Di Silvestro, a North London-based Events and Operations Manager, photographer, and creative marketing consultant with 15 years of experience in high-stakes creative environments.

Trilingual and originally from Belgium, Pauline built her career on the road starting in 2010 as a European tour manager—combining a head for complex logistics with an eye for visual storytelling. Over the last decade, she’s applied that operational rigor across London’s creative, live music, and hospitality sectors, leading full production lifecycles, managing multi-departmental teams, and directing major events.

An award-winning photographer recognized by the British Photography Awards and the IPA, Pauline bridges the gap between technical execution and artistic vision.

This episode is brought to you by Lightswitch

FUTURETECH Featuring Pyrotecnico

EPISODE 71

Pyrotecnico takes the San Francisco 49ers’ 80th anniversary to the waterfront with a 1,000-drone show over the bay. We explore how large drone fleets create animated 3D storytelling, the challenges of flying over open water, and how Pyrotecnico manages production from choreography and permits to piloting and teardown.

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - George Gruel | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

George Gruel is an entertainment industry veteran whose behind-the-scenes adventures span decades of rock ’n’ roll history. Over a multifaceted career, Gruel has worn nearly every hat imaginable: roadie, road manager, photographer, graphic designer, background singer, lecturer, mentor, and self-described procurer of contraband.

His journey began in 1974 photographing the Bob Dylan and The Band tour for the book Bob Dylan Approximately. Shortly after, he lived in Mill Valley, California, alongside Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and folk legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Gruel quickly became a fixture on the road, working with the New Riders of the Purple Sage, managing production for Valerie Carter, and joining the Eagles on their 1977 European Hotel California tour.

Gruel is best known for his five defining years (1978–1983) as Warren Zevon’s road manager, aide-de-camp, and best friend. During this era, he shot Zevon’s famous 8x10 promo glossy and photographed the sleeve for Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School. In 1980, he earned a Gold Record for singing background vocals on Don Henley’s hit "Dirty Laundry," and later served as Art Director for David Crosby and Graham Nash’s album Another Stoney Evening.In 2012, Gruel published his worldwide-distributed memoir, Lawyers, Guns & Photos, recounting his wild years with Zevon and friends—later re-released in 2020 as an interactive ePub and Deluxe International Edition.

Most recently, his lasting legacy was featured in the 2022 documentary Immediate Family, where he earned dual credits as photographer and backup singer.

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Marshall Bissett | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

Marshall Bissett was born in Perth, Scotland and studied English at St Andrews University where he did not play golf. He worked in the British repertory theatre system and in London’s West End as a production manager where he met Brian Croft and later Patrick Stansfield who lured him into concert touring. He did tours with The Stones, Elton John, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan in Europe. In 1983 he co-founded TMB which became a leading multinational supplier of production equipment. He retired in 2014 and is a freelance writer and photographer for PLSN, Stage Directions, ETC Inc and a couple of fly fishing magazines. He is the co-producer of the Parnelli Awards show and is not afraid to say he loves musicals and fly fishing.

Marshall Bissett was co-founder of TMB (which either meant “Too Many Beers” or Too Much Bulls***” depending on who you talked to, a live event lighting company he retired from in 2014. Born in Perth, Scotland, he came up through legitimate theater before being seduced by Rock and Roll touring with the likes of The Stones, the Who, Neil Diamond, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, and many others. He currently writes and handles duties as co-producer of the Parnelli Awards show – when he’s not fly fishing.

EPISODE 368

Jerry Lopez—a senior live sound engineer, production manager, and founder of Los Angeles–based Jerry Rig Audio & Creative Solutions.

With over two decades in the live touring industry, Jerry has managed FOH, monitors, and production for artists like Carla Morrison, Natalia Lafourcade, Run The Jewels, and Puscifer, alongside key systems roles at Coachella.

As an audio entrepreneur, Jerry builds fly-ready, compact control packages designed by engineers, for engineers, allowing touring teams to land anywhere in the world and hit the stage with zero friction.

Whether he’s dialing in FOH or navigating cross-border tour logistics, Jerry brings technical excellence and grounded leadership to every stage he touches.

This episode is brought to you by ETC and Main Light

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Steve Terry | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

Steve Terry is currently the Director of Standards and Industry Relations at ETC. From 2001 to 2004 he was VP of Professional Services, and from 2004-2017, he was VP of Research & Development and led the team that is responsible for global development of new products. During that era, his group was responsible for the development of many new technologies, including the transition to LED light sources and entry into the rigging machinery and controls market.

Steve began his professional career as the Production Electrician for the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1971. In 1976, he was responsible for the care and feeding of the first computerized lighting control system on Broadway at “A Chorus Line”. From 1977-1981, he was the Production Sound Engineer for that production.Steve joined Production Arts Lighting in 1976, and was Executive Vice President and Chief Engineer until 1998 when the company was acquired by PRG. In that capacity, he led the Systems Integration and Consulting Group of Production Arts.

In 1986, he chaired the USITT Committee that wrote the internationally-accepted DMX512 standard for digital communications in lighting systems. This standard has had perhaps the largest economic impact of any single item on the lighting industry over the last 40 years, by enabling wide interoperability of equipment from multiple manufacturers. Today, we take such interoperability for granted, but before DMX512, that was not the case.Steve has maintained an active involvement in lighting industry standards for more than 45 years.

He founded the USITT National Electrical Code Committee in 1980 and was its original chair. He was appointed to National Electrical Code Panel 15 in 1994, and continues to represent the USITT in that role today. He was a founding member of the ESTA Technical Standards Program, and continues active participation in that program. He is a recipient of the prestigious ESTA Eva Swan Award and the Wally Russell Award for Lifetime Achievement.

LEADING LADIES EPISODE 30

Madi Adams, a touring lighting designer, programmer, and grandMA3 instructor whose work spans the biggest arenas, stages, and broadcasts in the world.

With an incredible resume that ranges from serving as Lighting Director for David Byrne's World Tour and Radio City Music Hall resident LD for Hugh Jackman, to designing and programming for Kesha, The Roots, and Hozier—Madi is one of live music’s most versatile lighting talents.

From high-profile fashion shows for Louis Vuitton and Victoria's Secret to world tours for legendary acts like Billy F. Gibbons and WWE, Madi bridges deep technical precision with raw creative spectacle.

This episode is brought to you by Lightswitch

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Roy Bickel | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

Roy was a circus rigger and performer prior to being hired as the head rigger for the first “Disney on Parade” show in 1969. He continued until 1974 when he left for Broadway to work for Pete Feller. After some time there, he went on to work the Rolling Stones tour in 1975. That marked the beginning of a long career as a “rock & roll” rigger.

As the first head rigger on the Disney on Parade shows he trained people in climbing techniques, rigging procedures, and physical fitness regimens to maintain peak shape. Roy's techniques were taught to many first-generation entertainment riggers. This training greatly helped the industry's rapid expansion during the rock & roll explosion.

Roy was and is a true innovator. Perhaps the two most notable contributions that changed the rigging world to what it looks like today were the introduction of slings with screw pin anchor shackles around 50 years ago. Along with the sling development, he specified the orientation and sizes of shackles used with the slings; these methods are still in use today.

A natural problem-solver, Roy revolutionized industry rigging standards during the 1970s by developing a color-coded system for wire rope lengths (Red, White, Blue, Green, and Yellow for 5’, 10’, 20’, 30’, and 50’ respectively) an intuitive organizational method that remains the industry standard today. His pioneering work extended into production logistics; ahead of the Rolling Stones’ iconic 1975 tour, Roy teamed up with Bill McManus of McManus Lighting to collaborate with CM (Columbus McKinnon). Together, they engineered a way to operate chain hoist motors in the "motor down" position. This breakthrough debuted on the Jethro Tull tour, making it the first tour in history to utilize chain motors. Roy's versatile rigging expertise also includes his work with Disney, where he managed complex setups utilizing drum motors, block and falls, and cable climbers

Roy received the ESTA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award in 2021

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Mark Fetto | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

Mark Fetto started working as a lighting technician in the late 1970s, working his way through the ranks at the Obie Company and Vari-Lite. He then became a lighting designer and senior programmer. In 1989 Mark opened Vari-Lite's satellite office in Las Vegas. He went on to become general manager of Vari-Lite's Dealer Network and later General Manager of North American Operations.,

Following a 16-year career at Vari-Lite, Mark joined Stage Rigging, Inc. as the National Sales Manager before moving to his position as Chief Operating Officer at Morpheus Lights for 14 years. Mark oversaw touring systems, new inventory, infrastructure, and operational strategies in both production and manufacturing.

In 2019 Mark joined OSA International as their Vice President, Lighting and he is now learning how to be a grandpa to four grandkids. The priorities are shifting. Mark's motto in life is: “Do it now, because you can’t count on being here tomorrow.”

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Nancy May | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

Nancy May is a seasoned administrative project manager and production executive with more than three decades of experience overseeing large-scale live events, venue operations, and broadcast productions. Her career spans some of the most iconic venues and productions in the United States, including Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, and Dick Clark Productions, as well as international sporting and cultural events such as the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games and the Aspen X Games.

Most recently, Nancy served as Administrative Project Manager for the 2024 Aspen X Games with Brown United, where she provided critical oversight of staging, sponsor accommodations, and technical structures, ensuring compliance and safety while liaising with event safety officers and local contractors.

Nancy’s career highlights include serving as Director of Production Operations at Outback Presents, Director of Venues at Swallow Hill Music, and Production Manager at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Denver Coliseum, and Denver Arts & Venues—where she advanced and managed hundreds of concerts, festivals, and civic events while leading teams through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also held senior production roles on nationally televised broadcasts, including live music specials and award shows, combining her expertise in operations, financial management, union/non-union labor, and sponsor relations.

With deep expertise in event planning, production logistics, and venue management, Nancy has earned a reputation as a reliable leader who can seamlessly manage complex projects from concept through execution. Known for her collaborative leadership style, problem-solving ability, and commitment to safety and excellence, she continues to bring value to both nonprofit organizations and high-profile commercial productions.

FUTURETECH Featuring ETC

EPISODE 70

ETC’s Hog OS v5.3 adds a graphical framing shutter tool, touch-based window resizing, six-part screen layouts, more U Keys, and recording and masking updates. We also cover OSC over local WiFi on new consoles, support for two Tour Wing playback wings, and what ETC says about performance, stability, and future development.

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Bud Horowitz | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

Born and raised in New York, Bud Horowitz fell in love with theatre while in high school. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a BA in Theatre, Bud has spent the last 45 years lighting shows worldwide.

He has spent a large part of that time touring internationally with musical artists, lighting shows in over 80 countries. Artists that he has toured with range from Devo and John Mellencamp to Natalie Cole, Stevie Wonder, Bette Midler, Brian Setzer, Sebastian Maniscalco and Yanni. He has lit a number of PBS specials and other video projects, including DVDs with Yanni at the El Morro Fort in Puerto

Rico and the Great Pyramids at Giza. When not on the road, Bud lights a number of award shows and special events, including the NHRA Awards, EMA Awards and the Clive Davis Grammy Party. Bud currently resides in Camas, Washington, where he shares his life with his wife Linda, son Seth and 3 horses. He still, after all these years, loves to travel and enjoys spending time in the redwoods and the coasts of Oregon and Washington, as well as international destinations.

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Jay Robert (Bob) Harmon | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

It was 1974, when 16-year-old Jay Robert (Bob) Harmon was enjoying life in growing up in Kailua, Oahu, when, while showing old 16mm films at a pizza parlor, a customer asked if he had ever worked concert lighting before…without a pause, he immediately said, “Of Course!”…though he hadn’t…and booked his first job that very weekend.

After lighting that first concert, for Brewer & Shipley of ʻOne Toke Over The Lineʻ and ʻBallad of a Country Dogʻ fame for 3,000 people at the University of Hawaii, Harmon would go on to light a sellout show for KISS at the HIC (Hawaii International Center) and never looked back.

Today, his boutique production company, Eggshell Lighting Company, is a nationally recognized and endeared provider of lighting and visual production for everything from the smallest of weddings to the largest of concerts.

Fifty-plus some odd years later, Harmon still loves how a change in lighting can affect an audience, shifting their moods and providing the background for the greatest memories in their lives.

EPISODE 367

Tal Kochav is a Lighting Designer, Director and Programmer working across concerts, television, theatre and major live events. With a strong technical background and extensive experience with grandMA3, Tal brings together creative design, programming and a deep understanding of every role within a lighting team.

From touring the world as one of the youngest members of a crew to designing and programming major productions including Alessia Cara’s Love & Hyperbole World Tour, CMA Fest and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Tal has built a career around constantly learning and making the next show better.

His motto says it perfectly: “Don’t do the same thing twice if you can make the next thing better.”

This Episode is brought to you by Main Light and Delicate Productions

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Anne Militello | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

Starting out as a teen as one the first girl roadies for small touring companies in the San Francisco Bay area in the late 1970’s, she learned the ropes from some of the best - climbing trusses and coiling cable on tours for artists like Santana and Eddie Money. When she hit her head on the glass ceiling on her way to being an LD, she started lighting bands in clubs right as the punk scene was exploding – a scene that welcomed gender diversity.

She lit bands at San Francisco’s notorious Mabuhay Gardens before heading to New York where she cut her design teeth in the after-hours chaos of CBGB's, Danceteria, The Ritz, and The Mudd Club. By day, she worked as a shop electrician at Production Arts Lighting in Hell's Kitchen — sharpening the technical part of her craft.

While in New York, she also designed plays and earned an OBIE Award for lighting design for the Off Broadway Theater. By 28, she was designing on Broadway. The stage led her back to music after a meeting with Tom Waits reignited her love of concert design. Her work on his tours put her work in front of the industry and soon she was designing lighting for Pearl Jam, Lou Reed, Robert Plant, Leonard Cohen and more.

Through her passion for exploring all “angles” of lighting exploration and design, she also became a Walt Disney Imagineer, a professor at CalArts, and the founder of Vortex Lighting in Hollywood, where she now designs light for everything from concerts to architecture. Her latest project: a public, moving-light art spectacle in Santa Monica, CA.

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Peter Morse | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

With a career that spans over 50 years, Emmy Winner Peter Morse has worked with some of the world’s best performers and their astonishing productions. He has collaborated with Michael Jackson, Madonna, Barbara Streisand, Prince, Usher, Bette Midler, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Andrea Bocelli, The Eagles, Sean Combs, Dolly Parton, Reba, John Denver, and many more.

He has lent his illuminating talents to numerous production shows such as "Glee", "Disney on Ice", "Ringling Brothers and Barnum&Bailey's 'Greatest Show On Earth'"; as well as feature films: "The Bodyguard"; "Showgirls"; and "Truth or Dare". Peter has always appreciated the expression of design as a sampling of art and culture, and has found inspiration in many mediums as well as in many collaborations.

He has enjoyed working with Directors such as Kenny Ortega, Amy Tinkham, Raj Kapoor, Jamie King; Designers like Butch Allen, Michael Cotten, Mark Fisher, Bob Bonniol; as well as gifted entertainment technicians too numerous to count…

LEADING LADIES PODCAST #30

Sophya Acosta - Lighting Designer / Light Artist / Educator / Founder at Sophya Acosta Lighting Design Studio

An Argentine lighting designer, researcher, and international professor based in Barcelona. She is the founder and director of Sophya Acosta Lighting Design Studio, a decentralized international practice behind groundbreaking projects in Light Art, stage and performance lighting, architectural design, and strategic consulting across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

Known for treating light not just as a visual tool, but as an emotional language and an active character on stage, Sophya also leads LIGHT.LAB, a dedicated research and training node exploring the future of sustainable, immersive light design. She teaches at premier design institutions like EINA and La Salle Ramon Llull University in Barcelona, and regularly serves on global juries for the LIT Design and [d]arc awards.

This episode is brought to you by Lightswitch

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Chris Musgrave | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

Chris Musgrave has spent more than thirty years within the global live event and entertainment industry — as a tour / production manager, producer, executive, and connector who moves as comfortably in the boardroom as he does on the show floor.

He is the founder of MAD International (Musgrave Advanced Dynamics), an executive advisory practice serving manufacturers, production companies, venues, hospitality organizations, and entrepreneurs across live entertainment, corporate events, touring, and of Tour Pros International, built specifically for the touring and production community. He also directs the Live Production Summit (LPS), a curated executive community built on education, collaboration, and authentic relationship building — deliberately designed without the transactional atmosphere of a typical trade show.

Chris works at the intersection of strategy and execution: business development, strategic partnerships, sponsorship development, marketing strategy, experiential design, and large-scale international logistics. Organizations bring him in when a challenge is bigger than any one department can solve — a stalled partnership, an underperforming sponsorship program, an operational bottleneck, or a relationship that needs rebuilding.

What sets his work apart is less what he produces than who he connects. Over three decades, he has linked manufacturers with buyers, executives with peers, and organizations with the partners that help them grow, treating every introduction with the same care as a signed contract. Colleagues know him for straightforward communication, calm judgment under pressure, and a long memory for who does good work and why it matters.

He speaks regularly on leadership, innovation, business development, sponsorship, networking, industry trends, event strategy, production, technology, and workforce development — drawing on decades spent on both sides of the table, as producer and as client.

His philosophy is simple. Business is ultimately about people. Technology changes the tools available; it doesn't change what makes people trust each other enough to build something together. Great events happen because great teams work well together, and great partnerships form the same way — through honest relationships, built consistently over time.

Chris believes the most valuable outcomes in business rarely begin with a transaction. They begin with a conversation.

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Cosmo Wilson | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

Cosmo is an industry-defining concert lighting designer and director widely considered a living legend in rock-and-roll production. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Cosmo has shaped the visual identity of stadium rock, blending a brilliant creative vision with a reputation as one of the most respected and beloved personalities in live music.

After getting his start on touring road crews in 1986, Cosmo quickly rose through the ranks to become the lighting crew chief for The Rolling Stones’ historic 1989 Steel Wheels tour. Since then, he has collaborated with over 40 of history’s biggest musical acts, including Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest. He also famously directed the lighting for the historic 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium.

Cosmo’s most enduring partnership is with AC/DC. Since 1990, he has directed over 700 shows for the band, illuminating everything from the 1991 Monsters of Rock festival in Moscow before 1.6 million fans to their recent Power Up world tour. A multi-time Parnelli and Pinnacle Award winner, Cosmo continues to dominate the global stadium circuit, recently designing the high-impact look for Aerosmith’s Peace Out farewell tour.

Geezers Of Gear Podcast: Legend Series - Robert Roth | Dining With Dinosaurs at LDI

Robert A. Roth, Vice President of Live Events at 4Wall Entertainment and Founder of Eccentric Design, continues to shape live event production with the inventive streak that launched his career nearly six decades ago. A rare triple threat, Roth seamlessly bridges business, design, and technology to navigate complex productions from every angle, overseeing strategy for major stadium tours, broadcast productions, and corporate events.

Across his career, Roth has been a creative visionary for globally recognized artists, including Eagles, Billy Joel, Metallica, Justin Bieber, Eric Church, Bad Bunny, The Jacksons, and Ozzy Osbourne, as well as “The Trilogy Tour” featuring Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, and Ricky Martin.

His journey started at just 14 in Athens, Georgia, where he created his first projection performance, “The Aurora Lite Show.” Choosing the road over Georgia Tech, he found mentorship from industry veterans like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s original road manager and founded R.A. Roth, Inc. in 1975. A major milestone came in the early 1980s with his lighting design for The Jacksons’ “Victory Tour,” elevating his work globally. Always innovating, he integrated early CAD systems into his workflow through ventures like Source Point Design.

Roth later joined Production Resource Group (PRG) in 1997 as Vice President, spent 15 years as a Sales Executive at Christie Lites, and eventually transitioned to 4Wall Entertainment. His diverse portfolio also spans television, festivals, Tyler Perry's stage tours, and historic political events, including Barack Obama’s 2008 election night broadcast.

A dedicated mentor, Roth remains driven by one core philosophy: stay curious, stay committed, and make it work.