I've been thinking quite a bit about New Year's resolutions, as one does this time of year. Mine is to get stuff done as early as possible for each issue, not procrastinate, and always, always be prepared.
That said, my art department is presently sitting waiting for the final piece of the January issue puzzle — this letter (sigh). But this doesn't count. It's still technically December as I write, so I'm still in holiday mode. Resolution implementation will commence January 1, thank you very much.
And with all the merriment going around, it's appropriate to take a look back on 2007 with some poignancy à la Robert Burns' “Auld Lang Syne.” It was a very good year, of course, but we also lost some colleagues — lighting designer Chris Parry, Leviton CEO Harold Leviton, Vincent Lighting's John Rankin, consultant and former JR Clancy president Jack Suesse, to name a few. We've made some new friends and met young, talented designers, like our USITT Rising Star, lighting and set designer John Horan.
And we've shared some celebrations, with anniversaries across the industry. Just look how we've grown! This year, Crown and Barbizon Lighting turned 60; Theatre Projects Consultants (TPC) marked 50; the LD franchise became 40; Creative Stage Lighting and Angstrom Lighting celebrated 30; Vari-Lite and Pook Diemont and Ohl observed 25; LDI, ESTA, and Tomcat reached 20; Apollo arrived at 15; and Look Solutions is a young 10. Are those enough synonyms for “turned,” or what?
What does it all mean? It seems like, after being considered a “new” industry for so long, we're actually established. How did that happen? Don't tell the outsiders; they might start to think we're getting soft.
What will 2008 bring? Well, we can hope. Let's hope for health and prosperity for all our friends and colleagues. Let's hope our industry will thrive in ways that benefit us all, so that we may, in turn, help others. Maybe that's a better resolution — to help others more. Yes, I've changed my mind officially. Procrastination can stick around another year.
Happy New Year, and thanks for a great 2007. Let's make 2008 the best year yet for entertainment technology and all its professionals.