ONE MONTH DOWN

Do you ever wonder what you're doing here, wherever “here” is to you? For the first time in a long stretch, I don't. After a month in my new position, I've realized something: this is actually fun. It's certainly a lot of work, but it's a great time.

Of course, attending two trade shows within the first three weeks on the job can put a bit of a kink in the schedule, but it was well worth it. We had great visits over the last few weeks, with staff attending USITT in Long Beach, Lightfair in Las Vegas, and Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt (not to mention the audio shows our colleagues at Entertainment Design attended).

While meeting some of you for the first time and reacquainting with others, many have expressed feelings about the direction we should take Lighting Dimensions, and we hear you. In fact, we want to hear more. What is most encouraging is the amount of positive feedback we've received — letters, emails, phone calls, faxes — from supporters who are saying they're already seeing an improvement, starting with the April issue.

Whew! That's a relief. I was starting to worry someone would discover I'm just an empty-headed marionette (“Marian” is not short for “Marionette”) controlled by the strings of Primedia Business with absolutely no ability. Uh, no, but thank you for playing Who Wants to be a Skeptic?

Moving on…next month marks ten years of the Broadway Lighting Master Classes, and this is a great opportunity to give something back to the industry by sponsoring a student or an event. The attendees are not only the future of the business. Many are professionals already.

Led by creative consultants Jules Fisher and Abe Jacob, the 2004 BLMC/BSMC will be held here in New York City at John Jay College from June 16-20. We will also be honoring members of the industry with the prestigious EDDY Awards. I hope to see you there.

I also have to give special thanks to our friend and founder of the BLMC, Sonny Sonnenfeld, for contributing his thoughts to this issue.

Thanks, everyone, for such a warm welcome. Enjoy our special focus on cruise ships herein.

P.S. For those of you wondering how I'm absorbing all this technology in my new role, just remember: a) this is not my first experience in the industry, and b) the X-Box in my home is now referred to as an Mbox (honest mistake, no?).