The Showlight Quadrennial is one of the few international events organized specifically for lighting professionals, by lighting professionals across the performance, television, film, architectural and event worlds. Regarded as one of the best networking events in the industry, Showlight combines three days of eclectic talks with a great social program, a sponsored student scheme, and unique opportunities for manufacturers and lighting designers to network in a relaxed and non-pressured environment. Showlight 2025 will be held May 19-22 in Dijon, France, with Robert Juliat as the principal sponsor.
Live Design chats with lighting designer Jim Tetlow, who has served as chairman since the fall of 2023:
Live Design: How did you get involved with Showlight and when?
Jim Tetlow: I first became involved with Showlight in 1997, when I was invited to speak. My presentation was on large corporate events and preparations for the Hong Kong Handover ceremony, for which I designed the lighting a few months later. I then attended all of the conferences until after Glasgow, when I was invited to join the papers committee for Showlight 2013 in Cesky Krumluv. In the fall of 2023, I was asked by some of the senior members of the organizing committee to take on the chairmanship, which is my current position.
LD: Do you help chose the American designers as speakers?
JT: I’m on the Papers Committee, so yes, in conjunction with a number of other people I help select the presentations. This time, we have had a remarkable response and we have considered close to 90 proposals. The challenge has been to select a good mix of presentations on a wide variety of topics from designers around the world.
LD: Who all in terms of US designers will be speaking this year and do you know their topics?
JT: Before answering that question, I’d like to note that we will have 29 presentations from people representing 14 countries. We will also have five different workshops one afternoon. We have made a concerted effort to make Showlight much more of an international event than it has been before. To that end, we may have only four speakers from the U.S., but we have speakers from many other countries on a wide variety of topics. From the U.S., we have Anne Militello speaking about "The Power Of Light - From Myth To Science To Control.” We have Brad Schiller, doing one of the few technical presentations titled: "The Grandiosity of GDTF”. Finally, we have the director of photography for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, David Mullen, ASC, speaking about the lighting of the many live performance scenes in the series, and Clifton Taylor doing an LED color workshop.
LD: What is the ultimate goal of Showlight?
JT: The primary goals of Showlight are networking and education, whether that is continuing education or "early in your career" education. Having said that, you won’t find any presentations on lighting education, as we view our selves as a peer to peer lighting professional conference, which is where the networking aspect takes place. It’s an opportunity to learn how other lighting professionals are solving problems in the worlds of film, TV, live performance, architecture, and themed entertainment. We have an all volunteer committee that believes passionately in giving back to the industry by fostering continuing education for established professionals and preparing the next generation.
LD: Is it a good conference for entry-level folks to attend, and why?
JT: Showlight is an excellent conference for entry-level professionals because not only will you learn an incredible amount from working designers, but you will also have the opportunity to speak with them during the breaks and meals. Several of our workshops are geared toward what we call “emerging professionals” and on our website we also have a link to a bursary, or scholarship program for young professionals. I’d encourage any young professional to apply to our program.
LD: What's afoot in terms of special events and a gala dinner?
JT: We are kicking off Showlight on May 19, with a Welcome Reception hosted by the City of Dijon in the historic Salle des Etats, which is a formal reception room in the Ducal Palace. The evening of May 20 we have our Company dinners, where different exhibitors and sponsors host tables around the city of Dijon. Wednesday afternoon we are offering a variety of Workshops, or delegates can spend time visiting the city. On our website, we have a page dedicated to “Dijon Delights," which are a number things to see and do in Dijon. For example, the Musee de Beaux Arts is the second largest art museum in France after the Louvre, and it’s completely free. That evening we have our Conference Dinner at a secret location, which I’m sure will not disappoint anybody. Thursday, May 22 is a full day of presentations winding up with our Farewell Reception.
LD: What have you been busy with these days in terms of projects?
JT: When we sold Nautilus Entertainment Design to the employees four years ago, I continued on designing shows and installations for specific clients, including the Architect of the Capitol in Washington. With the time that I’m spending on Showlight, I’ve cut back on those projects recently, because this is pretty much a full time job. However, I’m still working for a few long-term clients and have large shows for Toyota coming up in Las Vegas and Tokyo this year. I’ve also been able to spend more time on my photography and I currently have prints in galleries in NYC and San Diego.