Tanner Harrison is a lighting designer and programmer at AT Productions and an Enterprise Systems Engineer at Fortinet in the cybersecurity field.
At LDI, he’ll answer these questions: Ever wondered how computer networking works? Connecting a lighting console to network for control or for backup? Or what is an IP address and how does it relate to ArtNet or sCAN?
Live Design: Can you describe yourself in less than 50 words?
Tanner Harrison: I have a background in lighting and production but also deeply technical. I bridge the creative and technical worlds connecting lighting, audio and video to the networks that power them. Enterprise Systems Engineer by day, Lighting Designer by night.
LD: Please give a brief overview of your training/education/career path.
TH: I started learning production at 13, sitting behind a Hog 500 at my church and discovering the magic of lighting — color theory, focus, and the thrill of hitting the strobe on a Martin Atomic 3K. That early spark led me to fall in love with both the art and science behind live events.
After high school, I knew I wanted a career centered around technology, so I skipped college and jumped straight into the workforce at a local Internet Service Provider. From there, I earned certifications, built real-world experience, and eventually transitioned into cybersecurity — where I could combine my networking expertise with a passion for protecting data and building secure systems.
I’ve always believed that if you’re passionate about something, you should dive in headfirst. Work in a shop, shadow a designer, or be a stagehand — the best education comes from doing. My skills were built entirely through hands-on experience, mentorship, and learning from failure.
Today, I work as an Enterprise Systems Engineer, helping mid-sized and large businesses design secure, reliable network architectures. Outside of my day job, I still collaborate with AT Productions — doing lighting design, programming, and mobile stage deployments — keeping me connected to the creative side that first inspired my career.
LD: Please describe your most recent project.
TH: Most recently was deploying a large network with multiple switch stacks and SD-WAN architecture between 200 branch locations. It was the conclusion of a multi-year plan. In total was about 250 firewalls, 300 switches, lots of access points, a cloud architecture, endpoint protection.
On the production side, got to design and run a show for several artists at a concert series at a racetrack in Washington State. It was a unique setting... racetrack, battling the big light in the sky, used a lot of eye candy.
LD: What are you teaching at LDI and who is your target audience?
Foundations of IP Networking for Entertainment Control: Art-Net, sACN, and System Integration.
This session is really focused on anyone who wants to learn some basics of IP networking that can apply to their day-to-day in the production/systems world. Start understanding IP addressing, Multicast, protocols like sACN or DANTE and how they operate on the network.
LD: What has been the biggest challenge of your career to date?
TH: The biggest challenge of my career has been learning how to fail successfully. Early on, I treated failure as something to avoid, but over time I realized it’s one of the most valuable teachers you can have. Working in both production and cybersecurity, mistakes happen — a lighting cue misfires, a configuration doesn’t work, or a demo crashes. Those moments can sting, but they also push you to grow, adapt, and build resilience.
I’ve learned that failing successfully means approaching every setback as an opportunity to analyze, adjust, and improve. It’s about owning the outcome, learning what went wrong, and applying those lessons forward. Some of my biggest professional breakthroughs came right after the hardest failures — because those experiences forced me to refine my process, double-check my details, and ultimately become better at my craft.
LD: What is your advice for people just getting into the industry?
TH: If you want to get into production, the best thing you can do is just start. Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity or a degree... go work in a shop of your local production company, volunteer at a venue, shadow a lighting designer, or run cables on a gig. Every hands-on experience teaches you something valuable.
Production is a craft you learn by doing. I would challenge you to ask questions, stay curious, and learn from the people around you. Some of the best ideas that I got for my busking page was from a conversation I had with the LD after their show. I saw something that inspired me, I asked how they did it. The community is full of passionate professionals who love sharing their knowledge if you show genuine interest.
Most importantly, stay humble!! And keep experimenting. Every single show, every cue, every late night adds to your toolbox. Absorb the information and grow from those experiences.