Episode 24: Voices from IES25

Hosts Avi Mor and Lisa Reed take the Lighting Matters podcast on location to the IES conference in Anaheim, conducting rapid-fire interviews with five leading lighting professionals. The episode explores how lighting designers advocate for their profession across different practice models - from integration firms to nonprofits to global studios. Violet Estes of Cantara Design discusses bridging the gap between lighting design and home automation. Nick Albert reveals his Light Equity initiative helping LA wildfire victims access professional lighting design. Shoshana Segal challenges the industry to stop preaching to the choir and educate broader audiences. SmithGroup's Paige Donnell explains internal advocacy within integrated firms. IES Fellow Paul Gregory shares decades of wisdom on creating emotional connections through light. "You don't see the column, you just see the light that bounces off it," Gregory explains. Each conversation reveals different approaches to the same fundamental challenge: proving lighting's essential value. 

 In This Episode:  

• (00:00) Conference introduction and methodology - hosts Avi Mor and Lisa Reed explain their on-location recording approach at IES conference in Anaheim, using consistent questions across multiple lighting professionals 

• (02:41) Violet Estes from Cantara Design - integration specialist bridging lighting design and home automation, discussing control systems and the challenge of maintaining design integrity through installation 

• (11:46) Nick Albert from Chromatic Lighting Design - architectural lighting designer's perspective on the universal application of lighting principles and Light Equity nonprofit initiative for LA wildfire reconstruction 

• (26:32) Shoshana Segal from Hartranft Lighting Studios - advocating for quality lighting as a universal entitlement, moving beyond lighting industry echo chambers to educate broader audiences 

• (45:08) Paige Donnell from SmithGroup - integrated firm lighting designer discussing internal advocacy challenges, value engineering versus value maintenance, and building connectedness through light 

• (57:49) Paul Gregory from Focus Lighting - newly inducted IES Fellow sharing 45 years of experience, the art of creating emotional memories through lighting, and client education strategies 

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About the show:  
Lighting Matters is hosted by Lisa Reed and Avi Mor. In each episode, we’ll dig deep into the meticulous process of creating lighting design for architecture, showcasing industry leaders who balance artistic creativity with technical precision, and listen as they share their successes and challenges in architectural lighting design.  
 

Resources: 
Violet Estes, Senior Lighting Designer, Cantara Design, Cantaradesign.com 
Nick Albert, Principal, Chromatic, wearechromatic.com 
Shoshana Segal, Principal, Hartranft Lighting Studios, HartranftLighting.com 
Paige Donnell, Principal, SmithGroup,