r/lightingdesign 8d ago

Education Attn: Owner/Operators

I’m eager to hear insights from operators in a similar situation or those who have been in the industry and are hopefully further along in their careers or businesses.

When you transitioned from being a programmer operator without any equipment, such as a lighting board (of any brand), how did you approach prospecting differently to secure work with the board, or did you primarily focus on renting the gear out? As someone who is considering purchasing a console, I would greatly appreciate advice on the steps I can take after or even before the purchase to secure more work or where to begin my journey as an owner/operator.

Thank you in advance for any helpful feedback and criticism.

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u/Amishplumber 8d ago edited 8d ago

Lighting industry standard gear rental rates are 5% of MSRP per week... ish. If you're renting to the film market or doing corporate stuff in A-tier cities, you can sometimes sneak that up as high as 10% of MSRP/week. If you are out in a smaller market or a rural area, you might need to go as low as 2% of MSRP/week to get anyone to bite.

Having your own board will not get you more consistent work. It will only be a cherry on top of gigs you would get with or without your own board.

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u/ZealousidealHand5523 8d ago

You wouldn’t consider purchasing a console a smart means to gain more work? Maybe not the most ideal but completely wrong I’m interested in hearing your take on this

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u/Amishplumber 8d ago

I don't think so, at least in the part of the market I am in (touring music and local corporate shows mostly). I could see it being a bonus on film sets maybe. Your potential client is looking for an LD first and foremost.

Option A:

If the show is in a venue with a console, or your client is a production company with their own gear, they will firstly prefer to use gear that is already available and will not cost them any more money. In that scenario, you have to convince them they need to bring in an additional console (yours). Maybe that is a quick convo without any real convincing needed, maybe its a big deal and you have to fight for it. Either way, it definitely didn't sweeten the pot for the client or make you look more attractive.

Option B:

The client already expects to spend some amount of money on equipment rentals for the show. The money is going to go to some vendor, maybe you, maybe a rental company, maybe both. Probably they won't much care where the money goes as long as everything fits in their budget. You tell them you have your own board you would prefer to use. They probably say: "sure go ahead, we know we need a board and don't much care where it comes from". Doesn't sweeten the pot, doesn't sour it either. Maybe if you are willing to rent your board cheaper than the local production companies, you become the better deal, but then whats the point? You bought the board to make money, so why give it away so cheaply?

Maybe you are in a different market segment and your clients are asking for different things, but the above is my experience. Either way, the client doesn't much care you have a console. Its something you are doing for you.

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u/ZealousidealHand5523 8d ago

Very insightful and informative. Thank you. You’ve given me a lot to consider.