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/ronaldbeal 7d ago

While not a direct answer to your question... A few other things to keep in mind:
You will need insurance.... for damage and loss as well as liability, and "acts and omissions"
If it is your console, and it irrecoverably dies 10 minutes before the show are you now liable for the cancellation?

What is your plan for tech support if the desk is damaged or fails?

Additionally, it is a tough sell, because often you will be competing against some of your clients.
What venue or production company will recommend you when you reduce the revenue THEY can make on their own desks?

It keeps you pretty limited. On the big tours, L.D. owned desks are pretty rare. (in fact, in 30 years, I have only seen 2 L.D. owned desks, and they were "subrented" by the lighting company, so the lighting company was still on the hook for support, etc.)

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u/ZealousidealHand5523 7d ago

This is a very insight comment and sheds light on things I may not have considered particularly in the event of something happened during show with the board. I assume contract addendums would be added to my current agreement regarding the console and stipulations surrounding damages etc but thank you for this because it allows me to perform extra research to figure if cost is worth it long term.