Episodes

  • 198: The Business of Projection with Zak Borovay

    198: The Business of Projection with Zak Borovay
    Feb 16 2026

    A conversation about the business side of being a projection designer with Zak Borovay, who on Broadway has designed Elf, Xanadu, and Rock of Ages. He has also done work for Disney and Universal theme parks, lots of cruise lines, and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular.

    Topics:

    ⭐️ Protections of a union

    ⭐️ Keeping your investments

    ⭐️ History of projection designers joining USA 829

    ⭐️ Freelancing versus being employed at a production company

    ⭐️ Recommending projects to the people you’re working with (because when you don’t, it is very noticeable)

    Video Version

    https://youtu.be/tFfdw6gcd00

    Zak Borovay

    https://borovaydesign.com/

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/borovayz/

    https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/zak-borovay-391728

    Wendal Harrington

    http://www.wendallharrington.com/

    Driscoll Otto

    https://www.driscollotto.com/

    Light Talk

    https://lighttalk.libsyn.com/

    Rock of Ages

    https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/rock-of-ages-482291

    Zachary Borovay is an award-winning creative director and media /projection designer whose leadership shapes some of the most ambitious live and immersive entertainment experiences in the world. Known for uniting creative vision, storytelling, and emerging technology, he leads multidisciplinary teams to deliver media-driven experiences that captivate audiences across Broadway, global touring productions, themed entertainment, museums, and large-scale architectural environments.

    His creative direction and media leadership span landmark projects including the international phenomenon Rock of Ages, alongside Evita, Elf, Xanadu, Ann, Lombardi, A Catered Affair, and Waiting for Godot & No Man’s Land starring Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. Beyond the theater, he has driven large-scale spectacles such as the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, Voyage de la Vie in Singapore, and Peepshow in Las Vegas, as well as major experiential work for Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, as well as many major cruise lines including Disney Cruise Lines, Norwegian, Holland America and Royal Caribbean. He has even designed media for broadcast and arena concert tours.

    A recognized authority in entertainment technology and creative production, Zachary serves as Live Design/LDI’s Content Advisor and played a key role in establishing projection design as a formal discipline within United Scenic Artists Local 829. As a strategic advisor to leading media and technology companies—including Disguise, Dataton, Green Hippo, Barco, Christie, Panasonic, and Apple—he helps shape the tools that define the future of live entertainment, while mentoring the next generation of designers through courses lectures at institutions such as Yale School of Drama, Emerson, CalArts and NYU.

    Instagram Handles

    @front_projection

    @ethansteimel

    @nicolevsteimel
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • 197: Never Doing Just One Thing with Choreographer Staś Kmieć

    197: Never Doing Just One Thing with Choreographer Staś Kmieć
    Jan 28 2026
    Choreographer Staś Kmieć explains how he’s handled the business side of his theatre and dance career. Topics: ⭐️ Tax filing ⭐️ Healthcare ⭐️ Fiddler On The Roof ⭐️ Not spending money when on tour Video Version: https://youtu.be/CUtkLbPZnQ4 Staś Kmieć https://www.linkedin.com/in/sta%C5%9B-kmie%C4%87-462b8519/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sta%C5%9B_Kmie%C4%87 Guernica by Pablo Picasso https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(Picasso) Sammy Dallas Bayes https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/sammy-dallas-bayes-1044 Heathers https://heathersthemusical.com/ VITA - Free Tax Filing https://www.sagaftra.org/ny/vita Accountants for Creatives https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YG1sgP4LqJa6Rk5CBdnvlQ2ByEvzFNKSS6uI61QkMlY/edit?tab=t.0 Fiddler on the Roof - In Yiddish https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidler_Afn_Dakh Me and My Girl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_and_My_Girl The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Little_Whorehouse_in_Texas SDC - Stage Directors & Choreographers https://sdcweb.org/ AEA - Actors Equity https://actorsequity.org/aboutequity SAG-AFTRA - Screen Actors Guild / American Federation of Television and Radio Artists https://www.sagaftra.org/ AGMA - American Guild of Musical Artists https://www.musicalartists.org/ Light Talk - Jeff Nellis https://lighttalk.libsyn.com/light-talk-episode-459-be-tenacious-and-nice-our-conversation-with-jeff-nellis Staś Kmieć (Direction/Choreography) has directed/choreographed multiple productions of Fiddler on the Roof throughout the world, including the new production in Yiddish that was a surprise hit on the New York theater scene (2019 Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and New York Drama Critics’ Circle Citation for “Best Musical Revival”). He honors the style, intent and tradition of Jerome Robbins, and mentor Sammy Dallas Bayes and has now has taken the mantle as the "Keeper of the Fiddler flame" from the Robbins Foundation. Other works include: the LA premiere of My Antonia (music by Stephen Schwartz), Finding Madame Curie (Theater Row-NYC), Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (Ireland premiere), Me and My Girl tour, The Elephant Man, Don Giovanni, L’elisir d’amore, Die Fledermaus, Nutcracker, Films – The Comedian, Trust the Man. Artistic Director: Ballet Western-Reserve, Lubliniacy Polish Folk Ensemble, Sarabande Repertory Ensemble. As a performer, Staś appeared on Broadway with Lee Theodore’s American Dancemachine, and in Don Quixote with Rudolf Nureyev; and toured nationally in Fiddler on the Roof starring Theodore Bikel totaling 1,682 performances. He danced with Boston Ballet, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and Stars of American Ballet, toured worldwide with Nureyev, and has appeared in acting and dancing roles on film and TV. Awards include: New York Musical Festival’s “Excellence in Choreography” –The Mapmaker’s Opera (now titled The Stranger from Seville), Poland’s highest cultural honor – the Oskar Kolberg Award. He is a member of: Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Actors Equity, Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA, American Guild of Musical Artists. Instagram Handles @ethansteimel @nicolevsteimel
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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • 196: Financial Education as a Theatrical LX Programmer with Brad Gray

    196: Financial Education as a Theatrical LX Programmer with Brad Gray
    Jan 22 2026
    Broadway lighting programmer Brad Gray discusses financial literacy and the importance of making that choice to prioritize your finances so that you aren’t forced to hustle until your dying day. Topics: ⭐️ Rich Dad, Poor Dad ⭐️ Programmer day rates ⭐️ Rental real estate investing ⭐️ ROTH IRAs and Retirement Accounts ⭐️ Starting them early and NOT dipping into them when purchasing a new home unless you really have to Video Version https://youtu.be/4uJpUwkBDY0 Brad Gray https://www.bradgray.lighting/ Rich Dad, Poor Dad https://bookshop.org/a/86693/9781612681139 (my affiliate link!) Bigger Pockets https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcasts/real-estate FHA Loan https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/loans PMI https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-private-mortgage-insurance-en-122/ Isabella Byrd https://www.isabellabyrd.design/ Justin Townsend https://www.justintownsenddesign.com/ Aland Henderson https://www.linkedin.com/in/aland-henderson-914b669/ Trudy Durant https://tcdurant.com/home.aspx Accountants https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YG1sgP4LqJa6Rk5CBdnvlQ2ByEvzFNKSS6uI61QkMlY/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.pb5zrm8roqpz Brad grew up in Oklahoma, where his passion for theater began at a young age. By 7, he was performing in local musicals and plays. At 10, he was operating the sound console for his local church, and by 14, he was assisting with the electrical overhaul of the Bartlesville Community Center (BCC), a 1,700-seat proscenium theater. This project opened the door to more opportunities at the BCC, including national tour load-ins, show runs, and load-outs. It was there that Brad first explored lighting programming, honing his skills on numerous plays, musicals, concerts, ballets, and symphonies performed on the BCC stage. ​ Brad pursued his passion for theater at the University of Oklahoma, studying under the late Steven Draheim and earning a degree in Lighting Design. During his later years at OU, he interned at the prestigious Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) in Williamstown, MA, where he gained the skills and connections necessary to launch a career in programming in New York City. Brad continued to work at WTF for three more years, serving as the Master Electrician of the Nikos Stage and later as Production Electrician. Beyond shaping his career, Williamstown also introduced Brad to his wife, Mariah. ​ With over 20 years of experience as a lighting programmer, lighting director, and consultant, Brad has built an impressive career in theater, working on over 15 Broadway shows, including The Lion King, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Death Becomes Her and others, collaborating with industry leaders like Justin Townsend, Don Holder, and Kevin Adams. Brad is also a passionate educator, having guest lectured at NYU, Rutgers, Brooklyn College, Juilliard, the University of Oklahoma, Texas State University, and many other academic institutions, ranging from high school to collegiate education. His expertise and creative vision have taken him to stages and venues around the world, solidifying his reputation as a trusted professional in the industry. ​​ More recently, Brad has been consulting on installation projects and sales, helping schools and universities, museums, houses of worship, concert halls, and other venues bridge the gap between the overwhelming variety of equipment available and the trusted tools used by industry leaders. ​ Today, Brad resides in Randolph, NJ, with Mariah, their son Benjamin, and their golden retriever, Charlie. When he’s not working on Broadway or traveling internationally, Brad enjoys disc golf, hunting, tackling personal projects, investing in real estate, and diving into books on personal finance. Instagram Handles @bradgraylighting @ethansteimel @nicolevsteimel
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • 195: Gross Income ≠ Take-Home Pay with Susan Lee

    195: Gross Income ≠ Take-Home Pay with Susan Lee
    Jan 15 2026

    Tax expert Susan Lee discusses tax implications and best practices for freelancers.

    Topics:

    ⭐️ Cashflow

    ⭐️ Having a will

    ⭐️ Being your own bookkeeper

    ⭐️ A financial health checklist and a financial disaster kit

    Video Version

    https://youtu.be/uJQLmbiwCA0

    Freelance Taxation

    https://www.freelancetaxation.com/

    Pieter Bruegel The Elder

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder

    The Beekeepers

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder#/media/File:Pieter_Brueghel_the_Elder_-_The_Beekeepers_and_the_Birdnester,_c1568_-_Kupferstichkabinett_Berlin.jpg

    Kunsthistorisches Museum - Vienna

    https://www.khm.at/en

    The Albertina Museum - Vienna

    https://www.albertina.at/en/

    Bird by Bird

    https://bookshop.org/p/books/bird-by-bird-some-instructions-on-writing-and-life-anne-lamott/7937cf657650025e?ean=9780385480017&next=t&aid=86693&listref=artistic-finance-books

    Altadena

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eaton_Fire

    Abortion Bans by State

    https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/state-policies-abortion-bans#:~:text=shortly%20after%20birth.-,Highlights,bans%20based%20on%20gestational%20duration.

    Maternal Mortality

    https://thegepi.org/maternal-mortality-abortion-bans/

    Susan Lee has prepared taxes for freelancers and artists in New York City for over twenty years. She is a Certified Financial Planner Professional™ who created FreelancerTaxation.com with the intention to give freelancers and artists basic information that will allow them to take advantage of their self-employed status and to meet the challenges inherent in freelancing.

    Susan has written these articles for, as well as spoken to, freelancers and artist organizations including Columbia University, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Graphic Artists Guild, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Writers Union, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Music Cares, The Drawing Center, and others.
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • 194: Pay Equity in Theatrical Design with Costume Designer Elsa Hiltner

    194: Pay Equity in Theatrical Design with Costume Designer Elsa Hiltner
    Jan 5 2026

    (Audio problems? I made a mistake uploading, so delete the episode and then try to play it again.) Costume designer Elsa Hiltner talks about the lack of pay equity in theatrical design and what she is doing about it.

    Topics:

    ⭐️ Living wage

    ⭐️ The Pay Equity Standards

    ⭐️ The Theatrical Designer Pay Resource

    ⭐️ Annual income for Chicago-based non-union costume designers

    Video Version:

    https://youtu.be/8DZsxRe0w_g

    https://www.elsahiltner.com/

    Elsa Hiltner is an organizer and activist for pay and labor equity in the arts. She has worked for over 15 years as a freelance artist and arts non-profit administrator, including as director of development for Collaboraction Theatre Company and her current role as director of programs at a legal service organization that supports artists in Illinois.

    These experiences as an arts worker deeply inform her work as an arts advocate. Her essays on labor and pay equity have inspired systemic change in the theatre industry, and the tools she has created including the Pay Equity Standards and the Theatrical Designer Pay Resource have been used nation-wide by individuals and organizations to promote pay transparency and pay equity. She is a co-founder of On Our Team, and in 2021, she was honored to receive the Michael Merritt Arts Advocacy Award.

    Photo of Elsa by zakkiyyah najeebah dumas-o'neal

    Instagram Handles

    @elsahiltner

    @ethansteimel

    @nicolevsteimel
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • 193: America The Beautiful (Except The Financial Setup for Freelancers) with Jane Cox (Part 2 of 2)

    193: America The Beautiful (Except The Financial Setup for Freelancers) with Jane Cox (Part 2 of 2)
    Jul 4 2025
    Part two of the conversation with Broadway lighting designer Jane Cox. Topics: ⭐️ Keeping overhead low ⭐️ Paying theatre designers hourly ⭐️ Penny Remsen - Jane’s lighting mentor ⭐️ Paying for assistants / drafting out of the design fee ⭐️ Two recent design fees - one for an opera, one for an off Broadway musical Video Version https://youtu.be/1qBXKh3-QfM Artistic Finance https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance False Steps - Off-Broadway Play https://www.falsestepscomedy.com/ Jane Cox https://janecoxlight.squarespace.com/ https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jane-cox-115195 Sam Pinkleton https://sampinkleton.com/ Stacey Derosier https://www.staceyderosier.com/ Accountants for Theatre Artists https://www.artisticfinance.com/resources.html Planned Parenthood https://www.plannedparenthood.org/donor-services The Watershed https://thewatershed.org/donate/ Roundabout Workforce Development Program https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/education/career-training/theatrical-workforce-development-program 1/52 Project https://www.oneeveryfiftytwo.org/ Tech 25 in Pittsburgh (Jordan Gilliam) https://www.tech25.org/ Website temporarily down as of July 2025 Brighter Boston (Aja Jackson) https://www.brighterboston.org/ Design Action https://www.design-action.com/ LA Opera https://laopera.org/ Teeth The Musical https://teeththemusical.com/ Playwrights Horizons https://www.playwrightshorizons.org/ Elsa Hiltner's Designer Pay Resource https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1myTM4B4VGfv21iJovNLYiIopUtsDClzSGLsFOsAZHi4/edit?gid=0#gid=0 Penny Remsen https://www.umass.edu/theater/about/directory/penny-remsen https://www.linkedin.com/in/penny-remsen-1b53b8a/ Ben Stanton https://benstanton.com/ Justin Townsend https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/justin-townsend-117237 Brian MacDevitt https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/brian-macdevitt-25766 NYU Graduate Design School https://tisch.nyu.edu/design University of Massachussets Amherts https://www.umass.edu/theater/ Jane Cox is a theater maker, an educator and a lighting designer working in theater, opera, dance and music. Jane won a Tony, a Drama Desk and the Henry Hewes award in 2024 for her lighting for Appropriate, and has three Tony nominations for Macbeth (‘22), Jitney (‘17) and Machinal (‘14). Her creative career has been built on relationships; some of the extraordinary theatrical artists who have shaped her creative life include Ruben Santiago-Hudson, John Doyle, Elise Thoron, Shariffa Ali, Caitríona MacLaughlin, Sam Pinkleton, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Stacey Derosier and Sam Gold. Jane is also inspired by her brilliant students and young alumni Recent designs include a co-design for Michael R Jackson and Anna K Jacob’s Teeth with Stacey Derosier; Donnacha Dennehy’s Land of Winter at the Irish Arts Center; The Weir at the Abbey Theater in Dublin (her home town); Felon: An American Washi Tale; and The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi and Don Giovanni at San Francisco Opera. Upcoming projects include Marina Carr’s new trilogy at the Abbey in Dublin and the Rocky Horror Show on Broadway. Other highlights have been co-organizing and hosting the 2023 symposium and creative convening The Future of Race in Design at the Park Avenue Armory with Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Mimi Lien and Mikaal Sulaiman; organizing a series of events with returning citizens in conjunction with performances of Felon: An American Washi Tale by Reginald Dwayne Betts; working with the engineer Naomi Leonard, composer Dan Trueman and co-designer Tess James on Rhythm Bots, a project investigating collective motion and rhythmic connection with robots; and receiving a Distinguished Achievement Award from USITT in 2025. Jane has been a member of the Monica Bill Barnes dance company for more than twenty years and has been working with fellow lighting designer Tess James in many capacities for fifteen. She is a Professor of the Practice and Director of the Program in Theater and Music Theater at Princeton University, where she is also the co-director for the Fund for Irish Studies and a member of CreativeX. She is married to brilliant conceptual artist Evan Alexander and they have a fantastic teenage daughter who so far shows no interest in going into theatre. Instagram Handles @janecoxlight @ethansteimel @nicolevsteimel
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    57 mins
  • 192: America The Beautiful (Except the Financial Setup for Freelancers) with Lighting Designer Jane Cox

    192: America The Beautiful (Except the Financial Setup for Freelancers) with Lighting Designer Jane Cox
    Jun 12 2025
    Lighting designer Jane Cox discusses life as a freelance theatre designer who has also taken on some full time academic work. Topics: ⭐️ Parenting while working in the arts ⭐️ Paying student loans with a credit card ⭐️ Prioritizing the needs of the community above the market rate ⭐️ The financial system working against theatre design as a career ⭐️ Jane’s tax rate as a freelancer nearing 50%, and having it lower once she started working a full time W2 job. Video Version https://youtu.be/jA1IOCWmHFs Artistic Finance https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance Jane Cox https://janecoxlight.squarespace.com/ https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jane-cox-115195 Appropriate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriate_(play) Linda Essig https://www.artisticfinance.com/147.html Penny Remsen https://www.umass.edu/theater/about/directory/penny-remsen https://www.linkedin.com/in/penny-remsen-1b53b8a/ Irish Session https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_traditional_music_session Cory Pattak's Podcast https://in1podcast.com/ Light Talk Podcast https://lighttalk.libsyn.com/ NYU Graduate Design School https://tisch.nyu.edu/design University of Massachussets Amherts https://www.umass.edu/theater/ Clifton Taylor https://cliftontaylor.com/ Jennifer Tipton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Tipton False Steps - Off-Broadway Play https://www.falsestepscomedy.com/ Jane Cox is a theater maker, an educator and a lighting designer working in theater, opera, dance and music. Jane won a Tony, a Drama Desk and the Henry Hewes award in 2024 for her lighting for Appropriate, and has three Tony nominations for Macbeth (‘22), Jitney (‘17) and Machinal (‘14). Her creative career has been built on relationships; some of the extraordinary theatrical artists who have shaped her creative life include Ruben Santiago-Hudson, John Doyle, Elise Thoron, Shariffa Ali, Caitríona MacLaughlin, Sam Pinkleton, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Stacey Derosier and Sam Gold. Jane is also inspired by her brilliant students and young alumni Recent designs include a co-design for Michael R Jackson and Anna K Jacob’s Teeth with Stacey Derosier; Donnacha Dennehy’s Land of Winter at the Irish Arts Center; The Weir at the Abbey Theater in Dublin (her home town); Felon: An American Washi Tale; and The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi and Don Giovanni at San Francisco Opera. Upcoming projects include Marina Carr’s new trilogy at the Abbey in Dublin and the Rocky Horror Show on Broadway. Other highlights have been co-organizing and hosting the 2023 symposium and creative convening The Future of Race in Design at the Park Avenue Armory with Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Mimi Lien and Mikaal Sulaiman; organizing a series of events with returning citizens in conjunction with performances of Felon: An American Washi Tale by Reginald Dwayne Betts; working with the engineer Naomi Leonard, composer Dan Trueman and co-designer Tess James on Rhythm Bots, a project investigating collective motion and rhythmic connection with robots; and receiving a Distinguished Achievement Award from USITT in 2025. Jane has been a member of the Monica Bill Barnes dance company for more than twenty years and has been working with fellow lighting designer Tess James in many capacities for fifteen. She is a Professor of the Practice and Director of the Program in Theater and Music Theater at Princeton University, where she is also the co-director for the Fund for Irish Studies and a member of CreativeX. She is married to brilliant conceptual artist Evan Alexander and they have a fantastic teenage daughter who so far shows no interest in going into theatre. Instagram Handles @janecoxlight @ethansteimel @nicolevsteimel
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • 191: 6k Investing Special - Q4.0

    191: 6k Investing Special - Q4.0
    Jun 4 2025
    An update on the $6,000 of investments we made in May of 2021. Four lighting designers and a bond investment CEO review how our investments compare to the S&P 500. Video Version https://youtu.be/_hiXSC5HY6A Artistic Finance https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance False Steps: A Ballroom Comedy https://www.falsestepscomedy.com/ ETFs: IVV - iShares Core S&P 500 Stocks: VST - Vistra Corp LAC - Lithium Americas TAP - Molson Coors Beverage (owners of Blue Moon) SKLZ- Skillz Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin Wine: Vinovest Real Estate - REITS: REG - Regency Centers Corp -Previously UBA SRG - Seritage Growth Properties VICI - Experiential Real Estate - Previously MGM Properties STAG - STAG Industrial Art: Bret Slater - Artist https://www.bretslater.com/ https://www.patreon.com/posts/64295618 VTSAX - Total USA Stock Market Index Fund https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/VTSAX/ Coinbase - COIN https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/COIN/ Masterworks https://www.masterworks.com/ Bridget Riley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridget_Riley Kroger - KR https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/KR/ Nvidia - NVDA https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NVDA/ Daktronics - DAKT https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/DAKT/ Maithreyi Gopalakrishnan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maithreyi-gopalakrishnan/ https://www.liquidificorp.com/ Ebony Madry: https://www.instagram.com/ebmadry/?hl=en https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebony-madry-6a9651139/ Amy D Lux: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-d-lux-953a7318a/ https://utopiadreamscape.com/author/luvlogica/ Gary Archer https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-archer-31482933/ https://www.instagram.com/lightdesign2020/ Ethan Steimel https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethansteimel/ https://www.instagram.com/artisticfinance/?hl=en Instagram Handles @ebmadry @liquidifi @officialamydlux @lightdesign2020 @ethansteimel @artisticfinance
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    1 hr and 9 mins