Chris moved to Minnesota in 1994 to attend St. Cloud State University after graduating near the top of his class from Homer High School in Homer Alaska. An honor student, he accepted an academic scholarship and began to study electrical engineering. Soon, his love of the theatre took over and he switched to the Theatre and Film Studies Dept. to study lighting design under the tutelage of Professor David Borron. Chris spent the summer of 1997 at Theatre L’Homme Dieu as Master Electrician and Assistant Sound Designer becoming proficient operating and programming Strand and ETC lighting consoles. While at St. Cloud State, Chris worked as an Audio Visual technician for the school. He was responsible for mixing sound and operating lights for dozens of bands at the schools on-campus night club. Chris graduated in May of 1998 with a Bachelors degree after designing lighting, scenery, or sound for over 20 theatrical productions at St. Cloud State and several surrounding theatres. He took a position as spotlight operator and electrician at the brand new Galaxy Theatre at Valleyfair. This gave Chris his first real experience with moving lights and moving light consoles. While at Valleyfair he had the opportunity to move up to assistant technical director and board operator where he learned to program on an Avolites Pearl. When the season closed he moved on to local theatres in the Minneapolis, St. Paul area including the Guthrie theatre, Mixed Blood theatre company, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, and the North Star Opera Company until he was hired as a full time lighting designer/ director for Caribiner International (which later became AVHQ). Since 1998 he has had the opportunity to light literally hundreds of shows in 15 states and in Canada. Chris takes a theatrical approach to video lighting and has gained a reputation as both a designer and programmer. Chris’ latest opportunity came in the form of an MA Lighting Grand MA light. The first console of its kind in Minnesota, it offers a previously unimaginable level of control and visualization. Chris has also taken every occasion to learn about video and graphics routing and projection. While at AVHQ he learned projection on Barco, Digital, NEC, Sony, Eiki, and Christie projectors. He has also taken to video playback and camera operation. With AVHQ’s purchase of a Folsom Screen-Pro Plus Chris began to learn a whole new world of multi-screen routing. Chris has recently become associated with a local band, Sue Generis (www.suegeneris.com), as their lighting designer/ director. Poised for their first national tour the group looks to be a most exciting next step for Chris and his wife of four years, Stacy. Chris recently left AVHQ after nearly 6 years as their full-time lighting designer to start Lobster Lighting LLC, and to form the Show Syndicate with Bret Fierce of Fierce Audio LLC and Kyle Weir of Eyemix Video LLC. The Show Syndicate will be a full service production house offering everything from script-writing to audio visual services. Be on the lookout for the Show Syndicate on a showsite near you.