Corporate Event Lighting · MA2/3 Programming
Peace of mind for the entire lighting side of your event.
The story
My dad's Cannon Stage Lighting legacy gets me in the door. Thousands of gigs keep me there. I bring a creative eye, attention to detail, and fast, elegant programming. I got my grit as the first one to dive into the worst jobs, from pulling feeder to coiling a mud-soaked snake at the end of the night, and I'll never ask anyone to do something I wouldn't do myself.
When the lead is calm, everyone's calm.
When you hire me, you're not just hiring an LD. You're hiring peace of mind for the entire lighting side of your event. When Cannon is on the crew sheet, you're taken care of.
Let's talk
Tell me about your event. I'll make sure the lighting side is taken care of.
Gigs run at all hours, so texting is the best way to reach me. That way I'll have all your details in writing.
How I work
Two decades of school gyms, arenas, ballrooms, convention centers and hotels nationwide, even the White House. Live events don't always go to plan, and that's when I do my best work.
01
Doors open, a fixture drops, the timeline changes. I stay steady, so the room does too.
02
I've been through it all. When something goes sideways, I usually have the fix in mind.
03
Organized from cable runs to show file, and everyone leaves with a smile.
04
I show up early and own the outcome. If it's on my plate, it's handled.
05
Before doors, I walk the room so every uplight hits the drape and scenic just right.
06
Thousands of hours on MA2/3. Show files built clean, busked or timecoded.
07
Designs and plots in Vectorworks, plus paperwork, stickers and truss tapes. No surprises.
08
On-brand looks for sessions, galas and launches, plus tours, one-offs and festival sets.
Work
Career highlights
A few of the festivals I've worked.
Press
Write-ups on shows I’ve lit.
I lit the AFCEA winter gala at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC with 4Wall DC Production, using about 150 CHAUVET Professional fixtures.
“My job was made easier because of a group of highly talented people.”Read the article
I was the house LD at the THAT Tent at Bonnaroo for Harford Sound, running a 60-fixture CHAUVET Professional rig for acts including Pixies, Rebelution, Sylvan Esso and J.I.D.
“It was a very LD-friendly rig. Not the biggest, but very tasteful, and really perfect for the space.”Read the article
About
I'm a freelance lighting designer and MA2/3 programmer. I've been programming grandMA consoles since 2015, from grandMA2 to grandMA3, and I've been running MA3 since the v1.9 days. I grew up in my father's shop, Cannon Stage Lighting in Baltimore, and I've been around stages, cable and fixtures for as long as I can remember.
The Cannon Creative is my own company, built from scratch to carry that work forward for corporate events and concerts.
From tying into ballroom basement panels and generators to reaching that last inch from the top of a scissor lift, I've done it all. It made me the lighting Swiss Army knife I am today.
Everything I do is for my wife, Stacie, and our kids. Our favorite place to be together is Disney.
Stacie gave up her job as a childcare director for a harder one: raising our three kids, often on her own while I'm on the road. I couldn't do any of this without her. She's my rock and my best friend.
Legacy
My father, George Cannon Jr., has run Cannon Stage Lighting in Baltimore, Maryland since January 1981. That shop is where I learned what light can do for a show.
When I was in elementary school, my dad pulled me out of class so I could turn on the lights for the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl championship parade.
My dad, George Cannon Jr., starts Cannon Stage Lighting in Baltimore.
Born in August 1988.
At 8, I'm in the warehouse and tagging along to gigs.
At 12, I help light the Super Bowl XXXV parade downtown.
At 16, I start working for Cannon Stage Lighting.
Running a Hog 1000 at Pimlico.
Freelance lighting designer and MA2/3 programmer, carrying the family craft into the next generation.
Years in the industry
From the shop floor
I grew up on the 120k: double-hung truss upstage and downstage, loaded with 120 1,000-watt PAR 64s. Focus meant climbing out across the truss, sweat sizzling on the cans.
A few times before a show I had to climb up and out over the rig to swap a blown lamp or troubleshoot a mover. It was always a rush, with everyone watching you.
Contact
Bring me in and you get a calm, organized lighting lead and a crew in good spirits, whatever the night throws at us. Tell me about your event and I'll get back to you.
Every event is different. Text or email me for day rate information and availability.
Gigs run at all hours, so texting is the best way to reach me. That way I'll have all your details in writing.
Text meText 443-812-2274
