Zenith Lighting, a 30-year-old supplier of stage and event lighting solutions, has named respected veteran lighting designer Ben Coker (pictured right) as the new technical manager for the growing company after consecutive years of growth.
No stranger to the world of stage and event lighting, Coker worked his way through nearly every end of the industry, beginning his career as a stagehand and shop laborer, where he helped to pull and prep shows. He slowly transitioned into a master electrician before eventually being offered a small show as a lighting designer, after which he was hooked.
Over the next several years, Coker worked show after show, absorbing as much knowledge as possible while learning from and gaining respect of those that he looked up to. Becoming one of the most sought-after lighting designers of the last few years, he has worked on and designed for hundreds of high profile large scale events, but is best known in the industry for his critically hailed work as the lighting designer for Porter Robinson over the past six years.
Asked about how he plans to transition from a full time life on the road and still keep his hard-fought skills sharp, Coker explained “I plan to continue learning everything that I can as I continue down this path. I always strive for perfection and will always continue to push the boundaries of the industry forward.” Among his responsibilities at Zenith Lighting will be ensuring that Zenith always maintains the right selection of rental equipment to fulfill the needs of a diverse clientele, and that the quality of that equipment–and the client experience–is consistently excellent. Coker will also work within the organization to improve workflow, refine both client-facing and internal processes, and act as a trusted advocate for the lighting designers and event planners who always prefer to speak with “one of their own” when they are planning their production elements.
“I am extremely pleased to welcome Ben Coker to the Zenith team in the capacity of technical manager” says Zenith Lighting President Chas Herington. “Ben brings with him a vast and varied range of knowledge gained from having held most positions in the lighting industry. His experience, having started out on the shop floor pulling and prepping shows, rising to the position of a very successful and well-respected touring concert lighting designer and corporate events lighting designer stand him in great stead for this new position,” adding that, “his hands-on approach and his familiarity and understanding of all aspects of equipment coupled with his strong leadership capabilities make him a stand out in the industry. All of us at Zenith are proud to have him on board.”
Coker had this to say about his appointment to the Zenith lighting team: “I am very pleased to be welcomed to Zenith Lighting Inc in the role of technical manager. I am excited about the new challenges that are to come and I hope to use my years of experience on show site to help guide Zenith Lighting into an even brighter future.”
Zenith Lighting, Inc., is a premiere stage and event lighting and rigging company based in Orlando, Fla. Serving as the lighting technology provider for hundreds of yearly events including corporate functions, trade show exhibits, concerts and festivals as well as the lighting company of note for several of the world’s most well known theme parks, venues, and touring artists, Zenith Lighting has put its decades of experience to work as the event technology company serving other event technology companies for more than 25 years. For more info, visit www.zenithlighting.com.
