David Grill, a SUNY Purchase adjunct professor and business entrepreneur, received two Emmy nominations in the category of “Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special.”
Grill worked on PBS”™ Great Performances presentation, “Andrea Bocelli: Love In Portofino” and this year”™s Super Bowl half time show featuring Beyoncé.
“The challenge [for the Super Bowl] is where you can put the lights and how quickly the equipment can get moved on and off the field,” Grill said. “For the Andrea Bocelli show, you want to create a scene of the town at night and show it in a really romantic fashion.”
Grill, who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater design at Purchase, decided to go back to his alma mater and teach the very courses that he once took. His vision was to educate students on the basic concepts of lighting design and techniques, so they can become skillful entrepreneurs who are flexible and versatile.
“The best way to think of lighting design is a lens of a camera,” Grill said. “The camera is basically what people are looking at. You have to decide what the shot is, what”™s framing the shot and what”™s of paramount importance in the shot.”
There are endless employment opportunities for entrepreneurs in theater design work, Grill said. He said that architecture, television and theater are among the three most popular mediums that involve using lighting to help set the mood and tell a story.
“The reality is, the majority of lighting designers are freelancers who will open their own companies,” said Grill, who began his lighting business in 1986 and traveled to more than 13 countries to pursue his career. “The majority of lighting designers who are successful have a diverse profile.”
Among other recognitions, Grill received an Emmy nomination in 2008 and 2012 and won an Emmy for “Outstanding Lighting Direction” in 2002 for his work on the XIX Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.
