Production and lighting designer Jon Trincas of Zeal joins Beyond the Limelight to trace his path from experimenting with lighting desks at school to international touring. Along the way, we talk creative collaboration, atmospherics and how a “smoke sausage” in the UK becomes a “Tube of Death” in the U.S.
Lighting first grabbed Jon’s attention while he was helping with his school’s battle of the bands. After spending time around mobile discos and Technics turntables, he got his hands on a lighting desk, pressed a few buttons and felt an immediate buzz.
Like many people entering live production in the UK, Jon found his footing in local theaters by helping with fit-ups and load-outs and learning how a show comes together. A connection made in his late teens opened the door to professional work, followed by four years touring the world with Steve Angello and designing under real production pressure.
Today, Jon is part of Zeal, where creative design, production design, lighting rental and content creation sit under one roof. The team also brings in a “brain trust” when a project needs another perspective, inviting people outside the core group to question choices, flag technical concerns and challenge ideas before they go live, even when that means changing course.
Jon also gets practical about fog and haze, especially in outdoor and extreme environments. The conversation eventually reaches one of the industry’s more colorfully named tools: a perforated tube connected to a smoke machine and fan that helps distribute atmospherics more evenly. In the UK, it sounds like lunch. In the U.S., it sounds considerably more ominous. Catch the full conversation to hear Jon’s take on creative problem-solving and settle the “smoke sausage” versus “Tube of Death” debate for yourself.
More about Zeal: https://wearezeal.co
