Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanne Lowell.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Suzanne. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I graduated from Connecticut College with a degree in Lighting Design for musical theatre and dance. From there, I moved to Boston and worked as the resident lighting designer of The Boston Dance Project.
A position at the Boston Conservatory opened up in the production department. There I taught stagecraft and designed lighting for many of the musicals and dance productions.
Long story short-I was approached by a friend and asked if I might be interested in designing lighting for an event. I said that I would love to work on the project. I became connected to some people in the event industry and was asked to do a few more events.
I worked on a small benefit one night and I was sitting on the steps at Post Office Square with my friend Michael. We were waiting for the rental co. to come and pick up the equipment that I had just used. Michael asked me how much money it would take for me to purchase my own equipment. I had no idea what it would cost, but I started looking into it.
I continued to work full time while I worked on events here and there. I started to purchase a couple of lights at a time and before I knew it, I needed to rent some space for the equipment.
Within two years, I signed a lease for a 2000 sf studio in the Waltham Mills. I was lucky enough to be able to take a leap of faith and commit full time to the event lighting. That was 21 years ago.
Today we are still located in the Waltham Mills on Moody Street. We expanded and took a 5000sf studio that houses a collection of conventional equipment, decorative fixtures and custom fixtures that we constructed ourselves.
We were fortunate enough to win Best of Boston 2017 for our work in weddings. Our designs have been featured in several publications and we work with many of the top planners, event designers and florists in the area.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Some of our most significant challenges relate to the speed with which technology changes. With lighting in particular, the technology has been changing and/or improving at an alarmingly fast pace. We have had to make some tremendous investments in our equipment in order to be able to provide our clients with the most up to date design work.
Another challenge that I have had is with regard to lighting being both technical and artistic. I have to understand both aspects in order to produce good work. I have spent many hours researching the technical side of the business so that I can be sure that I can implement certain designs.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Suzanne B. Lowell Lighting Design story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a boutique company that specializes in the design and implementation of lighting for weddings and private events. While the majority of our work is focused upon weddings, I enjoy working on every social occasion including weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, birthday celebrations and private corporate events.
I am most proud of the fact that we treat every event with the same amount of seriousness and commitment. There is no one event that is more or less important than another. Every event is special and is treated as such.
I think that what sets us apart from others may be in our commitment to personalize each event. We really make an effort to design something unique for our clients. We consider not only the event, but the event as it relates to the venue. The designs should work with both the temporary decor as well as the surroundings.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I have been incredibly lucky/fortunate. I have been provided with many opportunities that have allowed me to continue to grow both personally and professionally.
Even when something occurs that could be considered as unfortunate, I have learned something valuable that I can reference.
Ultimately, I think that I have been lucky to be surrounded by talented and driven professionals. I have been able to draw inspiration from so many people whom are motivated and creative.
Contact Info:
- Address: 144 Moody Street
Building 18
Waltham, MA 02453 - Website: https://sbllighting.com
- Phone: 781.899.5883
- Email: info@sbllighting.com
- Instagram: @sbllighting.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbllightingdesign/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SBLLighting
Image Credit:
Gigi Demanio, Joe Mikos, David Murray Weddings, Brian Phillips Photography, Person & Killian Photography
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