171: Union Strong & Console Agnostic with Erica D Hayes - Bonus Episode

Ellen and Ethan interview Los Angeles based lighting designer, programmer, and video director Erica D Hayes.

Topics:

⭐️ Following the money

⭐️ A high school internship leading to a career path

⭐️ Contracts are only as good as the people they’re made with

⭐️ Speed of payments as a contractor with Net 30, Net 45, and Net 60

⭐️ Joining IATSE 728, The Union Dedicated to Motion Picture Set Lighting

Video Version

https://youtu.be/WBo6MsgPxoU

Artistic Finance

https://linktr.ee/artisticfinance

LDI - Free registration with promo code ARTISTICFINANCE

https://www.ldishow.com/

LDI AF Recording - The Art of Tailoring A Show

https://sched.co/1odhj

LDI AF Recording - Financial Independence for Creatives

https://sched.co/1hUTn

Erica D Hayes

https://www.ericadhayes.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericadhayes/

https://www.instagram.com/ericadhayes/

IATSE 728

https://www.iatse728.org/

Artistic Finance Resource List

https://www.patreon.com/posts/resource-list-114287278?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

KEM

https://www.musicbykem.com/

Ledisi

https://www.ledisi.com/

The Isley Brothers

https://officialisleybrothers.com/

The Pearl Theater

https://www.palms.com/entertainment/pearl-theater

Teri Garr

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teri_Garr

Ellen Lampert-Gréaux

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-lampert-gr%C3%A9aux-2abb351b/

Erica D. Hayes discovered her gift for lighting the same way she found her love for directing: through a love for music, and a penchant for building genuine relationships. The Detroit, Michigan native was on the road with R&B/soul singer KEM in 2007 as his video director, when she learned that one of his tour mates, future repeat Grammy nominee Ledisi, needed lighting for her own first headlining tour. She asked Ledisi for a shot. In the years since, Hayes has moved to Los Angeles, where she’s become a go-to lighting designer for both legacy acts like The Isley Brothers, Anita Baker, Fantasia, and Run DMC, and contemporary stars like SYD, Coi Leray, and H.E.R., who she toured with. She also designed R&B star Daniel Caesar’s Freudian Tour, and his performance on “The Late Night Show with James Corden.” Additionally, Erica has provided designs for rising stars Flo Millie, Lucky Daye, Amaarae, and FLO, further cementing her reputation as a versatile designer.

Once she established herself in the music industry, Hayes prepared to take her talents into television and film. After more than 15 years in the industry, she was initiated into the IATSE 728 union. She was pregnant with her second child, but she didn’t let that stop her: Hayes landed early opportunities as a lighting console programmer for HBO shows such as Made For Love and Westworld. Her work on those shows helped her earn additional gigs for the Nickelodeon sitcom That Girl Lay Lay, HBO’s hit Insecure, and ABC’s Call Me Kat, along with the feature film House Party produced by LeBron James’ Springhill Company.

These days, with both the music and film industries at her fingertips, Hayes can afford to be selective with her projects, but that doesn’t mean she’s slowed her pace. She has the phrase “work comes from work” tattooed on her wrist and continues to make moves steadily. Her dedicated approach has led her to work with a multigenerational swath of award-winning musicians, television shows, and feature films with many more ahead for the future.

Instagram Handles

@ericadhayes

@iatselocal728

@nicolevsteimel

@ethansteimel

@live.design

@ldishow

Hosted by Ellen Lampert-Gréaux and Ethan Steimel