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Lighting Matters: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Avraham Mor & Lisa Reed
Welcome to the podcast about Lighting Matters! Our unflinching conversations uncover the nuances and complexities that shape the craft of lighting design. Tune in to explore the pivotal ‘whys’ behind a lighting designer’s choices and find honest answers to your most challenging lighting questions, because Lighting Matters®.
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- 1 weeks ago44 min
Humane Lighting for the Incarcerated (Ep 42)
Watch on YouTube Did you know the only federal lighting requirement for prisons is 20 foot-candles, with no ceiling at all? Edward Bartholomew, principal of Bartholomew Lighting and executive director of Light Justice, and Richard Muthama, lighting designer at Lam Partners and Light Justice curator, join Lisa Reed of RBLD and Avi Mor of Morlights to make the case for humane lighting. Night walks. Quality darkness. The first IES recommended practice for spaces of incarceration. And the November 4 symposium. “Why should we have a 2x4 that is pushing out 5000 lumens within a cell?”Edward Bartholomew, IALD, LC, LEED AP, IES, is Principal of Bartholomew Lighting, an award-winning architectural lighting design firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. With over 40 years of experience, he advances lighting design as both an architectural discipline and a means of addressing social and environmental justice. Edward is co-founder and executive director of Light Justice, an organization advocating for equitable, community-engaged lighting that supports underserved communities and building occupants. Light Justice recognizes light and darkness as essential environmental resources influencing health, safety, dignity, and belonging. Richard Muthama is a lighting designer at Lam Partners in Cambridge, MA. He is the Curator of Light Justice. He holds an MFA in Lighting Design from Parsons School of Design, where his thesis on humane lighting for prison cell sleep environments received the Parsons Lighting Design Partners Thesis Prize for Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice. Richard is Vice President of Black United in Lighting and Design (BUILD) and serves on the IES Security Committee, where he helped develop the first IES Recommended Practice for lighting spaces of incarceration. In This Episode: Lighting for spaces of incarceration Night walks challenge “more light equals safety” Daylight access, power, and back-of-house lighting No recommended practice for incarceration spaces Outward-facing mission and the November 4 symposium ACA’s 20 foot-candle rule and amber light Favorite spaces: Grandmother’s living room, Kenyan daylight Would you be interested in sponsoring our podcast? Reach out to us. Share your thoughts, comments, like and subscribe to hear all of our informative upcoming episodes! About the show: Lighting Matters is hosted by Lisa Reed and Avi Mor. In each episode, we’ll dig deep into the meticulous process of creating lighting design for architecture, showcasing industry leaders who balance artistic creativity with technical precision, and listen as they share their successes and challenges in architectural lighting design. Resources: Light Justice https://lightjustice.org/ Symposium registration (IES events) https://ies.org/events/ Past Light Justice symposium videos https://lightjustice.org/webinars IES e-learning: Light + Justice https://elearning.ies.org/p/lightjustice Illuminating Engineering Society https://www.ies.org American Correctional Association https://www.aca.org Lam Partne...
- Oct 6, 20261h 1m
Why Lighting Standards Aren't Free - w Brienne Willcock
How much of your product's value depends on an organization nobody credits? IES standards aren't free, and Brienne Willcock wants the lighting industry to understand why. This episode covers the real cost of a recommended practice, IES's growing footprint (AES, NCQLP), and a client-trust framework borrowed from healthcare. Brienne is Associate Executive Director at the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and she joins hosts Avi Mor (Morlights) and Lisa Reed (Reed Burkett Lighting Design) to trace her path from fine art and flower color-matching into IES leadership. They dig into IES's mergers with the Audio Engineering Society and NCQLP, the real cost behind every IES file, and why "dumbing it down" is a phrase Brienne refuses to use. It's a candid look at standards, advocacy, and earning trust in the built environment.Brienne Willcock is Associate Executive Director at IES, focused on Strategy, Standards, and Industry Engagement, leading content strategy across technical standards and education. Her background as an architectural lighting designer shapes how she manages collaborative programs, gathers input, and curates content. Brienne was named to Lighting Magazine's International 40 Under 40 (2017), served as past president of the Detroit IES section (2013–2015) and IES Annual Conference Committee Chair (2016–2017), and was awarded Honorary Affiliate status by the American Institute of Architects (2014). In This Episode: Brienne's expanding role as IES Associate Executive Director Building bridges with AIA, ASID, and allied organizations Manufacturer funding fatigue and thirty competing lighting organizations Six years in the red: IES's financial turnaround and advocacy The hidden value of the IES file and standards funding The patient advocacy model for earning client trust Brienne's favorite illuminated space: the Detroit Institute of Arts Would you be interested in sponsoring our podcast? Reach out to us. Share your thoughts, comments, like and subscribe to hear all of our informative upcoming episodes! About the show: Lighting Matters is hosted by Lisa Reed and Avi Mor. In each episode, we’ll dig deep into the meticulous process of creating lighting design for architecture, showcasing industry leaders who balance artistic creativity with technical precision, and listen as they share their successes and challenges in architectural lighting design. Resources: Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) — https://www.ies.org Audio Engineering Society (AES) — https://aes2.org National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP) — https://www.ncqlp.org National Lighting Bureau (NLB) — https://www.nlb.org Lighting Matters Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lighting-matters-podcast/Lighting Matters Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbLkEKnB8XgSXoeDY0T8t3w Lisa Reed https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-j-reed-b198154/ Reed Burkett Lighting Design http://www.rbldi.com Avraham Mor https://www.linkedin.com/in/avrahammor/ Morlight...
- Sep 22, 202652 min
Why Bad Lighting Is Costing You Customers
[youtube:nRZI35hehMQ]Could bad lighting be quietly costing a restaurant its best customers?"People aren't buying lumens. They're buying outcomes." Jenny West, founder of West Consulting and a former workplace strategist at Knoll and CRESA, joins hosts Avi Mor of Morlights and Lisa Reed of Reed Burkett Lighting Design (RBLD). West traces her path from Gensler through corporate change management to a practice spanning retail, aviation, and art. The trio unpacks budget pressure, borrows a fee structure from Broadway theater, and insists lighting teams belong in the visioning session from day one. Why does the industry still lack a shared research voice?Jenny West is a multidisciplinary designer and artist and the founder of West Consulting, based in Colorado. A Kansas State University graduate in Interior Architecture and Product Design, she began at Gensler, where her work included the Westin Hotel and Transit Center at Denver International Airport. She spent nearly a decade at Knoll as a Global Account Director working with Fortune 100 brands including Google and Microsoft, then led Gensler's Denver consulting practice and later directed national workplace strategy as Vice President at Cresa. She holds NCIDQ and LEED AP ID+C credentials and has spoken at NeoCon, CoreNet, and IIDA. In This Episode: Framing part two of the Illuminate@NeoCon debrief Hunter Tremaine of QTL on crossing into architecture and design Why color quality is the "magic sauce" of good LED Gregory Kay of Lightology and PureEdge on educating with color temperature Brian Keilt of Lighting Services Inc on the color and material vignette The ArtLifting installation and its last-minute rescue Brian Maite of ALW on reaching an audience they don't normally see Rebranding as an architectural brand, not a lighting brand Would you be interested in sponsoring our podcast? Reach out to us. Share your thoughts, comments, like and subscribe to hear all of our informative upcoming episodes! About the show: Lighting Matters is hosted by Lisa Reed and Avi Mor. In each episode, we’ll dig deep into the meticulous process of creating lighting design for architecture, showcasing industry leaders who balance artistic creativity with technical precision, and listen as they share their successes and challenges in architectural lighting design. Resources: Watch the Illuminate@NeoCon panel referenced in this episode — "Lighting that Shapes Design" — featuring Avi Mor, Lisa Reed, and Jenny West: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OKOe1oX90Q Jenny West / West Consulting — official site, portfolio, and press: https://www.jennywestartist.com IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) — www.ies.org IIDA (International Interior Design Association) — www.iida.org ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) — www.asid.org Lighting Matters Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lighting-matters-podcast/Lighting...
- Sep 1, 202629 min
Behind the Booth - Illuminate at NeoCon, Part II of II [Ep. 39]
[youtube: Ojz9Cw_JV_c]Is Illuminate at NeoCon actually a design show wearing a lighting show's name?Avi Mor of Morlights and Lisa Reed of Reed Burkett Lighting Design close out their Illuminate@NeoCon debrief series with four more manufacturer conversations, recorded live on the show floor without a script. Hunter Tremaine, VP of Business Development at QTL, breaks down why the family-owned power and LED manufacturer's first-time booth landed alongside partners like Fry Reglet, and why color quality is the detail that separates a QTL fixture from a big-box tape light. Gregory Kay, CEO of Lightology and PureEdge, explains how mirrors and color-temperature demos turned window shoppers into engaged designers who wanted to understand the science, not just admire the trapeze. Brian Keilt, VP of Sales at Lighting Services Inc, a longtime sponsor of Lighting Matters, details the last-minute scramble that saved the show's ArtLifting installation, which showcases work by artists with disabilities. And Brian Maite of ALW makes the case for treating Illuminate as a design show and not a lighting show, right down to the paint colors on the booth walls. Is a lighting brand even the right label anymore? Part two of two, wrapping the Illuminate@NeoCon debrief series. In This Episode: Framing part two of the Illuminate@NeoCon debrief Hunter Tremaine of QTL on crossing into architecture and design Why color quality is the "magic sauce" of good LED Gregory Kay of Lightology and PureEdge on educating with color temperature Brian Keilt of Lighting Services Inc on the color and material vignette The ArtLifting installation and its last-minute rescue Brian Maite of ALW on reaching an audience they don't normally see Rebranding as an architectural brand, not a lighting brand Would you be interested in sponsoring our podcast? Reach out to us. Share your thoughts, comments, like and subscribe to hear all of our informative upcoming episodes! About the show: Lighting Matters is hosted by Lisa Reed and Avi Mor. In each episode, we’ll dig deep into the meticulous process of creating lighting design for architecture, showcasing industry leaders who balance artistic creativity with technical precision, and listen as they share their successes and challenges in architectural lighting design. Resources:QTL — qtl.lighting.com Lightology — lightology.com PureEdge Lighting — pureedgelighting.com Lighting Services Inc — lightingservicesinc.com ALW (Architectural Lighting Works) — alw-inc.com LMPG Inc. (parent company of ALW) — lmpg.com ArtLifting: https://www.artlifting.com/NeoCon 2026 Featured Panel Talk: https://youtu.be/8OKOe1oX90Q?si=rGxIhUvENzU9Es1JEducational Vignettes at NeoCon 2026: https://edisonreport.com/2026/06/08/llluminat...
- Aug 4, 202627 min
Episode 38: Behind the Booth - Illuminate at NeoCon, Part I of II
Avi Mor of Morlights and Lisa Reed of Reed Burkett Lighting Design pull up chairs on the Illuminate@NeoCon floor for four back-to-back manufacturer check-ins. Sage Russell, VP of Specification Sales at LumenWerx, explains why a fully custom experience room, built in just thirty days, outdrew every standard booth on the floor. Nate Jackson of Fixt Electric traces an unlikely path from Soviet-era salvage runs across Russia to launching Cym x Fixt, a new architectural line made with ceramicist Cym Warkov. Sean Gaydos, president of USAI Lighting, gets candid about the real math behind an eighty-show marketing calendar, drayage, unions, and rep support included. And Jana Owens, director of sales at Luminii and part of the team behind Morlights' recent LeSelect restaurant project in Chicago, makes the case for an underrated Midwest design community. "Bring something special, make it worth your while," one guest says. What did the lighting industry's first dedicated trade show floor actually deliver, and what still needs fixing before next year? Part one of two — episode 39 picks up the conversation with more manufacturers from the show floor.In This Episode: Framing the Illuminate@NeoCon debrief series Sage Russell of LumenWerx on Illuminate's first-year impact Booth placement and next-year growth for exhibitors Nate Jackson of Cym x Fixt launches a new architectural line Sean Gaydos of USAI Lighting on trade show economics Designers backing the manufacturers who back the industry Jana Owens of Luminii on selling light beyond the spec sheet New product launches and the Midwest design community Would you be interested in sponsoring our podcast? Reach out to us. Share your thoughts, comments, like and subscribe to hear all of our informative upcoming episodes! About the show: Lighting Matters is hosted by Lisa Reed and Avi Mor. In each episode, we’ll dig deep into the meticulous process of creating lighting design for architecture, showcasing industry leaders who balance artistic creativity with technical precision, and listen as they share their successes and challenges in architectural lighting design. Resources:LumenWerx — https://www.lumenwerx.com Fixt Electric Co. — https://www.fixtelectric.com USAI Lighting — https://www.usailighting.com Luminii — https://www.luminii.com NeoCon 2026 Featured Panel Talk: https://youtu.be/8OKOe1oX90Q?si=rGxIhUvENzU9Es1JEducational Vignettes at NeoCon 2026: https://edisonreport.com/2026/06/08/llluminate-at-neocon-2026-built-for-designers/ Illuminate @ NeoCon 2026: https://edisonreport.com/2026/06/08/llluminate-at-neocon-2026-built-for-designers/IALD — iald.orgNeoCon neocon.com Lighting Matters Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lighting-matters-podcast/Lighting Matters Podcast YouTube Chann...
- Jul 21, 202632 min
Episode 37: Illuminate at NeoCon: What 60 Manufacturers Taught Us
60 manufacturers, 5 months — did Illuminate at NeoCon actually pay off? Half the year is gone — where did it go? Hosts Avi Mor of Morlights and Lisa Reed of Reed Burkett Lighting Design (RBLD) trade updates on a packed six months: the Holocaust Museum LA opening, the relit Campanile at the University of Kansas, and ongoing work on the Gordie Howe International Bridge and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. But most of the conversation returns to Illuminate at NeoCon, where 60 manufacturers showed up in just five months. Avi and Lisa dig into what worked — LSI's interactive color-temperature display, ETC's photo booth vignette — and what didn't sit right, including a pointed question Avi raises: are manufacturers being asked to do too much? They also touch on the newly announced NLB-IES partnership, the re-illumination of Notre-Dame, and a recurring IALD theme: designers as "shepherds" of a client's story rather than its authors. It closes with the IALD president's public call to elevate the profession, and Avi's blunt response: "I'd like to get beyond the words and see the action." In This Episode: Mid-year check-ins and recent project milestones The case for lighting designers and debriefing Illuminate at NeoCon Manufacturer highlights: LSI's color installation and ETC's photo booth Planning NeoCon 2027 and rethinking manufacturer sponsorship asks NLB-IES partnership and current project spotlights Notre-Dame's re-illumination and the emotional power of cathedral lighting Light as storytelling and putting words to a visual craft The IALD's call to elevate the profession Sign-off: pop culture picks and lighting in film Would you be interested in sponsoring our podcast? Reach out to us. Share your thoughts, comments, like and subscribe to hear all of our informative upcoming episodes! About the show: Lighting Matters is hosted by Lisa Reed and Avi Mor. In each episode, we’ll dig deep into the meticulous process of creating lighting design for architecture, showcasing industry leaders who balance artistic creativity with technical precision, and listen as they share their successes and challenges in architectural lighting design. Resources:NeoCon 2026 Featured Panel Talk: https://youtu.be/8OKOe1oX90Q?si=rGxIhUvENzU9Es1JEducational Vignettes at NeoCon 2026: https://edisonreport.com/2026/06/08/llluminate-at-neocon-2026-built-for-designers/ Art Lifting Website: https://www.artlifting.com/Illuminate @ NeoCon 2026: https://edisonreport.com/2026/06/08/llluminate-at-neocon-2026-built-for-designers/IALD — iald.orgNeoCon neocon.comLighting Matters Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lighting-matters-podcast/Lighting Matters Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbLkEKnB8XgSXoeDY0T8t3wLisa Reed https://www.linkedin.com...
- Jul 9, 202633 min
The Triangle of Responsibility: Rebecca Keehner on Who Really Owns Lighting Design
8% of award-winning projects had a lighting designer. Only 2% got credit. Why is this profession still invisible? Recorded live at Illuminate@NeoCon 2026 in Chicago, this episode features Rebecca Keehner, Senior Interior Designer at Stantec Architecture — a global architecture and engineering firm with all major design disciplines under one roof. Hosts Avi Mor of Morlights and Lisa Reed of Reed Burkett Lighting Design (RBLD) dig into the structural dynamics of how lighting actually gets done on projects. Who owns it? Who should? Rebecca introduces what she calls the "triangle of responsibility" — the working relationship between interior designers, lighting designers, and electrical engineers — and makes a sharp case for why adding a lighting designer doesn't inflate a budget, it redistributes expertise where it belongs. The conversation moves into specification rigor, material testing under controlled light conditions, and the persistent problem of lighting designers going uncredited on award-winning projects. "98% of the jobs had lighting designers on them — but only the lighting design firms were able to promote that they were involved." Short episode. Dense content. Rebecca Keehner is a Senior Interior Designer at Stantec Architecture with 19+ years of experience across retail, restaurant, healthcare, multi-family, and corporate projects. NCIDQ certified and LEED accredited, she pairs 15 years of Revit expertise with a design approach rooted in form, materiality, and client experience. In This Episode: Live from NeoCon: Rebecca Keehner on her role at Stantec Architecture The triangle of responsibility explained How scope and fee divide across the lighting triangle Specification precision and the cost of getting it wrong How light controls visual hierarchy in a space Testing materials under real lighting conditions Color casting and why flat samples mislead The four visual design disciplines in the built environment The lighting design credit gap in industry awards Budget, schedule, team, or client: what matters most Rebecca's favorite lighting experience: the redwoods Would you be interested in sponsoring our podcast? Reach out to us. Share your thoughts, comments, like and subscribe to hear all of our informative upcoming episodes! About the show: Lighting Matters is hosted by Lisa Reed and Avi Mor. In each episode, we’ll dig deep into the meticulous process of creating lighting design for architecture, showcasing industry leaders who balance artistic creativity with technical precision, and listen as they share their successes and challenges in architectural lighting design. Resources: Stantec Architecture — Rebecca Keehner's firm URL: https://www.stantec.com IALD — iald.org NeoCon neocon.com Lighting Matters Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lighting-matters-podcast/ Lighting Matters Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbLkEKnB8XgSXoeDY0T8t3w Lisa Reed https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-j-reed-b198154/ Reed Burkett Lighting Design http://www.rbldi.com Avraham...
- Jun 2, 202655 min
Episode 35: Zero Out of a Hundred: Jen Park on Why Lighting Never Gets Credit
Of 100 award-winning architecture projects, how many listed a lighting designer in the credits? The answer should embarrass the entire industry.Jen Park, principal at Chicago's Park Fowler, joins hosts Avi Mor of Morlights and Lisa Reed of Reed Burkett Lighting Design to examine what architects genuinely understand about lighting—and where the gaps are. Park describes lighting as the critical thread in architectural composition: invisible when right, conspicuous when wrong. Who's actually making that argument to developers? The discussion covers the ROI case for lighting design, color temperature consistency across building types, and one startling data point—of 100 recent award-winning projects across AIA and Dezeen, not one credited a lighting designer in its submission. In This Episode: Park Fowler's founding and accelerated firm transition Lighting as a critical compositional layer in architecture Architecture school's gap in electric lighting education Museum spaces as field labs for reading light The ROI argument for lighting designers on developer projects Color temperature consistency and the build-to-sell challenge Material samples, color accuracy, and Neocon vignettes The four visual professionals of the built environment Lighting designers uncredited in architectural award submissions Architect as conductor: the full-team design model Favorite illuminated spaces: The Rookery Chicago, Jumex Museum in Mexico City Would you be interested in sponsoring our podcast? Reach out to us. Share your thoughts, comments, like and subscribe to hear all of our informative upcoming episodes! About the show: Lighting Matters is hosted by Lisa Reed and Avi Mor. In each episode, we’ll dig deep into the meticulous process of creating lighting design for architecture, showcasing industry leaders who balance artistic creativity with technical precision, and listen as they share their successes and challenges in architectural lighting design. Resources:Material Bank (material sample sourcing tool) materialbank.com AIA Chicago (business forums, awards, and board service) aiachicago.org Dezeen (awards discussion) dezeen.com IALD — iald.org NeoCon (trade show - upcoming lighting vignettes) neocon.com Lighting Matters Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lighting-matters-podcast/Lighting Matters Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbLkEKnB8XgSXoeDY0T8t3w Lisa Reed https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-j-reed-b198154/ Reed Burkett Lighting Design http://www.rbldi.com Avraham Mor https://www.linkedin.com/in/avrahammor/ Morlights https://www.morlights.com/
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About Lighting Matters
Welcome to the podcast about Lighting Matters! Our unflinching conversations uncover the nuances and complexities that shape the craft of lighting design. Tune in to explore the pivotal ‘whys’ behind a lighting designer’s choices and find honest answers to your most challenging lighting questions, because Lighting Matters®.
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