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Lighting Designer and Programmer Erica D. Hayes brought her creative touch to the ESPYS Sports Humanitarian Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood 🌟. From concept to completion, she designed a versatile and efficient lighting rig that delivered big impact within a tight budget.

The Elation Paragon M played a key role — combining shutter cuts, vibrant RGB color, stunning gobo effects, and power-efficient performance to meet every design need with precision.

#elationlighting #lightingdesign #stagelighting

My new demo reel is live. A showcase of lighting and visuals across music, film, TV, and live events.

I am grateful to every Artist, TM, PM, and CLT who trusted me last year—let’s do it again. Please keep me in mind for your next one.

Featured Projects:
• The Weeknd ft. Playboi Carti – “Timeless”
• Shaboozey – “Bar Song” (MTV Push)
• Shaboozey ft. Noah Cyrus – “My Fault”
• Jason Derulo
• House Party 4
• That Girl Lay Lay
• Amaarae
• Ebony Power 100 Gala
• The Isley Brothers
• Fantasia
• Lucky Daye + more

🎬: @lenabrielle

Remember the days of climbing ladders just to focus a fresnel or adjust a gel?

As lighting pros like industry veteran IATSE 728 lighting designer and programmer @ericadhayes will tell you, those days are gone thanks to game-changers like the Elation Fuze Wash 500.

Over the last 17 years, Erica has designed tours for artists like the Isley Brothers, Fantasia, Jason Derulo, Amaarae, and more. She’s also been the lighting console programmer for movies like House Party and TV shows like Nickelodeon’s That Girl Lay Lay.

Watch the video to hear firsthand how next-gen advancements are transforming and streamlining the way Erica creates jaw-dropping stage washes.

Industry pros are reimagining the future of live entertainment lighting, and we’re here for it.

💡Join us tomorrow at @ldishow to hear more stories from top industry professionals about the future of lighting design.

Don’t miss your chance to see the next era of lighting in action!

#ElationLighting #LDI2024 #LDIShow #LightingDesign #LiveDesign #LiveEvents #EntertainmentTech

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I fell in love with Lagos and I’ll never forget this amazing experience. Thank you to @nigerianfemalegaffer & @gaffers_lab_global for inviting me to Lagos. 🙏🏾 Nigeria really feels like home.

I was expecting 30 people to show up to our Lighting Masterclass but 75 people ended up blowing my mind. 🤯 I was sooo excited to see sooo many women in the room. Thank you again for commuting hours for this session. ❤️❤️❤️

I showed up to Abuja, Nigeria to talk about lighting and production infrastructure because it matters. Not as a motivational moment, but as a real economic and technical problem that needs solving.

When women have access to training in lighting console programming, rigging, electrical systems, and design, they have access to jobs. That’s the shift we need across the Diaspora.

Thank you to my co-panelists for bringing rigor to this conversation, and to my media team for capturing it.

Next: Building the programs. Starting in Nigeria.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

@impacther x @lionesstelaine x @bettina_lih x @realchiomaude @balima025

📸 @peppleinyie

Meet our facilitator @ericadhayes

A renowned Lighting Designer and Programmer, Erica D. Hayes has worked on some of the biggest stages in the world, designing and programming lighting for top-tier artists and global productions, including tours and performances for names like Chris Brown, Lil Baby, and Summer Walker.

Erica doesn’t just light a stage, she creates experiences. Her work blends precision with bold creativity, using light to shape emotion, control energy, and elevate performances into unforgettable moments. Whether it’s a live concert, broadcast, or large-scale stage production, she brings a distinct visual identity every time.

At Gaffers Lab, she brings global expertise, technical depth, and real insight into operating at an international level.

📅 May 5th, 2026
🕙 10AM – 5PM

Register: https://selar.com/dofloq8771
Link also available in bio.

#lighting #lightingdesigner #gaffers #gafferslab #gafferslabglobal

It’s been a fun semester @cbuperformingarts & @cbucommercialmusic helping students put their hands on @aputure.lighting and learning about Lighting Techniques & Applications.

The title of Professor isn’t just given, it’s earned. I’m very thankful for GROWTH, redemption and the opportunity to spread the word about sustainability & career opportunities within the lighting industry. 🙏🏾

What’s next?!?

You haven’t secured your spot for Gaffer’s Lab yet?🤔
We are here to remind you again.

Gaffers Lab is for emerging gaffers, filmmakers, and lighting creatives ready to grow and step up. It’s where you sharpen your skill, deepen your understanding of lighting and elevate how you show up on set.
Spots are limited and deadline is closer.

👉🏾 Register now by clicking the link - https://selar.com/dofloq8771
Link also available in bio.

See you at Gaffers Lab😀

#gafferslab #gafferslabglobal #gaffer #learninglighting #lightingcommunity

Quiet on set, SHE GOT THE M🎤C! 🎬

Women carry wisdom in ways the world may not always see and/or recognize. Our good friend @stevotheproducer & @cbuperformingarts has invited @alwaysdoublea, @ericadhayes & I to stir up the conversation about keeping your faith and making intentional impact while REDEFINING THE INDUSTRY led by Professor @emilybemusic this week at Cal Baptist Univeristy in Riverside, CA!

This FREE student conversation will center on inspiring the ladies of the School of Performing Arts to think beyond traditional roles in the business, learn how to connect the dots and find the missing pieces, and stand tall in who we are all called to be!

Can’t wait to grab the mic! 🎤 See you soon Cali! Let’s go ladies! 💥

(Seating is limited & current students have dibs. DM us if you’re local and want to pull up!).

From Detroit to Los Angeles to Abuja 🌍
I am truly honored to be a featured speaker at the Global Africa Women’s Sustainability Conference 2.0 on May 1st in Abuja, Nigeria 🇳🇬

As a Professor of Lighting Techniques & Applications at @calbaptist I believe sustainability lives in the details. It shows up in how we design spaces, how we use energy, and how we build systems that serve people long term.

I am excited to be in the room with women who are shaping policy, innovation, and impact across the continent. Let’s build environments that are elevated, intentional, and future ready.
April 29 – May 1, 2026 | Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja @impacther x @crewdevelopmentinstitute

I swear I’m not a “content creator”, I’m just excited about my NEW Tour Work Box from @circlethreedesigns 😅🤣

New reel just dropped. 🎬

2025 was one for the books and I’m grateful for every stage, every artist, every late night at the console.

Based in Los Angeles. Now actively booking projects across Africa for 2026-2027 | Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Senegal. Let’s connect.

Shoot me an email at Erica@EndangeredLX.com

🎞️: @lenabrielle