OUR TEAM
Matt Gordon
Owner & Principal Designer
Originating from New England and growing up surrounded by so much natural beauty as inspiration it makes sense that Matt Gordon ended up in a profession where he is tasked to imitate one of natures most intangible qualities: light.
With a deep appreciation of the outdoors and an interest in photography, Matt grew up learning how to use both natural and artificial light to his advantage in capturing the world around him, eventually transitioning this skill into a theatrical application. After graduating with a BFA in lighting design from the Theater Design/Technology conservatory program at SUNY Purchase Matt worked extensively in the NY theatre, dance, and music world, ultimately transferring the aesthetic he had crafted for the stage onto the TV screen. He has had a guiding hand in the look of some of the most watched television shows and events in the country including The Today Show, Iron Chef America, ESPN Sportscenter, Christmas in Rockefeller Center, The NFL Network Studios, and The Heisman Award Presentation.
Now the owner and principal designer of Eastern Lighting Design; Matt lives in the picturesque Hudson Valley of New York. He continues to pursue his outdoor passions by hiking, climbing, skiing, and photographing his way through the area in order to build new inspiration for his projects. Don’t be fooled though, even though Matt spends most of his free time outdoors he stays on the cutting edge of technology so that he can bring the absolute freshest ideas and aesthetic to his clients.
Mick Smith
Vice President of Design
Mick lit his very first theatre production of Annie the Musical at Aloha High School in Beaverton Oregon at the age of 16, and has been hooked ever since. One of those rare people who knew what they wanted to be from a very young age, Mick pursued his passion in high school and college, obtaining a degree in theatre arts from the University of Arizona, and moved to New York directly after.
Once on the theatre scene, he worked on several Broadway productions including Saturday Night Fever and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He was a part of the Tony Award-winning team that brought the Producers to life and took the national touring companies to London and Toronto. After several years in theatre, Mick discovered the joy of lighting for television and began to pursue more work in that field. He loves walking into a raw space and designing a project from scratch. Some of his favorite productions have been Iron Chef America, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Myers and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He has created studios for several news stations across the country as well as ESPN, the MLB Network and NFL, and is proud to have earned an Emmy for his work on the MLB studios. Mick has also enjoyed the travel that his work has allowed him, bringing his expertise to such exotic locales as Dubai, Nairobi, Macau, Beirut, and exotic New Jersey.
After living in New York for 18 years, Mick and his family have moved to Los Angeles and he is happy to be the ELD representative on the West Coast. This move has allowed Mick more time with his family and to enjoy some of his favorite pastimes including photography, cooking ridiculously delicious and overly complicated meals for family and friends, and exploring the outdoors with his 6-year-old. Mick is affiliated with the International Cinematographers Guild as a Director of Photography.
Louis Malagrino
Lead System Designer
We are pretty jealous that Louis gets to have “Disney Imagineer” on his resume while the rest of us only have those souvenir ears we paid $25 for at the park. This credit is well earned. His depth of knowledge and the ability to explain it all in enough detail to make your eyes glaze over are what literally keep the lights on at ELD. The stability of his control systems have been proven during Louis’s 20 years in the business while working in nearly every facet of the industry .
With experience in broadcast television, new studio buildouts, live events, architectural installations, retail environments, and theme parks for prestigious clients such as Walt Disney, the New York Stock Exchange, the NHL, and the NFL there is nothing he hasn’t come across. His unique perspective on infrastructure and control systems through user end experience ensures every project is a success.