Penlight, Inc. Expands Staff

Production designer AJ Pen announces the expanded staff of the creative design house, Penlight, Inc. "The aim of this fresh firm is to bring music to life through innovative lighting, imaginative concepts, and passionate performance while promoting sustainability without sacrificing excellence," the company says in a statement. "Penlight leverages over 50 years of combined experience in concert production and creates visually stunning shows based on proven lighting and set design methodologies."

The team consists of AJ Pen (founder/CEO), principal designer, director, and producer; Sol Pen (COO) as creative consultant; Jeff Farrow, technical director and associate designer; Amy Edge and Andrew Ewing as associate designers; and Jeffrey Weekes, graphic illustrator. This expanded team, the company says, enables Penlight to maintain a strong and competing presence in the live entertainment industry and have a far-reaching impact to better serve a larger client base worldwide.

"Penlight has grown," AJ Pen says about his design firm. "I spent too many months touring with just one band at a time," he says. "I am breaking the cycle and stepping off of the bus. I am now concentrating on design, realizing the artist's vision, and working with my team to execute the production. I am open to collaborative opportunities and am looking forward to doing more of that."

With a diverse background in dance, performance, and event planning, Sol Pen brings her vast experience and insight to the creative side of live-event production. Her focus lies in developing, implementing, assessing, and improving business strategies and operations through a hands-on approach. She is also a strong advocate for diversity and sustainability as well as passion for client satisfaction.

In a career spanning two-and-a-half decades, Farrow has developed skills as a multifaceted designer and educator. Through a variety of roles at Christie Lites, a stint with the Faculty of Fine Arts at York University, and now as in-house designer at the Avalon Theatre and OLG Stage in Canada, he has consistently evolved alongside new theatrical technology and techniques. He will focus on refining the underlying process that supports the development of top-class drafting, documentation, pre-visualization, and programming.

Over the course of a 13-year career, Edge has worked on several aspects of technical theatre from fixing lighting rigs to running full-scale production. If asked, she'd tell you that one of the best perks of the job is calling spotlight cues.

Ewing aspired at an early age to pursue a career as an LD, lighting over 250 performances while still in high school. In line with his goal, he started with a local company, setting up and repairing backline, PA, and lighting gear. He also operated as LD at a local concert venue then over to Fantassee Lighting, where he worked as QC and LED technician while being afforded the opportunity of running shows in larger venues, ending with his latest gig as touring LD. He continues to hone his craft by learning on his own MA3 console while pursuing LSO training and certification.

A Toronto-born artist with achievements spanning over two decades, Weekes has completed commissions that explore the world of Surrealist oil paintings, landscapes, murals, reproductions, illustrative works, mosaics, and portraiture. His media include pen and ink, graphite and charcoal, colored chalk pencil, oil, watercolor, and acrylic. He continues to study the Old Masters tradition of classical oil painting at the Academy of Realist Art, enriching his understanding of oil painting and taking his rendering techniques to new heights.

Penlight's clients have included The Goo Goo Dolls, Linkin Park, Josh Groban, Rise Against, and My Chemical Romance. For booking/inquiries: ajpen@penlight.ca or sol@penlight.ca.