“To See Beauty Is To See Light” Victor Hugo
The People
Michelle Brooke Poley
Principal Designer
Managing Director
Based in Washington DC
The Company
Lightcue LLC
The expertise
Television Lighting Design specializing in multi-camera productions
Studio and Theater Systems Design
Project Management
Training
Product Development- Evaluation.
Michelle Poley is a five time Emmy nominated, three-time Emmy winning lighting designer and director with over 40 years of professional network lighting experience, photographic, motion picture and visual work. . In addition to her Emmy wins, she received a Peabody, and numerous film festival awards.
Most recently, Michelle was CNN Washington’s Director Of Lighting, creating the first design group outside of Atlanta. For 20 years she managed the daily programing and designed CNN’s largest productions around the world; created huge Presidential Debate designs, town halls, and special event programming.
She developed new theater, theme park, studio construction designs and worked multiple “skunk-work projects” such as mobile studio buses and vans for news gathering. TV Network credits include : ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, TNT, Fox Sports, PBS, TNN, CMT, TBS, Amazon.
Michelle has a wide-ranged expertise in theater, theme parks, network television, film, event, venue, and systems design.
She is a founding member of the Lumen Guild, a Entertainment Production Innovation Think Tank.
Lightcue, a small woman owned design firm located near Washington DC in Alexandria VA
Skills and Services-
Lighting Design Services for Television, Events and Stage.
Project Management for TV and live productions.
Visual Consultant
Video Direction and Engineering for Broadcast and I-Mag in Live Events
Systems Design and Coordination for Venue Design
Provide highly skilled technical labor for live production, TV and Film
Program and Design networking for lighting system control
Custom Remote Control Solutions for Broadcasting and Lighting
Interactive Design Production and Testing
Product Design and Testing
Fixture Software Testing and Development
Training Programs and Documents
Photography and support services
Rentals
*CNN images are used to show past work examples, not as an endorsement for Lightcue LLC. Warner Media and CNN hold all rights.
Used with permission.
Examples of Work
The LIGHTCUE LLC client list is a who’s who of the TV industry: CBS News, Fox Sports, NBA, NFL network, TBS, NBC Sports, Spectrum News, Videndum / Lite Panels.
LIGHTCUE LLC Designers have led or been key support the following relevant projects:
XR Studio Design and Consultation.
· Middle East Broadcasting Network -
VR Consultant, Lighting and Technical Support for US Election Coverage
·New Lighting Design and Install for VR/AR studio
· Reach Media – VR stage Lighting Design, Lighting System Design
· Accenture Corporate Virtual Media Studios - Lighting Design and Systems Integration
o Washington DC
o London
o San Francisco
· Assimilate Software Inc. Consultant for GDTF and lighting control integration for LiveFX
Broadcast Studios:
· White House Press Room - Lighting Design (as Network Pool Lighting Director)
· Larry King Live (as CNN LD)
· CNN Washington Bureau Studios (as CNN LD)
· WTIC – FOX 61 Hartford CT - Studio Lighting Design and Installation
· KXTV- ABC 10 Sacramento - Studio Lighting Design and Installation
· KFMB- CBS 8 San Diego – Studio Lighting Design and Installation
· KENS- CBS 5 San Antonio TX - Studio Lighting Design and Installation
· Spectrum News Washington DC Bureau - Studio Lighting Design and Installation
· Boston Celtics, Boston MA - TV Studio Lighting Design and Control
· National Public Radio Washington DC- Web Casting Studio 42 - Lighting Design and Installation
· International Monetary Fund – Broadcast Studio Lighting Design
· American Bankers Association - Lighting Design and training
· Remote / Live Production
· CBS News Democratic Debate 2020 – Lighting Design
· Fox- Super Bowl Studio Compound Miami Beach – Lighting Design
· Amazon NFL Thursday Night Football – Pregame, Halftime and Postgame Shows, Lighting Direction
· CNN Debates, Conventions, and Live Special Events 1999-2016
· Air Force Band - New Fixture Specifications and Installation Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, LD/DP
· NFL Network / NBC Sports Hall of Fame Football Game and Programming Canton OH, LD
· NBA All Star Game - NBA TV - Turner Sports Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Lighting Direction
· Fox Sports Big Noon Kickoff Dallas Texas, Lighting Direction
· United States Air Force 75th Anniversary Tattoo – Audi Field Washington - Director Of Photography
· Lighting, Video and Production support at live events - Summit of the Americas, VIP and Presidential
· The Theater at MGM National Harbor - Lighting and Video Direction Services
Architectural/ Facility Consultations:
CNN Washington 11 A / B C/ and D Studios Design and Renovation
The White House - James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
Grand Old Opry- Nashville Tennessee
Wild Horse Saloon – Nashville Tennessee,
Wild Horse Saloon - Orlando Florida
Ryman Auditorium Renovation – Nashville Tennessee
Chevy Geo Celebrity Theater – Opryland Nashville, Tennessee
Projects ..
The International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s updated Studio in partnership with Barbizon Capitol and Jack Morton Design
Lightcue LLC and Barbizon Capitol recently worked with Jack Morton Worldwide to provide and install new LED broadcast lighting fixtures and lighting system upgrades at The International Monetary Fund.
Lightcue LLC. provided lighting design services and lighting direction for the installation and programming.
Barbizon Lighting provided overall lighting production management, sales and installed an ETC Simple Network Box and Pathway DMX/RDM Gateways to upgrade the system to a network-based lighting system.
Installing a new complement of Gemini 1x1 Soft LED Panels and Gemini 2x1 Soft LED Panels as fill lights, Prolights EclProfile CT+ Variable White as key lights, DeSisti SuperLED F4.7 and F6 fresnels and ChromaQ Studio Force II 12s as back lights, and ETC Source Four LED Series 2 Lustrs and ChromaQ Color One 100X as accent lighting to match their existing fixture stores.
Fun Fact:
There are over 40 controllable zones of architectural RGBA lighting built into the new set which was provided by Filmwerks LLC.
Barbizon Systems Integrator: Mark Fink
Barbizon Project Manager: Jacob Mueller
Barbizon Technicians: John Rose-Caron/Katrina Maurer
Our project partners:
Jack Morton Worldwide
Diversified
Filmwerks LLC
February 2000: Lightcue was on location with CBS News’s Executive Director of Design, Renee Cullen and Jack Morton’s broadcast design guru Jim Fenhagen, creating CBS News’ prime time Democratic Presidential Debate at the Gaillard Center, Charleston, South Carolina.
Designer - Michelle Poley
Assistant Designer / Lighting Director- Bradford Bettencourt
Lighting Director / Programmer- Ben Starett
Gaffer- Chris Nye
CBS NEWS DEMOCRATIC DEBATE