Inspiring Conversations with Justin Usami of Umami Lighting LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Usami.

Hi Justin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Thank you for having me. My name is Justin Usami, and I am a small business owner and lighting professional based in Los Angeles. I own and operate Umami Lighting LLC, a company that provides lighting services and equipment rentals for film and television productions. I’ve built my career working as both a Chief Lighting Technician in film and television and a Lighting Designer for live events. I’ve had the pleasure of working with clients and celebrities like Cosmopolitan, Square, Alienware, Popsockets, One Republic, Karan Aujla, Outer Banks, Faouzia, and many others.

I was born and raised in Nagoya, Japan and moved to the States when I was 18 years old. While attending UCSB, I worked on the weekends in LA to grow my network while studying in school.

In 2022, due to some unforeseen circumstances, I dropped out of university, moved to LA, and started my own company all in that same year. Much like many business owners, I spent the first 3 years trying to survive and grow my company to a place where it is relatively self-sustaining.

I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for my incredible family, friends, colleagues, and mentors. I owe them much of my success and motivation to continue forward.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was recently conversing with a mentor and he described entrepreneurship as waking up everyday wondering, “Will today will be the day your business fails?” Which is both exhilarating and gut wrenching. There were two distinct periods where I felt that most strongly.

The first two years of owning my business I was surviving off of a single Chipotle bowl for three meals a day and driving Uber Eats when I wasn’t working my 12hr+ days on set.

And once things started to look up after a few years, 70% of my equipment was stolen in January of 2025. Fortunately, I had a solid insurance policy and the Athos Insurance Team was incredibly helpful with my case, but it’s been a struggle to get back to where I was.

The number one thing I’ve been able to learn through every struggle is “non-reactivity.” Steven Bartlett from the podcast “Diary of A CEO” spoke about “non-reactivity” in his earlier episodes, where he explained how he had to learn not to react to negative situations and react passionately in positive situations in his journey of building his multi-million dollar businesses.

As I’ve slowly gotten used to the chaos and workload of business ownership, I’ve tried to regain the ability to bring excitement and enthusiasm when positive things occur in everyday life. It doesn’t necessarily make struggles go away, but it sure makes life more enjoyable.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Umami Lighting LLC is a company that specializes in providing lighting services and equipment rentals for motion picture, television, and live event productions with a little extra flavor.

I am proud of my Japanese heritage, and I try to bring our cultural value of “omotenashi” which translates to “no hidden agenda/backroom/etc,” meaning we put everything on the line for the people/clients we serve. We strive to bring excellence, clear communication, and quality to our clients as best we can.

Whether you’re a cinematographer needing specific lighting needs, a producer trying to keep your clients happy with the look of a product, or a production manager trying to set the mood for an event we’re here to make sure you feel supported and stress free so you can look your best in front of your own clients.

Any big plans?
We’re extremely excited stepping more into concert lighting in the next few years. This means more moving head light fixtures and support systems for our programers and technicians to go out and provide the best services for our artists to succeed.

We know how important providing your audiences with spectacular visuals are. As big fans of music, concerts, raves, and music festivals we want to put in our own effort into those spaces as well.

Pricing:

• Pricing varies based on project creative, scale, and specific needs. Feel free to reach out to get a better idea of how we can price out your prodcution.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://umamilighting.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umamilighting/?hl=en
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/justinusami/?hl=en

Image Credits
BTS Photographer: Vedante Dave @vedantxdave
Additional BTS: Justin Usami @justinusami
Additional BTS: Gerardo “Lalo” Montes @gerardodeniro94