Rising Stars: Meet Carmine Sarazen of Highland Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmine Sarazen.

Hi Carmine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I always loved live music. It’s what my group of friends did growing up. In 2009 after getting sober from Heroin and Prescription drugs I decided to get into the arts as means of making a living. I needed it. Over the years I worked as a wedding photographer, photo assistant, camera op, assistant director, etc. I was working at a movie studio in Hollywood and we had a show called Rhythm and Flow on one of our stages. The crew has built a beautiful concert stage with amazing visuals and a reflective floor. I was so blown away. I immediately started asking around how to learn the lighting console. A few months later I got my first gig at a club where they paid me in a meal at the end of the night. One thing lead to another and I kept moving up. The first year was kind of a disaster. I didn’t know what I was doing but I managed to make it through. After years of touring and working in clubs I have established myself as a programmer, designer and rental company base in Highland Park. We offer design, full previsualization, programming and lighting package rentals. Our office is beautiful and it is improving all of the time. I have hosted so many cool artists and creative directors into the space and we can create and dial in a show and really make it slap! It was such a cool experience to have the Rapper Aminé into the studio with his team to prep for Primavera Sound in Europe. Being able to show them in real time how the cues are going to work is such a great tool. I can’t wait to see who pops in next. I[‘ve worked with these amazing artists…Oliver Tree, Whethan, Local Natives, X Ambassadors, WIllow Smith, Empress Of, Gavin Turek, IC3PEAK, LOGIC, Wet, Amine, Vita, Ramirez.

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?
It was not a smooth road at all. I messed up a few jobs, learned from them and never messed them up again! I did not even know what an IP Address was when I started. I use them every day now. Learning to not get upset and w0rking with limitations is such a valuable skill.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Having a creative work space where artists can visualize the entire show is such a gamechanger. At Jungle Cat we can spend a lot of time developing the show and give the artists creative team the attention that they deserve. It’s such a trhill seeing people work in the studio and then take a break in our serene outdoor space just outside the office. We work with artists ranging from hip hop to shoe gaze and have worked with all types of international musicians. We generally use time code as tool to make the show incredibly detailed and pop the same exact way every show. This means lot’s of planning, programming and most importantly rehearsal!

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My dad use video record my sister and I as we woke up and we’d explain our dreams to him.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.junglecatlighting.com
• Instagram: @junglecatlighting

Image Credits
Tyler Jax and Debbie Del Grande