Member of the Month

July 2022

Nathaniel Bliss
Executive Sales Representative
SLS

Q: How did you first get started in the lighting industry?
I’m on the Lumen Committee and now that the 2022 Lumen Gala is in the recent past, I can focus on what the Committee, the Section, and the lighting community means to me. I guess you can say lighting is in my genes. I was introduced to architectural lighting at an early age from my grandfather, Donald Bliss (1933-2015), who was a “first-generation” lighting designer. When I was a kid, during the latter part of his career when he was working from his home, I would show up at his house and sneak into his drafting studio where there was this huge collection of pens, pencils, and rolls of drafting paper.  Seeing lines and forms on paper didn’t register what he was actually doing back then. Later in life, I started to observe my father, Steven Bliss’s process of drawing lines and forms from a proposed concept through drafting, creating illuminated harmony, and seeing the project’s come to fruition. I was in awe. I thought that someday I could learn the tricks of drawing to scale with an architectural ruler, but technology came knocking instead.

After graduating from Pratt Institute in 2005 with a degree in Communications Design, I chose a career in graphic design. I was asked to create graphics and presentation design for my father’s firm Bliss Fasman Lighting Design. Here I was surrounded by design professionals who were fully immersed in the lighting industry. They took “the lines and form” on paper and brought them to life. Through their artistic process of making a glass artist Dale Chihuly exhibit’s shine at a mall in the Middle East, to walking into a commercial space and conceptualizing the lines of light dancing on the floor, with Bliss Fasman it was not just technical process but a creative one as well.  Later, I was presented with an opportunity to join a new architectural sales company - Specification Lighting Sales (SLS), as one of their sales reps. It has been great working there and being in the forefront of product development, design, and having amazing and talented lighting designer clients to boot.  At SLS, I continue to learn and develop and demonstrate the technical skills I gained as a lighting designer, and years of sharpening this multifaceted trade as a sale’s rep, it’s been over 15 years and still running. 

Q: How did you first get involved in the IESNYC?
My grandfather was a president of the IESNYC in 1960’s (he was also a founding member of the IALD), so becoming involved was a no brainer. While working as a designer, I would frequent many events that were educational and inspirational and involved networking with many like-minded individuals. This included attending my first Lumen Award Gala back in 2007. It was such an amazing show because it was like the Oscars of lighting, and I could see and meet the top players of the industry.  Luckily when I became an outside sales representative, I was encouraged by my mentors to network and well, to be honest, have some fun. So I became a member back in 2009 and have been consistently supporting the Section any way I can ever since.  Most recently I joined the 2019 Lumen Committee and have been the Co-Master of Ceremony with James O’Blaney for two galas. 

Q: How do you see your role as a member of the IESNYC?
My role as a member of IESNYC is about giving back to the community that has really given me a platform to reach larger audiences.  As a member, I plan to continue to bring some creativity, enthusiasm, energy, and laughter to all in hopes it will inspire others to be more involved IESNYC. Being a member of the Lumen Committee allowed me to share my collective think tank of ideas and concepts. For the 50th Lumen Gala, in 2019, I worked on the “Back to the Future” intro which was simply meant to make people laugh. It was such a success, but it really applied pressure on us to do something special for 2022. We tried to take people’s minds away from everything going on in the world the last couple years and we wanted to bring some “fresh life” into the intro. I think we did just that.  Seeing James in a nightgown and playing a comedic roll was icing on the cake. I’m pretty sure I owe him one for that one in the near future!

To be honest I don’t have lot of experience in public speaking, whether that is talking in a smaller group of my peers or presenting in front of a crowd of over 1,000.  It’s truly a mind state, and you have to figure out ways to pump yourself up and the butterflies never actually go away even when up there on the podium. But then I realized right before on stage, that just about everyone in the audience is either a friend or a colleague or a client who will support me and appreciate my “performance” no matter what. It’s such a rewarding process.

Q: In your opinion, what are the best assets of the IESNYC?
A plethora of resources to technical programs. For example, access to exclusive events or engagements focused on the industry that would be very difficult to be part of if not notified. The IESNYC provides a networking opportunity of professionals including lighting designers and interior designers, architects, engineers, representatives, and all entrepreneurs in the lighting industry. This is New York City and it’s not just the design capital of the country but maybe even the world – so location is everything!  Lastly, I think us, we the members, are the best asset to the IESNYC. We are not just a Society, but we’re more like a family of lighting people.