Member of the Month

September 2021

Paul Marantz, FIALD, MIES
Founder/Consulting Design Principal
Fisher Marantz Stone

Q: How did you first get started in the lighting industry?
As I muse over the details for a fixture we are designing for the renovation of a concert hall, I recall that when I was eleven, I built a model theatre complete with lighting, and even a dimmer! Then, thanks to a friend who inherited antiquated stage lighting from a retiring burlesque dancer aunt, we went on to light modern dance light dance recitals using only purple and magenta gels.

Fast forward to college where I studied architectural history and “lived” in the theatre at Oberlin. My graduate study was in stage/lighting design while, at the same time, I served as head designer for a theater company in Cleveland. I held that same role for a season of The Berkshire Music Festival (Tanglewood) Opera. When I moved back to New York (I’m originally from New Jersey), I became the “chief engineer” at Lighting Services, even though I was not an engineer! I did, however, get to light most of the store windows along Fifth Avenue. That job was followed by heading the lighting lab for research & development at Century/Strand Lighting. At that time, I met Jules Fisher who was looking for less expensive lights to light low-rent off-Broadway shows, and soon we were asked to design the lighting for the lobby of 55 Water Street.

In 1971, Jules and I formed a company, which today is now FMS.  Jules, Charles Stone, and I are all still based in the same office, and we still collaborate on projects that have an architectural/theatrical relationship.

Q: How did you first get involved in the IESNYC?
When I decided that I wanted to become an architectural lighting designer I asked Bill Warren, who worked for Holophane at the time, for advice and he suggested I talk to Richard Kelly. I interviewed with him, and he asked me to leave my resume which, naively, I didn’t have. I wrote out a resume on a pad in his office. He never called me back, but years later, Addison Kelly called to tell me she found it among his things. Bill also said, “you have to get in it.” He was referring to the IESNYC. I followed his advice and in 2019, I received my 40-year IES pin in 2019. In 2017, the IESNYC honored me with the Golden Achievement Award, for given to individuals who have contributed their influence in design achievement , career development, education, and stewardship to our Section. I am what you would call a “passive member,” but I vividly recall serving on the Lumen jury with Barbara Horton and six other jurors in the early days when we were sent slide carousels to look at. I’m glad that the Lumen Awards committee has upped the criteria for entering. It’s always nice to be recognized and our firm has won countless awards from the IES, IALD, and of course, the IESNYC Lumens, which our firm is particularly proud of. The Section has also featured Charles and FMS’s Zach Pearson as Members of the Month, and their OHNY @ Night program gave our team the opportunity to introduce the lighting design of some of our projects such as the September 11 Memorial, to the public.

Q: How do you see your role as a member of the IESNYC?
What is important to me, and I would hope to the IESNYC and the entire lighting community, is that we continue to create memorable spaces. That said, I do miss working in person with my team. I need to see people’s facial expressions when discussing an idea. A larger discussion is “what is the new definition of reality?” What is the world coming to visually? Does sending a file digitally mean the job is finished?

Q: In your opinion, what are the best assets of the IESNYC?
I have always appreciated the IESNYC because as a lighting designer, I was never alone knowing that there were so many other people with common interests concerning design, best practices, technology, etc. I also appreciate that the History Committee asked me to participate in its Popcorn and a Movie: Designers on Design documentary, which gave venerable (their word, not mine) lighting designers an opportunity to talk about our experiences and share advice with emerging professionals.

Note: Once again, the FMS’s Tribute in Light  will soar above Lower Manhattan. The two beams of light will appear in the sky from dusk to dawn on 9/11 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the tragedy.