HKAPA

James L Moody is a pioneer of concert lighting design working with many great artists in the 70’s and 80’s. They included Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Rod Steward, Frank Zappa, Barry White, Linda Ronstadt, John Denver, Andy Gibb, Smokey Robinson, Donny and Marie Osmond, the Beach Boys, the Eagles, David Bowie and many others. James, or Jim Moody as he is affectionately known in the entertainment industry wrote one of the first books on concert lighting “Concert Lighting: Techniques, Art and the Business” (now in its third edition), and later “The business of Theatrical Design”. For his outstanding work and achievements in concert lighting, he received the first ever Concert Lighting Designer of the Year Award from Performance magazine in1980.

Mr Moody also has extensive experience in theatre and corporate lighting design working in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Colorado, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Texas, New York, Hawaii, and internationally in Japan and Berlin.

Recognised as one of the leaders in the field of lighting, Mr Moody has been invited to lecture, give master class presentations and workshops across America: California State University; San Diego State University, Cal Arts, University of Colorado; Southern Illinois University; University of Minnesota; Carnegie Melon University; and at the USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology). He has visited the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts on two occasions giving master classes and practical instruction in the art of concert lighting design.

Not content with these fields, Mr Moody is also certified as a Director of Photography with I.A.National Local #600 in Hollywood. His credits in film and television are dominated by long associations with Entertainment Tonight (10 years), Jeopardy! (3 years), Hard Copy (7 years), Wheel of Fortune (12 years). All totalled he has racked up 6,000 hours of television programming and over 60 Infomercials and direct to tape projects. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Science and serves on the Technical Production Committee with two Emmy nominations and several other industry awards in these fields.

In fact, Mr Moody has been bestowed with many awards for his work that include The American Society of Lighting Directors, Award of Excellence; Los Angeles Drama Critics Award, Best Lighting Design “Glass Menagerie”; United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Distinguished Achievement Award; the Academy of Television Arts and Science Emmy Award, and many others.

Mr Moody received his MFA in Lighting Design from the University of California in Los Angeles in 1969. He continues to be a practicing lighting designer and is also Head of Technical Design for the Theatre Academy at Los Angeles City College.