We're excited to sit down with Joshua Koffman, a creative mind who crafts immersive visual experiences for some of the biggest names in music, including Coldplay on their massive Music of the Spheres World Tour. From his early days inspired by concert films to designing for global audiences, Joshua has a wealth of experience in the live entertainment industry. In this Creator Spotlight, we dive into his creative process, discuss how technology shapes his work, and get a peek into the essential tools he relies on to bring spectacular visions to life on the road.
If you met a stranger at the airport and they asked what you do, how would you describe yourself to them?
This is a tricky question as I do a lot of different things, and most of them are tough to understand for anyone outside of the industry. Usually, I tell people I work in live experiences - that means concerts, theatre, architecture. I try to tell stories with multiple different tools - lighting, video, or whatever it takes. And mostly I try to make people feel. From helping to guide emotions on a theatre show to giving people a "wow" moment at a music concert, that's where I like to play.
Talk to us about the beginnings of your career and how you got started.
I first caught the live entertainment bug when I was a kid. I obtained a theatre degree in university, and after I graduated I spent a few years working for companies designing products for the live entertainment industry. But I missed doing shows and was lucky enough to get a job supporting one of the products I had worked on for a new Cirque du Soleil show. After that show opened I was offered a job touring, and I’ve been doing that ever since!
Image courtesy of Marcello Ambriz - @mjambrizCan you tell us about your earliest influences as well as the people that inspire you today?
Early on I was just enthralled by lighting for concerts. I remember going to see an IMAX movie called All Access that really inspired me to watch more concert films. Peter Gabriel’s Secret World Live was a huge one for me. I started to see how a concert could also have theatrical elements, which really shifted my interests.
I’ve had the great fortune to work with a lot of people that have been incredibly inspiring to me. Trying to name them all just isn’t possible in an article this short! I take a lot of inspiration these days both from people doing some incredibly interesting and innovative work using emerging technologies, but also from people looking towards more classical techniques. Our toolbox continues to grow, and while the temptation can sometimes be to only use the latest tricks, some of the most interesting things I’ve seen used are some very old tools.
You’ve worked with some high profile clients like Coldplay. Can you talk about what it’s like collaborating with these artists and how you approach creating their visuals?
The only real constant in this industry is that every collaboration is different. Some artists have a very hands on approach and want to be involved at every step of the way as we work through the process, from concepts to tests to final delivery. Others prefer to give us ideas or feelings for each song and we use that to guide our process. Sometimes we’ll just get an overall concept for the show and it’s up to us to create each song separately. For theatre work there’s usually a larger creative team to collaborate with. That’s starting to become a bit more common on some of my live music shows which is really nice.
Can you touch on some of your more recent career highlights? What were some of the most gratifying moments of your career?
My largest recent project has been the Coldplay Music of the Sphere World Tour. We started in 2022 and are still going! I feel very lucky that throughout the tour we’ve had breaks where I can continue to work on other projects, see other shows, and occasionally just relax! Last year Coldplay headlined the Glastonbury festival, which I’d never been to before. It was a huge homecoming for the band, and we worked to create a really custom show. One of my favourite elements was a massive projection we did on the Pyramid stage. It was a particularly tricky challenge but in the end looked amazing!
Can you walk us through a typical day on site with you?
A typical day for me on site is rarely typical! For most shows, I’ll have at least one load in day before we actually start doing shows where I’m often setting up and tailoring any content that needs to be adjusted to the specific venue we’re in. Because we play outdoors, I then wait until dark to have a look at what I’ve done. On a show day I’m often dealing with any last minute show changes, though I’m usually able to get in a bit of time experimenting. I try to work through visual ideas even if I don’t have a need for them yet. I consider it equivalent to sketching, it helps me learn to be better with my tools and occasionally a good idea even comes out of it!
Image courtesy of Anna Lee - @annaleemediHow has technology affected your career? Does anything in particular excite you about where technology's going right now?
In a lot of ways, technology is my career! Whether it's a fancy video server or a lighting fixture that was originally powered by candles, technology and its development has given us the tools and capabilities to do what we do. I’m looking forward to new tools and to improvements to existing tools. I’d love to be able to map video easier and have more flexibility in the shape of a stage design. I’m also looking forward to companies finding ways to make what we do more sustainable, both for the crew and for the environment.
Can you tell us about how you utilize Glyph products in your workflow?
I knew of Glyph for a long time before deciding to jump in. I carry a lot of storage with me, so compact drives with high capacity are key. I turned to the Atom EV when I started having reliability issues with another manufacturer’s external SSDs. I use them for daily backups as they’re speedy and work across all of my machines. The Atom Pro is the drive I reach for when I’m working on a project large enough that it won’t fit on my laptop but that I still need superfast speeds. I’ve also been eyeing up the Blackbox Plus U.2 for mobile archiving purposes, the storage capacity is immense and the speeds are still quite peppy.
What are three products in your kit that you couldn’t live without?
I travel heavy! Here are three things I use all the time from my work kit and my personal kit.
Work
Laptop - my main tool. I use it to create, to communicate, and to control shows!
Drives - I carry a LOT of storage with me at all times. Active projects, backups, archives of previous projects.
Notebook - my note taking system is a mess, but I’m trying to be better. I like making notes with pencil, and I use the notebook for both current to do lists and ideas and plans for the future.
Personal
Phone - I travel a lot and when I’m moving I use my phone a lot. I am forever thankful that we live at a time that I can stay connected on the go, both for work but more importantly to stay in touch with family and people I care about.
Earplugs - I have a molded set of earplugs that I use all the time. Whether I’m trying to sleep in a loud hotel room or on a noisy plane, or protecting my hearing at a loud show, these come out all of the time.
Headphones - My Bluetooth earbuds get used daily. I’m often working on the go and don’t want to disturb people around me. They’re also great for calls and online meetings, and hey, sometimes I just want to listen to some music!
If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice when you were first starting out your career, what would you say?
If I could speak to past Josh I’d tell him to spend more time experimenting with ideas and learning skills. Early in my career I spent a lot of time trying to only work on projects that I felt would directly advance my career and that were “big enough” (whatever that meant!). I was chasing work, not chasing skills. I realize now that I would be better off if I had spent more time learning how to better communicate my ideas by improving my drawing skills or learning how to make better presentations. I still find that challenging today, and I envy my colleagues who can make a render with minimal effort.
A huge thank you to Joshua Koffman for pulling back the curtain on his creative process and sharing insights from his incredible career. His dedication to mastering his tools and constantly experimenting is an inspiration for any creative professional.
To see more of his stunning work and follow his journey, be sure to check out his Instagram, @jkoffman79. Catch Josh on tours throughout the world, or working on resident theatre shows, museums, and spectacles across the globe!
