40 AT 40: STEVE HOOVER
Job Title: Lighting Designer/Production Manager

The people are what sets Bandit Lites apart from the rest of the industry. Once a week, for 40 weeks, Bandit will showcase an employee that has made a substantial contribution to the company, whether it be in an office, on the road or somewhere in between. Bandit would not be celebrating its 40th Anniversary without the hard work and dedication of every one these employees.*

*Employee Spotlights are released in no particular order.

Steve Hoover was working in sound when he was first introduced to Bandit Lites. At the time, he was working for a band called Point Blank, which was opening for Blackfoot (a band that Bandit was lighting). Like most lighting designers, he started as an opening act and 26 years later, he is now a seasoned designer and production manager. Below are a few questions we asked to get to know him a little better.

Q. From your point of view, what are the biggest changes currently facing the entertainment technology industry?
A. The biggest changes are definitely the moving lights and LEDs. We’re really getting to the point where there is no line anymore between video and lighting. The video and lighting are starting to intersect.

Q. What is the best part of working for Bandit Lites?
A. It has been a varied life. You get to go to a lot of different places and be in a lot of different situations that you never thought you’d be in. I’ve been to the White House three or four times, I’ve met three different U.S. Presidents, I’ve been to the NBA Finals, Inaugurations, dance shows, fashion shows, conventions, funerals, and everything in between.

Q. You have been working for Bandit for the last 26 years, in that time has there been a particular artist or event that sticks out as a favorite?
A. I’ve really enjoyed working for Clint Black and the ability to tour with people like CSNY, Elvis Costello; there’s so many that you can’t begin to list them. Working with people that are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame or Entertainers of the Year, just being there when those nights happen, you know that it’s not a regular night. It doesn’t matter who it’s with. It might be Anita Baker, Marie Osmond, it might be Neil Young- but some nights are like catching smoke with a net. There it was. That one night was different from the rest.