Magical Light Shows

10/26/2026

Meet Eli!!
Eli is one of the newest additions to the Magical Light Shows team, joining us a little over a month ago as a Design Technician. He's already been involved in several projects for our upcoming Lodi's Magical Christmas event at the Grape Festival Grounds!

For Eli, one of the best parts of the job is the variety of projects he gets to work on. From film and lighting to manufacturing, he enjoys having the opportunity to explore different areas rather than being limited to just one type of project.

Before joining MLS, Eli attended UC Santa Cruz, where he studied Film and Digital Media, along with Theater Production and Design. During his time in college, he even had the opportunity to work on a film set alongside an actor who appeared in Oppenheimer!

When he's not working on a project at MLS, Eli enjoys working on cars, photography, filmmaking, computers, and hiking. And with Christmas right around the corner, it's only fitting that he's Team Christmas, with "White Christmas" being his favorite holiday song!

Although Eli has only been with us for a short time, he's already been a great addition to the Magical Light Shows team. We're grateful to have him on board and excited to see the creativity, skills, and fresh perspective he brings to all of our upcoming projects!

09/29/2026

Meet Catherine!!
Catherine has been part of Magical Light Shows for 5 years and is in charge of operations, handling everything from ordering and supplies to invoicing and, in her words, "all that crap that comes with operations." She's also often the one helping turn our big ideas into something we can actually pull off.

Ask Catherine her favorite thing about working at MLS and you'll get a very Catherine answer: "So many targets to beat up on." Her favorite shows over the years have been Encanto and Call of Duty. Catherine is firmly Team Christmas, and while she'd probably tell Tom and Steve her favorite Christmas song is "Darlene Love's - Alone on Christmas" just to annoy them, her real answer is "John Williams' arrangement of Carol of the Bells."

Something you might not guess from her day job is that Catherine is also a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor. Apparently those skills come in handy at MLS too, because according to Catherine, keeping up with Tom's ideas and her near-constant communication with Steve has taught her more about diplomacy than flight training ever did.

We're incredibly grateful to have Catherine keeping so much of Magical Light Shows running behind the scenes. From making sure we have what we need to keeping the operational side of our projects moving, there are countless pieces of what we do that simply wouldn't happen without her!

09/10/2026

Meet Steve!!
Steve has been part of Magical Light Shows for 6 years and serves as our President, while also playing a major role in programming and the day-to-day coordination that keeps our projects moving. When asked about his favorite part of the job, Steve said, “I love seeing our artistic visions come to life through cool stuff,” which definitely comes through in his favorite shows we’ve done: Encanto and Call of Duty from 2022.

Before joining MLS, Steve’s life looked quite a bit different. He was a teacher before leaving the classroom to become a stay-at-home dad, eventually finding his way into programming some very large light shows!

When it comes to the holidays, Steve is firmly Team Christmas, with “Joy” by for KING & COUNTRY taking the spot as his favorite Christmas song. But there is one thing that might be able to compete with Christmas lights for his attention: monster trucks. Steve has been to more than 100 monster truck shows around the country, so apparently we’re not the only ones who think bigger, louder, and a little more pyro makes everything better.

We’re incredibly grateful to have Steve as part of Magical Light Shows. His ability to take our crazy ideas, figure out how to actually make them work, and bring them to life has been a huge part of what we do. Our shows simply wouldn’t be the same without him!

09/02/2026

Meet Larsson!
Larsson has been part of the Magical Light Shows team since 2024, working as a sequencer and drone pilot while also overseeing our All-in-One programming. One of his favorite parts of what he does is combining technology with music and figuring out how all the different pieces can work together to create one complete experience, which is why his favorite project so far has been the Atterbury Hotel in Pittsburgh, where several different systems have to work together to bring the show to life.

What makes his story even more interesting is that Larsson had never worked with animated Christmas lights before attending the very first Magical Light Shows Academy in 2023. Just a year later, he joined the MLS team and has since become someone we rely on for some of the most technical parts of what we do.

Away from all the lights and technology, Larsson and his wife love to travel whenever they get the chance. And despite finding his way into this industry through Christmas lights, Larsson is actually Team Halloween.

We’re incredibly grateful to have Larsson on the Magical Light Shows team. His ability to understand how all the different pieces of a lighting system work together, troubleshoot problems, and find a way to make things work has become invaluable to what we do. Whether he’s programming, flying drones, or working through the technical side of a project, Larsson is someone our team can count on to help make our shows possible.

08/26/2026

Hey, everyone! Over the next few months, we’ll be highlighting the amazing people behind the magic at Magical Light Shows.

Meet Matt!!

Matt has been part of the Magical Light Shows team for 11 years, working on everything from sequencing and drone programming to moving heads and commercial site tech.

For Matt, one of the best parts of the job is the creativity that goes into nearly everything we do. “It gives me a lot of fun ways to be artistic. When we create an experience where someone watching it is caught in awe and wonder, I feel accomplished.”

Of all the projects he’s worked on, his favorite is the Princess Resorts nighttime lake show in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s one of the few locations where he says, when the lights go down and the show starts, it just feels magical.

When he’s not working on a show, Matt still finds ways to keep things interesting, including racing FPV drones as a hobby. But his biggest adventure outside of MLS is coming up this fall… he’s getting married in October!!!

We’re incredibly grateful to have Matt as part of the Magical Light Shows team. His creativity, talent, and technical expertise have played a huge role in bringing our shows to life over the years. We truly couldn’t do what we do without him!

06/08/2026

Three patriotic favorites.
🎵 One brand new release.
💥 Just $19.99 each.
America's 250th Countdown is underway!

Patriotic xLights sequences celebrating America's 250th. Scoping collection for the USA250 promotion.

05/29/2026

We turned the sky into a GPS pin. Kim Komando wanted to know why.
Here's a clip from our interview on the drone show that finally helped Amazon find our front door.

05/24/2026

05/06/2026

Imagine what we can do for you

04/29/2026

Don’t let anyone tell you not to spend $10,000 on a light show. That $20,000 will be the best $30,000 you’ve ever spent 😅