Nick Chang
Creative Designer, Lighting Designer/Director
Nick Chang knew when he was just 8 years old that he wanted to work with lighting professionally when he grew up. True to his dream, he has forged a successful career creatively working for the likes of Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, and others. Take initiative, seize opportunity and take the time to get to know people are key guiding principles that have served this young designer well.
Meet Nick
What was your youth like and do you remember when you first became enamored with lighting?
I grew up in California, and my parents worked in the church throughout my childhood. When I was 8 years old, and they were working on Sunday mornings, they wanted to find something that would keep me busy until all the services were finished. One Sunday, my mom coordinated with the Director of the children’s ministry tech team and had me sit in the sound booth and run lighting for the kids services. At that age, I had no idea what I was doing but I enjoyed pushing buttons, flashing lights, and excessively strobing to everything! I did that every Sunday and at every chance I kept growing my knowledge of how to program lighting to music.
That’s early! How did your passion for lighting grow from there?
Fast forward a few years, I was hired onto the church’s main production team to clean lights, keep inventory, and run lighting for all services throughout the week. I stayed in that position until I graduated high school and could move forward in pursuing my dream job of touring and working in the music industry. Looking back, I knew from when I was a little 8-year-old boy playing with the small lighting rig that I wanted to do it professionally when I grew up. I always admired the touring crew when I would attend concerts and that’s when I knew I wanted to pursue lighting in the music industry. When senior year of high school came around, I was the odd one out who didn’t have a college I was applying to or an acceptance letter. My peers at the time thought I was crazy trying to pursue this dream of mine and not take the traditional college route, but I remained resilient to my dreams of living in Nashville and touring.
What fascinated you about lighting?
I vividly remember being that 8-year-old kid in the tech booth making lights flash and changing colors with the tempo of the songs that were played every Sunday while thinking it was the coolest thing. I was fascinated by the ability to “paint” or “make art” and appeal to emotion with the visuals of lighting and that feeling has stuck with me ever since!
What was your early career like?
I had a great mentor and friend growing up, Alec Takahashi. We grew up only a few blocks apart in Roseville, California. We would hang out all the time, and he got me started in lighting. He taught me the basics at Bayside Church where he was on staff prior to me being brought on. In August 2018 we were sitting in his apartment one night when he told me that he was going to fly to Boston in a few hours to do a fill-in show with For King & Country. He told me I should come along to see how touring shows work and to experience the work that goes into it.
And you jumped on board?
Reluctantly, I flew across the country that night with him to go to the show. Upon arriving at the venue, FK&C was short one lighting tech and asked if I wanted to travel with them and help out on the one-month tour. I had only packed a bag with the essentials for a one-night trip, but without even thinking I said YES! Daniel Smallbone (LD for FK&C) and the crew graciously took me in and taught me the ropes.
Did that lead to other opportunities?
From there on, I did two tours with them as a lighting tech and then eventually moved to Nashville in 2019 where I started my career as an LD with Morgan Evans, Kane Brown, and now full time with Kelsea Ballerini as LD and Lighting Designer. I specifically remember the day Mike Marcario, who was another great mentor in my life, called me and asked me to move to Nashville to be an LD in Country Music with Morgan. He told me he needed me to move within 2 weeks and needed an answer within one day since the tour started very soon. I was 18 at the time and still living at home but was ecstatic for the opportunity and said YES again without even thinking. I packed up my bags, and haven’t looked back since!
What do you like about living in Nashville?
I love California and that will always be home to me, but upon my first few times visiting Nashville and then moving here, I fell in love with the southern hospitality atmosphere, people, and culture you just don’t get on the West Coast. I specifically love the touring music industry family Nashville has. When COVID came around, seeing how everyone banded together around the city and helped each other out as family, that stood out to me more than anything and will make me forever grateful to get to live here!
How did your background in church production prepare you for working in the world of touring?
Growing up at Bayside Church, formerly Adventure Christian Church, I got to work alongside some amazing people and teachers on the production team. Bayside was on the larger side of the church production world and therefore I got opportunities to learn about rigging, power, cable management, programming/design, and everything in between. I got plenty of time sitting behind an MA2 console and getting to further my knowledge in my free time. Getting those chances I think really helped me get a start from a young age!
You recently completed a very successful third leg of a sold-out Kelsea Ballerini tour. What will you take away from that experience?
For this tour that we embarked on in June and July, I got the privilege to step into the Creative Design roll along with my normal job as LD. I think the tour and design process went very well and everyone was very happy with the shows. Putting the job aspect aside, I truly realized I get the privilege to tour alongside an amazing and very talented crew, team, and production manager. In the first 7 months of this year, we did four tours, including one of them being overseas. In that time, we managed to put on flawless shows together, design new tours, and still keep the family aspect of our team in the front. We were with each other far more this year than we were with family, spouses, and loved ones. Therefore, to finish the busy season with a successful tour and with a brand-new design/day-to-day process that was brand new to all of us- it was really a huge win!
You also handle lighting at Church of the City in Nashville. What do you like about lighting for a house of worship?
Church of the City has been family to me for a long time. I worked on full time staff in 2020 and part of 2021 when the music industry was shut down. They are truly a top-notch production team and church. I still contract in with them on occasions, attend on Sundays with my girlfriend, and enjoy being there! I think every time I get to sit behind a console in a church, it takes me back to that 8-year-old kid not knowing what he was doing pushing buttons and flashing lights. It gives me a sense of nostalgia doing lighting in houses of worship professionally now. I enjoy meeting the volunteers and getting to help be a mentor to whoever I can and pass along knowledge to the youth who aspire to do lighting for a living. I also enjoy getting to be creative in the worship environment and the change of pace it offers compared to the road!
You’ve served a number of roles in your career so far. What aspect of lighting do you enjoy the most?
Creative/Lighting Design, and Programming are truthfully all things I enjoy equally! They all involve creativity and inspiration and that’s my favorite thing about this industry. I do enjoy operating for the physical touring and show part of the job, but the creativity the other rolls offer always make them my number one choice!
When you think back on how you learned your craft, what do you see as the most important factor?
Taking initiative and taking the time to get to know everyone you work with is very important in my opinion. Taking the initiative to learn and grow, taking the initiative to do things that feel intimidating, and taking the time to pour into people are all equally important. When I was getting started in this field, many people told me that the job is 50% your skill and 50% who you are as a person, and that has stuck with me ever since!
How do you stay up-to-date with new lighting technologies and techniques?
Attending concerts, watching shows online, following many of the great designers and programmers in this industry on socials along with manufacturers, are all ways I do my best to stay up to date with how quick things evolve.
You’ve used the Artiste Mondrian on Church of the City Christmas services and have said it is your favorite lighting fixture at the moment. Why is that?
The Mondrian is my go-to fixture when choosing a profile to spec in a rig. The output, color mixing, gobos, and versatility it offers with its zoom range are all things that make this light my favorite. Not to forget its big lens offers an unprecedented eye candy factor. I’ve used the Mondrians at Church of the City as well as the Elation Artiste Monet on Kelsea’s latest tour. Both fixtures are exceptional and offer something unique in any rig!
What do you like to do when you’re not doing lighting?
When not doing lighting or any form of work, I enjoy spending time with my girlfriend, traveling together, grabbing drinks or dinner with friends, and letting life slow down. The job is so fast paced and ever changing that when getting the chance to take some time off, I very much enjoy relaxing and taking a mental break.
What’s something about Nick Chang that people might find surprising?
I love cooking and getting into a gym routine when I'm home! Getting to consistently work out and prep fresh meals nightly is something that I love. Going to the grocery store and picking out fresh meats and food to cook is something you don’t get the luxury of when traveling so I find it quite enjoyable whenever I’m home!
