Lighting Designer John Viesta of Infinite Designs Inc. utilized 35 Claypaky Ultimo Sharpy fixtures to light “BravoCon LIVE with Andy Cohen!” at the Planet Hollywood Live Theater & Show Venue in Las Vegas. The shows were a highlight of the Bravo cable network’s BravoCon 2025 fan event. Hosted by Bravo star Andy Cohen, they featured musical performances, interviews, games, the cheeky Bravo Awards and a holiday special. Inner Circle Distribution is the exclusive distributor of Claypaky lighting in the USA.
Viesta, who also served as the show’s Creative Director, is the President and Principal Designer of Infinite Designs Inc., a New York City-based design studio that provides turnkey solutions for television, live performance, film and web-based broadcasts. For BravoCon his goal was to blend elements of Las Vegas nostalgia with the mid-century modern look of Cohen’s nightly talk show, “Watch What Happens Live!”
“‘BravoCon LIVE with Andy Cohen!’ continues to evolve and push the boundaries of what is possible in a limited amount of production time,” notes Viesta. “It is an ambitious project, given its short load-in schedule and limited rehearsal time. We shoot five supersized episodes that need to be delivered to the network within days, leaving no time for reshoots, pickups or extensive edits. We record the shows as if they are live events. This requires the lighting team to remain as fluid and flexible as possible. Without my amazing team, this project would not be possible.”
He notes that Planet Hollywood Live “is a legacy venue with a long history in entertainment but very few projects on television. The venue is massive with over 200-foot throws for the lighting fixtures that illuminate the talent. This, combined with a limited number of FOH lighting positions, made for a very challenging light plot to execute. We had to search for the brightest fixtures on the market, lensed for ultra-long throws. Few manufacturers produce an ultra-high output fixture with a high CRI for camera use.”
Viesta explains that the network wanted a slightly more modern lighting look for the show this year, which he decided to “juxtapose with the retro classic styling of the scenery. I achieved this with large-faced direct-view fixtures and an extensive array surrounding the show portal. This framed the picture with a ‘string of pearls’ and offered us versatility with bold color-changing ideas.”
According to Viesta, “the most significant addition was the new Claypaky Ultimo Sharpys” provided by Main Light. “They cut through the air in a composition that beautifully illuminated the negative space. Additionally, they were super bright and wiggle fast for our commercial bumpers.
“We discovered an unintentional bonus with the Ultimos’ fast color flags,” he notes. “They were perfect for a very show-specific game where we rainbow chased the lighting for our Jimmy Fallon ShotSki Game.”
Viesta reports that he was “very pleased” with the Ultimo Sharpys, which he calls “precisely what we needed. I went overboard with our Ultimo count, but it ended up being just the right amount of fixtures. They completely elevated our wide shots but, most importantly, gave composition to the ‘air space’ in the backgrounds of camera-tight shots.”
Greg Goff served as Lighting Director for the shows with Josh Selander Lighting Director/Programmer. Technical supervision was by Infinite Designs’ Ben Travis.
Adam Camp is Sales Manager, West at Inner Circle Distribution where Diego Becerra is Marketing Manager.