Frederick Wenzlaff (at the speed of light!)
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As Frederick Wenzlaff of LIGHT in Manhattan Beach, California, heads into his tenth year as a local sales rep and rests easily as one of Global Lighting?s elite in our national network, he shares his thoughts on stagecraft; the Los Angeles design community; telling it like it is; and yes, lightening things up in a mirthless economy.
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GL: What path took you to the world of lighting?
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FW: Back in high school I was drawn to stagecraft. After many nights of hanging and focusing the stage lighting system, I knew I was heading for theatrical lighting and technical direction in college. I?d inherited a split personality of engineering and art appreciation from my family. They were dentists and engineers who were all artists behind the scenes. That mix served me well when I worked on live performance and permanent installation-type projects. And it continues to support my work in the lighting world.
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GL: What part of your work has given you the most satisfaction and made the best use of your strengths?
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FW: I find it really gratifying to help designers work through project challenges to achieve their vision. Then when I experience the completed project?often times a large architectural installation or an amazing public installation?that?s the fun of it.
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Fred, left, at LZF Lamps with Donna Cregan, center, and Lori Noble-Forshee, right. He?s front and center in the video of the factory tour below!
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GL: Speaking of fun, rumor has it you have a wicked sense of humor.? How do you bring that to your work?
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FW: Ha! Who me? Maybe you have me confused with someone else! Okay full disclosure, I have such terrible sarcasm that I have to be careful not to confuse people. But the upside is that if I can develop a comfortable rapport with somebody, it?s a way of establishing that we can still have a laugh at our serious and stressful environments.
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GL: What else do you feel you bring to the party that?s unique to your M.O.?
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FW: I feel it?s my duty to be honest about what I know and what I don?t know. Digging up the most accurate information can sometimes annoy people, especially when they?re busy and stressed. But once you let yourself get lazy with information it?s a quick slide into neglect.
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GL: Honesty, you say? How?s that working for you?
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FW: When you believe in offering up honest and useful information, you have to let go of the need to always be right and just let yourself be candid. The good news is that clients have responded by trusting me with their projects.
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GL: That?s so true about gaining a client?s trust. So why do you suppose people often resist telling it like it is?
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FW: I think in this ?ber-information age, we often feel there?s more behind the scenes expected of us?an aspect of intelligence or knowledge. I look at a single link on a Wikipedia page and I realize there?s so much more I can know about an entire category. But we?ve grown up in the shadows of brilliant people who had no Wiki and who relied on their experience, due diligence, instinct and insights. We can?t lose sight that that?s as valuable a component as facts and figures.
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GL: You live near L.A. How do you feel that environment informs the industry or your approach to it?
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FW: The L.A. environment is so spread out and varied that the architecture and design community moves in selective circles rather than orbiting around a common area or goal. There?s no central walk-up design district, no soapbox where designers can talk and relate to each other. As reps, we have to diffuse the information to everyone by email marketing, in-house presentations, and lots of driving between firms. It?s a lot of work but I feel we add something to the whole community by channeling and dispersing information throughout.
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Fred at the B.lux factory with that look on his face: ?Are you thinking what I?m thinking??
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GL: What other areas inform your approach to the business; architecture, interior design, reading, economic trends, fashion trends or film trends perhaps?
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FW: I believe in getting to know my clients. I listen and let them show me what they need. Then I relate my personal experience and knowledge so they understand that I?m part of the community too, and not there just for sales. Having a theater background isn?t part of the job description but it?s something I can bring to the party. Everyone has something to offer outside the job description.
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I also enjoy the social aspect of my business and building relationships with everyone involved. I might be engaged with architects or designers on a project, or sharing new info and laughs with the great team at LIGHT. A recent field trip to Spain with Global Lighting to see B.lux and LZF helped refresh my spirit in lighting sales. I was introduced to my counterparts from across America and Nova Scotia. It was great to hang out with such a smart, funny, and knowledgeable group. I thought, ?I really like and admire these people!? When you can say that about your colleagues, it?s pretty special.
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The Fred Wenzlaff Tree: it blooms day-in and day-out!
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GL: What do you see as the most significant change in the industry over the years?
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FW: From my experience, cell phones, CFLs, design plagiarisms, e-mail, energy codes, LEDs and e-commerce. What did I miss?
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GL: How do you see the play between aesthetics and functionality these days?? Are they affected by the present economy?
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FW: Lighting exhibits properties of both a wave and a particle. Fashion trends and recedes like a wave while technology continues to move forward like a particle. The speed of light is considered one of the fundamental constants of nature. The nature of the economy affects everything and is fundamentally considered to be a constant pain in the ass.
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GL: Where do you feel the industry is heading; what?s the next big thing?
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FW: I think the availability of personal lighting control systems for both commercial and residential applications are going to take a big leap forward. It will be driven by different forces, mainly tougher energy codes and smart phone technology. How do you use technology to its fullest when technology hasn?t been fully sussed out yet? It has the potential to be not only fun but helpful.
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GL: You put 150% of yourself into your work. What has it given back to you in terms of your professional growth?
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FW: This is a trick question, right?
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You can follow Fred?s firm, LIGHT, on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
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