About

Hi, I'm Mike—a lighting designer based in the Denver metro area. Welcome to my online portfolio.

I grew up in Menlo Park, California, then later moved to Colorado to study mechanical engineering at CU Boulder. During my time at CU, I fell in love with live music and event production. In my senior year, I joined a production internship at Z2 Entertainment in Boulder, where I gained hands-on experience as a stagehand and began my journey into the world of lighting design.

After becoming proficient in programming, operating, and lighting tech, Z2 offered me a position on their team. Since then, I've continued to grow as an LD, constantly learning, refining my craft, and expanding my skill set under the mentorship of the Z2 crew.

Beyond my role at Z2, I am a freelance lighting designer and technician. I went on tour as L1 for The High Kings for their "Rocky Road to Dublin Tour" in Spring of 2026, I was brought on by Triune to design and operate on their show at Denver HQ, and I've collaborated with companies like Another Backline Company LLC on Global Dance Festival 2024 and Portal at the El Jebel Shrine.

I built this site to showcase my work, connect with others in the live event industry, and continue growing as a designer and technician.

If you're looking for a lighting designer for your next event, feel free to get in touch via the Contact page. You'll also find links to my Instagram and other socials there, where you can see more of what I've been working on.

Resume

Michael Dailey

Denver, CO | MikeDaileyLights@gmail.com | (650) 533-7384

Work Experience

Touring 2026-Present

The High Kings “Rocky Road to Dublin Tour” (L1)

Z2 Entertainment Boulder, CO

Lighting Designer 2023-Present

Program and organize complex lighting cues in GrandMA3 and Avolites
Operate lights for bands at the Fox Theater and Boulder Theater
Replace, maintain, and hang a variety of intelligent fixture types
Train team members across programming, live operating, and general lighting tech

Chautauqua Auditorium Boulder, CO

Lighting Designer (L1) 2025-Present

Freelance Lighting Denver, CO

Lighting Designer/Technician 2024-Present

Global Dance Festival 2024
Triune at HQ Denver
Mountain West Production Group

Crew One Festival Team 2025-Present

Yahn Dawn, Buena Vista

College Student Storage Boulder, CO

Crew Chief/Warehouse Manager 2022-2024

Led moving and storage operations including warehouse organization, scheduling, communications, and box truck driving

Michael Meyer Fine Woodworking Palo Alto, CA

Woodworking/Construction Apprentice 2021

Operated a range of power tools on construction sites and in the company shop

Skills

Technical:

Lighting

GrandMA3
Avolites
Capture
MadMapper
Resolume

Hands-On:

CAD

SolidWorks
OnShape
Blender
Creative Cloud

Lighting

Hanging fixtures
Operating distros
Writing patches
Fixture Maintenance
Motor Tech

Manual

Woodworking
CNC Machining
Painting
Truck Driving

Education

University of Colorado Boulder

B.S. Mechanical Engineering | GPA: 3.2 Graduated May 2024

Designed, manufactured, and tested ACL-safe ski binding and custom 3D printed orthopedic walking boot
Modeled solar-powered greenhouse for Engineers Without Borders
Nominated Engineers Without Borders Project Finalist
American Society of Mechanical Engineers Member