Principals
Ariel Pierce is the CEO and co-Founder of Live Production Labs. She has 15 years of experience in the event production world. In her previous position at L&M Sound and Light, she oversaw the lighting, audio, video, and staging elements of over 150 events a year. Originally coming from the labor pool herself, she rose to become one of two principal designers and project managers at L&M, creating dozens of custom visual and experiential events.
Ariel has forged strong and loyal client relationships over the years, constantly striving to deliver quality experiences with respect for budgets. She has worked with a variety of clients including The Shed, Barneys New York, Epsilon, David Beahm Design, General Atlantic, The Frick Collection, The Met Museum, Raiola, Eventsful, The Park Avenue Armory, and Van Wyck & Van Wyck. She has a strong commitment to developing and training our freelance staff, which is one of the most talented and diverse labor pools available to the event world. She negotiates rates, bids, sub-contracted services, equipment purchases and many other aspects of event management and design.
Shifting from an earlier career as a professional dancer, she developed technical and leadership skills first in theater and dance and later in special events. During her career she has worked as an electrician, light board operator, stage manager, crew chief, lighting supervisor and lighting designer. She brings an expansive hands-on understanding of each facet of the operation, from how the shop packs trucks, to the financial and sales department.
Ariel is an avid and expert skier, growing up in the mountains of Colorado. She is a proud alumna of Sarah Lawrence College.
Aaron Copp is the President and co-founder of Live Production Labs. Recent lighting design projects include the Broadway production of The New One by Mike Birbiglia, Red State Blue State for Colin Quinn at the Minetta Lane, Candide at Tanglewood Music Center, One Line Drawn by Brian Brooks for Miami City Ballet, Newsies at Village Theater, and Shahrazad for The Royal Ballet of Flanders. Concert projects include designs for The Silk Road Ensemble, Natalie Merchant, The Goat Rodeo Sessions, SO Percussion, Kronos Quartet, Maya Beiser and the Bang On A Can All-Stars. Aaron has designed for The Old Globe, The Kennedy Center, Dallas Theater Center, and other major theaters around the country.
He has worked extensively in the dance world, and in 2008 received his second Bessie Award for Jonah Bokaer’s The Invention Of Minus One. He had a long association with the famed choreographer Merce Cunningham, designing such pieces as Ground Level Overlay, Windows, and Biped, for which he also won a Bessie.
Aaron’s theater, dance, and concert designs can be found at www.aaroncopp.com.
Special event projects include events for the Miami Dolphins, Goldman Sachs and World Central Kitchen, and for venues such as The Shed, The New York Public Library, The High Line, Chelsea Factory, and many others.
Aaron enjoys skiing, running and grilling in his spare time. He is a graduate of SUNY-Binghamton and Yale University.