In 2018, Jasmine Lesane was gearing up for her final undergraduate semester at Carnegie Mellon University. ETC was fortunate enough to cross her path as she joined the Fred Foster Student Mentorship Program that year, traveling with us to LDI to network with some of the industry’s brightest.
Since then, Jasmine has been busy paving a path for her career, with plenty of milestones along the way. Jasmine’s impressive work has taken her from Las Vegas residencies and international award shows to some of the most high-profile live television events in the world.
We recently caught up with Jasmine about these accomplishments and how the lessons she learned early on continue to shape her work.
After graduating, Jasmine spent time in New York right before the pandemic struck the industry. When productions slowly began to comeback, she made the pivotal decision to drive across the country to Los Angeles.
Within a few months of arriving in LA, Jasmine landed a position with DX7 Design, led by renowned Lighting Designer Tom Sutherland. She went on to spend four years at DX7, working across a wide range of projects that expanded both her technical skill set and her creative perspective.
“I learn so much on every job, and I’m incredibly grateful to the industry professionals who have given me opportunities to work and grow,” Jasmine says. “Working with Tom really showed me the value of challenging yourself creatively, and I try to bring that mindset into everything I do.”
One of Jasmine’s first projects at DX7 was on Donny Osmond’s Las Vegas residency, an exciting foray into live entertainment outside of traditional theatre. From there, the work quickly grew in scope.
She became part of the lighting team on the BRIT Awards, traveling to London and working on the show for several years. Another standout moment came when DX7 worked on Beyoncé Bowl. Assisting Tom Sutherland on that project felt like a culmination of everything Jasmine had been working toward.
“There’s just nothing as exhilarating as live performance,” Jasmine says. “Yes, it’s being filmed, but you only get one chance to get it right. Whatever happened in rehearsal doesn’t matter. It’s all about that one moment.”
Jasmine recently took a big leap in her career as a Producer on the creative team for Dancing with the Stars.
“I hadn’t really considered stepping outside of lighting like that,” Jasmine says. “It took me a few weeks of prep and coaching to wrap my head around what exactly the job was.”
The live show team, led by Executive Producers Justin Mabardi and David Ruskey, oversees the pacing, visual storytelling, and cohesion of the show, ensuring that each performance feels distinct, while still fitting into the broader themes of the season. Behind the scenes, the show is powered by a dedicated team of producers, designers, performers, stage managers, and many other crew members all working around the clock to bring a dynamic episode week after week. With themed nights like Wicked Night, TikTok Night, and Prince Night in the 2025 season, they had their work cut out for them.
Studio Rehearsals begin on Monday. The show airs live on Tuesday. And by Wednesday, the team is already moving onto the following week’s performances. With 9+ million viewers tuning into the finale of the season, it’s not only fast-paced. It’s high pressure.
“It’s incredibly fast. You have to be strategic about everything… It’s not just ‘what’s the best creative idea,’ you have to consider what works best in the budget, the schedule, on camera, and what works for the team.”
Jasmine’s technical background was a valuable asset while producing in a fast-paced environment. Years of working in lighting and in collaboration with art directors, riggers, automation, special effect technicians, and staging teams allowed her to act as a bridge between departments, working to turn ambitious creative ideas into realities on stage (and on screen!)
One of Jasmine’s favorite parts of the job is creative problem-solving under constraints, whether those constraints are time, budget, or logistics.
Jasmine says, “Often the limitations are what make you get creative.”
Since the Dancing with the Stars season wrapped, Jasmine hasn’t slowed down. She returned to work with Tom Sutherland on Netflix’s Christmas Day halftime show featuring Snoop Dogg, providing on-site support and calling follow spot cues for the live show.
She also recently joined Lighting Designer Madigan Stehly on the Golden Globes Red Carpet. Unlike a live show, where camera angles are carefully planned, the red carpet presented a different challenge entirely.
“With the scale of this Red Carpet, we were kind of lighting for the unknown. Once doors opens, guests can roam wherever they want. There were a lot of bases to cover lighting wise” Jasmine says.
“One of the biggest things I remember from the Student Mentorship Program in 2018 was how open everyone was. There were so many designers, each with their own niche, but all with similar advice: Be open, work hard, and pay attention.”
That mindset has stayed with her.
“You can take lighting and do anything with it,” Jasmine adds. “Every new project just adds to your bag of tricks. I still feel like a student of lighting… and of life, and I think that’s what keeps this work exciting.”