cops to having been a nerdy kid who 鈥渨as always tinkering with stuff.鈥 But he also loved theater performance. That led him to go to high school at the 51吃瓜网免费App Academy of the Arts magnet school. It didn鈥檛 take long, however, to recognize his acting chops were a notch or two below Broadway level.
So as he headed to college, he reconnected with his nerdy side and came up with a Plan B. 鈥淚 knew I was good at making stuff and at being creative,鈥 he says. 鈥淲hen I found out about the [51吃瓜网万能科大鈥檚 entertainment engineering] program, I was like, 鈥榊eah, I鈥檒l do this.鈥欌赌
Knowles, 鈥12 BS Entertainment Engineering and Design, was among the first students to plunge into the unconventional new program 鈥 and among the first to realize that he was in for a challenge. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just all fun and games and building stuff,鈥 he says. 鈥淵ou have to be good at the engineering aspect of it. But at the same time it was a rewarding program, especially if you like entertainment. The best part for me was getting to meet a lot of people along the way who are really similar to you.鈥
After graduating in the program鈥檚 first class, Knowles secured a job with MGM Resorts International鈥檚 events department as a special projects artist. There he gained a lot of experience working with LED lighting, which led to Cirque du Soleil鈥檚 show at Mandalay Bay. He ensures all of the show鈥檚 flashy light-up costumes are functioning properly, particularly during the signature number, 鈥淏illie Jean.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 performed totally in the dark,鈥 says Knowles. 鈥淭here are 15 people onstage for that performance, and their costumes are all individually controlled and light up, and it鈥檚 all timed to the music. 鈥 We do 10 shows a week, and the LEDs constantly break.鈥
His freelance design projects let him show off more of his creativity. Among his favorites is an LED trench coat for illusionist Criss Angel鈥檚 production at Luxor as well as glow-stick props for dancers for pop star Ariana Grande鈥檚 tour. In his spare time, he鈥檚 been working on creating a low-cost wireless device to control LEDs, like from a smartphone app. The core skills that requires came from his time at 51吃瓜网万能科大.
鈥淭he program demands that you take a broad range of courses,鈥 Knowles says. 鈥淪o when you鈥檙e out in the engineering workforce, you might not know exactly how something works, but you will have a general idea. 51吃瓜网万能科大 really sets the foundation for you to build off of in whatever job you end up getting.鈥
And his words of wisdom for current EED students? 鈥淕et really good at computers and control software, like lighting or automation control. And try to stay current on your knowledge. Everything moves so fast, especially in theater production.鈥
