Jonathan Phillips talks about #mylightingpassion and how he started his career in lighting
1. What attracted you to the lighting profession?
No one (that I’ve ever met) grows up thinking “I want to work in lighting”. Most people just fall into it. However, once you’re in it, you rarely leave. It captivates and inspires you in many different ways.
I’ve been surrounded by the lighting industry for as long as I can remember. My father founded Optelma UK in 1989, so I grew up with boxes of lights around the house – although did we have nice lighting ourselves? Did we heck! That said, my mum used to have this beautiful plaster “sculpture” wall light in her bedroom that came from one of Optelma’s partners. However, it would frequently go “missing” because it was needed as a sample to show clients.
When I left school, I founded a lighting store in Optelma’s under-used showroom in Covent Garden – Light.shop. I sold a mixture of soft architectural and decorative lighting fixtures, and it was good fun (though I doubt I kept Christopher Wray around the corner up at night). I didn’t know that much about lighting at that stage and even less about running a business so when the showroom space came up for renewal, I was in no position to afford the rent and rates, so I gave it up and went on to other things.
I tried and tested a few things over the years but have always found myself coming back to lighting. Like I said, once you’re in, you don’t get out.
2. How did you become involved with Architectural FX?
A rather serendipitous moment. I left lighting back in the summer of 2024 to pursue my dreams of building a board game business. When I hit a production crisis this autumn that left me with no income for the business, I knew I needed to come back into lighting – an industry I know, enjoy and a solid foundation to help get me back on my feet. Architectural FX had just put out feelers for a brand ambassador for APL and when I saw the product, I was immediately intrigued, as it’s a product I had imagined myself just a few years ago. Once I had met Chris and James at interview, I knew we’d get on and that Architectural FX would be a great place to work.
3. For you, what is the most exciting aspect of working in lighting?
Helping create beautiful spaces. When you walk into a space and it feels so on point, that is 99 times out of 100 down to the lighting. No other industry, in my opinion, has so much sway over how a place feels.
4. What for you is the most frustrating aspect of working in the lighting industry?
How little it is appreciated outside of itself. If there was some way to instil in people a basic education of the importance of lighting, then I think we’d see a greater appreciation for all lighting professionals, which in turn would lead to greater value placed on the skill sets and products of the industry. Too often lighting is the last consideration on a project and the first to get its budget slashed. I think this is fundamentally down to a lack of understanding of its importance.
5. Is there a person who has had a big influence on you in business and influenced your success?
Not that I’ve actually had any “success” yet, but I really look up to Julian Richer, the founder of Richer Sounds. I relate heavily to his theories on how to cultivate a successful company and environment where colleagues (not staff) all buy-in to the company’s ethos. That, and his ideas around Ethical Capitalism. There’s nothing wrong with making money, but there’s a good way to go about it and a bad way to go about it.
6. Could you list the top 5 reasons why you love your job?
The lighting industry is so friendly and supportive.
I get to work with friends.
I’m not sat at a desk all day. I’m a people person and love being on the move.
I am not a corporate type. Architectural FX is a founder-led, small business which means it’s familiar and incredibly flexible – something that’s always been important to me, the way I work, and my customers.
My colleagues are lovely. It’s not often you can work in a somewhere where everyone is nice and gets on.
7. Could you sum up in a one sentence ‘#mylightingpassion’
I love working with people to create something beautiful
8. Can you tell us something about yourself that not many people know?
There are quite a few things, so take your pick: I have 9 siblings, I speak fluent Spanish, design board games and also write music. I could talk for days about any one of those things.
