Mr. Cannella started his career at the age of 15 working in the entertainment lighting business, running a company that by his 18th birthday had executed lighting designs for concert tours across the country.
With this early springboard into the entertainment market, Mr. Cannella became a full-time member of the motion picture industry, where he was employed as a chief lighting technician on commercials, TV shows and major motion pictures. Working in film gave Mr. Cannella a unique view on lighting design and documentation which is the hallmark of his design portfolio.
In 2012 Mr. Cannella partnered with longtime friend and mentor Christopher Obssuth to start Synapse Audio Visual Designs, LLC, a multidisciplinary firm specializing in technically demanding audio visual and lighting design integrations that blur the line between traditional lighting design, entertainment lighting design and multimedia integration.
During the years Mr. Cannella was involved in the entertainment industry he acquired many industry credentials and certifications. He is proud to be a former member of the industry’s leading union, the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE). Mr. Cannella continues to take part in continuing education opportunities and is proud to have obtained the NCQLP’s Lighting Certified (LC) credential as well as holding the audio visual industries’ highest credential, the CTS-D. Mr. Cannella has lectured extensively including visits to Columbia University, NYU, and The Art Institute of Philadelphia, as well as an annual invite to his high school alma mater to share his unique views on technology and lighting design.