Meet Our Team

MANUEL GARCIA

STUDIO OPERATIONS MANAGER

With a background in chemical engineering and experience at CNN, Manuel joined illuminate 2002 when he was called in to assist the Chief Engineer on a short-term cabling project. He never left.

Today he plays an essential role in executing studio operations for film and television productions, commercials, infomercials, and satellite media tours. “Everything that happens onstage goes through me,” notes Manuel. This includes liaising with clients on all studio requests, budgeting productions, preparing bids, hiring crews, scheduling & coordinating shoots, and supervising all studio operations.

Moreover, Manuel is considered illuminate’s “calm guy” who can handle even the most complex technical challenges when shooting live. As he is well-versed in all aspects of studio production, it is not uncommon for him to pinch-hit virtually any last-minute crew task. Indeed, he is as comfortable operating a 48-channel lighting board as he is handling a multi-camera motion tracking system. “I can do practically any position on the stage floor and I have,” he says. “I may be the Studio Operations Manager but if the crew is hungry and wants burritos, I’m on it.”

Manuel has managed studio operations for film and television productions and music videos including The Day After Tomorrow, Spider-man 2002, Tron, Gone Girl, Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes, ABC’s Satellite Media Tours, Sons of Anarchy, Survivor After show, the World Series of Poker, Agents of Shield, Empire, Once Upon A Time, William Shatner’s Moving America Forward, Paramore and Daft Punk. He has worked with ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MTV, VH-1, and Comedy Central. Dave Chapelle and William Shatner have come back to Manuel time and again for seamless professional services that they can depend on. “I handle these jobs as if they were my own,” states Manuel. “I love to see the client walk away happy.”

When not actively managing studio bookings or overseeing productions, Manuel is continuously involved in maintaining and upgrading the studios and their growing inventory of technical equipment including cameras, recording decks, audio, lighting, teleprompters, switchers, and more. Smart, hardworking, and dedicated, he embodies the ethic that has made illuminate great.