About SEE FACTOR

Bob See began his career at the Fillmore East as technical director. The story goes that in 1968 he and a few classmates at NYU’s brand new conservatory-style theatre program walked into the Fillmore (previously the Commodore) as it was being renovated. He started work there ten days before it opened until a few weeks after it closed in 1971.

While at the Fillmore, he would work along side his mentor Bill Graham and be witness to acts like the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and hundreds of others.

When the Fillmore closed, Bob moved onto touring with acts like the James Gang and building intercom systems and road boxes. His work with the James Gang led to a job with David Bowie as LD. He toured several times around the world with Bowie over the next three and half years.

SEE FACTOR continued to grow as Bob perfected building and packaging a road-worthy show at a time when few other people in the world were doing it. Throughout the next few years he would tour with Aerosmith, Rod Stewart, Rush, ELO and Rainbow to name a few. See Factor expanded into a modern full-service shop where Bob would design and build a rainbow of 2,400 40-watt bulbs for Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow which he would tour around the world. A few years later he would build “the flying A”, an A-shaped structure fully rigged with lighting that would sit flat on the stage during the show and pivot to stand straight up at the peak of the show.

In those early days everything was custom made and Bob would design and build what he needed for each tour. He continued touring with Billy Joel, Ted Nugent and others while taking SEE FACTOR worldwide with offices in Los Angeles and London.

Throughout the years the best and brightest talent would get their start at SEE FACTOR as it became known as a training ground for the industry. They would go on to become some of the biggest names in the industry. Hundreds of people have come through the doors at SEE FACTOR and many of them continue to work throughout the industry today.

In the ‘90s, SEE FACTOR took on a new challenge: film and television. We helped to revolutionize studio work by introducing dimming and control systems and making chain hoists and arena rigging concepts a viable option for studio grids. We supplied lighting, grip, dimming, power distribution and rigging equipment for The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Spin City, Meet Joe Black, The Departed, The Good Shepherd, I Am Legend and many, many more projects in NYC and along the east coast.

Today we continue our work in film and TV, live shows, corporate events, installations and special events as the longest running and still independently owned and operated lighting company in the United States.