USA - Global creative and production studio Raw Cereal creates immersive live experiences for some of the world’s best-known artists including country music stars whose Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson, thrilling fans with Raw Cereal-designed shows that include Elation Rayzor series lights.
Founded in 2022 by Cort Lawrence and Anders Rahm, Raw Cereal is a comprehensive creative studio based in Los Angeles, specialising in production, show, stage, lighting, and content design for some of the best productions worldwide. In the business for over a decade, Cort and Anders have worked with top acts like J Balvin, Kid Cudi, Machine Gun Kelly, All Time Low and Matchbox Twenty, as well as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Beyoncé and Coldplay.
"We see ourselves as a global agency, delivering creativity to clients worldwide," Cort Lawrence commented. “We offer both technical and creative expertise, and all the minute details that fall in between. We take our team anywhere the project takes us to get the job done.”
Two of Raw Cereal’s hottest clients include country music’s Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson. Both are out on extensive tours with video-rich designs with Elation lighting playing a complementing role in the visual look. “We’re excited to be working with two of the most notable names in country music right now and are happy to be using some great lights as support in their designs,” Cort remarked. “They really help us bring the show to life by capturing the essence of the music and creating custom looks for each song, which makes for a more captivating experience for the audience.”
Morgan Wallen’s One Night at a Time tour kicked off on 4 April with a sold-out show at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Raw Cereal has been with Wallen since 2022 and handles creative direction, production & design, show direction, and animation & content on the current tour.
“When we first came into the Morgan Wallen world, he already had some Elation products touring with him so we knew they were already taking the right steps,” Cort says. “The Proteus Rayzor Blade and Proteus Rayzor 760 were new products and those lights had really become part of the Morgan Wallen brand and show. Those lights played well with country music and Morgan Wallen specifically, so we took those into the next tour stops in 2023/24.”
Cort added more Proteus Rayzor Blade L linear tilt FX bars to this year’s tour for a total of 124 units, along with 40 Proteus Rayzor 760 wash FX, all part of a larger lighting package. “Those two products were the most noticeable in that previous design and we wanted to carry them through to the current look,” Cort said. “They really stand out and add character to the show.”
Morgan Wallen plays North American dates throughout the summer before setting off for a first-ever string of European shows starting 28 August in Sweden. Lighting vendor for the tour is Christie Lites.
New to the Raw Cereal fold is 2023 American Country Music Awards Entertainer of the Year and 2024 Grammy Award-winner Lainey Wilson, who opened her massive 2024 headlining tour with back-to-back sold-out shows at Nashville's Ascend Amphitheater on 31 May 31/1 June. Lighting vendor for the Country is Cool Again tour is Fuse.
Cort again uses what he calls the “tried and true” combination of Proteus Rayzor Blade L and Rayzor series fixtures as part of a larger lighting package. “On Lainey, we again turned to the Proteus Rayzor Blade L and Proteus Rayzor 760, but added in the Proteus Rayzor 1960 with its larger face and greater power for big pops of colour and wash across the stage.” The 1960, a big brother to the Proteus Rayzor 760, is a high-output LED wash and FX light with 18,000 lumens of power and eye-catching 19-cell front lens.
Lainey’s set features an orange pickup truck centre stage that rotates on a TAIT rotator and highlighted using Proteus Rayzor 760s. The Proteus Rayzor 1960’s populate two horizontal truss on each side of the stage. “I think they’re the most beneficial light in the show,” Cort says of the 1960s. “Everything in the centre is focused around the video wall but the negative space on the sides gives the 1960s room to breathe. They pop and with the dark background they really show their true colours.”
In conclusion, Cort reflects, “Elation has changed immensely over the last many years and now they have some of the best products on the road. We choose Elation because they are innovative and continue to push the boundaries and that fits in well with the Raw Cereal philosophy.”
