Family, friends, and students gathered to remember James L. Moody (1942-2023) on Saturday, March 2 at Kinetic Lighting in Los Angeles.  At the Celebration of Jim’s amazing and productive life, his former business and writing partner, and friend of many decades, Jeff Ravitz, announced a fund in Jim's honor at LA City College, where Jim taught and was head of the tech theatre program. The school's foundation coordinates the fund to benefit the theatre department and to advance technical theatre education. This program has created innumerable working lighting technicians, lighting business owners, costumers, and make-up artists. It is the school’s hope to spread the word about this important fund.

Jim Moody enjoyed a long and varied career as one of the originators of large-scale rock ’n roll production as the founder of Sundance Lighting, one of the behemoth lighting vendors of the 1970s that counted as clients John Denver, David Bowie, Linda Ronstadt, and Jackson Brown, among dozens of others. He transitioned to television work, designing the lighting for Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, the groundbreaking network concert program that aired weekly coast-to-coast. Additional credits include Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Entertainment Tonight, and several sitcoms and concert specials.

Jim was particularly devoted to sharing his knowledge and considerable experience as a teacher and author of several books including Concert Lighting, and Lighting for Televised Live Entertainment. Jim was a Fellow of USITT.

He passed of natural causes on February 20, 2023.

Donations to the technical theatre program at LA Community College’s Theatre Academy can be made here in Jim’s honor.