Brian Fassett

Brian grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was hired for his first professional lighting design gig at age 16 and hasn’t stopped designing since! A former member of Actor’s Equity (Stage Management) and IATSE, he received his BFA in Theatrical Lighting Design and Production from the North Carolina School of the Arts. After touring the world as Installation Supervisor for major retail interactive experiences, he settled in NYC at Barbizon Lighting Company. He was instrumental in creating lighting systems for Hayden Planetarium, Central Synagogue, and Metrochannel Studios and managed projects such as Fox News Studios, National Constitution Center, and Seven World Trade Center. In 2004 Brian seized the opportunity to give back to the arts, working for Bette Midler as Director of Arts and Theater for her philanthropic foundation. He worked closely with New York City public schools renovating facilities and creating performing arts programs exposing students to the professional world of theatre. Brian is a founding partner of Eclectic Precision, a design firm established in 2001, and Vivid RGB Lighting, an LED product development firm founded in 2011. Brian has over 30 years of experience in the lighting industry. After 15 years in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Brian, and his business and life partner Sepp Spenlinhauer purchased the historic Peekskill Evening Star Building in 2015. In 2016, Peekskill residents formed a community-minded LGBTQ+ social support network. That group sparked an informal effort called Peekskill Pride, which after two years of meetings, was organized by Brian to incorporate into a formal non-profit organization. Peekskill Pride’s mission is to foster safe, healthy, and supportive environments for LGBTQIA+ individuals of all ages, their allies, and families by working within the community to further the foundation for inclusion, diversity, and pride through education, advocacy, and celebration. In February 2018, Brian was elected to the Peekskill Business Improvement District’s Board of Directors and became the President of the Board. He worked four years to rebuild the BID’s strength and made many significant improvements during his tenure. Brian and Sepp married in 2020 and continue to demonstrate their dedication and commitment to improving Peekskill and making a lasting impact along the way.