BravoCon Live with Andy Cohen is a supersized, five-episode televised event in the spirit of Andy’s late-night show WWHL (Watch What Happens Live). The show is a joyful and vibrant celebration of the world of Bravo’s most popular reality shows and series, featuring the celebrities who make them stand out.
The late-night-style event includes panel discussions, games, special —and surprise— performances, collaborations, and awards recognizing talent and achievements across the Bravo universe throughout the year. The November 2025 edition was presented by Embassy Row Productions in collaboration with NBCUniversal at PH Live in Las Vegas.
The lighting and production design was led by John Viesta, president and principal designer of Infinite Designs Inc., who has been bringing his creative vision to WWHL since 2010.
To keep that energy flowing, he incorporated a substantial number of Robe moving lights, among other fixtures, into his lighting rig: 48 iFORTES, 134 iFORTE LTXs, 3 iFORTE LTX Follow Spots and 22 Tetra1s.
The design and lighting needed to capture the excitement and pace of live television moments, combined with the drama and spectacle of large-scale theater. BravoCon 2025 featured 29 panels streamed on Peacock —available the day after the live presentations in Las Vegas— while separately, Andy Cohen recorded five episodes of BravoCon Live with Andy Cohen. It was a high-intensity environment where everyone involved in the production had to remain constantly alert.
A version of the set had already been used for the 2023 edition. The design concept for the Las Vegas show captured the spirit of Andy Cohen’s late-night program, combining a New York mid-century modern aesthetic with Las Vegas styling from the same era, including a striking and elegant 24-meter-wide proscenium arch encrusted with incandescent lamps. John also used various lighting treatments to transform the set, including integrated fixtures that added a contemporary edge.
As PH Live is a significantly larger venue than the previous Paris Theater in Las Vegas, everything was scaled up. During planning, John realized he would need much more powerful profile fixtures to handle throw distances of between 46 and 61 meters.
That’s when he connected with Marty Postma, sales director at Robe North America. The two had attended college together and were already in touch, so they began discussing options and John started looking at Robe products. He needed a luminaire that looked good on camera, was powerful enough to cover the distance, and ideally a moving light capable of framing small, precise areas.
I tested all the moving lights in that category available, and the iFORTE LTX was the only one with the real output I needed, explained John.
This was the first time John had used Robe’s powerful iFORTE fixtures, and it reflected his confidence in the product that he was willing to deploy them in such a high-profile live broadcast environment. “Using these modern fixtures with large lenses enhanced the overall aesthetic; the sheer number of units allowed us to fill and animate the airspace more effectively”, he explained. PH Live had also recently taken delivery of nearly 75 iFORTES and 9 iFORTE LTXs equipped with LightMaster systems as part of its house rig, giving John access to these, alongside additional Robe fixtures supplied by Main Light.
The iFORTE LTXs were rigged in the FOH area and used as key lighting, covering the stage, which at times was filled with people. The iFORTES were positioned on a downstage bar just above the stage portal. The follow spots consisted of 3 iFORTE LTXs operating with 3 RoboSpot BaseStations. It was also John’s first time using iFORTES for this role, with highly positive results:
The brightness is fantastic. They have a suitable CRI for camera, look great on people, and offer excellent precision —returning exactly to the programmed position. Color consistency is also crucial over these distances. I’ll definitely be using them again.
Various iFORTE gobos were also used to wash and texture the venue, creating an appealing atmosphere.
John created a frame of fixtures outside the stage portal, alternating Tetra1s with small LED wash fixtures. He noted that this effect created a beautiful “pearl necklace” framing the stage.
The main challenge of BravoCon is the short rehearsal window, requiring the entire creative team to be flexible, dynamic, and adaptable during production and filming, as ideas constantly evolve and must be executed quickly and efficiently.
The pressure of live broadcast is something John also enjoys, despite its intensity. “This is my favorite project”, he says, adding that Andy is kind and generous to work with and always pushes technical boundaries. “Good leadership comes from the top”.
John’s background is in theater, particularly Broadway, where he built his professional career. He had previously used Robe fixtures such as BMFLs as follow spots and T2s on Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, so he was already familiar with the brand, although this was his first major television production using Robe in such a critical capacity.
“iFORTES are fantastic fixtures, and I look forward to using them more often”, he said. He added that meeting Robe CEO Josef Valchar —who plays a key role in product development— was inspiring, and he appreciates that the company is independent and manufactures its products locally in the Czech Republic.
Working alongside John was a talented team, including his Infinite Designs colleagues Tyler M. Perry, responsible for scenic design, and Ben Travis, technical supervisor. Lighting director was Greg Goff; Josh Selander served as lighting director/programmer; John Salzmann was the gaffer, with Tom Thayler as associate gaffer, and Eric Kaspersin as best boy. Scenery was provided by PRG and Daedalus, with additional elements from Kihl Studios.
Photos: Charlie Sykes
