Chapin Cutler, Principal and co-founder ::

An avid movie buff, Chapin Cutler dreamed of bringing true craftsmanship to the world of film presentation. He trained as a projectionist while attending college at Worcester Tech. “I was hooked by the SHOW,” he says, “There’s something exhilarating about watching an audience react to a film and know that I made it happen for them.”

Chapin earned degrees from Emerson College and Wentworth Institute in film and related engineering fields. After a stint in film production and technical management at Emerson and WGBH-TV’s film department, he and his business partner Larry started Boston Light & Sound® (BL&S), which has been a passion ever since.

Larry Shaw, Principal and co-founder ::

Larry has worked with projection technology since his childhood. His youthful endeavors included repairing 16mm equipment, where he quickly saw the potential to improve upon film presentation technology.

Larry’s mechanical inclinations have served him well at BL&S, where he often handcrafts projection equipment for unique film presentations. “It’s not my nature to just watch some machine operate. I want to know what’s inside that makes it tick...It’s great when people come in with bizarre can’t-do ideas. If others have said something can’t be done today, we’ll build what we need and get it done.”

Larry apprenticed as a projectionist and stagehand followed by several years of freelance work before the creation of BL&S.

Christina Gaita, Chief Operating Officer::

Christina joined the BL&S team more than two decades ago after working in public relations. As a movie buff, she was thrilled to have the opportunity to work for a company that supports Hollywood movie premieres. Working her way up from administrative positions to management, Christina has worn many hats at BL&S. She counts herself lucky to work at a company that does incredible projects with interesting people.

When not watching movies, Christina enjoys traveling, tennis, animals, spending time with friends and family, and listening to her coworkers tell tales about working with movie stars.

Robert Podolak, Chief Financial Officer ::

Robert has overseen BL&S’s finances for nearly 20 years, providing managerial accounting, financial analysis, multi-state taxation, international business transactions, and cash flow management. In this role, he is responsible for developing and maintaining financial controls and budgets to help ensure the business is well run and efficient.

Robert previously worked in quality control and financial roles for a large insurance and investment management firm. He was drawn to BL&S to work for a smaller company that does fascinating and innovative work.

During his free time, he enjoys photography, reading, skiing, CrossFit, and road trips with his family. He is currently learning to surf!

Ryan Brush, Live Events Department Manager ::

Ryan is the go-to source to help BL&S customers turn their creative vision into memorable events. He started his career at a very young age as a DJ. While still in high school, he began work as a freelance concert production consultant, providing live audio for theatre productions and bands.

He joined the BL&S team in 2005, where his experience running crews and mixing audio served him well in understanding how to create a successful production. His affinity for production and event management helped him to expand the rental business considerably over the years, continuing to hone his craft. Ryan now manages the BL&S live events team, and is in charge of producing a wide range of high-profile events. In his free time, he enjoys photography and spending time with his family and his dog, Rosie.

Sean McKinnon, Cinema Installation & Production Services Department Manager ::

From his early time as an usher at a discount movie theatre, Sean fell in love with the projection booth, and decided to make the cinema industry his lifelong career. Over the years he’s worked as a projectionist, a theatre manager for high-profile Boston locales, a service technician for a national cinema service provider, and a technical director for a specialty venue in NYC. His skills in engineering and cinema design and consulting made him the ideal choice to lead BL&S’s Cinema department. Since 2016, Sean has overseen film projection, studio premieres and screenings, film festivals, including 70mm and 35mm engagements, as well as specialty projects. In his spare time, he likes to read, watch movies, and spend time with his wife and pets.