Lighting Up the Town and the World: The Story of Visual Terrain

When you step into a museum, theme park, or restaurant, what’s the first thing you notice? It probably isn’t the lighting design, but to those who work in the industry, this aspect of a space is critical for bringing it together and creating an environment that’s as welcoming as it is practical. At Visual Terrain, Inc., that’s exactly what they focus on – working with lighting and its intricacies to ensure that every experience is as accessible as it is impressive.

Owned by couple Lisa Passamonte Green and David Green, Visual Terrain is an international lighting design company with its headquarters right here in Santa Clarita. The duo have run VT for almost three decades, and every day is a celebration of what their craft has to offer.
Lisa, the company’s founder and CEO, works alongside David, who serves as the company’s COO and President, shares that every day brings a new challenge and a new lesson to be learned, which is part of what makes her role so fulfilling.
“Visual Terrain does lighting design for architecture, attraction, and the arts,” she says. This includes large scale projects like waterparks, hospitals, high-end residential projects, museums, performance venues, entire shopping malls, and yes, entire cities! Their clients include some of the largest theme park companies in the world, including Disney, Universal, Chimelong, Herschend Family Entertainment, and many non-theme park companies as well.
VT is an independent firm with a team of 14. That means that every project under VT’s wing is personalized and granted an unmatched attention to detail.
Lisa, David, and the rest of the VT team take great pride in what they do. On top of their commercial work, Lisa shares memories of particularly special moments in VT’s time, like a Halloween event at the White House in 2010 and getting to work with Disney legends who stood alongside Walt Disney himself to bring their collective visions to life through light.
“Celebrating so many opening days with my husband, my team, and my clients are the real highlights of my career, as corny as it sounds,” Lisa admits. “There’s nothing better than seeing someone so immersed into a story or experience by our lighting, and it creates such an emotional response.”
So, what exactly does lighting design entail, and how does Visual Terrain deliver? VT takes care of a variety of lighting needs and projects, including lighting control system design, installation supervision, photometric calculations, focus and programming efforts, custom/themed lighting design, mockups, and so much more. They also offer bidding and negotiation support. Regardless of where you, your team, or your project are at in the development process, VT has the resources and knowledge necessary to take you above and beyond.
“The most rewarding part of working in this industry is that every day is different,” says Lisa. “I learn something new every day, because lighting design speaks to me creatively — it’s all fascinating, and I never have a dull moment.”
Outside of the company, Lisa and David extend VT’s philanthropic reach to the rest of the SCV community, participating in events like career days at elementary schools, community mentoring, advocacy, and much more. Through and through, Visual Terrain is far more than your average lighting design company – they’re a company of the people, and of their community.
You can learn more about Visual Terrain by visiting their website at http://visualterrain.net. They’re also on social media on Instagram and Facebook under the same name, and on LinkedIn under Visual Terrain Inc.

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