Carolyn Wong: Balancing Creativity and Financial Stability in Lighting Design

Lighting designer Carolyn Wong has built a career that bridges Broadway prestige and practical sustainability. From assisting on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark to serving as worldwide associate for The Lion King, she’s learned that thriving as a creative means balancing risk, stability, and self-investment. In this conversation, Carolyn opens up about saving “too much,” finding courage to take professional leaps, and why keeping your costs—and ego—low can be the key to long-term artistic freedom.

Who is Carolyn Wong, and how did she land where she is now?

Carolyn is a Californian who studied math and East Asian studies at Oberlin, with a minor in theatre and dance. She built her career in live entertainment as a lighting designer and is currently the worldwide associate for Disney’s The Lion King. Earlier in her career she assisted on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark—a notorious, big-budget production that, for all its turmoil, became a piece of Broadway history and a formative learning ground for her. Carolyn’s early breaks came through festival internships at Jacob’s Pillow and Bates, where mentors and production managers opened doors to touring and design work. Today she splits time across nine global Lion King productions, functioning as a kind of lighting project manager—allocating people and schedules, overseeing upgrades, and stepping in for openings (Toronto in fall and Mexico City in March 2025). Outside work, she loves experiencing large-scale spectacles as a fan—Olympic opening ceremonies, for instance, which remind her why the scale and energy of live events are so addictive.

Are you good with money—and what does “too good” look like?

“Good with money” for Carolyn means debt-averse and steady: she graduated without student loans, bought an affordable apartment in Queens early, keeps living costs low, and has retirement vehicles (Roth IRA, 401(k), and union pension/annuity accruals). But she’s candid that her frugality can become avoidance—saving in the bank instead of investing, and under-investing in herself. A stable, well-compensated W-2 role with The Lion King provides security (roughly 75% of her income), yet she sometimes wishes she had taken more creative risks as a freelance LD. Coming from Depression-era and immigrant family influences, prudence is second nature; COVID reinforced the instinct to hoard cash for downturns. She doesn’t currently maintain a separate tax account or active brokerage portfolio, preferring liquidity—even as she recognizes that cash drag dulls long-term growth and that “saving too much” can mean saying no to classes, software, and career bets that compound over time.

How does she structure work, benefits, and the nuts-and-bolts of freelancing?

Carolyn’s Lion King contract is a hybrid: part-time, open-ended, paid when engaged and quiet in between—ideal pockets for design gigs. She coordinates with a deep bench of associates and assistants so overlapping needs are covered. On taxes, she files as a sole proprietor; about 25% of income is 1099. She hires an accountant (typically $550–$650; more with multi-state filings) after trying DIY software and deciding expert help was worth it. Budgeting-wise: she was a Mint loyalist (RIP) and now uses Monarch to aggregate accounts and speed tax prep, though her spending swings by travel cycle (home = household purchases; road = per diems/food). Retirement: Roth IRA, 401(k), and union benefits through USA 829; she learned the hard way to track pension vesting rules (takeaway: get vested early if you can). No life insurance (no dependents), no HSA, and no active brokerage yet—though she’s seriously considering opening one to put sidelined cash to work. Her “best” habit is keeping fixed costs low (housing especially), which gives her the freedom to choose projects for fit, not just fee.

How does she actually find work—and what networking feels sustainable?

Word-of-mouth rules. Carolyn’s first touring SM job sprang from relationships forged at festivals; that pattern continues. Her practical mantra: it’s better to be in a theatre and seen than not—visibility begets opportunity. She sends “bat signals” to the network when she’s available, asks collaborators for coffee, and shows up where people are working. Social platforms can help at the margins (she’s lukewarm on LinkedIn’s “Open to Work” banner but sees it create occasional leads), yet she believes direct outreach still outperforms passive signaling. She also advocates reciprocity and mentorship: someone opened a door for her, so she pays it forward—because goodwill compounds like interest. For those feeling disconnected, her advice is deceptively simple: email the person you admire; most people are open to a quick chat if you make it easy.

What are her biggest money/career lessons—and what’s next?

The headline lessons:

• Keep living expenses low. It’s the single lever that increases freedom to say no, take a gap, or choose the more creative project.

• Invest in yourself. Classes, software (hello, Capture tutorials), and skill stacking pay off—especially after periods of “maintenance-mode” career.

• Blend stability with stretch. A recurring, “moderately freelance” anchor job can underwrite riskier creative ventures.

• Mind the admin. Track union vesting, use aggregation tools for taxes, and know your W-2/1099 mix before April.

• Liquidity isn’t a plan. Emergency cash is essential, but beyond that, uninvested savings lose ground; getting a brokerage account in place is an actionable next step.