Sooner Rae Creative
Create | Design | Produce
Television and Broadcast
Coldplay on SNL 2024
Coldplay’s 2024 Saturday Night Live performance translated the expansive visual language of their Music of the Spherestour into the intimate setting of Studio 8H through immersive lighting, cosmic imagery, and cinematic staging. The production emphasized saturated color washes, sweeping beams, silhouetted backlighting, and minimalist scenic elements to create a futuristic yet emotional atmosphere that felt both arena-scale and personal on camera.
Watch We Pray Here
Ice Spice SNL 2023
Working with The Playground, Sooner executed a design under an extremely fast turn around for Ice Spice’s performance on the season opener for NBC Saturday Night Live. She requested a modern approach with lighting and video content that submerged her and two dancers in an electrifying environment. The Playground collaborated with choreographer Tricia Mirands and her team to accomplish the production design and show direction in record time!
Zayn’s 2024 performance of “Alienated” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon used restrained, cinematic production design and intimate camera direction to reinforce the song’s themes of isolation and vulnerability. The staging was intentionally minimal—an empty studio, low-key atmospheric lighting, and muted tones created a solitary, almost rehearsal-like environment that focused attention entirely on Zayn’s vocal performance. Camera work favored slow dolly movements, tight close-ups, and lingering single shots rather than fast cutting, giving the performance a raw, emotionally exposed quality that contrasted with the scale and polish of traditional late-night music setups.
Noah Kahan on SNL 2023
In collaboration with The Playground, Sooner designed and executed a performance on NBC’s Saturday Night Live for Noah Kahan. Noah performed under an upside down forest. Light filtered through the trees as he serenaded his audience performing Stick Season and Dial Drunk. Corinne Merolla and Bobby Grey were instrumental in the design and execution. The result was a spectacular debut performance for Noah on Saturday Night Live.
Coldplay on The Graham Norton Show
Coldplay performed My Universe with the backing of the largest concert production the studio had seen for a singular performance. Creative Direction by Misty Buckley and Phil Harvey. Lighting Design by Sooner Rae Creative.
Coldplay on The Brit Awards 2021
Coldplay opened The Brit Awards on a barge in the middle of the Thames in 2021. Sooner Rae Creative provided the lighting design for Phil Harvey and Misty Buckley’s creative direction in collaboration with Steve Nolan and Quantum Creative.
Coldplay on The Graham Norton Show
In collaboration with Phil Harvey and Misty Buckley, Sooner Rae Creative helped create a twinkly atmosphere using festoon and antique television lighting fixtures.
Coldplay Everyday Life Album Release in Amman, Jordan
Coldplay recently released their acclaimed album Everyday Life with multiple performances in Amman, Jordan. Sooner Rae Creative provided architectural/concert lighting for the traditional performance in front of the Citadel.
The Weeknd on the AMA’s
Sooner Rae Creative had the honor of lighting Es Devlin’s spectral, mirror tunnel for The Weeknd’s performance of ‘Starboy’ in 2017.
The Weeknd on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
Sooner Rae Creative had the honor of lighting a beautiful dichroic curtain for The Weeknd’s performance on NBC’s Late Night With Jimmy Fallon created by Es Devlin. It took light beautifully, setting the perfect scene for "‘I Feel It Coming’ and ‘Starboy.’
Alessia Cara Canadian Grey Cup Half Time Show
Alessia Cara’s performance for the Canadian Grey Cup Half Time Show featured a troupe of break dancing figure skaters, heavy amounts of pyrotechnics and a drum line. For approximately fifteen minutes, she wowed her audience across North America singing hits like Scars to Your Beautiful, Stay and Wild Things.
Halsey The Ellen Show
Halsey performed her hit song Without Me on the Ellen show in the fall of 2017. Her request was to perform with a backdrop of light and simple video texture.
Alessia Cara performs Not Today on The Ellen Show
Alessia Cara recreated her music video for Not Today on the Ellen Show in the fall of 2018. Band members were featured playing in a Wes Anderson styled interior playing on various pieces of mid century modern furniture.
Halsey on the Much Music Video Awards
Halsey performed her smash hits Sorry and Bad At Love at the Much Music Video Awards in Toronto in 2018. She began singing in a sea of augmented reality smoke and fire. As the songs merged, she lowered to the stage to perform with a backdrop of projection powered set pieces.
Halsey on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
Halsey began promo for her Hopeless Fountain Kingdom album in the winter of 2017. Her campaign featured a storyline of star crossed lovers in a dystopian world. Images of roses, fire, daggers, and plague masked men dominated her aesthetic.
KISS on America’s Got Talent
Legendary KISS rocked America’s Got Talent in 2018 with an epic performance of Detroit Rock City. The performance featured heavy amounts of pyrotechnics and effects amongst large banks of pars and tungsten light.
Halsey on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
Halsey began promo for her Hopeless Fountain Kingdom album in the winter of 2017. Her campaign featured a storyline of star crossed lovers in a dystopian world. Images of roses, fire, daggers, and plague masked men dominated her aesthetic.
Halsey Billboard Music Awards 2017
Halsey began promo for her Hopeless Fountain Kingdom album in the winter of 2017. Her campaign featured a storyline of star crossed lovers in a dystopian world. Images of roses, fire, daggers, and plague masked men dominated her aesthetic.
The Weeknd on The Ellen Show
Sooner helped bring Es Devlin’s laser environment to life for The Weeknd’s debut on daytime tv.
Halsey The Today Show
Halsey began promo for her Hopeless Fountain Kingdom album in the winter of 2017. Her campaign featured a storyline of star crossed lovers in a dystopian world. Images of roses, fire, daggers, and plague masked men dominated her aesthetic.
KISS on The Late Late Show with James Cordon
KISS rocked The Late Late Show with James Cordon in fall of 2018 with a performance of Shout It Out Loud. It served as one of multiple performances to promote their upcoming End of the Road Tour.
