Meet The 2024 Artists: Joel Cowart (Unlimited Display)

2024 Unlimited Display Presenter

Joel Cowart

Buckley, Washington
Owner of Pyroland Fireworks

Joel’s obsession with fireworks sparked early on and may never be extinguished! He’s been designing and importing consumer products under his own brand for over a decade, and cannot wait to be on the field of dreams to take the Sky Wars audience on a journey into another dimension with his Unlimited show.

Joel’s Pyro Story

Joel’s been fascinated with fireworks for as long as he can remember. When he was 13 years old, he begged for a job at a fireworks stand! He’s been a pyro salesman slash connoisseur ever since.

Joel describes Pyroland, which he started in 2010, as “a small microbrewery” of fireworks. He and his team (including his wife Suzanne and buddy Jordan Cook) have been importing fireworks of their own design since 2012. Multi-shot cakes are their specialty; they’ve created an “arsenal” of dedicated cakes in every color and effect you can imagine, largely with the intent of convenience for the choreographer. Having the ability to design shows with repeaters that don’t need to be split is a game changer!

A career of developing and selling fireworks doesn’t necessarily equate to being a seasoned pyrotechnician, so Joel joined his local pyro club Northwest Pyrotechnics Association in hopes of becoming a better shooter. NPA gave him the space to ask unlimited questions and get hands-on experience with firing equipment before he invested in his own. Today, he’s “still on that quest” to learn and evolve as a pyrotechnician – pyro is a practice, after all.

Joel has shot local shows big and small for a variety of occasions over the years. He’s actually just getting started with big-stage displays: he choreographed and shot the Pyroland display at PGI 2024 in Brainerd Minnesota, and is now on his way to present at the 19th annual Sky Wars championship!

Teaser of Joel’s 2024 Unlimited show at Sky Wars

Joel hints that there are some “really special shells,” including up to 10 and 12 inches, that they’ve selected that are going to look amazing in the show. 

“I am shooting a lot of 1.3g shells over our [consumer] stuff, so that’s going to be a little different than some of the shows that maybe people have seen [Pyroland] shoot at PGI. I have some huge Yung Feng 10-inch shells… they’re going to be as pretty as our fireworks underneath it. It’s gonna be rad.”

A pyromusical’s soundtrack is like the glue of the show, and Joel says he likely has put way more hours into his soundtrack than the actual fireworks script. He hopes to “transport the audience to a different dimension” with spacey, EDM-style music that he thinks is different from what he’s seen at most pyro events. 

Joel’s choreography style:

Joel is no stranger to the innovation that can be found at Sky Wars, which he’s been incredibly enthusiastic about since he first attended in 2020. Lugging out 80-foot lifts or constructing 2,000-cue wheels, though, isn’t really his personal style. 

“I maybe shoot a little bit more raw and heavy.” As previously mentioned, Joel’s a cake guy. He often prefers to see beautiful or loud dedicated effects go up by the caseful, rather than trying to paint the sky in ways he’s seen done many times before. (“What’s beyond the ‘bird’? Show me that.” he jokes, referring to comet runs that resemble parabolas or bird wings.)

At the end of the day, Joel believes a great fireworks display is one that pulls you emotionally and leaves a lasting memory. He wants to feel as though he “just went on a journey” after watching a pyromusical, and that’s exactly the experience he aims to give the Sky Wars audience.

Favorite pyro show to date: 

It may not be the *best* show he’s shot, but his favorite show so far is one he designed in 2023 for a birthday slash retirement party. The subject of this party is not only a DJ at a wedding venue where Joel frequently shoots shows, he’s also a (now retired) local police officer and is in a Kiss cover band. When Joel discovered these two facts and the invitation to “do something cool,” he poured himself into making an unforgettable display. 

“There must have been a thousand people there. Everyone’s in spandex. It looks like the eighties.” Joel said everyone was singing loudly throughout the show, and “when the fireballs went with the salutes at the end, the cheer and applause and screaming made all the work worth it, just in that 10 seconds.”

Joel says this was probably the coolest show that he’s ever displayed because he knows he gave the guy an irreplaceable experience.

When asked which show he thinks was his BEST to date, Joel cites his Pyrotechnics Guild International display earlier this year (it’s also the BIGGEST show he’s shot to date). He felt it was not only a huge challenge to overcome–the site was a muddy, rainy mess for the majority of the weeklong event–but also a stretch on his creativity, and he loved getting to use a bunch of his new horsetail effects.

Ask The Pros: Questions from the Fans

Nathan Starr: How many cues?

“The cue army!” Joel jokes. He estimates between 1,000 and 1,500 but in all honesty, he isn’t sure. (Keep in mind, cue count isn’t the same as shot count; his focus is on using whole multi-shot cakes rather than a ton of single shots.)

Rick Distler: How much do you estimate the total cost of 1.4g pyro (not including fireballs or special effects) will be to put on your display?

“My wife always asks me the same question.” Joel says he generally waits to add it all up until after he’s finished with scripting, so that estimated cost doesn’t affect his creativity. “I don’t have my prices on my Finale sim and intentionally… I refuse to let myself be limited. Part of me never wants to know [total cost]!”

Scott Schuh: How many times will you fully dry run your shows with ALL the equipment that you intend to use?

Joel promises to dry run the show “until it’s as dry as the Sahara Desert.”

Donnie Toms: How many lifts are you bringing??

None! “I’m not doing any boom lifts. I’ll leave that for all you other guys.” See Joel’s notes on his choreography style above.

So, is Joel excited to present at Sky Wars?

Joel says he “fell in love with the Sky Wars event” after he first attended in 2020 and was blown away at the skill and artistic styles of the pyros being showcased. He’s been to all kinds of industry events–National Fireworks Association expos, PGIs, wholesaler and supplier demos, you name it–but remembers clearly after leaving Sky Wars for the first time saying to himself, “I would so love to come back here and shoot a show.”

To say he’s excited for September 28 is an understatement! “I literally cannot believe that we’re like 30 days away from making dreams come true and getting to go out there… we are so excited for the opportunity to be there at that moment, and to give my best to all these people in the industry that inspired me to become a better shooter.” 

Joel says he’s super thankful to the folks with MoPyro for inviting Pyroland to present. “I swear I’m not going to let you down. It’s going to be sick!”