Meet the Artists 2026: Nathan Dexter (Pro-Am Competitor)

2026 Pro-Am Display Competitor

Nathan Dexter

From: Carmel, IN

A decade into his pyro obsession, Nathan Dexter is trading the family-and-friends backyard circuit for the biggest stage in American fireworks. With a perfectionist’s eye for choreography, a crew of close pyro friends at his side, and a signature stash of DIY single shots, Nathan is bringing his all to Sky Wars in September.

Nathan’s pyro story:

Like a lot of us, Nathan grew up lighting fireworks in the backyard every 4th of July. But the moment his hobby tipped into something more serious had nothing to do with a YouTube rabbit hole or a chance encounter at a club shoot — it was his boss.

“I got back from vacation and he said, ‘Hey, I got this firing system and it electronically fires fireworks. You think you can figure it out?’” At the time, Nathan had never touched an electronic firing system in his life. “I’m sure I could do something,” he said — and he did.

That company show, dubbed “Lunar Fest” and held a couple of weeks after the 4th, grew bigger every single year. Nathan eventually earned his 1.3 license, started shooting larger shells, and was off to the races. At one point he was producing four or five shows a year; these days he’s intentionally scaled back to one or two annual displays so he can really focus on them.

“Every year I’m always learning something and growing,” he said. “It just has never stopped.”

Nathan’s previous Sky Wars experience:

Nathan first attended Sky Wars in 2022 and has been back every year since (yes, even the infamous 2024 “pity party” weekend after the show was canceled). It was at his very first Sky Wars that the seed was planted.

“The first year there I said, ‘I’m gonna do this someday.’ That was my goal to work up to, and get my chance this year.”

In the meantime, Nathan has been getting his reps in at the highest levels of the craft. He helped AJ Plata pull off his Champions of Champions Sky Wars show, and was part of the opening display crew at PGI alongside AJ — the largest production he’s ever been involved in. 

Last year he also threw his hat in the ring for the inaugural Pro-Am competition at Cobra-Con (now Elevate), his first official pyro competition.

“I got my feet wet with the competition world of fireworks, and hopefully I can jump right in on this one,” he said.

One thing Nathan took away from that first competition: music choice matters. “I shot my show to music that I enjoyed instead of music that would appease the crowd or the judges,” he said. “I’m doing a little bit of a different genre for this one. I think it’s gonna go over pretty well.”

What to expect from Nathan’s 2026 show:

Don’t expect a tightly themed concept show from Nathan — he’s not built that way as a designer. “I’ve never been one that does a theme. I’m more about how well the show flows from song to song.”

For Nathan, the magic test is simple: “When we hear a song, we envision the fireworks going off in our heads. It all starts up here — and if it doesn’t go past there, then it’s not a good song.” He’s designed his Sky Wars set around tracks that pass that test, with deliberate softer, slower segments balanced against powerful, hard-hitting moments. “There’s something in the show for everybody that they will like,” he promises.

His script is sitting right around 3,200 cues, and the audience can expect to see plenty of Nathan’s signature DIY single shots — effects he tears out of cakes that don’t come single-shot from the factory. “There’s a handful of cakes that I use in every show. I guess it’s just my signature.” A few raccoon-cake effects in particular make it into every single one of his designs.

As for finale must-haves? Gold. Brocade. Nishiki. A full sky — “and hopefully not just sky puke,” he jokes.

And yes, there will be one lift in the field. “I didn’t want to do any,” Nathan admitted. “I’d like everybody to be on the same playing field.” But after watching what Shaun Hauter did with two lifts in the 2025 championship, he decided not to leave that tool in the toolbox. “It’s another tool of the trade, I guess.”

One thing Nathan does NOT subscribe to: pyrocrastination. “The sooner I can get something done, the better.” As of this interview, his Sky Wars show was already designed, and he plans to dry-run the full thing 10 to 15 times with all his equipment before show day to make sure every module behaves exactly the way he’s asked it to. He’s already saved himself once: a planned finale run that looked great in the sim but underwhelmed in real life got cut after a test fire. “That was not where I wanted to do my testing at,” he said. “One hundred percent.”

Where Nathan finds pyro inspiration:

Nathan’s biggest influence in the pyro world is AJ Plata. “I talk to him several times a week,” he said. The two became close after Nathan helped out on AJ’s Champions of Champions show, and that crew has become a tight-knit group of friends. Many of those same shooters are coming back to help Nathan put his Sky Wars show in the sky.

Which brings up another core part of Nathan’s philosophy as a lead: take care of your people. “I’ve learned that your crew is invaluable. I want them to enjoy their time out there. I don’t want it to be hard grit, sweat, and miserable days. I hope we do well taking care of them so they enjoy the show just as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it on.” (He’s also planning to bring cornhole boards — more on that below.)

Nathan’s Pyro Fast Facts:

• Firing system of choice: Cobra Firing Systems
• Scripting software: Finale 3D
• Finale effect must-have: Anything gold. Brocade. Nishiki. A full sky (not sky puke).
• Signature effects: DIY single shots torn out of cakes — especially a few raccoon-cake effects that find their way into every Nathan show.
• Sky Wars 2026 Cue count: ~3,200
• Sky Wars 2026 Lifts: One.
• Sky Wars 2026 Crew size: Around 10, many of them PGI / Champions of Champions teammates.
• Proactive Pyro or Pyrocrastinator? Proactive. Show was already designed and ready months out.
• Dry runs before live show: 10–15
• Other pastimes: Ten years of competitive BBQ, and weekly cornhole nights with his wife. (Nathan’s bringing the boards to Sky Wars, by the way.)

Beyond fireworks:

Nathan calls fireworks, cornhole, and cooking “the trifecta of American pastimes,” and he’s remarkably good at all three. He spent ten years on the competitive BBQ circuit, traveling all over the country with a smoker; he’s scaled that back to family-and-friends cooks now. And he and his wife play cornhole a couple of nights a week — when they’re not prepping for Sky Wars. He’s already accepted the assignment to bring boards out to the meet-and-greet bonfire. Consider yourself warned.

Not just anyone gets the opportunity to compete at Sky Wars. Winner or not, what does this opportunity mean for you in your pyro journey?

“It’s pretty big. I think I’ve already won, in the sense that I’m going to be there. Getting on the big stage and being able to share my creativity with everybody and letting them see what I’ve put together and built — whether it takes the top spot or not, that’s a win for me. I won’t be disappointed either way.”

If he does take the trophy home, he already knows where it’s going: “Living room, on the mantle. Of course. Where else?” (After a decade of competitive BBQ, Nathan has a hard-earned eye for which trophies make the cut.)

Nathan also wanted to send a message to the broader Sky Wars community heading into this special year:

“I look forward to sharing my show with everybody, and I hope that everyone has a good, safe, and spectacular show to share with everybody as well. Being the [year of Sky Wars’] Pro Championship of Champions and the 250th anniversary of the United States — I think it’s gonna be a special year.”