Reed grew up in Colorado, where he attended High School at Denver School of the Arts, graduating in 2003 with a major in Stagecraft and Design. The same year, he moved to Seattle, WA to attend Cornish College of the Arts. In 2007, he obtained a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Performance Production with an emphasis in Lighting Design. Since then, he has done freelance designs for Pacific Northwest Ballet, Teatro Zinzanni, Showbox at the Market, Strawberry Theatre Workshop, 

Seattle Shakespeare Company, Intiman Theatre, Acrobatic Conundrum, Book-it Rep, and the Rat City Rollergirls.

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In 2019, he became the Resident Lighting Designer for Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, WA.