Powers grew up in Wauconda, Ill., and attended the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television as an undergrad, studying lighting design. He has worked as a freelance entertainment designer since the early 2000s and has designed and assisted on more than 100 productions spanning theater, opera, dance and live music. Along with his work in traditional live events, Powers has designed a wide variety of corporate events and activations including several large conventions through his company Luna Lux LLC. In 2020, he worked in the applications department at Signify and Vari-lite Strand in Dallas. Through system design and applications engineering roles, he expanded his scope of work into architectural lighting and new venue installations. Also in 2020, Powers was recognized as one of the finalists in the Hog Factor Competition, and was selected to design the new Vari-Lite VL800 series fixture demo video. In early May, he completed a two-month project as an associate fountains designer and programmer on the nighttime spectacular ONCE with Quantum Creative Studios at VinWonders in Phú Quoc, Vietnam.