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I get paid to produce the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks

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I get paid to produce the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks
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I get paid to produce the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks

Once a year Amy Kule's work goes up in smoke, literally, with millions of people watching.

"The excitement builds straight up to the moment that we count down from 10 to 1. When that first burst goes into the sky it's really a special place to be," Kule said in an interview with CNBC's Power Lunch.

Kule is the Executive Producer of the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks. She has been in charge of the show since 2001 and been with the company for two decades. Getting the twenty five minute show off the ground takes a full year and a big team.

"We challenge our fireworks provider to create things unique to us…and they have about a year to piece it together," Kule said.


The Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks show illuminating the Manhattan Skyline.
Source: Kent Miller Studios | Macy's

Fireworks make noise, but they also need music. Special music

"This year we are working with the United States Air Force Band; they've done an incredible score. They're wonderful to work with because they are very precise. When you record with them there is rarely a take two because they are on it," Kule said.

The band will be playing to fifty six thousand pyrotechnic effects this year. Getting them all wired and synchronized to a computerized digital firing system requires all hands on deck in the final days.

"We've got five different firing barges along the river in New York. It takes about two weeks and about fifty people working to do that," Kule said.

Seeing it all come to life is what gives Kule the greatest joy.

"Nobody is thinking about anything other than the beauty and majesty of what you're seeing in the air," Kule said