Lee started his professional career in stage and lighting design for the New York theater, where his Masters degree in drama from Vassar College served him in good stead. His career in multimedia began in 1983 when he was hired by AT&T as a freelance set designer for an interactive videodisc project. In the early to mid-eighties, certain university labs and companies like AT&T were where the groundbreaking work was being done in interactive media and user experiences. Lee soon joined AT&T as a staff producer, becoming more involved in the then new world of interactive multimedia.

Over the next fifteen years or so, Lee worked at various companies producing award-winning videodiscs, interactive exhibits, CD-ROMS and interactive programs. Clients included AT&T, Brooklyn Union Gas Company, Citibank, Dreyfus, Harper-Collins, IBM, Parents Magazine and Sony.