UK - Fifteen years ago The Prolight Concepts Group moved from its home in Bury to its current home in Darwen. It has now outgrown the 37,000sq.ft premises and is set to move. Situated less than four miles away in the neighbouring town of Blackburn the new premises will see a tenfold increase in office and workshop space and treble the amount of warehouse bays. With the M65 motorway also being within such close proximity it allows excellent transport links to the M6 and the rest of the country for fast and efficient distribution along with easy access for visiting customers and suppliers. “We are delighted to be able to secure the future growth of our business with this key property purchase. We have been actively seeking a location to build on the growth we have already accomplished and it was important to achieve this in the local area so we could maintain our high
UK - Backup’s Kart-Fest 2018 returns on 5 July at Daytona Sandown Park in Surrey, with Chauvet helping drive the event forward and Wimbledon named as this year’s theme. “We all know people in it who have suffered or are suffering right now in our crazy industry family,” says Matt Hallard, Chauvet’s UK sales manager. “Having an opportunity to support friends and colleagues by sponsoring one of backup’s amazing events is simply the least we can do. Here’s to many more opportunities to shout loud about the great work the trustees and team are doing at Backup and here’s to all that support them.” “We are delighted to welcome Chauvet as our key partner for Kart-Fest 2018,” says Backup trustee Lee Dennison. "Chauvet joins an amazing list of companies who have already committed to backup and supporting the work we do. We also welcome Creative Technolo
UK - For anyone working with video, codecs play a vital role in compressing clips for optimum playback in real-time scenarios. For many, the HAP codec - inter-operable between platforms - was key to their work. With Adobe having dropped support of QuickTime 7 (a popular platform that included the HAP codec) as of 24 April, a new workaround for many video professionals is needed. Step forward Green Hippo, whose FlexRes codec means its Hippotizer servers are unaffected by the change. LSi spoke to Sean Westgate, technical director and founder of Green Hippo, to find out more about all things HAP, FlexRes and more . . . LSi: For those who might not know, can you please explain the importance of codecs and what the HAP codec is? Sean Westgate: “To get maximum playback performance in real-time, video clips need to be compressed using a codec. This reduces th
UK - Hire and events company SLX has announced the successful applicants for its 2018 bursary scheme, which sees the company supporting five students enrolled on production courses with £3000 of hire equipment as well as networking and development opportunities. Spanning the UK, the students attend different institutions and are enrolled on a variety of technical production focussed courses. Third year students and graduating this year are Ashley Holdom (Rose Bruford) and Ryan Searle (Bristol Old Vic) and the 2nd year students receiving the bursary are Alex Silvester (University of Bolton – Backstage Academy), Georgia Wren - LIPA and Ben Linwood (Guildford School of Acting). As well as receiving the £3000 bursary to support a project of the student’s choosing, the five applicants were also welcomed into SLX Avonmouth, spending two full days in May with the SLX
USA - Effective immediately, ADJ Products is taking over the development, support and sales for the Compu Show lighting control software previously offered by Elation Professional for the past 10 years. ADJ USA’s national sales manager, Alfred Gonzales, explains: “As ADJ’s fixtures have evolved, we felt it was important to grow our DMX software line as well. Our existing myDMX control software has been a very successful product worldwide for ten years, but we felt we needed to offer something with more power and possibilities. Compu Show is a proven system that offers lighting designers powerful features and flexible control options to allow them to make the most of their lighting rigs and fully realize their creative vision.” Compu Show is an advanced DMX control software application for PC, that is designed for programming and controlling large rigs of moving
Singapore - DPA Microphones has appointed Acoustic & Lighting Systems to handle the distribution of its entire product range in Singapore and Thailand. DPA has also appointed Arcadia Tech as a direct dealer in Singapore. Ken Kimura, managing director of DPA’s APAC office, says: “We are excited to have both companies looking after DPA and are confident this move will benefit more professional users in the regional audio community as our upgraded mics with the CORE by DPA Technology is being introduced in both territories.” Headquartered in Malaysia and with offices in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, Acoustic & Lighting Systems is one of the most prominent audio visual and lighting companies in South East Asia. Established in 1993 as a live sound company, A&L has expanded over the years to encompass broadcast and, more recently, the corporate AV sec
UK - Steeldeck, platforms, staging and seating solutions manufacturer, has secured a new London production facility (see LSi May for more). The new facility is located on the outskirts of London in Erith and will provide over 2300m2 of space, doubling the capacity of the company’s previous base in Bermondsey. Steeldeck has historically been based in central London, but remaining in the heart of the capital had become irrelevant since the separation of the company’s rental and manufacturing arms. Philip Parsons, Steeldeck CEO, comments: “The old premises were very conveniently located near our rental business in London’s Bermondsey, and to various suppliers such as the powder coater, but the a
Europe - A group of professionals from across member organisations, manufacturers and designers in the live entertainment industry had 'a very productive meeting' in Brussels on 17 May on the issue of Stage Lighting with the European Commission, a statement says. The meeting was between representatives of the EU’s Energy & Culture departments, and PEARLE representing its members in all EU states including SOLT/UK Theatre, the trade associations PLASA, VLPT and OETHG, the ALD, IALD and the Association of Swedish Lighting Designers. As a result, the organisations have agreed "to channel our work into seeking to draft a specific, technically based, exemption for lighting uses in the stage and entertainment industries in the new proposed Eco Regulations planned for 2020. This work needs to happen quickly with all collective comments being channelled thro
World - Philips Lighting completed its rebrand to Signify following the company’s Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on 15 May. The name change is set to be implemented in all 70 countries where the company is active by the beginning of 2019. Signify will continue to use the Philips brand for its products under the existing license agreement. Eric Rondolat, CEO of Signify, comments: “The choice of our new company name originates from the way light has become an intelligent language, which connects and conveys meaning. It is a clear expression of our strategic vision and purpose to unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world.” Philips Lighting separated from Royal Philips in 2016 and announced it would change its name in March 2018. The new name satisfies the company’s contractual requirements under the C
USA - Building on the momentum that started with the company’s 2017 move to a larger facility, InterAmerica Stage is rolling out a new brand identity. The new look starts with an updated logo, which embraces the familiar way clients refer to the organisation. “Everybody we work with calls us IA Stage,” says general manager, John Gitzy. “Heck, we even call ourselves IA Stage!” The new logo and branding theme were created by Black’s son, Andrew, who is a professional illustrator and animator. IA Stage has been busy integrating the new brand identity into all facets of the company’s public presence, and to augment the branding efforts, the company launched a new website designed by Designzillas at the end of April, introducing cross-platform functionality and more streamlined user experience. “We want people to visit our website and find something
Europe/USA - Yamaha and Audinate are teaming up to present a free webinar titled Audio Networking For Houses Of Worship, Colleges and Universities on 23 May (Wednesday). The webinar, to be broadcast on ProSoundWeb.com, will examine Dante-enabled solutions for system design, implementation and management for carrying large numbers of audio channels around an auditorium and for distributing audio throughout a campus. Andy Cooper (manager, pro audio application engineering, Yamaha R&D Centre London) and Karl Christmas (technical marketing manager, Yamaha R&D Centre London) will feature alongside Kieran Walsh (Audinate director of application engineering, EMEA). The webinar runs from 6pm CET / 5pm BST / 12pm Eastern Time and 9am US Pacific Time.
Italy - AV technology specialist Peerless-AV has announced a distribution agreement with Milan-based AV distributor AGMultivision for the manufacturer’s complete portfolio, including outdoor displays, indoor kiosks, mounts, trolleys and stands, and accessories. Under the new agreement, AGMultivision will be responsible for sales, marketing, customer support and distribution in Italy. Melinda Von Horvath, vice president of sales and marketing - EMEA, Peerless-AV, comments: “AGMultivision is a perfect partner to help grow our brand awareness, promote our products and expand our customer base throughout Italy. They are a trusted and highly respected distributor with strong sales and support competencies that are fundamental to contributing significant growth for us as a company.” Guido Villa, managing director of AGMultivision, adds: “We are looking for lon
Zambia - Entrepreneur Siddharth Patel wanted his new Fire & Ice Night Club in the heart of Ndola, Zambia’s third largest city, to be truly cutting-edge in technology and aesthetics, so he approached Johannesburg-based lighting sales and installation specialist DWR for ideas and solutions. DWR project manager JP Vernon conducted a site visit, chatted extensively with the client and produced some concepts which they discussed, including the installation of Anolis Arc Source 4 MC luminaires to provide mood lighting. The 28 x ArcSource 4 MCs are installed above the bar, DJ booth and VIP area at the back of the space. They function as striking down-lighters and greatly enhance the ambience of the lively 200 capacity venue. The bar is geared to attract a dynamic community of guests living and working in the city which is also Zambia’s commercial capital and is
USA - Mid South Audio of Georgetown, Delaware, has made a major investment in Nexo’s STM Series modular line array, ordering 98 cabinets in the largest single audio purchase in the company’s history. “We made the decision about a year ago that we needed to add a new line array to our inventory,” states Kevin Short, director of business development, Mid South Audio. “We had been cross renting, and with our business growing, it was time to expand our inventory.” Short said the company started looking closely at five line array manufacturers, receiving live demos and listening to all five rigs. “We were given the opportunity to demo the rigs on gigs before we narrowed the decision down to two. This was going to be the largest single audio purchase in our company’s 29-year history, so we were really serious about what we wanted to come away with. The sound
UK - Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance is to develop a new £3.5m Centre for Digital Creation and Production with investment and support from industry partners, including leading companies such as; Autodesk, Cast, Disguise (formerly d3 Technologies), ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls), Philips Lighting, Robe and White Light. £940k funding for the project was also provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), through its Catalyst Fund. The investment will continue to be monitored by HEFCE’s successor, the Office for Students. The Centre will build on the College’s existing technical production expertise in lighting and sound design, and extend this to include digital & immersive technologies, video design and engineering, content creation and visualisation; leading and influencing the development of advanced technological p
UK - GoboPlus.com has announced its support for the #SaveStageLighting campaign by providing free #SaveStageLighting gobos to performance venues across the UK and Europe. A campaign initiative spearheaded by the Association of Lighting Designers’ Robbie Butler, encouraged theatres and other performance venues across Europe to project a ‘#SaveStageLighting’ gobo on the buildings’ exteriors to raise awareness of the controversial Ecodesign Working Plan 2016-2019. GoboPlus.com gifted 150 metal gobos to ALD members to project on Light Up day on 28 April. The #SaveStageLighting gobos were given to any venue which wanted to take part, and theatres, schools, opera houses and even television studios all over the UK and mainland Europe took up the challenge. The National Theatre, English National Opera, Glyndebourne, Brechin High School, West Yorkshire Playhouse
UK - Production equipment specialist VER has opened its new lighting showspace and pre-visualisation suites. The new facility houses VER's entire product range. It has been built as part of upgrade works at the company’s North London hub and is adjacent to VER’s equipment store. To help launch the new showspace, the company is running a series of open-house events featuring a variety of automated fixtures and lighting effects, including the Minuit Une M-Carré, an innovative new approach to scenographic illumination and effects that will change the way you look at light - exclusively available to rent from VER. Speaking about the new studio, VER’s director of lighting, Europe, David March says, “We’re delighted to be launching our new showspace. The facility allows us to provide crews with hands on testing of both the VER and Aurora product range plus
Greece - Asproulis Experience has become K-array’s distributor in Greece. The Thessaloniki-based company specialises in acoustic measurements, services and installations. It was formed in late 2017 by industry veteran Christos Asproulis. Asproulis comments: “From day one, I sought to work with K-array and become their point of reference in Greece. "K-array’s design and quality sound is something that no one can refute. Our goal is to offer high-end solutions and procure installations all over the Greek territory. With our close relations with our large network of dealers, we will be able to supply K-array in every part of the country.” (Jim Evans)
Slovakia - Green Hippo has appointed City Light Slovakia as its distributor in Slovakia with immediate effect. City Light Slovakia was established in 1993 and in addition to being a distributor, the company offers technology installation and post-warranty services and also has experience in providing operator training; an area in which it will work closely with Green Hippo’s highly regarded HippoSchool and in-house training division. Marek Plancar, owner of cityLight Slovakia, comments: “For us, the distribution of Green Hippo Hippotizer Media Servers opens the door of creativity and offers high-end hardware and software, for great shows. We are glad to become part of the Green Hippo family and its product line of Hippotizer Media Servers - it is the world’s best solution for real-time video playback. We hope that we can begin a positive cooperation as the exclu
USA - Austrian AV technology manufacturer AV Stumpfl has announced the launch of a US subsidiary - AV Stumpfl Inc. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the office will be helmed by managing director Todd Liedahl and supported by a network of distributors, dealers and technology specialists. Fabian Stumpfl, AV Stumpfl GmbH CEO, comments: " The establishment of AV Stumpfl Inc. is a new chapter in our company’s history. Todd is without doubt the perfect choice for the role of managing director. Although our products are already well known in the US market, we feel that there is still a lot of growth potential for both our projection screen and media server systems. He adds: “The USA is obviously of major importance as a trend-setter territory. Professionals from all over the world look to the US for the latest technological trends in the AV and entertainment ind
USA - Theatre Projects is opening an office in Denver on 1 June, the company has announced. Principal Millie Dixon will lead the new office with support from other familiar faces including Aaron Wong and Ali Mignone. The location was chosen for being relatively central to western and mid-western US and for being easy to reach from Los Angeles, Portland, Minneapolis, Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta by plane. With the opening of the new office, Theatre Projects will have five offices worldwide - Denver, Connecticut (South Norwalk), London, Paris, and Shanghai, as well as a representative in Chile. (Jim Evans)
UK - Stage Electrics Group CEO Maria Townsend and marketing director and PLASA chairman Adam Blaxill met with Ashley Fox MEP for the South West to discuss the proposed EU Ecodesign regulations. At the meeting, Blaxill outlined the potential implications, not only for specialist lighting companies like Stage Electrics and their sister company SLX Hire & Events, but also for theatres, social clubs and schools all of whom own equipment which will effectively become obsolete. He comments: “The UK and Europe are world leaders in entertainment lighting, these regulations are a direct threat to our ability to deliver world class entertainment.” Fox, who had already responded to the consultation before meeting the Stage Electrics team, offered insight into the legislative process and promised to continue to raise concerns with the European Commission and lobby for an
China - MA Lighting and Avolites had blocked alleged infringing companies from exhibiting certain products at the recent Guangzhou Entertainment Technology (GET) exhibition after a number of product copyright infringements were identified by both companies and the GET organisers. The move comes shortly after the two stage lighting solutions manufacturers joined forces in a similar action against an alleged counterfeiter at Frankfurt’s Prolight+Sound. Franco Zaghini, director of business development for MA Lighting, and Avolites’ sales director Koy Neminathan led the team to negotiate with alleged counterfeit manufacturers on the show floor and asked them to withdraw all displayed infringing products. Zaghini comments: “On the first day of the show, we sat with the GET organisers to show them all our patents, trademarks and IPs and their authenticity. At t
Stage Invasion - The anti-media campaigner who interrupted SuRie's performance in the Eurovision final managed to invade the stage after climbing into the venue's camera run while being pursued by security. Organisers the European Broadcasting Union said the man - believed to be a so-called "philosopher, activist and DJ" who goes by the name of Dr ACactivism - made his way to the stage via a bridge. "He climbed into the camera run and reached the main stage via the bridge, pursued by security," said a spokesman. "He was removed off stage after seven seconds and was questioned by police. We take security very seriously and an investigation into what happened is already underway." The man previously stormed the stage during the final of The Voice in 2017 and the National Television Awards in January this year. Autism Friendly - The Prin
