Le Maitre has signed two new distribution deals in Japan and India. The contracts were signed during the recent PLASA Show at Earls Court 1 in London. The Japanese contract is with Kazoue Inoue, President of the Rock Co, Tokyo. Le Maitre sales director Rick Wilson told PLASA Publishing: "At last we have found a customer in Japan willing to take the trouble to cut through the enormous amount of red tape required to import pyrotechnics. The Rock Co. has an extensive network of customers in live rock and roll." Le Maitre has also been successful in opening up another extremely difficult area of the world, India. Wilson added: "With huge tariffs on imported goods, India has always been a difficult market to crack. Our new partner Morani Fireworks, based in New Deli, is well connected in the film and entertainment industry which is burgeoning in India." Both companies will
With the aim of improving and upgrading the efficiency of its distribution and support network in Switzerland, Clay Paky has formed a new sales network appointing Emme (Camorino), MCG (Zürich) and Audio Light (Colombier) to handle its range of intelligent lighting products.
West London-based HFM Lighting has acquired 13 of Coemar's new CF7 luminaires from UK distributor CoeTech, currently making HFM the largest UK supplier of this new intelligent lighting fixture. HFM, headed by Hugh Frazer Mann, specialises in the supply of high specification intelligent lighting and projection systems for exhibitions, corporate presentations and special events, is looking forward to adding the CF range to their existing inventory. Since its launch this Summer, the CF7 has already found favour with top lighting professionals. In particular it has been specified by Lighting Designer Liz Berry for Robbie Williams. As the largest stockist of the CF range in the UK, HFM is currently supplying VLPS with 12 CF7s for the forthcoming Robbie Williams tour. HFM will be hosting a number of open days later in the year when full light shows and technical courses will be offered.
Laser Grafix in Royston, Herts, has formed a new liaison in Dubai with lighting and sound specialists, DLC ensuring that Laser Grafix will have ongoing representation in Dubai, ready to handle the Middle East enquiries for laser light shows. A wide range of laser equipment will be permanently based at DLC's premises in Dubai, to serve the home market place and GCC countries. This equipment will include water features, lasers, projectors and both inflatable and water screens. Laser Grafix has provided lasers and effects for a number of events in the region, including the celebrations of the 100 year Anniversary of the Founding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Further emphasising DHA Lighting's expansion into international markets, the company has announced the appointment of Rainer Weggen, previously of Lightpower Showtechnik, as its fourth international regional sales manager from October 1. Weggen, who will continue to be based in Germany, has tremendous knowledge and experience of DHA's product range following six and half years at Lightpower looking after key account customers. In his new role, he takes on responsibility for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Eastern Bloc countries.
Stage Electrics, the Bristol-based supplier of lighting, sound and technical equipment, officially unveiled its new London office during PLASA. The new branch, at 284-302 Waterloo Road, offers a trade counter selling consumables and also hosts a Virtual Lighting Studio housing a full WYSIWYG software programme and other WYSIWYG facilities. Also available at the new branch is a demonstration suite, displaying lighting and special effects from major industry manufacturers, giving clients and designers the opportunity to review all the latest technology. Finally to complete the facility, there is a cafe area suitable for informal meetings.
Strand location lighting features in a dramatic backlit film-set of the London Eye at Sunset, which opens and closes a new movie called Inferno. The 20-minute sci-fi comedy drama has been put together by students from the National Film & Television School in Beaconsfield, as part of their post-graduate course and has been presold to Channel 4. Producer Teun Hilte and director Paul Kousoulides approached Strand to see if they could get hold of some Strand 4K Super Quasars which Kousoulides had used some years earlier on another project. Although these lights have long since been discontinued, Strand Lighting MD Jim Ryan readily endorsed the project and soon the company's newly-appointed location lighting specialists, LCA, were pulled into the loop subsequently providing a pair of 12/6kW Pars to complement a further 12kW Par and power generator provided by Direct Lighting.
Melina Simeonova, a second-year graduate student enrolled in the MS in Lighting program at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) in Rensselaer, is the recipient of the first Color Kinetics Scholarship in Lighting. Simeonova, a licensed architect in both Bulgaria and the US was chosen by the Graduate Education Committee of the LRC to be the first-ever recipient of the scholarship after submitting a detailed thesis proposal investigating the use of solid-state, coloured lighting to light retail displays. Simeonova's research will compare the conventional method of lighting retail visual displays through luminance modulation, a technique that uses varying intensities of white light, with a new technique utilising coloured lighting.
Combine photographic imagery with photosynthesis and what do you get? An amazing 10ft high by 11ft wide image in grass that is currently on display at the V&A in London, acting as a reminder of the original appearance of the V&A's 14th century Devonshire Hunting tapestries. Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey have explored the art of grass before (you may recall seeing it in L&SI) but needed technical expertise for their most recent project and turned to Wyatt Enever at DHA. Using a technique similar to that used to transfer continuous-tone images onto glass gobos, Enever converted a continuous tone image into a random-dot break up and then, transferred this to film which could withstand high temperatures. A Pani projector was then used to project the image onto a frame of earth containing germinated grass seed, which then grew in relation to the amount of light projected. The grass w
The Production Resource Group is to relaunch and rebrand its lighting division. With effect from October 20, the companies in the PRG Lighting Group - Cinema Services, Light & Sound Design (LSD), Production Arts, Production Lighting Systems and Vanco Lighting Services - will come together under the name Fourth Phase. All of the companies except LSD will assume the name Fourth Phase, whilst LSD will be called LSD/Fourth Phase. The new identity coincides with new operational changes within the company. A national sales team has been established, under the direction of Bill Gallinghouse, senior vice president of sales and marketing. Jeff Senkovich, meanwhile, has moved from his operational responsibilities with the PRG Audio Group to assume the newly created role of COO of the Lighting/Audio Group. As COO of PRG, John Hovis oversees the operational aspects of the organisation. Full story Oc
Stage Electrics, the Bristol-based supplier of lighting, sound and technical equipment, officially unveiled its new London office during PLASA. The new branch, at 284-302 Waterloo Road, offers a trade counter selling consumables and also hosts a Virtual Lighting Studio housing a full WYSIWYG software programme and other WYSIWYG facilities. Also available at the new branch is a demonstration suite, displaying lighting and special effects from major industry manufacturers, giving clients and designers the opportunity to review all the latest technology. Finally to complete the facility, there is a cafe area suitable for informal meetings.
Vari-Lite International has announced today the extension of the letter of intent to sell its Belgian, Dutch, French and Swedish operations to First Events BV. Under the terms of the revised letter of intent, the sale is subject to various conditions but is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month.
AC Lighting North, based in Leeds, completed a move to new, purpose designed, larger premises mid way through July. The new 6,300sq.ft premises feature custom-built offices, showroom with full flying height and extensive warehouse facilities. AC Lighting North's sales manager, Jonathan Walters commented: "The need for these new premises has been brought about by our continued increase in sales since the office was established in 1996."AC Lighting North's new address is: Hawksworth Commercial Centre, Elder Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS13 4AT. The company's telephone and fax numbers remain the same, as 0113 255 7666 and 0113 255 7676 respectively.
With the appointment of Gareth Collyer and Gerry Frost as shareholding directors, Lamba plc chairman Frank Irish, has set out a strategic blueprint for the company's future. Collyer and Frost have been on the company's main board of directors for over 18 months, and will maintain their active roles as technical director and sales director, respectively. Irish commented: "With recent product acquisitions creating a new dynamic in the company, we believe the timing is right to devolve more responsibility to Gareth and Gerry, to ensure continued development over the next decade." Lamba has recently secured two new exclusive UK distribution accounts - for Nady Systems and Cerwin Vega! Hi-Fi, as well as consolidating the UK representation of an expanded Stanton Magnetics range. To accommodate this growth, Irish has simultaneously announced the imminent relocation of Lamba plc to lar
TMB's celebrated annual outing, which took place over the weekend of October 1st, drew a diverse industry group from the US and overseas. The weekend trip, to Ensenada, Mexico, drew attendees from companies as far afield as Mexico (Toma Cinco, Guadalajara) and Japan (Ken Production Services Inc, Yokohama). Also represented were: Acey Decy, Barbizon, Cinelease, Cinema Services, Delicate Productions, Hollywood Rentals, Location Lighting, Light & Sound Design, Oasis Stage Werks, San Diego Stage, Starlite Global, TM Motion Pictures and Versales. LSD's Chris 'Tiny' Ward entertained a visitor from even further afield. Much fun was had, fish were caught, and many hallowed traditions, including the exploding of Elvis, were upheld.
Coco Jungle, a club/restaurant venue, is being billed as one of the first themed clubs in Egypt. Located just outside of Cairo on the shores of the Nile River, Coco Jungle is one of the country's most popular nightspots. Coco Jungle, and accompanying boat restaurant Le Pacha 1901, have installed a number of Martin Professional luminaires designed to create different moods and atmospheres. In keeping with the jungle theme, trees, bamboo and water play a major role in the interior design. Coco Jungle is equipped with four MAC 300 wash lights, four MAC 250 profile spots, two Voyagers, and a Jem TechnoFog for added effect, all controlled from a Martin LightJockey controller. Le Pacha 1901, meanwhile, features a glass-covered dance floor over a pool of water. Four RoboColor IIs and one RoboColor IIX, placed in protective glass casings in the water beneath the dance floor, provide colour chang
Jai Auguste has joined the sales department at TMB's UK operation in Brentford. With his many years of experience as operations manager at The Spot Co and more recently as head of sales, design and installation at HFM Lighting, Auguste will become an integral part of TMB's sales operations in Europe and worldwide. TMB recently moved its European operations to a larger facility in Brentford's docklands and significantly increased the amount and variety of on-hand inventory, in addition to increasing the number of support and assembly personnel.
As we reported on 19 September, the police are in the throes of a major investigation into fraud allegations at the Millennium Dome. At the time it was made clear that these centred around 'irregularities' in connection with the procurement of contracts. As a result of these investigations, four people have now been arrested. A 30-year old man and 20-year old woman have been arrested in Liverpool and taken to a London police station, whilst a woman in her sixties has been arrested in West Yorkshire. The final arrest was of a man in his thirties at a business address in south-east London. All four have been bailed until February next year to allow for further enquiries to take place. PLASA Publishing has learnt that the police investigation involves the awarding of a lighting contract.
CP Sound, creative audio, lighting and AV designer and installer, is moving to a newly-acquired, hugely expanded premises in central Staines. CP Sound's operation has expanded so rapidly in the last two years that it has outgrown the site in Chertsey that has contained it for the last three years. The new building, workshops, warehouse space and offices are part of a purpose-built industrial unit. The extra space and rationalisation of resources will allow CP Sound's hectic production schedules to be managed even faster and more efficiently. It will also enhance its already well-established quality of service.As from today the company's new contact, the new contact details are Unit 3 Tim's Boat Yard, Timsway, Staines, Middlesex, TW18 3JZ. Tel: +44 1784 461614.
Barbizon Lighting Company, which has 11 offices in the United States, has announce the formation of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) for the benefit of its employees, a plan unique in the entertainment lighting industry. Under the plan, Barbizon will become employee-owned, with employees acquiring shares of privately-held stock. Jonathan Resnick, president of Barbizon, says the ESOP recognizes the invaluable role Barbzion employees have played in the company's consistent annual growth. "It is our belief that our greatest asset has always been our employees. And it is their talent and dedication that will enable Barbizon to sustain its growth and innovation in this fast-changing business environment," he said. "The Board of Directors and I believe that they should be rewarded for their contributions."Founded in 1947, Barbizon, serving the domestic and export mar
Strand Lighting's 300 Series console has recently been turning up in some unusual venues - including controlling the lighting in the middle of a road between France and Italy, and in an aircraft hanger in Germany! These were the locations at which singer Jessye Norman performed The Sacred Ellington, her concert of the sacred music of Duke Ellington, during September. As well as the legendary opera singer, the production features a pianist, a four-piece jazz combo and six-piece brass section drawn from England and America, a string quartet from Russia and a 12-strong gospel choir - plus a highly theatrical lighting design from British lighting designer Jenny Kagan. Kagan's involvement began with a production at the Barbican Concert Hall in London during the summer of 1999. There she used a Strand 530 console to control the Barbican's conventional rig and additional Martin MAC500s and High
Southwest Sound & Light have announced that hey will be organising and hosting the Southwest Sound & Light Show on Sunday 28th and Monday 29th January 2001, from 10am to 8pm both days. The venue is the Clubhouse at Golden Sands Holiday park, Dawlish, Devon, and admission will be free. Organiser Paul Goody said: "The event will be of interest to all people involved in the leisure industry - with clubs, pubs, holiday centres, leisure centres, bands, DJs and karaoke. Visitors will be able to see and try the latest in amplifiers, mixers, loudspeakers, microphones, CD players, mixing kits, effects units, harmonisers, lighting effects for stage and club and large screen video." Call Paul Goody for further information: 01626 890806
Are you a lighting student eager to visit the only International Colloquium on Entertainment Lighting? If so, Showlight 2001 may be able to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime! Exhibitors at Showlight have the option to sponsor one entertainment lighting student, to enable people at all levels of the profession to attend and participate. The essence of Showlight is to encourage attendees to talk, discuss ideas and mix with some of the top names from theatre, television, film and architectural and themed lighting, and the list of exhibitors encompasses some of the top names in the industry, including DHA Lighting, ETC Europe, Strand, White Light and Wybron, with confirmed speakers from the worlds of themed entertainment, television and outdoor events. For further details contact Ruth Rossington, Showlight 2001, telephone +44 (0) 1323 418401.
