UK - Since 2013, an array of country music’s biggest stars have been visiting the UK and Ireland as part of C2C: Country to Country, a festival of country music devised by AEG (The O2) and SJM Concerts in collaboration with the Country Music Association. The show began at The O2 in London, and has since added shows in Glasgow and Dublin, as well as visiting Scandinavia in 2015 and 2016. Show and lighting designer, Mike Oates and his partner Ryan Hopkins have worked with the festival since it began. For the 2017 festival at The O2 they created a sophisticated design featuring shaped video screens, curved trusses, and a bright versatile lighting package. Mike comments: “The design comes together after a series of meetings with Ross Hanley from SJM Concerts. Ross has ideas of what they would like to include in the design and look of the event, and we then go away and
UK - PRG XL Video recently supported lighting designer Richard Howell and production manager Stuart Tucker, for the opening show at the newly renamed and renovated London theatre, The Other Palace. PRG XL Video account manager John Pauls worked closely with Richard, Stuart and production electrician Neil Foster to supply the lighting for The Wild Party during a seven-week run in central London, between February and April. The Wild Party is a musical theatre production adapted from a book by Michael John LaChiusa and George C Wolfe, with music and lyrics by LaChiusa, based on Joseph Moncure March’s 1928 narrative poem of the same name. The show premiered off-Broadway in 2000, before this 2017 revival at London’s newest producing theatre. Richard Howell discussed the initial brief of how to light the show: “It was great to be teamed up with director/c
China - Creative Technology (CT) has announced that with immediate effect Chris Burke will take on the role of managing director of Creative Technology in Shanghai. Chris will also continue as managing director of CT in Hong Kong and Singapore. This appointment now puts all of CT’s Asia Pacific Business under his control. Chris has been with Creative Technology since 2009 and in that time, he has developed the necessary skills to effect the changes that will be needed to further develop the China business and expand CT’s operation in this region. Chris replaces Simon Tibble who passed away suddenly at his home in Shanghai just over a week ago. Simon was a key part of the China business and a true industry veteran whose skills helped develop the business into what it is today. He will be missed by all. Graham Andrews, president of Creative Technology North Ame
USA - S. Jeremy Peters loves piloting small FPV drones. There is, he says, “no rush quite like it.” He and his wife Alison Peters wanted to share their passion for drone flying with a wider audience. As owners of SJP Productions, a lighting and projection company experienced working festivals, they were in an excellent position to do so. Hooking up with a local brewery, they created one of the first spectator-oriented drone racing events, complete with festival-like lighting, atmospherics and live video feeds all controlled with a three-universe set up built around ChamSys Software. “Typically drone races are geared toward the racers themselves without a lot of spectators,” said Peters. “Generally, they don’t have much production. Alison and I wanted to draw on our production experience at festivals like Lockn, Peach, Bisco, Mountain Jam, Taste of Country and Gat
UK - Green Hippo has made four additions to its UK-based team. Jacqueline Attard is the UK HQ’s new financial controller, while Phil Blue joins as sales manager, expanding the technical sales team. Rob Moss enlists as junior production engineer, and Anastasia Nikolaou is the latest member of the London-based marketing team, securing the role of PR and marketing executive. Jacqueline Attard’s remit as Green Hippo financial controller sees her help manage the financial complexities of a global business; one with offices in the United States, as well as the UK. Jacqueline’s previous experience includes senior roles with large European and US companies, including Deloitte, Jones Lang Lasalle and AstraZeneca. Rob Moss brings significant technical expertise, having previously held the position of broadcasting engineer at the BBC, as well as time with Orange Ampl
UK - Green Hippo has confirmed three new international distributors. These new members of the Green Hippo family, respectively covering Italy, New Zealand, and South Africa, extend the influence of Green Hippo’s video playback technology, including its award-winning Hippotizer range of media servers. In Italy, Spotlight, the Milan-based distributor, will use its 50 years of design and production experience, to help see the Green Hippo gear at work in Italy’s celebrated collection of opera houses and theatres, as well as auditoriums, conference rooms, and TV studios. Nicolo Oliva, partner and CEO of Spotlight, said, “It’s a short time since Spotlight have started the distribution of Green Hippo, and we’re already very fond of the brand. These media-servers are really powerful and easy to configure, and the new software interface of Hippotizer V4 is a st
UK - Epson and mclcreate have announced a UK wide partnership in the projection rental market. The agreement sees Epson’s installation projectors added to mclcreate’s already extensive portfolio of hire supplies which include audio systems and camera kit as well projection solutions. The agreement currently includes Epson’s EB-L000 series of laser projectors, specifically the EB-L1405U and EB-L1505U, which are ideal for the live events and installation market thanks to their innovative laser light source. A culmination of extensive research, development and testing, the EB-L1000 series of projectors marked Epson’s move into a new era of installation projection. With game-changing laser technology and a range of flexible features they offer a minimal fuss and an almost no maintenance solution. The range allows rental companies as well as visitor attractions, di
Germany - Production Resource Group (PRG) organized its annual summit for the members of its global partner network programme – PRG Alliance – during the Prolight + Sound 2017 in Frankfurt. Currently in its third year, the PRG Alliance has 15 members in 28 countries delivering high quality technical production services worldwide. The theme for this meeting was Building on Success, and celebrated numerous collaboration projects among the members, including some from Italy, Poland, and Portugal. During the summit, they shared success case studies and discussed future initiatives to promote greater business and information exchange. “The PRG Alliance is praised by our clients and the market in general. What started with a recognition of PRG partners three years ago, today is a substantial network of remarkable companies – and the largest resource pool
South Africa - DWR Distribution has joined up with Phil Blue from Green Hippo UK, to present a one day training session at their Cape Town (2 May), Durban (3 May) and Johannesburg (5 May) offices. The hands-on workshops will cover topics including Hippotizer Concepts & Terms, Hardware, HippoNet, Startup, Configuration, Output Manager, Media Manager and so much more. All delegates are requested to please bring their own Laptops along with the Green Hippo Programme on it. While the course is free of charge, booking is essential. Bookings can be done on-line via http://dwrdistribution.co.za/register/greenhippo/ (Jim Evans)
UK - Live performance visual specialists Really Creative Media worked with the theatrical production team Collective Productions to create a seamless visual experience for its first UK tour of The Wedding Singer from March to October 2017. Taking in 33 cities on its initial tour, this new production set in 1985 features wedding singer Robbie’s love life as the central story. Really Creative Media worked as a central part of the production team led by Dan Looney and alongside lighting designer Ben Cracknell to create an animated billboard which is used as a central part of the production’s set throughout the show. Complementing Francis O’Connor’s moving scenery, a Panasonic laser projector is used to create 80s style adverts and animation on a billboard in the centre of the stage, setting the scene for each part of the story. Set in front of low-r
South Africa - Saying goodbye to an unforgettable summer, Hunter’s hosted the three Heat Seekers, visiting cities in Durban (4 March at Peoples Park East), Johannesburg (11 March at Mary Fitzgerald Square) and Cape Town (18 March at The Ostrich Farm, off N7). This year the AV Company, a Durban based rental company, provided the sound, lighting, staging and power for all three venues where the top South African line-up included Cassper Nyovest, Black Motion, Chicana, Nasty C and Ricky Rick. Lighting designers Mbulelo Msuthwana and Keagan Browning from the AV Company programmed on an MA dot2 console with dot2 fader wing. “We loved the simplicity and ease of the MA as well as the node options allowing so many DMX outputs easily spread out,” they both agreed. Twenty-four Robin 600 LEDWash fixtures were used to wash the entire venue and VIP deck as well as lighting t
Europe Visualization expert Barco has kicked off a two-month roadshow throughout Europe. The objective: to demonstrate the power of Barco 4K projection technology and 4K image processing. Departing from Barco’s head office in Kortrijk, the Barco truck first headed for Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt. From there, it will be crisscrossing Europe until mid-June, visiting around 45 partner and customer events. Barco’s product offering for events and venues is constantly reaching new heights to meet the market need for ever-brighter outcomes. If it comes to ensuring really bright images, 4K projection – together with 4K image processing – is just the ticket. To show its 4K solutions at work and encourage real interaction with customers and partners, Barco decided to tour Europe. Visitors to the Barco truck will discover the power of Barco’s 4K laser projectors and its
UK - The Cure recently completed a 76-date world tour, with lighting, video and rigging supplied by PRG XL Video. The lighting and video design was by Angus ‘Mac’ MacPhail, with creative input from lead singer and founding member of The Cure: Robert Smith. Mac explained the creative process behind bringing the production to life, and how they dazzled the expectations of die-hard Cure fans: “It’s important to note that Robert Smith was very hands-on with the design for the show—he’s been as much a member of our creative team as he has a band member. When Robert and I first discussed the design, we wanted a very simple look, where the set is the lighting rig, and it’s a very clean, uncluttered stage. “We started off with the idea for a curved screen at the back of the stage, added a curved riser and pulled the ends of the truss back to extenuate the curve
USA - ETC and High End Systems have confirmed they are joining forces as ETC completes the acquisition of the Austin, TX based company from Barco Inc. ETC CEO Fred Foster says, “We welcome the High End team to the ETC family. ETC will provide a supportive environment enabling High End to continue to innovate and make great products for the industry.” Under the ETC umbrella, High End gains the oversight of an experienced lighting industry team to grow its capabilities in service, support, and product development. “Bringing High End to the family furthers our goal of growing and diversifying ETC. We plan to help High End become a market leader for live event industry products,” says David Lincecum, VP of marketing at ETC. ETC will operate High End as a separate company located in its current Austin, Texas, USA facility. High End customers should continue
Denmark - Scandinavian supplier of AV equipment Neets has announced two new additions to the company: Bo Jordansen joins as head of sales and Michael Rumph as the new product manager for the company’s AV offerings. Together, these new appointments will strengthen the company’s focus on placing customers at the heart of its products and expanding the company’s international footprint. As product manager, Michael will be responsible for leading cross-functional efforts to develop innovative and customer-centric products. He will support Neets in its continued efforts to make life easier for presenters around the world and stay focused on customer needs. With over 20 years’ experience working within both sales and systems design in the AV industry, Michael is well equipped to take on this new role. Michael said, “Neets is well-known for delivering high-qua
UK - CPL (Central Presentations Limited), working for producers Eclipse Communications, provided a full technical production package – video, lighting and sound - to the 2017 SEMTA Awards event staged in the ballroom of the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, London. The Senior Skills Council for Science, Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies (SEMTA) is a not-for-profit organisation specialising in engineering training in the UK. Its high profile annual Awards event recognises excellence within their various nationwide apprenticeship schemes. The CPL team was led by Lee Gruszeckyj. It was the fourth consecutive year for CPL in this role, and as the success and visibility of the event has advanced each year, so has the commitment to increasing the production values. It was the second time the Awards has been staged at this venue where awards in nine categories were pres
Germany - Wilhelm & Willhalm, the German event technology and installation specialists, recently invested in two Wings Engine RAW media servers, capable of playing out uncompressed content up to and beyond 4K. Since the founding of Wilhelm & Willhalm in 1991, the privately held company's comprehensive service portfolio and innovative AV solutions have been the foundation for their continued success. The planning and technical realisation of the award-winning FC Bayern Munich's Erlebniswelt project established Wilhelm & Willhalm beyond the borders of Germany as one of Europe's leading service providers in the event and installation market. AV Stumpfl global business development manager Horst Damoser commented on the long-standing business relationship, "We are very happy that Wilhelm & Willhalm have chosen our Wings media server and show control so
UK - Creative Technology Ltd (CT) is pleased to announce that following the acquisition of the company by NEP in January 2017, the UK division of sister company Mediatec will be merged with and rebranded CT from 1 April 2017. Mediatec UK has been providing LED screens and associated production services to a small portfolio of prestige clients across the sporting and corporate event sectors since 2003. The merger with CT will allow the team access to a significantly larger pool of technical and operational resources. The business will continue to operate from its current premises in Sunbury on Thames during the busy summer period, however it is expected to relocate to CT’s Crawley headquarters during the second half of 2017, allowing the combined business to fully realise the opportunities arising from collective resources. Dave Crump, CEO of CT Group commented:
Germany - Austria’s AV Stumpfl returns to Frankfurt with a broad line-up of high-performance media server products and projection screens for the live entertainment space. The AV Stumpfl philosophy applied to each product is built around enabling faster set up time, lower maintenance requirements, portability and a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), the company says. New to Prolight+sound will be the fully upgraded Wings Engine Stage media server. Technical director Fred Neulinger describes the new server, "The original Wings Engine Stage was already very robust and built from stainless steel. For the new Wings Engine Stage, we created an improved system architecture that is even more shock absorbent and is truly fantastic for all rental and staging environments. “It has a more powerful processor and new display port outputs, in addition to framelock and genlock
South Africa - Green Hippo, manufacturers of the Hippotizer Media Server range, have appointed DWR Distribution as South African distributor. Hippotizer Media Servers have been on some of the most highly recognized events worldwide, including Eurovision, The Academy Awards and the Super Bowl half-time shows. Theatre spectaculars such as Love Never Dies in the West End and American Idiot on Broadway utilise the system due to its flexibility during production periods and concert tours for artists such as Beyoncé, Jay Z, and Madonna have proven its reliability out on the road. This May, in conjunction with Green Hippo, DWR Distribution will be heading out for the South African Hippotizer roadshow, visiting Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. This roadshow will showcase the latest developments from Hippotizer V4, including SHAPE 3D Mapping and their creativ
Germany - PRG XL Video will once again have a significant presence at this year's Prolight+Sound. The action gets underway the evening before the show, with the presentation of the PRG XL sponsored Live Entertainment Awards (LEA), for which PRG is the overall technical service provider. The creative responsibility, as in previous years, will rest with Jerry Appelt and bright! As soon as the main Prolight+Sounds show opens, visitors to the Festhalle will be able to examine the stage used, including all the installations and effects, and attend regularly scheduled demo shows. This year, the music for the demo show was composed by the band FOXOS, who will also be performing live in the Festhalle. One of the dominant themes of this year's event will be 360-degree streaming. Not only will the LEA gala be broadcast for the first time as a Full HD live stream over the Interne
UK - Rental company Adlib continues its work with top comedians, having just supplied full production – sound, lighting and video – for Jack Whitehall’s sold out, three week At Large UK arena tour. The Liverpool based company previously supplied production for his ground-breaking 2014 arena tour, which was staged in the round. Having appropriate production in the right proportions and places is a key to delivering comedy on a large scale. It is about presenting this very intimate and personal style of entertainment and communication in a way that ensures audiences in larger venues enjoy all the same essential experiences as a one-to-one scenario. Steve ‘Patto’ Pattison mixed front-of-house, working with a strong team from Adlib including monitor engineer / sound crew chief Marc Peers and systems tech Tony Szabo, who was responsible for the precision and detai
USA - Versatility is a key ingredient in any lighting rig that Creative Production & Design builds for a multi-artist show. This was especially evident recently when the Austin, Texas-based company created a lighting and video show for CRUSH Dallas 2017, part of a four-city Insomniac production. Their immersive, high octane rig engaged the packed house at the South Side Ballroom, while also supporting the diverse musical styles of artists on stage, thanks in part to a massive collection of PVP X6IP LED video panels from Chauvet Professional. “My business partner Justin Jenkins and I always try to make our show designs flexible and well rounded,” said Dan Wyatt of Creative Production & Design (CPD), who served as the production manager and designer on the project. “This event was no different. Not only did we have DJs like Yellow Claw that just need a table full
France - Atlona has bolstered its global partner network with the appointment of Sidev Display Systems as its new distribution partner in France. Sidev will join forces with Atlona’s local sales team in France, including Christophe Gaborit and Kevin Andry, to strengthen Atlona’s presence across the nation. In addition to distributing Atlona’s complete solutions portfolio, the Sidev team will provide technical services for systems integrators, resellers, consultants, and end users across the sales, installation and commissioning process. Sidev’s presence in France, which includes show rooms in Paris and Lyon, offers two central locations for education and training purposes related to Atlona products. “With more than 20 years of experience in the audio-visual market, a track record for quick delivery, and a reputation for supporting many of the industry’s str
