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Charlie Hernandez, Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Honoree

Charlie Hernandez

Charlie Hernandez, Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Honoree

Somebody had to do it. Who else but Charlie Hernandez?

A menacing rainstorm in Rio de Janeiro flooded the Formula 1 racing field where the next insane episode of the Guns N’ Roses tour of South America was going down. A delay in getting Guns N’ Roses on stage was nothing new, though this time the weather was not helping. Unwisely, the local promoter let the crowd onto the field during load in. Hernandez and associate Lori Tierney were above in the announcer tower, surveying the mayhem. “Charlie and I were looking out on this seething crowd when [Dale] “Opie” [Skjerseth] comes in and announces that we still needed to run the snake from the stage to FOH. I looked down at that riot, and I said, ‘are you kidding me?’”

Then a wide-eyed grinning Hernandez chirped: “I’ll do it!”

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Studio 54 Sportpaleis

Robe Lights Studio 54 Sportpaleis Disco Inferno

ANTWERP, Belgium – About 12,000 disco divas stepped out to the 2012 Studio 54 Sportpaleis event in Antwerp, Belgium to strut their best dancefloor moves and grooves to the sounds of the 1970s. The event featured Robe moving lights along with other gear supplied by Total Event Support. LD Peter Vervloesem designed the event; the centerpiece of the arena design was a massive chandelier in the roof made up from 400 x 40 cm mirror balls flown above the stage.

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Greg Smith

Navigator Systems’ Greg Smith

We recently sat down with Greg Smith, an industry veteran and owner of Navigator Systems. He details how he got started in AV support for corporate events (by being in the right place at the right time — in his case, with a friend at a bar). He also talks about how Navigator Systems and HireTrack rose to prominence, and closes with a few general words of advice on how to succeed in the live event business, even if your focus is only on “a very miniscule part.”

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GigaCore family

Luminex GigaCore 12, 14R, 16Xt Ethernet Switches

MONTREAL – Luminex Network Intelligence, a Belgium-based developer of lighting control, pro audio and video data distribution equipment for the entertainment industry, is debuting in the US its new range of Gigabit Ethernet switches to cope with the demands of lighting and AV installations. The three new models – GigaCore 12, GigaCore 14R and GigaCore 16Xt – are  managed through a web interface.  They meet and support all industry protocols and offer a user-friendly experience with an industry-specific outlook and optimized defaults.  The products come with a built-in redundancy system providing a reliable and easy-to-set-up backbone for users’ networks.

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Wildcats

Bandit Brings the ‘Madness’ to Kentucky Basketball

LEXINGTON, KY – The Wildcats’ Basketball season kicked off with a light show provided by Bandit Lites. The packed arena watched as the entire basketball court transformed into a 94-ft by 50-ft screen. Bandit’s Aaron Swetland designed and operated the lighting program, filling the arena with effects from Clay Paky Sharpys, Martin MAC 2K Washes, Vari-Lite 3K spots, GRN washes, GRN LED pars and Martin Atomic Strobes.

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California Science Center

Kinetic Lighting Creates Display for Endeavour’s Arrival

GLENDALE, CA – Large crowds gathered throughout Los Angeles over the weekend, hoping to catch a glimpse of the space shuttle Endeavour as it rolled slowly through the streets to its final home. Meanwhile, the crew from Kinetic Lighting spent Friday and Saturday at the California Science Center setting up dramatic lighting apropos of the orbiter and the huge moment in Los Angeles history.

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Scott Vontobel

Scott Vontobel Joins Creative Stage Lighting

NORTH CREEK, NY ­ – Creative Stage Lighting named Scott Vontobel business development manager. He was previously with Lex Products, TMB and Global Distribution Systems (GDS), with experience in cable and cable assembly products, power distribution and introducing products and brands to new markets.

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Led Zeppelin 'Celebration Day' press launch

Presentation Rentals Supplies Led Zeppelin ‘Celebration Day’ Launch

LONDON – Presentational Rentals (PR) supplied all technical elements for the recent London launch of rock legends’ Led Zeppelin’s “Celebration Day” film. Band members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and Paul Jones answered questions from the press following a special media screening of the two-hour movie – which features their one-off 2007 reunion concert at London’s O2 Arena – directed by production industry video guru and visionary, Dick Carruthers.

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Osaka's Zepp Namba exterior

Robert Juliat for Japan’s Zepp Theatres

TOKYO – Robert Juliat’s Japanese distributor, Theater Engineering, has recently supplied Robert Juliat followspots and LED profiles to Tokyo’s Zepp DiverCity and Osaka’s Zepp Namba concert halls. Mr. Nishio, President of Sogo Butai Co Ltd., which carried out the installations, said the equipment was recommended not only for its performance, but also for its energy-saving benefits.

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M-PC

Martin Offers Free M-PC Lighting Control Software

AARHUS, Denmark – Martin Professional offers a new version of its M-Series lighting controller software (M-PC) with an unrestricted free Universe of DMX.  The Free Edition of M-PC was designed to open the M-Series platform to a wider audience. The M-PC Free Edition can be downloaded from Martin’s website.

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