In Memoriam: Buddy Sokolick, 60

CHICAGO — Buddy Sokolick, longtime head of the production department for Jam Productions in Chicago, where he supported artists including Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and Amy Grant, among others, died Oct. 13 after a long illness. He was 60. Sokolick began his career as a stagehand at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago and quickly rose through the ranks to become a production manager for Jam Productions. In 1987, he became head of the production department at Jam, where he stayed for most of his career.

LAS VEGAS – Prolyte Group will exhibit at the LDI show from 21-23 October in Las Vegas, premiering the new VERTO truss on the North American continent.  Feel invited to visit the Prolyte stand and experience the Verto truss or meet the team. The Verto truss is a new revolutionary system, making truss connection fast, silent and safe. The Verto truss brings a totally new perspective on truss assembly and is described as a game changer in our industry.

LAS VEGAS – LDI will offer a first look at MADRIX 3.7. The upcoming update for the LED lighting software controller out of Germany will include a large number of diverse improvements for every user. Some of the highlights are: Effect, SCE Rotating Shapes, but also a completely new effect category. These TRI Effects are based on established effects but triggered manually by the user through trigger ports, which can be DMX-IN or MIDI input. Instead of using the FX engine or Sound2Light as source, the user himself can initiate when a visual is created on the LEDs. 

ITALY – The need for modernity sometimes requires a break with tradition. This does not mean betraying the ideals with which the company was founded and has grown in the past forty years. However, the way we see it, it does mean being in step with the times including purely from the point of view of brand image, with our eyes firmly fixed on technological progress, innovation and the future.

LAS VEGAS -Le Maitre, the leaders in pyro, smoke, haze and flame, will be unveiling their new MVS SMART at this year’s LDI – October 21-23 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth 1645. They will also be displaying their range of fog machines, hazers, flame machines and other special effects at the show.

LAS VEGAS – Robe is ready to rock the LDI 2016 expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center October 21-23 on Booth 1715 where the featured product will be the new Spiider LED wash beam luminaire – the next big thing – from Robe, which has just been launched worldwide! Much anticipated, the Spiider has received a fantastic reaction, and it will be the visual centerpiece of the large booth with a special lightshow running at the top of each hour.

LAGUNA HILLS, CA — Take1 Insurance recently launched its “Take1 Combined Crisis Cover.” Take1 describes the new insurance product as a first-of-its-kind offering for the live and special event industry. It is designed to provide immediate coverage of up to $1 million annually in the event of (or threat of) malicious acts including terrorism that are caused by an active assailant who interrupts or cancels a planned live event.

WASHINGTON, DC – Thousands gathered at the National Mall to take a breath from divisiveness, hate and despair at Together 2016, an event whose mission was to “come together around Jesus in unified prayer, worship, and a call for catalytic change.” Bandit Lites provided the lighting for the July 16 nondenominational event, where Hillsong United, Lecrae, Crowder, Michael W. Smith and Kari Jobe performed.

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FARMINGDALE, NY — Group One Ltd., the U.S. distributor for Avolites and elektraLite lighting products as well as DiGiCo, Calrec and other pro audio lines, announced that it is now the official distributor of lighting fixtures made by Italy-based D.T.S. Illuminazione srl. Jack Kelly, Group One president, and Paolo Albani, DTS sales and marketing director, made the announcement.