Company 411

Life is eventful for Paul Motal. In fact, he and Matrix Visual Solutions, the company he founded, are involved in nearly 800 events per year, either as the producer or as the full-service provider of audio-visual gear and expertise through rentals and sales. Ranging from massive to modest, they include conventions, trade shows, gala parties, product launches, stadium concerts, film premieres, fundraisers, music festivals, television and movie production, sports and educational, religious and corporate events. Where else would you find a client list so diverse it contains such luminaries as Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Pitbull, Ford Motor Company, Samsung, Guess? Inc., the Latin Grammys, Safeway and the Barack Obama presidential campaign?

“How do you keep the creativity going, and how do you find different ways to keep the sizzle — that’s something we ask ourselves constantly,” says Rob Barber, vice president of Atomic Design’s rental division. The answer for Atomic is making sure the common denominator is modularity in all things, providing a level of flexibility in renting scenic pieces that allows for a completely original end result.

True to its name, Blizzard Lighting appears to be taking the world of small and mid-sized lighting design by storm. The Waukesha, WI, company offers more than 100 lighting products (not counting accessories, bags, cables and the like). “We’ve got a really strong base of products,” says founder Will Komassa. “They start at performance and price points that a mobile DJ or local band can use and go all the way up to something that production companies could use on a tour of any size [including KISS’ rig].

Lighting and sound have come a long way in the past 40 years. Gone are the days when it was enough just to get a spotlight and a microphone on a performer, or for the adventuresome, to use a little vegetable oil and food coloring on an overhead projector for “special” effects. Today, audio and lighting installations can be as massive and complex as the creatures and structures in the films Transformers and Elysium.

Many businesses go through ups and downs as they grow and change. Puerto Rico’s Entertainment In Motion (EIM) has overcome one of the biggest hurdles any company will face — the death of an owner and founder.

Quick. When you think of Ann Arbor, MI and stagecraft, what comes to mind? Alice Cooper? Commander Cody? Iggy Pop, Bob Seger, George Clinton? Madonna (who was a dance major at University of Michigan)? Sun Ra (who lived there in 1969)? You’ll soon be able to add TLS Productions, Inc., to the list. The noted lighting, production and special event management company plans to be settling into its new headquarters there by year’s end.

Video keeps playing a more prominent role in concerts and touring, corporate and sporting event production. PixelFlex, a relatively new player in the LED display market, has carved a niche for itself with a new style of LED screen in various pixel densities that is foldable. The ability to fold the screen makes for a small package for storage and transportation.

“Trying to build a business was tough, as we were competing against larger companies with a lot more gear,” Active Production & Design’s Matt Clouser says, as he reflects on his company’s 20th Anniversary. “We had to be aggressive, and that usually meant with cost. I think any of us that start a business will end up ‘giving shows away’ as they say in the business until we build it up enough to understand there are costs in a professional organization.”

“Roland has always been part of the live performance world through our instrument division, so we bring a unique perspective to the table in the development of our video equipment,” says John Broadhead, VP of Technology & Communications for Roland Systems Group.

You only turn 25 once, and what Riedel Communications did to mark their quarter century in business was a doozy. The party itself took place at their headquarters in Wuppertal, Germany where 1,400 revelers joined in a celebration that included musical performances, high-wire acts, a robot band (playing heavy metal), outdoor whirlpools and a fire show. The event also capped a banner year of projects that included the Olympic Games, the UEFA Euro 2012, and the Red Bull Stratos project, among hundreds of others.