News

MINNEAPOLIS – There are many entertaining and informative places to visit while in the Twin Cities. Mill City Museum (pictured here) and the Minnesota History Center offer visitors and residents alike a chance to experience Minneapolis and St. Paul’s rich history.  Their interpretive and interactive exhibits are driven by Alcorn McBride audio, video and show control equipment.

BRIDGEPORT, CT –- For Marc Anthony’s Valentine’s Day performance at Bridgeport’s Webster Bank Arena, production manager Roly Garbalosa and designer Alex Soto brightened the stage with Nexus Aw 7×7 panels from Chauvet Professional. Anthony was honored by Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim for the artist’s musical achievements and humanitarian work. 

SAN FRANCISCO – Pollstar named Bandit Lites Lighting Company of the Year. The award was presented to Bandit Lites founder Michael Strickland at the 27th Annual Pollstar Industry Awards. Actor and comedian Gary Owen hosted the event which occurred February 12 in San Francisco at the Marriott Marquis and celebrated all aspects of the entertainment industry, from venues to festivals and touring artists.

GERMANTOWN, PA – The Miraculous Medal Shrine, first completed in 1927, features a white statue of the Virgin Mary within a domed gold leafed alcove flanked by marble columns and mosaic murals. Tyler Hoffman, the owner and principal designer of Spire AVL got the chance to put the shrine in a new light and opted to include COLORado 1-Quad Tour pars, an Ovation C-640FC cyc light and Ovation E-190WW LED ellipsoidals from Chauvet Professional. 

LOS ANGELES – UK-based production design company Okulus used a bank of 40 Ayrton MagicBlade-R fixtures to back the up-and-coming American rock band, PVRIS on their first-ever televised appearance. The band appeared in January on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show. Broadcast on ABC, they were seen by an estimated 2+ million viewers.

MIAMI – Lighting designer Tom Kenny included Elation Professional’s Platinum FLX hybrid moving head in the rig for a TV special featuring Pitbull that rang in 2016. Pitbull’s New Year’s Revolution was broadcast live on Fox television to a nationwide audience Dec. 31, 2015. This was Kenny’s first year doing the show and his first opportunity to use the Platinum FLX luminaire.

LOS ANGELES — LA Zoo Lights, a spectacle that debuted for the 2014-2015 holiday season, returned this year with an expanded array of animal-themed LED lights, lasers, 3D projections and musical water-and-light shows. Harman’s Martin lighting fixtures played a key role, including Martin MAC Quantum Washes and MAC Quantum Profiles. The fixtures were part of an elaborate water, light and laser show that took place a few times a day at a vacant sea lion exhibit.

MIAMI –  LaserNet Events, a new branch of Laser Productions Networks, participated by donating high powered laser beams and a large inflatable video screen with HD video projector from Twilight Features, at a private locale, for the special game.  LaserNet’s Tom Harman, said, “Every time there was a touchdown, we blasted laser beams throughout the party, and at halftime, we added our laser effects to the music of Coldplay, it was almost as good as being there!”

SALT LAKE CITY – As part of its initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in entertainment production, USITT is offering new sessions on accessibility and the arts at USITT 2016 in Salt Lake City March 16-19.

NEW YORK — Sonny Sonnenfeld, legendary lighting salesman, educator and architectural lighting designer, died Wednesday, Feb. 10 at his home in New York City. He was 96. During his storied career, Sonnenfeld handled sales for Century Lighting (now Philips/Strand), Colortran, ETC, Wybron and again at Philips/Strand.