“We started in 1979 in the nightclub industry, and then slowly moved into the supply of products for the entire entertainment industry,” Giannoulas says. This includes a stream of products including lighting, trussing, controllers, cables, lifts, special effects, and most recently, LED curtains. Today, the company provides products and services to everyone from mobile DJs, to event planners, and increasingly, live event professional who are working for the likes of Beyoncé, U2, Coldplay and Metallica, among many others.
A Hands-On Approach
Giannoulas attended Grossmont College in El Cajon, CA, paying for his education by earning a track scholarship and working at the San Diego Airport. On the track team, he set a school record of 1.51.4 in the 800 meter run — a record that remains unbroken. In 1973, he married Diana, and moved to Seattle. The couple earned their living selling exotic birds until 1978, when he opened a teen nightclub. Over the next 32 years, he would open up another eight clubs.
In 1986, he formed OmniSistem. Despite the quarter century milestone, daughter Kate Giannoulas assures that the spry 60-year-old is not slowing down. “You will see him setting up the booth at trade shows, recalling everyone’s name, asking about spouses and children,” she says.
Kate is operation specialist at the company, though “really, I just shadow my father,” she laughs. Her sister, Stacey Giannoulas, has worked for the company for 10 years and is currently in charge of their website and media relations. (Another sister, Ellie Giannoulas-Diaz, is a former employee). “My dad is very hands-on. He goes to China a few times a year to oversee quality control. He’ll randomly pick up a product and examine it to make sure the quality is there. He oversees the R&D team, studies the prototype, and is constantly making improvements.”
The company has grown through the years. “We started with Italian products, which always offered quality and value, and from the beginning people responded to that,” Giannoulas says. While they still represent Italian products, they have evolved over the years and now create their own. “Generally we’ve stayed the course of offering quality products that people need, and it’s been good.”
Their two biggest areas of expansion lately include wireless DMX products and LED curtains. “The LED curtains are a new and exciting products for us, and we’re increasingly getting calls asking about them,” Chris Giannoulas says. “We think it’s a product that’s going to be around for a long time.” Their OmniNite is one of their latest forays into this area, with its ultra-thin lightweight fabric and wide Velcro straps for secure installation. It features a dedicated controller, which he says is flexible and offers many possibilities.
Kate points out their Wireless DMX Uplighting System, with its 12 PODS per charging docking case, and 90 10mmLEDs (30 each of red, green and blue), and the ability to transmit up to 400 feet is also going well.
“Wireless DMX absolutely simplifies set up and is extremely dependable now,” Giannoulas adds. “I think it’s the way of the future. Why use so many cables when you don’t have to? Wireless is the way to go. Metallica used our wireless DMX on their last tour and they were thrilled with it — had no problems.”
Other areas of growth include their theater segment, which Kate says continues to grow as they supply smoke and hazers in addition to their lights. Their lift elevators continue to grow in popularity as well. They are also getting into the sound market, and their Omni Sound Beta 3 products were featured in the Beijing Olympics.
Reflecting back on his quarter-century in the business, Chris Giannoulas notes that they’ve participated in every single LDI show, most of the NAMM shows, and were even part of PLSN’s Live Event production shows. “We’ve tried to support the industry, and it has been a rewarding experience getting to work with so many knowledgeable and talented people,” he says. “It’s also nice to know that professionals in this industry appreciate and understand the quality of our products.”
Looking forward to the next 25 years, he says they plan to move into even higher levels of products and making more of an impact on the industry. Part of that is not always doing the obviously. For example, despite the recent economic downturn, he says they went against the grain and increased their inventory and selection.
“We’re bullish on the industry — there’s been some difficult times but the years ahead should be bright and profitable for us, simply because we have chosen products carefully and maintained good relationships with our customers.”
