This month PLSN looks at some of the products and companies offering innovative automation products and solutions to the concerts, TV/film, events, corporate or theatrical production markets. All of them are keeping the production technology industry moving forward…or sideways, or up or…wherever you want.
SGPS Showrig: Entertainment Automation Services
SGPS Showrig specializes in automation services tailored for concert touring, live events, television/film productions, and permanent installations. They utilize advanced motion control software to automate equipment with precision and reliability, ensuring repeatable motion without missing marks. Their services include: Stage Lifts; Stage and Crane Arms; Flying and Tracking Effects; Rotates and Revolves; and Curtain Effects.
At SGPS Showrig, they focus on providing dependable automation solutions that enhance production quality and simplify operational complexity for their clients. Whether it’s a concert tour, live event, TV/film shoot, or permanent installation, the SGPS team is committed to delivering precision-controlled motion and reliability for seamless performances and productions.
ADC: Axis1 Automation Platform
The Axis1 Automation Platform from ADC merges reliability, safety, and ease-of-use in its family of spot line winches and control systems. The core feature of these products is the ability to use Art-Net or sACN as a front end controller without sacrificing the status feedback and error correction found is professional show control. In addition to encoder positioning, load and current monitoring, and real-time device feedback, the Axis1 platform utilizes a Sil3 compliant E-Stop over virtual wire using the existing Cat 6 network wiring as emergency stop circuit. This eliminates the need for a separate, costly E-Stop circuit.
The product family consists of the following models. The ConTour Winch is a 50 lbs. capacity spot line winch running at 3’/sec speeds with a zero-fleet Kevlar lift line. The ConTour SDR Smart Data Reel winch uses a multi-conductor lift line passing both 10A power and 4 twisted pair Cat 6 data down the lift line for lifting and powering lighting units, scenic elements, or other powered effects. The ConTour Winch SDR-X2 Trapeze has two lift lines situated 24” apart, connected jointly to a trapeze bar for holding lighting or scenic elements that need to be prevented from spinning or rotating. And finally, the Axis1 Touch Controller is a multi-scene/multi-axis touchscreen controller for use provisioning and configuring the ConTour Winches or when using Art-Net or sACN is not preferred.
The Axis1 products are compact, safe, and versatile and geared to solve the challenges faced by technicians in theatre, live events, and architecture. They are available from Rose Brand and ADC dealers.
All Access Staging: Versa Trolley & 20’ Turntable
Since 1991, All Access Staging has been a trusted provider of durable, reliable, and efficient concert touring solutions. As industry pioneers, they have continuously refined their Versa Stage®️ product line and ventured into cutting-edge staging automation, catering to some of the most prominent names in the global entertainment industry. With their diverse range of dynamic effects—including turntables, stage lifts, drape effects, flown automation, mobilators, and more—they can expertly integrate automation using show control systems, ensuring unparalleled performance and efficiency.
A recent project that exemplified their automation staging expertise was demonstrated at the Rivian live launch event in March 2024. The vehicles were unveiled using two Versa Trolley systems, in which each trolley glides down a geared tracking beam within a custom truss system, converging in the middle to create a seamless video wall effect. Additionally, All Access integrated two 20’ turntables into the stage floor to showcase each vehicle, offering spectators panoramic views—which is crucial in automotive displays. (Trolley video wall and turntables shown in photo.)
Whether it’s orchestrating the flawless movement of scenery or performers, All Access Staging offers a comprehensive suite of automation solutions customized to meet the unique demands of each production. their expertise in staging automation extends across a wide spectrum of events, from concert tours and television productions to festivals, award shows, brand activations, and product reveals.
With strategic locations in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and London, their global reach enables them to elevate events on an international scale. At All Access Staging, creativity and technology converge to deliver unforgettable experiences. Discover how All Access Staging can bring your creative vision to life with exceptional precision and innovation.
Applied Electronics: Hoist Control Systems
Applied offers custom control systems for both portable and permanent install lifting applications. From chain and wire rope hoists to cable reels and linear actuators they can configure turnkey controllers to meet nearly any need.
Systems ranging from 4 to 48 channels can be coupled with power supply voltages ranging from 110&220V single phase to 208&440V 3 phase. An independent emergency safety stop circuit is incorporated into every controller and can be supplemented with the addition of dead-man switches, load cell monitoring and Applied’s SMART run detection system. Handheld remotes featuring their XLR data cable, individual bump buttons, and color coded LEDs per channel that make host selection and leveling a snap. Custom interface boxes & wall plates, logo engraving, touch screens and custom colors are all available. Made in the USA and UL Listed.
Creative Conners, Inc.: Scenic Automation for Any Size Show
Creative Conners is a leading innovator in stage automation for live entertainment. They focus on intuitive controls, safety-first functionality, and innovative mechanical design to deliver automated effects for stages of all sizes and budgets. Their comprehensive product catalog fuels powerful automated effects for any performance, without the complexity of custom machinery and controls.
Stagehand Pro 5 and Stagehand Apprentice 2 are advanced motion controllers featuring asymmetrical acceleration and deceleration, a large status screen, integral brake testing, and optional support for absolute encoders. Precise control of any motorized effect couldn’t be easier.
Stagehand Lineset is a streamlined retrofit for existing batten hoists. Elegantly unify rigging and stage machinery with one control system. Pick from their extensive array of permanent wiring solutions to create a flexible venue that automates linesets during load-in and runs cues at show time.
Spikemark 5 software tackles the biggest shows and permanent installations with ease, handling over 100 machines. Featuring a clean cue sheet, filters, tags, a dedicated jog screen, and presets, Spikemark automates large-scale productions while remaining intuitive for smaller shows.
Spotline v2, Spotline Mini v2 and Smart Chain Hoist fly scenery, props, LED screens and more. They offer exceptional travel distance, high capacity, and comprehensive safety features—fly your show with confidence.
The Season Subscription program re-imagines automation rentals. Budget for automation upfront, with one monthly payment covering all your needs throughout the season. Nearly a third of the projects they produce are custom creations. Their product catalog is a launch point for ambitious projects requiring unique solutions. Creative Conners is the one-stop shop for all your stage automation needs. They offer hoists, lifts, winches, and turntable machines to bring your show to life.
ETC: Prodigy P1 Hoist
The Prodigy family of general-purpose automated hoists provides a low-cost, low-profile way to lift heavy scenery, electrics, or curtains for setup, storage, and performance. These hoists resolve space and access challenges for schools, nightclubs, houses of worship, and other places where it is difficult to access overhead equipment.
Prodigy hoists are lightweight and impose no additional forces on the building, making it easy to install and reducing structural building limitations. Additionally, the loft blocks can be positioned anywhere along the compression tube, so the lift line placement is not dependent on building layout.
The innovative technologies in Prodigy hoists resolve access challenges when setting up lighting plots and masking drapes by eliminating the need to climb ladders or scaffolds. Instead, battens can be conveniently lowered to any working level, allowing easy access for changing, servicing, and moving items that can then need to be raised to performance or storage positions high above the stage floor.
Prodigy manages up to eight lift lines with 15 m (50’) of travel in a machine 1/3 the size of comparable hoists. Hoists can be installed upright, underhung, or vertically (EXO only) and support use with traditional upright or underhung head blocks and loft blocks. Available soft start/stop models reduce the structural stress of moving large loads.
Compression Tube snaps in place to interface with facility structure and neutralize additional lateral forces on the building.
The unique Right Angle Cable Adjuster (RACA) clamp permits rapid fine trim adjustment under load and saves up to 360mm (14”) of required dead hang in building height. Motor control electronics are included in the hoist Powerhead, no separate motor control cabinet required Safety Features Supplied as Standard: Redundant braking; Load cells; Load profiling; Automated self-test; Slack line detection; Limit switches; and Encoders.
Gallagher Staging: Rental Staging and Custom Manufacturing
Gallagher Staging and Manufacturing, which took home a Parnelli Award for Staging Company of the Year in January, provides the foundation for premier events across the nation. With the crew, the gear, and the passion to put the biggest names in the business on stage and give audiences the live shows they yearn for, Gallagher Staging goes above and beyond to provide unforgettable experiences, from load-in to tear-down.
For the past 13 years, Gallagher has been creating safe, reliable, and memorable experiences for its clients and their audiences. Their growing team of more than 200+ seasoned and highly trained professionals has over 40 years of staging experience, ensuring the best of staging for a variety of client needs.
Gallagher offers customers safe solutions for all custom and rental staging to support a wide array of events. With numerous patented products on top of high quality rental materials, the Gallagher team supports tours, festivals, residencies, red carpet events, award shows, trade shows, studio and television productions, corporate events, and more. Building stages and providing materials for events across the country, Gallagher consistently delivers the best of staging at fair rates for a variety of clients.
Specializing in custom staging, their set design goes beyond expectation and pushes production boundaries. From basic ideas to the most intricate custom designs, they work hard to make each and every client’s vision a reality and guarantee flawless service along the way. With the experience and skill of their incredible team, they can create the highest quality staging for any and all production needs. Constantly developing, updating, and improving their product for their clients, Gallagher offers top of the line staging for high-end talent at six strategic locations across the United States.
IWEISS: Paragon Stage Hoist
The IWEISS Paragon Stage Hoist is a pile-on hoist that has been engineered with precision and equipped with redundancy, this one-of-a-kind hoisting solution ensures unparalleled reliability in the world of theatrical stages, banner drops, and elevated displays. What makes the Paragon exceptional is its innovative design featuring a multi-line winch powered by two gearmotors with brakes. The redundant load path drive chains, coupled with chain break detection, guarantee motor synchronization, setting it apart with one of the smallest hoisting footprints available in the market. This design, backed by high engineering standards, makes the Paragon the ultimate choice for any overhead lifting requirement.
Designed for versatility, the Paragon boasts a remarkable overall width of just 1’-0”, allowing installation on tight centers. When positioned on opposing sides, it effortlessly fits on 8” centers, providing flexibility in various spatial configurations. Equipped with either 3/16” or 1/4” lift cables, the Paragon offers customizable options to suit your specific needs. The inclusion of a 4-element rotary limit switch as standard ensures precise control, while the option for an encoder and variable speed operation adds an extra layer of flexibility. For user convenience, the motor control cabinet and control station are supplied separately, allowing for seamless integration into existing systems. Elevate your lifting experience with the IWEISS Paragon Stage Hoist, a fusion of cutting-edge design, safety, and adaptability, making it the go-to solution for all your hoisting requirements.
Kinesys: Sculptor Winch
Recognizing the demand for scenic winches that are as safe for overhead lifting, and which meet latest safety standards, TAIT announces the Kinesys Sculptor™ range. Capable of 100% duty-cycle (i.e. non-stop operation) for small payloads, Kinesys Sculptor, which requires only a power and data connection, has a built-in drive, and is controlled by TAIT Navigator™.
Requiring only a power and data connection, this precision variable-speed winch finds versatile applications, including kinetic sculpture in shopping malls, atriums, public and community spaces, as well as for prop movement in entertainment. An optional second lifting line prevents payload rotation, and the zero-fleet feature removes any unwanted lateral movement.
Many small winches require frequent “cooling down periods” as they cannot support a high duty cycle. Kinesys Sculptor delivers 100% duty-cycle. Although common practice, the DMX standard itself states that it should not be used for lifting applications (ANSI E1.11-2008 para1.4&5). Since the 2020 safety standard EN17206, there are new recommendations for overhead lifting applications which cannot be achieved with direct DMX control. The Kinesys Sculptor Winch has the necessary features required for a SIL3 system. The Kinesys Sculptor range fills this market gap. TAIT Navigator control enables motion programming to be achieved using the designers’ preferred lighting, video, or 3D tools, while also providing comprehensive real-time status feedback from the winch array.
Staging Dimensions
Staging Dimensions custom fabrication & scenic design department specializes in manufacturing static and automated scenic structures, trade show booths, DJ booths & tables, signage & set pieces. Their dedicated team of craftsmen, with over 20 years’ experience will guide clients through the concept, design, and fabrication process guaranteeing the finished product is EXACTLY what the client envisioned. They have provided scenic pieces for DJ Cassidy, Mazda, Philadelphia Wings Lacrosse Team, Philadelphia Flyers, Philadelphia Phillies, Brooklyn Nets, Red Bull, and Made in America. Let them assist you with your next scenic project.
TAIT: Navigator™ Automation Platform
The TAIT Navigator™ Automation Platform is a proprietary system of scalable software, hardware, and infrastructure that supports show control and machinery automation. No matter the scale of your vision, Navigator enables show designers to focus on creativity because it reliably takes care of the complex aspects of automation.
Specifically designed for live entertainment applications across concert touring, theaters, cruise ships, theme parks, and more, Navigator’s unique cueing engine makes your show easy to operate at any scale, enabling endless options like cues triggering other cues or actions with conditional logic for waiting instructions.
Navigator can also distribute its processing across multiple independent nodes, so it can control several axes of motion without compromising real-time performance safety. It comprehensively syncs information in one device, communicating with a wide range of different vendor’s devices, including machinery, special effects, HVAC systems, lighting, sound, video, etc.
Xtreme Structures and Fabrication: XSF MAV Truss
The XSF MAV (Moving Lights, Automation, and Video Production) Truss is the perfect truss for automation needs, easily configurable as an automation grid truss to quickly deploy customer’s pre-rigged automation rig. Also, the perfect truss for automated trolley tracks with the open bottom design allowing multiple tracks to connect quickly and evenly at an easy working height. 14’ x 24’ Moving Light, Automation, and Video Wall (MAV) Truss comes in standard lengths of 5’, 8’, and 10’ with custom lengths available upon request. The aluminum chords are 2’ OD x 3/8” thick with 1’ OD x 1/8” thick aluminum diagonals.
