The 36th Annual Premio Lo Nuestro Awards entertained the audience at Miami’s Kaseya Center with unforgettable performances by some of the biggest names in Latin music. Among the artist taking the stage were Maluma, Grupo Frontera, Camilo & Evaluna, Gente De Zona, and Yuridia & Angela Aguilar. Ensuring that the stage and lighting shone brightly for this star-studded Univision event was a lighting design by Tom Kenny and the production design by Jorge Dominguez.
The three-hour program also featured what critics called ‘historic collaborations’ and demonstrated that Latin music really knows no boundaries. Reggaeton legend Don Omar performed a rendition of “Danza Kuduro” with pop-punk rocker Machine Gun Kelly. Then there was Mexican music sensation Carin León joining forces with country music star Kane Brown in the world premiere of their song “The One” (“Pero No Como Yo”). Camilo and Evaluna also broke new ground by performing their song “PLIS” for the first time on television.
Coming up with distinctive looks for such a large number of acts required “a big team effort,” Kenny declared. On a night with groundbreaking collaborations everywhere, such a cooperative mood seemed to fit right in. The spirit of collaboration therefore also drove the creative elements behind the vibrant production that supported the show according to Kenny, who explained, “Production Designer Jorge Dominguez and I worked together to create multiple levels and lots of linear lines. With the help of a wonderful team, including Mark Butts, Fuji Convertino, Alex Flores, Ronnie Skopac, and the Univision Producers Uli and Uji, as well as the crews from 4Wall and Acme, we managed to pull off this huge, colorful show.” On the video side, PRG supported the production with the LED video wall solutions.
Varied Looks
“Latin music has its own colors and drama,” he said. “We went with a variety of combinations to give each song and every moment its unique look.” Kenny and his team also continuously changed intensity levels, angles, and the types of fixtures used to carve out a visual identity for each song. “We had very big beamy looks for some of the bigger Reggaeton, and pop songs,” he said. “Then we went with some beautiful theatrical looks with traditional palettes for others. Creating this variety was the fun part!”
Positioned through the raked overhead truss structure, as well as on the tiered stage deck, were over 700 lights including a range of CHAUVET fixtures supplied by 4Wall, including 187 Maverick MK3 Washes and 90 Rogue R1 BeamWashes. These units added a dynamic flavor to the production and intense output. “We needed a lot of oomph to reflect the spirt of the music and the stage personas of the artists,” said Kenny. “The Chauvet fixtures were a wonderful help.” Drawing on the color rendering capabilities of the fixtures, Kenny used the fixture to conjure up a broad and vivid palette. The Premio Lo Nuestro lighting system also included products from Elation, GLP, Robe, and others.
Lighting Support
4Wall Entertainment supported the production, supplying the over 700 lights and 1,200’ of Tyler Truss Systems GT Truss used in the lighting rig. A long time vendor on Univision projects, 4Wall looked forward to this year’s production of the Premio Lo Nuestro Awards, knowing it would be a fast-paced production with a lot of performances. 4Wall’s Alex Flores, who served as the Head Gaffer, noted, “Knowing how fast the rehearsals and show goes, we needed to be prepared and ready to execute everything that came our way. Sometimes these shows have 19 performances, and almost all of them have their own specific band look, or floor package. Also, there are producers and creators coming up with ideas we need to execute in crunch time. I think that ability to execute is why 4Wall is the right vendor for these types of shows, and because the of quality gear we provide.” He continues, “We have the experience to know that these productions come together really quickly, and being prepared allows us more time to deal with creatives and production.”
Flores also points out, “It’s always a pleasure to work with Tom [Kenny]. We’ve been working together for quite some time now. I also want to thank all the lighting and production crew, they’re very professional and make these shows possible and enjoyable.”
Kenny spoke about the gear and services 4Wall provided for the show. “We have a very tight knit family with Univision, and the entire lighting team is part of that, including the fabulous Bob Suchocki and his support team at 4Wall.”
LED Video Production Solution
The LED video walls were a central part of the show’s production design and PRG took pride in being part of elevating the visual experience of Premio Lo Nuestro. Supporting the production with the LED video wall solutions and their LED expertise. One notable highlight of PRG’s involvement was the custom frames developed for the award show’s video closedown screens. The closedown frames that had been used in previous years posed some issues as they took hours to set up across multiple departments and were heavy. Taking charge of the situation this year, PRG Project Manager Luke Lewis recognized the need for a better solution and sought the expertise of PRG CAD Designer Madelyn Principe.
With meticulous attention to detail and a deep understanding of the specifications, Principe quickly worked to design a modular frame system for the ROE Visual CB Series LED panels. The result was a revolutionary solution that not only met the tight weight limits but also provided flexibility by allowing curvature, be it convex or concave. Lewis expressed his admiration for Principe’s work, stating, “Madelyn took an idea I had and created a fully functioning system from it.” The success of Principe’s design was evident in its flawless execution during the event—a perfect fit that saved approximately 15 working hours during load-in and about two hours during load-out. The efficiency and visual appeal of the design exceeded expectations, making it a standout feature of Premio Lo Nuestro.
Lewis emphasized the importance of having a customizable, reusable solution that not only met the immediate needs of this project but also promised to be a valuable asset for future shows and music events. Timesaving solutions like this ensure that creatives can spend their time and energy working on the aesthetics of the event. This was evident in the execution of Jorge Dominguez’s design for Premio Lo Nuestro, which skillfully and seamlessly merged artistic vision with technical precision to provide the perfect backdrop for the sensational performances that graced the stage. Dominguez’s work not only complemented the vibrant energy of Latin music but also showcased his unparalleled talent in creating immersive and visually stunning environments.
This insightful content was sourced from 4Wall Entertainment, Chauvet, and PRG.
PRODUCTION TEAM
- Production Designer: Jorge Dominguez
- Lighting Designer: Tom Kenny
- Lighting Directors: Ronnie Skopac, David “Fuji” Convertino, Mark Butts
- Head Gaffer: Alex Flores
- Best Boys: John Ellar, Mikey Smallman
- Lighting Techs: Michael Mustica, John Wiese, George Coronel, Ivan Sanchez
- LED Crew Chief: Colton Carroll
- LED Techs: Pablo Moreira, Travis Shipley
- LED Technical Product Manager: Josh Marrano
- PRG Project Manager/LED Engineer: Luke Lewis
- PRG CAD Designer: Madelyn Principe
- Content/Media Servers: Joey Kranz & 5th Element Productions
VENDORS
- Lighting: 4Wall Entertainment; Project Mgrs: Bob Suchocki, Alex Flores
- Video: PRG; Account Exec: Anthony “Looch” Ciampa
GEAR
Lighting
- 187 CHAUVET Maverick MK3 Wash
- 90 CHAUVET Rogue R1 BeamWash
- 38 CHAUVET COLORado PXL Bar 16
- 41 CHAUVET COLOR Strike M
- 2 Elation Artiste Mondrian
- 50 Elation CUEPIX 16IP
- 28 Elation ACL 360 BAR
- 24 Elation SMARTY Max
- 28 Elation PRISMA WASH 100
- 79 GLP impression X4 Bar 20
- 20 GLP JDC1 Hybrid Strobe
- 16 Chroma-Q Color Force II 12
- 53 Robe Pointe
- 134 Robe MegaPointe
- 4 Robe RoboSpot FollowSpot System
- 3 MA Lighting grandMA3 full-size
- 15 MA Lighting grandMA3 NPU
- 1,200’ of Tyler Truss Systems GT Truss
Video
- ROE Visual CB Series LED Video Panels
- PRG LED Frames
