Focus on Video
“We’ve strived to provide production design, production management and equipment rental focusing on LED video displays,” explains Campos. “Whether it be for indoor or outdoors, our screens are engineered to achieve what we believe are stunning events.”
Campos started in the business as so many do, with a love of live events and a desire to build a company by buying one piece of gear at a time. “Every time I did a show, I added more equipment,” he says.
In 1997, the same year he founded the company, he became a frequent resource for the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The “global” aspirations soon followed, as corporate work took him to Miami and New York.
At Home and Abroad
“From the very beginning, I wanted to be the leading video provider in the market, not just in the U.S., but internationally,” Campos says. Today, the company is based in Burbank, with offices in Las Vegas and Miami. Campos is now in the process of opening offices in New York and Mexico.
By keeping its focus on video, Global Trend Productions is able to keep up with the sector’s fast rate of technological change. “Video is not part-time for us — it’s all we do, including working with other production companies who don’t have any video or need to supplement what they have with more.”
Along those lines, Global Trend Productions stocks a wide variety of gear, including their own brand, Oracle LED, while keeping related products from Barco, Christie, Toshiba and Samsung in stock. “We probably have one of the largest inventories with the biggest variety,” he says. “And to keep up, we basically recycle and sell [gear] every two years to start over and stay current.”
Most recently, they’ve stayed busy providing gear for Warner Brothers, Absolut Vodka and Lexus, also getting involved with Grand Prix racing events.
Poolside in Vegas
For the XS Nightclub and pool club within Steve Wynn’s Encore Las Vegas casino and resort, Global Trend provided lots of 10mm LED screen panels — 200 in all — with weekly design updates that were done in collaboration with Yannick Mugnier, one of the nightclub’s general managers.
The pool club is among the biggest and most popular in Las Vegas, and they wanted to “do the same with production,” reports Global’s project manager Saby Dang. “They wanted to make everything bigger and better. We were so glad to have the chance to work with them.”
The 18-month project kept evolving and growing. “They started with Oracle 16mm screens, but then management wanted to push it to the next level, and they went to 10mm.” The screens are complemented by Martin MAC 101s on all-black truss provided by other vendors, all of whom worked together as a team.
“The challenge is, the Wynn is a very high-end property, so there were obstacles to overcome, which we met with good planning,” Dang says, of the Encore/Wynn hotel complex.
“Every morning at 8 a.m., for example, the pool club serves simply as the hotel’s pool, and so every cable, every box, every technician had to be completely gone.” But the final product (which, in some ways, is still evolving) turned out well. “One bonus with the video system is that it’s being used day and night. During the day, guests can watch ESPN if there’s a game on, because the screen is double-sided,” positioned “between the main part of the club and the pool.”
The video content on display ranges from a lot of logos from sponsors (often alcohol brands). When the featured artist starts performing, then the content changes to fit the music. The LED visuals can also be tailored to support corporate events as well.
“My favorite part is, during the summer, they have Sunday Night Swim — I’ve always loved swimming at night!” Campos says, noting how the screens get flipped on a weekly basis to add visual impact, alternately facing the club and the pool.
Other Projects
The Global touch can also be seen at the nearby MGM Grand hotel and casino, with Oracle TR 8mm and 10mm screens adding flash to the resort’s Wet Republic pool club.
Overseas, Global Trend Productions recently finished work on the Alegra restaurant/bar/lounge within Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, the world’s tallest building. That venue’s décor, by San Francisco-based Mister Important Design, includes ceiling-mounted LED video screens.
Global Trend Productions also worked with designer Steve Lieberman for the BNG and Sunset Entertainment Group nightclub, Lure Hollywood, that opened in the space formerly occupied by the Cabana Club. “There, we installed nine massive Oracle LED high resolution walls made up of 170 Oracle TR 7 panels,” Campos notes.
The House of Worship market is an important one for Global Trend Productions as well. They’ve done projects with Los Alamitos, CA-based Cottonwood Church and other major players, creating dynamic worship environments for weekly services and broadcasts.
The Design Process
How they work with each individual client depends on their needs. “Touring acts come to us with something very specific in mind, which we accommodate,” Campos says. “With corporate clients, we usually get into the early planning stages with them, including the design. We have a talented team that offers the latest technology in delivering unique designs. We use CAD, Vectorworks and 3D rendering software,” taking their vision from concept to reality in as cost-efficient a manner as possible.
In terms of getting and retaining business, however, “it’s not really about price,” Campos adds. “It’s about our relationships and we have a good record. Everybody has great technology these days, but having the best in LED helps. But what really matters is our ability to deliver something that ultimately exceeds the client’s needs.”
