SERIATE, Italy — Clay Paky named Pio Nahum, a 20-year veteran in the show lighting business, as its new commercial and marketing director. The appointment also represents a homecoming of sorts for Nahum, who got his first industry job at Clay Paky. Nahum is pictured here on the left, with Pasquale Quadri, Clay Paky president, on the right.
LAS VEGAS — Byron Autrey, John Hayes, Fred Josephs and John Saltonstall have formed a new company, Blue Line Studios, Inc. (BLS). BLS is being formed as a fabrication and rental company to handle the needs of the corporate events, themed environments, millwork, film, trade show exhibits, rentals and live theatrical markets.
LOS ANGELES — AEG has named Panasonic as a “Founding Partner” of L.A. Live, the sports and entertainment complex in Los Angeles, and also for the nearby Staples Center, both of which are to be dubbed “Panasonic Powered Properties.”
COLUMBUS, Ohio —New Christie dealer Bartha Audio Visual selected the Christie Roadster HD18K 3-chip DLP projector for the Columbus Blue Jackets NHL home opener. The company also used Christie gear for the 81st National FFA (Future Farmers of America) Convention.
GRAHAMSTOWN, South Africa — Johannesburg-based Sound Stylists supplied Robe moving lights for LD Andre Rossouw from SABC’s Air Time for his design at the Highway Africa Digital Journalism Awards. The 2008 event was staged at the Guy Butler Theatre on the campus of Rhodes University, and was also broadcast live on SABC International.
BEIJING — A series of 11 large circular screens displaying rear-projected imagery and one 30-by-6 meter Element Labs Stealth LED screen were used to introduce the new Montblanc watch collection at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, with content synchronized by eight Hippotizer HD V3s.
NEW YORK — Scharff Weisberg partnered with Production Glue on the kickoff of AOL’s five-city road show to promote its ad business. Dubbed “The Wider Web: Achieving Growth in a Fragmented Market,” the event was held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, showcasing AOL’s web properties and the capabilities of its Platform-A ad division.
NASHVILLE — Bandit Lites has named Shawn Lear, left, project manager at the company’s Nashville location and James Prince, right, as electronics technician at the company’s facility in the U.K. Lear’s responsibilities include organizing and supporting clients’ lighting systems for touring and TV production. Prince’s responsibilities include repairing, servicing and maintaining Bandit’s moving lights inventory.
FOXBOROUGH, MA —NFL’s New England Patriots’ Hall at Patriot Place, adjacent to Gillette Stadium, has an array of interactive and immersive multimedia exhibits and an AV system engineered, installed and supplied by Electrosonic. Visitors to the 36,000-square foot facility can see a variety of projected video and audio content.
LAS VEGAS — Le Rêve, the aquatic spectacle running at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino, has a one million-gallon “stage,” featuring diving, acrobatics, and dance — all in a milieu of lighting and special effects. Franco Dragone, who also played a key role in Mystere, La Nouba and the stage show for Céline Dion, created the production.
LONDON — LD Mark Kenyon wanted some new effects for the final installment of the BBC’s latest Strictly Come Dancing series, and thought it fitting to try Robe DigitalSpot 7000DTs. They made the cut, and Kenyon went on to use the new gear for the Christmas Special edition as well, shown here.
WASHINGTON, DC — Jim Tetlow and Nautilus Entertainment Design have been selected as lighting designers for the 2009 inaugural balls and candlelight dinners at the Presidential Inauguration this week. The project includes 13 events in 10 different locations around Washington, D.C.