USA - Elation has announced the hiring of Tiffani Bryant as the company’s digital marketing creative specialist, a new position designed to help drive visibility across online digital media platforms, as well as provide creative input across all of Elation’s marketing channels.
Tiffani brings with her seven years of experience as a digital marketing professional, having managed media and created digital content for top brands in the sports and entertainment industry including UFC, Team USA, ESPN and multiple professional boxing brands. She also worked as onsite creative manager for Team USA Shop at Athlete Week in Washington DC following the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
“Elation is continuously evolving and innovating and I want to showcase that in the best way possible,” says Tiffani.
Eric Loader, global vice president for sales & marketing at Elation

USA - Lone Star Lights is a family-friendly Christmas light experience hosted at Carolina Creek, the Christian camp located an hour north of Houston, TX. ADJ was selected by Carolina Creek as the exclusive supplier of entertainment lighting for the event, with equipment supplied via Alabama-based Team Wilson Media. Its various areas, exhibits and attractions are illuminated by a variety of ADJ IP65-rated fixtures, including Hydro Series moving heads, HEX Series static washes and battery-powered Mirage Q6 uplighters.
Established in 2002, Carolina Creek offers overnight summer youth camps as well as year-round retreat facilities for churches, youth organizations and civic organisations, as well as corporate team building events. Hosting thousands of young people in the summer and busy most of the rest of the year, the holiday season has historically been a quiet time for the

Spain - Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) will return to Barcelona (30 January - 2 February 2024), billed as ‘the most comprehensive exhibition for the pro AV and systems integration sectors and is set to raise the bar once again’.
Mike Blackman, managing director, Integration Systems Events says: "Without a doubt, ISE is your ‘destination for innovation’, and we will prove that this is not just a claim. With more than 1,200 confirmed exhibitors and the biggest ever show floor space, attendees will have plenty of opportunities to discover innovations at ISE 2024.
“In addition, our comprehensive content programme gives a platform to more than 100 of the industry's most innovative representatives. And don't miss our keynotes. These creative minds will impressively demonstrate how AV is shaping our daily lives."
Key highlights for ISE 2024 include:
Se

Germany - Astera has announced the establishment of a new product management department as part of its ‘ongoing commitment to enhancing product development and customer satisfaction’.
Simon Canins, newly appointed CTO of Astera said: “We are thrilled to welcome Ben Díaz to the Astera family and embark on an exciting journey of growth and innovation together. Ben’s ability to listen to and understand the evolving needs of our customers makes him the perfect candidate to head up our busy product development. Being able to delegate responsibilities to someone of Ben’s calibre gives me strong confidence in reaching our company’s goals. Together we will create a seamless integration of product excellence and user-centric strategies, aligning with our ongoing mission to remain at the forefront of technological advancements."
Since 2014, Ben Díaz has been work

UK - Those stuck in busy Christmas Eve M25 traffic as they drove home for Christmas were treated to the sight of Father Christmas as he began his delivery duties led by his faithful reindeer.
Celestial created a festive drone animation of Father Christmas flying over the M25 to spread Christmas Eve magic. Through technology, Celestial digitally displayed Santa and his sleigh using drones to delight and ignite imaginations.
Tony Martin, CEO at Celestial, comments, "At Celestial, we believe in creating experiences that defy expectations and leave a lasting impact. Our Christmas Eve drone animation is a testament to the endless possibilities that technology and creativity can unlock, with a touch of Christmas magic for families to enjoy."

UK - The Soho Kids Xmas Lights 2023 is now in its third annual edition. The project showcases the designs of pupils from the Soho Parish Primary School.
Soho Parish Primary School pupils, under the direction of Antonio Capelao, architect and founder of award-winning Architecture for Kids, a community interest company, coproduced 14 new street lighting panels this year to add to the 35 designed in the two previous years. Creating a total of 49 (and two commissions) luminescent installations that are lighting up the streets of Soho until 7 January.
The designs by the pupils were judged by a committee, formed of industry experts, including Ayça Donaghy, CEO, and Bob Bohannon, head of policy and sustainability, from The LIA. The judges along with Hannah Peaty, assistant head, Soho Parish Primary School and Antonio Capelao, founder and co-producer of Soho Kids Xmas Lights,

France - Director of photography Jean-Louis Rousseaux has been responsible for lighting the sets of television network France 24 since 2008 and knows what type of high-quality light is needed to create the desired look and ensure a visually engaging viewing experience. Last summer, he and his team lit two France 24 TV news sets using Elation broadcast lighting supplied by Elation distributor Best Audio and Lighting.
As on most sets today used to produce broadcast news magazines, France 24 installed LED screens around the entire periphery of the sets. The space was also equipped with soffits and spandrels made of RGBW LED strips and treated with a night and day material which has the particularity of allowing saturated colours to be obtained.
“The surface area used on the sets being small (50sq.m), I was worried about the impact of this entire LED installation on the

Europe - Pro lighting sales and technical specialist Jeroen van Aalst has joined the Robe International sales team as key account manager where he will be energising and coordinating sales in several important markets including The Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Slovenia, Malta, Turkey, Israel, and South Africa.
Aalst will be working closely with the Robe distributors in all these regions, overseeing and supporting their initiatives, coordinating information, ensuring all communications channels are fluid and fully functional, assisting in client relations and exploring new ideas and markets in conjunction with their teams.
Already a well-known industry figure across The Netherlands, Jeroen has made many friends and contacts working long-term for the dynamic sales, distribution, installation, and project management company, Controllux, which is also Robe’s B

USA - City Theatrical now offers three standard beam control accessories designed to fit LDI Show 2023’s Lighting Award winner in the Fixtures Category, Martin Lighting’s MAC One, which include the MAC One Top Hat, MAC One Concentric Ring, and MAC One Hexcel Louver.
These three beam control accessories were developed based on City Theatrical’s understanding of the different accessory needs of lighting professionals, and the high demand for this moving light fixture in the market. Each new Martin MAC One beam control product offers control of stray beams and light spill.
City Theatrical’s engineers and craftspeople design and create beam shaping lighting accessories, like the new Martin MAC One Top Hat (P/N 2812), from their New Jersey-based factory. City Theatrical works with designers and manufacturers every day to develop new beam control products, and there

Germany - The Kinderlachen Gala in Dortmund was illuminated by Prolights products, an annual event celebrating individuals distinguished for their humanity, altruism, and civic engagement throughout the year.
René Geißel, responsible for the technical implementation of the event's lighting, selected the LED moving heads from Prolights' Astra series, including the Astra Profile400, Astra Wash19Pix, and AstraHybrid330 models.
"My requirement was clear: I needed a spotlight for the light show and another for white light," René Geißel explained. "The Prolights Astra Profile400 were excellent for white light, maintaining colour stability even at reduced intensity levels and with various zoom settings." For this year's light show, Geißel first used the new Astra Hybrid330, which proved to be versatile and functional across different lighting setup configurations.

USA - The latest addition to ADJ’s popular COB Cannon Series of LED wash lighting fixtures, the COB Cannon LP200, offers colour mixing from a full-size fixture that is suitable for use as a pendant-style house light as well as many other applications. Featuring a powerful lime-infused COB LED light source, this versatile fixture offers a potent output with a high CRI and delivers a broad spectrum of colour options including white light with variable colour temperature.
At the heart of the COB Cannon LP200 is a high output 200W COB (Chip On Board) LED engine, which combines red, green, blue, amber and lime LED chips to offer impressive colour mixing with a uniform output that is free from colour shadow
The fixture’s advanced LED engine offers a high CRI of >90, which means that it will render colours accurately when used to illuminate scenery, décor, and people,

South Africa - JP Ridgard is an avid user of Obsidian Control Systems’ Onyx lighting control platform and in 2023 turned to the growing brand’s NX4 lighting console for the Lowveld Gin Fest in Mbombela.
“The NX4 proved to be a game changer for me during this event,” reflected JP, who procured the console from Obsidian’s local distributor in South Africa, Electrosonic. “Its built-in touch screen and ample work surface made it the perfect tool for both programming and playback.”
The 2023 Lowveld Gin Fest took place 9-10 September at the Lowveld Botanical Gardens and featured a strong line-up of artists. JP, a freelance lighting engineer, orchestrated an array of dynamic lighting looks that complemented performances throughout the two-day festival.
The NX4 is a full-featured console in Obsidian’s ONYX lighting control platform. It offers 44 playbacks

The Netherlands - In collaboration with FullAVL, Prolights distributor in the Netherlands, Lichtpunt Theatertechniek delivered a cutting-edge Prolights lighting system to the Concert Hall Theatre in Tilburg. Renowned for its versatility, the theatre hosts a diverse array of theatrical performances, dance shows, concerts, musicals, and cultural events.
Given its dynamic and eclectic programme, the theatre had a pressing requirement for an entirely new lighting system. This system needed to meet the highest quality standards while offering adaptability to cater to various productions and events.
FullAVL supplied Lichtpunt with a range of Prolights projectors tailored to meet the client's specifications, including the EclFresnel 2KTW and Astra Wash7Pix models.
The Prolights ECLFresnel 2KTW, a 500W luminaire has distinguished itself by excelling in both light intensi

USA - The City of Paramount in California kickstarted the holiday season at the end of November with the 25th instalment of its annual Tree Lighting Celebration. Lit by a variety of ADJ luminaires, the free event was attended by thousands of locals and featured live musical and dance performances.
The evening culminated when Santa Claus arrived on the scene surrounded by a flurry of synthetic snowflakes created by six of ADJ’s powerful Entour Snow machines. He then joined city officials on stage to throw a large lever shaped like a candy cane which turned on the downtown Christmas lights.
A holiday traditional which started a quarter of a century ago, the City of Paramount’s annual Tree Lighting Celebration has become one of the biggest events of the local community calendar. It regularly attracts crowds of 8,000 to 10,000, however this year’s 25th Anniversary ed

Australia - An array of stars gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of the late Michael Gudinski at Mushroom 50 Live! In Melbourne at the end of November.
Gudinski founded Mushroom Records in 1972. Over the years, he recorded, promoted and nurtured a generation of transformative Australian stars like MacKenzie Theory, the Skyhooks, The Choirboys and Kylie Minogue, among many others. Along the way, he became a legend, earning the title ‘father of Australian music’.
Honouring his legacy, the Mushroom Group recognised Gudinski’s half-century of achievements by holding Mushroom 50 Live!, a live and broadcast show that featured 50 songs from 50 years of the record label Gudinski founded. Although the programme covered a wide range of eras, genres and onstage styles, the personality and passion of each performer was beautifully reflected in a versatile lighting des

UK - At the annual Lighting Lunch held last Monday, the ALPD took the opportunity to make an award to Kelli Zezulka, outgoing editor of the association’s magazine Focus.
Alongside teaching and design work, Kelli took over the magazine at very short notice, after the sad passing of the then editor Andy Collier. Kelli volunteered to do a few issues whilst studying for her MA. ‘A few issues’ turned into 10 years: Kelli steered Focus to its 100th edition in July this year
Now a full-time teacher of lighting, Kelli has recently written a book on the history of the Association of Lighting Designers (now ALPD) which is soon to be published. She is co-editor of Contemporary Performance Lighting, published by Bloomsbury in February this year.
Kelli was presented with a special gobo and a gobo encased in glass as well as life membership of the ALPD. Th

USA - Toby Keith recently returned to the Las Vegas stage with three sold out shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM this December. The two-hour performance featured a lighting system designed by The Darkroom Creative and provided in part by Bandit Lites. Keith was recently honoured with the Country Icon Award at the People’s Choice Awards and released his 100% Songwriter album in November to critical acclaim.
Lighting designer Seth Jackson of The Darkroom Creative shared the news of the performances was unveiled on a call with just 45 days to prepare, as well as instructions that load in would be the day of the show, with no rehearsal and no tech. None of this phased anyone, as all parties were ready to make this show happen.
“At the end of the day, the inspiration was Toby,” said Jackson. “He is fiercely loyal to all of us, and nobody hesitated for a moment to drop

USA - There are strong evocative feelings tied to time and place in Jane Chambers 1980 landmark play, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove. That’s often the case with cultural milestones, a category this play certainly fits into, being the first major lesbian drama.
Lighting designer R.S. Buck and the rest of the production team appreciated the significance of this when they worked on a recent production of the 43-year-old classic at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles, but their vision extended beyond the play’s historical context to focus on the stories of the eight women portrayed in this drama.
"As we worked on the play, we were less interested in highlighting it as a period piece, and more in showing the authenticity and relevance of these women’s stories,” said Buck. “So, all of us on the design team worked hard to create a world that didn’t distract

Australia - While visitors to the BBC Earth Experience in Melbourne are being transported on a journey through the natural world, a new video explains the technical magic behind the scenes.
The BBC Earth Experience is an immersive exhibition narrated by Sir David Attenborough which has recently opened at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Produced in collaboration with Moon Eye Productions, Live Nation, BBC Studio and Tinker Imagineers, the multi-room digital art experience guides visitors through Earth's diverse ecosystems across seven continents.
What sets Melbourne’s BBC Earth Experience apart is the playback technology used for this installation Australian video technology and production supplier, TDC, harnessed the innovative BeeBlade media server from HIVE to power the entire project.
Michael Hassett, managing director, TDC begins the b

Belgium - VRT, the public broadcaster of the Flemish Community in Belgium, is paving the way for a new era of media production with its latest cutting-edge studio. The new multifunctional studio of VRT represents a pivotal leap into the future of media production.
Equipped with an immense U-shaped LED wall, measuring an impressive 33m in width and 4m in height, crafted from Leyard Europe's VEM Series LED solution, the studio promises to ‘usher in a wave of creativity, efficiency, and accessibility in the production proces’s. It will also allow VRT to stay relevant in a rapidly changing media landscape and fully explore the potential of virtual technologies for broadcasting.
Stijn Lehaen, general director of technology & infrastructure at VRT NWS, explains, “This multifunctional studio is a logical continuation of the innovation work VRT has been doing in rec

USA - An accomplished painter when she isn’t busy as a LD, Denise Simpson says that she often likes to play with colours to do things a little differently when designing shows. This was evident this December when she lit The Christmas Experience, a well-orchestrated one-hour musical programme at the Lexington Baptist Church.
“Often one of the unique ways that I create looks is by slightly offsetting colours in some of my big monochromatic looks,” remarked Simpson. “I generally lean towards monochromatic looks as I am building up the end of a song, and also for those big high energy numbers. I love building bright saturated colour scenes.
“In this case, I chose my colour palettes based on how the music felt to me and how the performers and musicians presented the piece. Also, very important to this event, my palettes were chosen by working closely with

Germany - The upper Franconian town of Wunsiedel is not only home to the largest rock labyrinth in Europe, but also the oldest open-air stage in Germany, which is used by the Luisenburg Festival every year during the summer months. The performance area of the main stage extends over several levels amidst rocks and forest. In this natural setting, the technical team at the Luisenburg Festival once again used weatherproof spotlights from Fusion by GLP this year.
Twenty-four X-PAR 12Z, 24 Fusion Stick FS20, 12 Fusion SuperNova SN70 and four GLP impression X5 washlights formed part of the lighting design for the 2023 season, with the Sticks FS20 having been specified for the third year in a row.
The lighting of the rock stage is redefined year after year based on the performance plan, with the position of the material defining the requirements, as Michael Lindner, assistan

Germany - Harmonic Sound has chosen to expand its inventory by investing in Prolights' Astra Hybrid330.
Matthias Führer, head of the lighting technology team at Harmonic Sound, had clear ideas about the projector: "We were looking for a compact and lightweight moving light that still offered high brightness and precise optics; of course, it also had to be silent," he explains. "Furthermore, the projector was not only intended for illuminating performances but also for projections. Additionally, the quality of craftsmanship and ergonomics are important aspects that should always be considered."
The specifications set by Harmonic Sound were met by the Astra Hybrid330 from Prolights. After delivery, the company immediately put the projectors into action during the Allgäuer Festival 2023 in Kempten.
"The Astra Hybrid330 impressed us from the start," Matthias stated

Slovenia - GR-Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre (GR) is a bustling 23-hall venue operating in the middle of the Slovenian capital, hosting a variety of national and international expos and trade fairs. It is also used for television productions, special live events, and some music concerts.
Recently, the venue has boosted its Robe moving light stock with the purchase of Esprites, LEDBeam 350s and LEDBeam 150s which have been added to their existing ParFects, Spiider LED wash beams, MegaPointes and LEDBeam 150s. All this equipment has been delivered by Robe’s Slovenian distributor, MK Light Sound.
“We own a quantity of equipment which is available site-wide for different events as needed, and if more is required, we cross rent,” explained Boris Kutin, the venue’s head of AV and part of a technical team ensuring all GR productions are delivered smoothly

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