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14 January 2025

City of Culture - Thousands of people braved sub-zero temperatures to watch an open-air spectacle starring magician Steven Frayne, formerly known as Dynamo, a 10-year-old rapper and a dozen aerial dancers to launch Bradford's year as UK City of Culture. Frayne told the audience he started his career performing street magic in City Park, where the opening ceremony was held, and that his home city was "going to make its mark on the world" in 2025.

Organisers said about 10,000 people turned out to watch the show, which took place in temperatures of -3C (26.6F). Bradford is the fourth UK City of Culture, a title that is awarded every four years. The scheme is designed to boost the chosen city's visitor numbers, economies and reputations, and Bradford's year has received £15m government funding.

Oh yes it is! - Robin Hood has be

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13 January 2025

UK - The Association of Motion Picture Sound (AMPS) has revealed the nominees for the 2025 Excellence in Sound for a Feature Film. They are: A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, The Substance and Wicked.

The award recognises outstanding contributions from sound professionals who bring cinematic stories to life through the power of sound, and honours key roles including production sound mixer, supervising dialogue/ADR editor, supervising sound editor or sound designer, and re-recording mixer. Production sound mixers can nominate a key 1st assistant sound for exceptional contributions, ensuring all critical team members are acknowledged.

Now in its 12th year, the AMPS awards honour the creativity and dedication of professionals across five categories: feature films, TV dramas, factual films

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13 January 2025

USA - In keeping with its mission to foster ‘innovative creativity’ within the live event industry, the Conference Live at Lititz selects one young designer to light the main stage at its popular event every year. In 2024, that honour belonged to Tegan Rehbein. Working with a rig supplied by the 4Wall Entertainment team led by project manager Zack Spadaccia, she provided proof that The Conference made a good choice.

Anchoring Rehbein's rig were 246 Chauvet Professional fixtures. She drew on their performance features and bright output to paint the stage in an array of vivid colours, while filling the venue with dramatic aerial patterns and audience lighting.

Key to helping her create her engaging show were 48 Color Strike M motorised strobe-washes in full pixel mode. "Very early on in the design process I knew from the event organisers t

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13 January 2025

India - The sacred city of Deoghar, also known as Baidyanath Dham, stands as a pivotal religious destination in India, revered for its association with Lord Shiva. Nestled in the state of Jharkhand, this pilgrimage site is home to one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, making it a magnet for devotees from across the country.

The Shrawan Mela, an annual month-long fair held during July and August, brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to this holy city, culminating in a vibrant amalgamation of faith, culture, and celebration. This year, the festivities took on a spectacular new dimension.

Headway Kreations was tasked with conceptualising, designing, and commissioning a series of visual experiences across multiple sites in and around Deoghar.

Yogesh Choudhary, founder-director of Headway Kreations, comments: “We have been part of this industry for 17

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13 January 2025

USA - Elation has announced that Peter E. Schmitt Co (PES), an independent rep firm in the entertainment technology industry, has been named the new representative of Elation products in the Northeastern USA, including the New York City area and New England. The partnership includes the Obsidian Control Systems and Magmatic atmospheric effects lines.

Located in northern New Jersey just west of New York City, PES delivers lighting solutions to a wide array of clients. Operational since 1926, and now in its fourth generation of ownership, PES is not only well-established but also one of the most respected in the Northeast, known for its commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. The company has served as a representative for the Elation brands since 1 December 2024.

To support the new partnership, PES has announced the hiring of James Suit as

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13 January 2025

Spain - Absen will unveil its latest innovations at ISE 2025 on Booth 3N400. The company will be showcasing a diverse range of display solutions, from digital art installations to versatile conference room solutions, creative retail displays, robust control room solutions, and dynamic DOOH applications.

Absen will be showcasing a digital art installation featuring the work of a renowned artist. “This installation will leverage the company’s state-of-the-art LED display technology to bring art to life in a truly immersive way,” the company says.

For the modern workplace, Absen, in collaboration with Yealink and Crestron, will introduce its 136'' all-in-one X Series 4K display as a comprehensive solution for modern workplaces. This display is designed to seamlessly integrate with Crestron's control system, offering both Yealink's Room-Based Meeti

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10 January 2025

USA - Organisers of the 2025 NAMM Show, scheduled to take place 21-25 January in Anaheim, are monitoring the wildfires in and around nearby Los Angeles. As of today, 10 January, the show will go on.

“We are closely monitoring the wildfires in Los Angeles and their devastating impact on local communities,” says NAMM president and CEO John Mlynczak. “During the past few days, our efforts have been focused on reaching out to our members and partners located in the metropolitan Los Angeles area to confirm their safety. Our thoughts are with them at this time.

“Anaheim is located 60 miles southeast of the wildfires and is currently unaffected.  We are actively working with our partners in Anaheim and the local authorities to ensure we have accurate, up-to-date information. Both Los Angeles International (LAX) and Orange County (John Wayne) airpor

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10 January 2025

Spain - Production Futures has announced that its team will be present at this year’s ISE in Barcelona, where it will take over the Live Events Stage on Friday 7 February for a focus on inspiration, networking, training, and career growth in live event technology and broadcast.

The organisation exists to create opportunities for young people to learn, train, network and develop careers in production across every area of the live event, music, touring, theatre, TV, broadcast and film industries, and this will be its first venture outside the UK.

Part of ISE’s Fast Forward Friday initiative, the takeover is targeted towards production newcomers in the first five years of their careers, and aims to promote a day of learning that will help develop the skills and confidence to meet career challenges head-on.

Mike Blackman, managing di

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10 January 2025

USA - Located in the heart of Central Florida, Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) offers a supportive environment designed to help students succeed. As the fastest-growing college in Florida, serving 8,600 students annually and a 25:1 student-to-faculty ratio, LSSC is experiencing growing pains in its classrooms and campus facilities. The college recently upgraded the audio system in its multipurpose gymnasium by deploying amplifiers from LEA Professional.

The Everett A. Kelly Convocation Center is home to LSSC’s National Junior College Athletic Association volleyball programme. With seating for up to 1,100 spectators, the convocation centre also hosts local high school basketball games and tournaments. Outside of athletics, the facility can be transformed to hold events such as award ceremonies, banquets, and special events.

A key event each semeste

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10 January 2025

Canada - A lighting designer isn't always asked to create more light. Sometimes the client's request veers more toward darkness. Such was the case this December when Pierre E. Roy was called upon to light the holiday show Parapapam at la Maison Symphonique in Montreal.

Roy explained how it transpired: "At the request of the director, we held back on some brightness. He wanted the stage to be kind of dark – but not black – to make it dramatic. He also wanted to make the solo artists more prominent by having most of the stage a bit subdued. When the soloists weren't singing, the orchestra, and/or choir, became more prominent and brighter."

The darkness also created challenges when it came to key lighting a cast that included 30 musicians and more than twice as many chorists. Complicating matters further, the soloists often roamed the stage

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10 January 2025

UK - Celestion has introduced the Truvox 1525, a new 15” bass and mid-bass driver offering “exceptional performance at a highly competitive price point”.

Suitable for two-way sound reinforcement systems, the driver will be available as standard to manufacturers, direct from Celestion, in OEM quantities. Truvox 1525 is also available through retailers, making it an option for DIY builders or as a drop-in replacement/upgrade where it can rejuvenate overworked PA setups, restoring the energy and emotional impact of the low-frequency domain.

Several aspects of the Truvox 1525’s construction contribute to its longevity and low-distortion punch. The cone is reinforced with fibreglass to increase its durability. A triple-roll surround keeps the cone moving stably under heavy use, and the pressed steel basket features front and rear mounting gaskets

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10 January 2025

USA - As the new year begins, ACT Entertainment is marking two promotions and a retirement in the company’s technical service department.

CTO Mario Collazo retires from the firm, while Ryan Kanarek has been promoted to director of technical services and Dustin Barnes has been elevated to the role of software support manager.

Mario Collazo retired after 29 years of service at ACT Entertainment; he joined ACT in 1996 and became CTO three years ago. One of the company’s longest tenured employees, Collazo leaves in place a roster of experienced technical personnel who ensure that ACT’s service and support will continue to be best in class.

“The technical service and support at ACT Entertainment is not only critical to our customers but vital to our culture as a company,” says ACT CEO Ben Saltzman. “We have been lucky to have leadershi

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09 January 2025

Europe - ISE 2025 returns to Fira de Barcelona Gran Via from 4-7 February 2025, offering a platform to connect with industry leaders, innovators, and peers.

With a wide range of categories and the experiential Audio Demo Room feature, ISE 2025 covers all technologies essential in creating impactful live events including stage lighting, rigging and staging equipment, loudspeakers, DIVA control consoles, spatial audio, holography, video mapping, intercom systems and more. ISE 2025 will showcase the tools and solutions that are driving the industry forward.

A ticket to ISE 2025 grants attendees access to eight expansive halls, including the newly added Hall 8.1. There are seven distinct Technology Zones and the Innovation Park, where startups showcase their groundbreaking ideas on the Pitching Stage.

ISE 2025 features an expanded Lighting and St

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09 January 2025

UK - The holographic in-camera video effects seen around the London Eye during the BBC live broadcast of the New Year’s Eve Celebrations were created through the use of hologram effect projection fabric Hologauze.

The fabric was created by UK-based Holotronica to create what it describes as a “forced perspective illusion”. Hologauze is set a short distance in front of the camera, covering the full frame of the desired shot. Custom video content is then projected onto the Hologauze and mapped to fill the space required.

The camera captures the projected content on the Hologauze, as well as the environment behind, while the rest of the Hologauze is effectively invisible. Using this technique with Hologauze enabled the holographic effect to be achieved during the live broadcast.

Pixel Artworks created and delivered the effects and

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09 January 2025

Sweden - Ant Wan, one of Sweden’s largest hip-hop artists, broke the attendance record at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena recently, when a sell-out crowd of 40,899 fans gathered to see the concert. What is more remarkable is that not only did he steal the previous house record from Madonna, but it was only the artist’s second ever live concert (after selling out the Avicii Arena last year).

Such an auspicious occasion warranted a top lighting designer – both to fill the arena with light, and to sensitively interact with the concrete-based stage design and scenography created by visual artist Alexander Wessely, who doubled as show director. He brought in Jakob Larsson (of Light it Production), with whom he has worked in the past – notably with acts such as the Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia – and the LD was soon integrating a familiar family of hybrid pro

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09 January 2025

UK - Based in Crawley, Sussex, Tulleys Farm turns into a seasonal theme park in the autumn and winter months. It’s then that they promote an evolving programme of festivals and visitor attractions with Shocktober (developing into a Pumpkin Festival), now followed by a newly inaugurated Christmas Light Festival through its various woodland trails, occupying the month of December.

Owned for the past four generations by the Beare family, to give an idea of scale at this pumpkin farm, when Martin Audio partners SWG Events were brought in to create an integrated and immersive sound and light trail – part of an overall Christmas experience – it required around 400 of the manufacturer’s Adorn A55T series loudspeakers, spanning 40 zones.

SWG Events were introduced to handle the inaugural Christmas Light Festival, w

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09 January 2025

Canada - Holt Renfrew, the luxury retail department store, recently unveiled ON 3, a newly renovated shopping floor in its flagship Downtown Toronto location. ON 3 showcases men’s and women’s fashion while offering exhibitions, pop-ups, panels, and entertainment. In an online statement, Holt Renfrew president and CEO Sebastian Picardo described ON 3 as “a place where style, culture, and community intersect into an exciting new space for our customers”.

To create an immersive shopping experience, Holt Renfrew partnered with GAV MGMT to design the audio-visual elements needed to support store events, activations, and conferences with special guests. The goal was to have an integrated audio system that not only enhanced the luxury atmosphere but also accommodated their diverse event needs.

GAV MGMT chose 1 Sound’s Cannon C5s for this distribut

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09 January 2025

South Africa - Monster Productions & Events has expanded its lighting inventory with a substantial investment in Elation lighting equipment. Known for delivering event production, particularly in the corporate sector, Monster Productions’ latest acquisition includes Elation KL Panel softlights, Rayzor 760 moving head effect lights, and Artiste Picasso profile moving head luminaires.

Specialising in large-scale corporate events, awards ceremonies, press events, and year-end functions, Monster Productions has over 25 years of experience providing expert production solutions. With this new lighting investment, the company is further solidifying its ability to deliver spectacular event experiences.

Monster Productions’ owner and CEO, Lloyd Wild comments: "The KL Panel is a brilliant all-rounder for our day-to-day corporate events. Whether we need

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09 January 2025

Europe - In April 2019 Claypaky launched the HY B-Eye, with twice the power and brightness as the B-Eye. The success that followed was immediate and many lighting designers and rental companies began specifying HY B-Eye K25 and HY B-Eye K15 from the very first introduction on the market.

In mid-2019, German rock band Rammstein undertook a stadium tour in Europe with Claypaky HY B-Eye K25, selected by lighting designers Ronald Greil and Patrick Woodroffe. “We were one of the first shows that used a large quantity of K25s,” said Greil. “We were positively surprised by their brightness and reliability. The band loved a lot of brightness and fire power, and the K25s did a good job.”

A few months later, several K25 were used at the final stage of Russia’s National Amateur Teams Hockey Festival in Sochi, with Aleksey Inkov as lighting designer as

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09 January 2025

Europe - Michel Arntz has been appointed as global sales director for the Robe Group, a role involving oversight of all sales-related activities for the manufacturer and its associated businesses and brands, including Avolites, Anolis, LSC Systems and Artistic Licence.

Arntz has been working for Robe for the last two years as a key account manager for Europe, dealing with high-profile distributors and subsidiaries and integrating with Robe’s business MO and lively, people-focused management style.

“It is an extremely exciting time for Robe,” says Arntz, referring to a string of acquisitions over the last 18 months which position Robe to offer clients entire lighting and visual control solutions, from the luminaires, consoles and media servers to power distribution and complete systems integration.

“I look forward to managing the growt