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Italy/USA - Italian lighting manufacturer DTS llluminazione has announced a new exclusive collaboration with Apex Technologies in the US. Apex Technologies, which was recently set up by respected industry professionals including Bill Morris and Ola Melzig as a new entertainment technology solutions provider, will now distribute DTS’ range of products.
Simone Francia, DTS executive vice-president, says the collaboration will only contribute to brighten the company's future. “Coming back to the American market has been in our plans all along,” he explains. “Accomplishing this goal is only further proof that we're moving in the right direction: it was crucial to us, as it's a stepping-stone that will strengthen our future as a company.”
Bill Morris, president of A

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Insurance Scheme - UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden indicated last week that the government will step in to support the theatre sector with a government-backed insurance scheme after 19 July.
Dowden told the House of Commons earlier this week that the government was likely to provide an insurance scheme should commercial providers be unable to offer any to the theatre sector. He was quizzed on the issue by shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens, who asked Dowden why no insurance scheme had been presented despite an announcement to MPs in March that a decision on such an initiative was with the Treasury at the time.
“I very much understand the industry’s desire for insurance and I have engaged with them. I have said all along, as with film and TV insurance, the first step is to get all the other restrictions removed and we are making very good progress towards doing

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UK - Audiologic has announced the expansion of its application team with the hire of Amber Jones, who joins the company as junior application support engineer.
Jones joins the company as the fourth graduate hire from the University of Hertfordshire after studying Audio Recording and Production.
The role reports to Ben Spurgeon, senior application engineer who comments: “Even throughout the pandemic we’ve seen a continuous rise in the demand for support from our application team. After the fantastic roles we’ve managed to shape with Anna and Kamil through our graduate hiring scheme, we decided once again to work with the University of Hertfordshire for this new position. Amber’s hire takes us to a team of six, once again proving how vital the technical offering is to Audiologic.”
Amber Jones adds: “Having recently graduated, I was eager to get into the
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Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

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UK - In the summer of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a live music training initiative was launched, designed to provide a broad set of technical skills to black women who wanted to break into the industry.
The 3T (Tour Tech Training) course was founded by singer-songwriters Nao and Mura Masa who wanted to provide visibility and confidence for black women.
The initiative had three key principles: It had to be free to participants (it was funded by Native Management, Sony Music UK and supported by donations from several other private individuals and companies within the industry); It was to take place over 12 weekends (24 days in total) and It had to cover the fundamentals of touring to be useful to attendees (such as loading/ unloading trucks, cable making, changing strings on guitars, building LED walls, tuning RF kit, audio patching, reskinning drums, looming e

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USA - Illuminarium Experiences, an experiential entertainment company creating immersive venues, has opened its first Illuminarium in Atlanta. The venue takes visitors on African Safari via a multi-sensory journey brought to life with the help of modern technology.
llluminarium has entered a long-term strategic partnership with Holoplot which will equip the Illuminarium venue in Atlanta as well as future venues with their sound systems.
Holoplot is a Berlin-based hardware and software manufacturer of professional 3D audio technology. The company’s technology ‘allows to control sound similar to light, meaning to steer audio with highest precision to the desired target area only, all while creating a homogeneous soundfield with consistent level and quality over distance’.
The company recently launched its X1 product line, including the X1 Modul 96, a full-r

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USA - With live music now returning after a lengthy absence, country music star Justin Moore is touring again, and recently brought his show to The Ford Centre in Evansville, IN. Moore first hit the Billboard charts back in 2008; now with eight #1 country hits under his belt, he released Straight Outta the Country in April.
Lighting designer Aaron D. Luke handled the production and lighting design for this tour, which is ramping up to play more dates throughout 2021. For the Evansville concert, Cincy Entertainment Services supplied High End Systems SolaFrame 1000, SolaHyBeam 1000, SolaPix 7 fixtures and Hog 4 control to augment the production.
Company president Braden Hasselbeck says The Ford Centrechose their company “for our gear and our team”. “I think Justin Moore’s team was relieved to see we had nicer gear. The only complaint we got from Aaron was

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UK - Launched in 2017, the Music Venue Trust (MVT)’s Sound + Vision initiative aims to deliver a 21st century live music experience to artists and audiences in every part of the UK. White Light (WL) has been a collaborative partner of MVT on this journey and to date, has supported over 40 Grassroots venues.
Despite some projects being delayed to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing funding restrictions, MVT and WL have worked tirelessly to deliver as many system upgrades as possible within Government safety parameters. The latest of these were at Stoke-on-Trent's The Sugarmill, a live music venue and night club, which benefited from a new d&b audiotechnik xS-Series system.
Jason Larcombe, WL’s project manager, comments: “Thanks to MVT’s ongoing work and previously ringfenced funds from Arts Council England, we are delighted to have been able to continue provid

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Australia - Opera Australia (OA) presents more than 600 performances around the country every year, with more than half a million people seeing their work on stage and even more tuning into OA’s radio broadcasts and cinema releases. OA’s integrated digital technologies were used to transport Davide Livermore’s interpretation of Verdi’s Aida to a whole new level thanks to giant LED screens driven by Brompton processing and deployed by Big Picture at the State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne.
A ‘feast for the senses’, 175sq.m of UniView Tekken LED screens were arranged in 10 towering LED columns seven metres tall, creating an immersive theatrical experience, with video designs ranging from symbolic pictures to picturesque landscapes of Verdi’s world of Egypt brought to life by 4K Tessera SX40 LED processors that conveyed the scale, depth and grandeur of thi

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UK - Hairspray the Musical officially opened its doors last week. The show had been delayed by more than a year following the COVID outbreak. Unusual Rigging was part of the team that helped bring the all-singing all-dancing production to the stage.
Production manager Rich Blacksell reports: “I cannot begin to explain how delighted we are to finally be raising the curtain on Hairspray. We were just four days into week one of rehearsals and about to start fitting up when COVID-19 shut down all live events. We’d brought Unusual on board to handle a rather complex job because we’d planned to rehearse and tech at the English National Ballet’s new home on City Island. We intended to replicate the Coliseum at ENB, install some Kinesys systems and then move at the speed of light into the theatre for the show’s opening.”
As is the case for almost all

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Finland - Genelec is establishing the first branch of its new G Innovation Lab in Kuopio, with the goal of nurturing creativity and entrepreneurship in the Savilahti region of the country and attracting imaginative professionals to the area.
Starting with a Discovery Event Pitch Challenge this August, Genelec aims to recruit a team of ‘start-up minded’ individuals to further develop the innovative thinking that has helped inspire the company’s technical breakthroughs over the last four decades.
Opening this August in Kuopio’s KPY Novapolis Microkatu, the G Innovation Lab will be the home to ‘talented individuals with complementary skills, but with a deep shared interest in the audio industry’, who will begin work this autumn. The Lab’s location is also designed to facilitate even closer co-operation with regional universities and educational institutions,

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Japan - Japan Jam 2021 took place at Soga Sports Park in Chiba over the country’s big May public holiday weekend. The annual event, which has already taken place three times at this venue, had to be cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic - therefore, this was the first event in two years, and it was held under strict infection control conditions.
Last time around, more than 30,000 people participated daily in the festival; however, this year the number was limited to 10,000 per day, and the event was devoid of alcohol. The audience needed to obey the rules such as wearing masks and were able to enjoy the live performance in 1m square frames arranged in front of the stage.
As in previous years, Martin Audio MLA was adopted as the main speaker, with 10 MLA elements (including an MLD Downfill) and three stacks of subwoofers, nine per side in total, on main sta

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Australia - NEP Group, technical production partner for content producers of live sports and entertainment, has announced that Mediatec Asia Pacific has rebranded to become part of Creative Technology (CT), a sister company also under NEP.
The Mediatec and CT teams have worked together for many years across countries and markets, collaborating on projects for large corporate clients, international sporting events, Olympic and Commonwealth Games, and more.
A change in name and branding only, the move is in line with similar strategic rebranding initiatives, including that of Mediatec Europe’s business in early 2020 to support NEP’s goal of using the global brand that best represents what the company provides to its clients. The combined brand also now enables NEP and CT to support its corporate and sport client segments in Australia and New Zealand as a true 360° s

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Italy - Distributor RM Multimedia has restructured and is expanding following the untimely death of Marco Bartolini in February this year.
Marco, Paula Porolisseanu and Ermanno Tontini all founded the company in 2007 since when it has grown steadily. Operational continuity will be maintained by Paula as owner and managing director and Ermanno as chief technology officer.
Paula has extensive industry connections and a wealth of commercial experience, while Ermanno is well-known and respected in the world of moving lights and as a technical specialist as well as for his customer-focussed approach.
Paula and Ermanno will be leading the RM Multimedia sales team headed by Michele Sgolacchia that includes a network of regional sales agents covering the whole of Italy.
RM Multimedia reports a recent increase in business as activities in Italy pick up over the la

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USA - Several respected industry figures have joined forces to form Apex Technologies, a new company that will “distribute exclusive worldwide entertainment technology solutions” to the North American market.
The founders Bill Morris, Anders Karlsson, Tarmo Krimm and Ola Melzig have run some of the biggest companies and productions in the industry. Their mission is to seamlessly deliver lighting, AV, staging and power supply products that are not currently represented in the US market. Most product lines Apex will represent are well-established on stages and venues in other parts of the world, says the company.
CEO Bill Morris explains: “Apex Technologies is the brainchild of a few of us that saw an open niche in the marketplace to bring exciting products to the North American market. All four of us have either lived in or travelled the world extensively and can

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UAE - Tom Warneke has joined Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) as a senior project manager for the live events division. He has over 15 years of experience in the live events industry across Australia, Asia and the Middle East.
Warneke has successfully planned and executed technical management across multiple high-profile projects such as Diriyah Season, Dubai Burj Khalifa & Sydney Opera House New Year's Eve Celebrations, World Skills Opening and Closing Ceremonies and the United Nations World Urban Forum.
“I’m really excited to be joining such a world-class team as CT and work on some of the most exciting projects across the region, particularly as we expand into offering that same level of service and quality in a full-service way for not just video but complete technical delivery,” says Warneke.

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USA - Goth metalcore band Motionless in White performed last month against the backdrop of the abandoned Pennhurst Asylum in southeast Pennsylvania for Deadstream #2, an atmosphere-filled livestream show lit by Mike Null using Elation Artiste Picasso, Dartz 360 and SixBar 1000 luminaires supplied by Squeek Lights.
Motionless in White are one of the leading acts in the genre with an explosive sound and captivatingly macabre stage presence. A troubled and abandoned state-run school and hospital, Pennhurst Asylum, a frightening place with a sordid history of suffering and paranormal presences, provided the backdrop for a heavy hitting dose of horror-themed metal.
“I feel that if Alice Cooper or Rob Zombie or Marilyn Manson were to know where we shot this they would be very jealous of where we were and what we got to experience,” stated lighting designer Mike N

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Canada - The Montreal Canadiens wanted to give fans an experience they would never forget, as they returned to the Bell Centre for the first time in over a year. And not just by reaching their first finals since 1993.
Montreal-based PixMob reached out to the team to design a shared experience for the 3,500 fans in attendance and the millions cheering on from home - making a limited capacity arena feel full and helping unite a fanbase that had been starved of live hockey since March 2020.
"We’ve illuminated the world’s biggest sporting events and some of the highest-grossing musical tours of all time, but working with our hometown Canadiens at the Stanley Cup Finals is extremely special to us,” said Jean-Olivier Dalphond, president, PixMob.
Given that this is the Canadiens’ first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in nearly 30 years, there was no better time t

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Italy - This complex spirit lives on in the Italian rock band, as they rip comfortable, preconceived notions to shreds and challenging fans with their impassioned, unsettling brand of music. The Criminal Chaos, led by founder and singer Nik Bergogni, from Parma brought the full force of their sound to Fumasoli Audio & Lights Rental’s studio in northern Italy’s Aosta Valley to record their latest music video.
Like the furtive, menacing music of The Criminal Chaos, the lightshow that Patick Iavarone designed for this production conveyed an air of simmering suspense and lurking unknown danger, along with the possibility of discovering something new and redeeming in the end.
Making ample use of shadows to add a sense of mystery to the recordings, Iavarone pierced these dark spaces with bright, boldly coloured light, often in monochromatic hues. Providing these inte

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USA - In response to ongoing demand, the Behind the Scenes Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative has posted new online Mental Health First Aid training classes in August for entertainment industry workers in the U.S. at btshelp.org/mhfa.
As the entertainment industry returns to work, the stress of coming out of isolation to high pressure situations, feeling out of shape physically and mentally, and constantly changing Covid protocols are taking their toll. Anxiety and uncertainty are impacting many, as one attendee said, “With the added stress the pandemic had brought us, I foresee even greater need of these skills.”
Mental Health First Aid takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems by teaching you how to recognize the signs and symptoms that suggest a potential mental health challenge, how t

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Australia - Multi ARIA award-winning singer-songwriter Amy Shark’s Cry Forever national tour kicked off in Newcastle this month and is one of the first arena tours nationally since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tour is the Gold Coast local’s most ambitious live undertaking yet in some of the largest venues Australia has to offer and it was down to the lighting designer Tim Beeston to create a show that looked big on a budget.
“All of the design tricks had to be deployed and our suppliers delivered a high amount of value for a carefully balanced expenditure,” he says. “What we did use, I feel we used pretty well. The show had no content-driven video element which always makes an arena-size show more demanding to design.”
Chameleon Touring Systems supplied the eclectic rig of Robe, Martin, GLP, Chauvet and Portman fixtures with Tim commenting that

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UK - Audiologic, in partnership with GVAV, has delivered a hybrid teaching space at the University of Birmingham, providing a seamless learning experience for students, whether they are in person or remote learning off campus.
The University of Birmingham has recently developed a new purpose-built Teaching and Learning Building. Developed as an education hub, the facility provides spaces for teaching that adhere to the University’s modern learning experience standards.
The Teaching and Learning Building includes a 500-seat lecture theatre, a 250-seat interactive lecture theatre, ten seminar rooms, as well as individual study sections, collaborative group workspaces, and areas that accommodate creative break-out sessions.
The entire teaching facility has been fitted out with hybrid teaching in mind. Now, more than ever, it is essential that lecture theatres ar
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