Due to the pandemic, the past year and a half was difficult for the entertainment industry. But one of the strongest industries is getting back on its feet – and needs a strong, common platform: The LEaT con – Live, Entertainment and Technology Convention – will come together on the A grounds of the Hamburg Messe und Congress for a unified re:start of the industry from October 26 – 28, 2021. 

For Gridiron fans everywhere, the annual NFL entry draft is a highly anticipated event, bringing all thirty-two teams together to announce player selections, which can ultimately alter the fate of a franchise. First held in 1936, the draft has increased in popularity every year. The words “you’re on-the-clock” have become synonymous with an event that is now a full-scale production, garnering primetime TV audiences measured in the millions.

TVU Networks, one of the market and technology leader in cloud and IP-based live video solutions, was the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for cloud-based video distribution. All 32 NFL teams used the TVU Anywhere remote production app and TVU Grid, a cloud-based video distribution network, for footage of their Draft rooms during the three-day draft that began on April 29. Plus, TVU was tasked with supporting the live video feeds of 50 off-site player prospects for the broadcast production.
 
 

In the British live TV show “Dancing on Ice”, a figure skater is skating among the dancers with a Sony HDC-P50 camera and Canon HJ14 lens. This broadcast camera is stabilized and remote-controlled through a NEWTON system and the results are unique in the broadcast world.
 

The German company HAIX is internationally known as a manufacturer of premium quality functional footwear ‘Made in Europe’, which is particularly popular with fire brigades and special forces operators, as well as craftsmen.
The common denominator of its products is extremely high quality.
 

Lighting designer Henk-Jan van Beek of Light-H-Art design has chosen significant numbers of each fixture for the main ambient and effects lighting for this annual music extravaganza. The full requirement of Ayrton fixtures – 386 in total - will be supplied by Eurovision 2021’s lighting, audio and rigging supplier, Ampco Flashlight. The stage design for Eurovision 2021 by Florian Wieder is being kept under wraps for now, but those in the know at Ampco Flashlight have hinted at a wall of MiniPanel-FX which they describe on their Eurovision blog (www.ampco-flashlight.com/nl/esc) as ‘a cute little fixture that is fierce and powerful” - and that’s just for starters.

“The Tony Baker Show” and “Keep Your Distance, Presented by KevOnStage” were two of the most-watched indie stand-up comedy specials during COVID-19, averaging 8,000-15,000 household viewers per episode. The two sister series aired 20 live shows between July 2020 and April 2021, helping to lighten the mood for fans at home during pandemic shutdowns. Under the direction of Transit Pictures, with the involvement of Invictus Entertainment and Technical Director Arthur Khoshaba, both series were filmed on an outdoor stage at Transit Pictures in Los Angeles, CA and live streamed to remote audiences in 1080p, using a live production workflow with AJA KUMO 1616-12G at the core for SDI signal routing.

We are now just a few weeks away from the long-awaited return of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), held this year at the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam on 18-20 and 22 May 2021 and organized by the EBU - the world’s leading alliance of public service media. OSRAM, parent company of Claypaky, will be the official lighting partner of the ESC 2021 and, as in past years, will contribute to the event by illuminating a key building in the city of Rotterdam.

Artists continue to be creative and inventive in presenting themselves during these pandemic times, and legendary musician, singer and songwriter Todd Rundgren’s ground-breaking new virtual ‘tour’ concept took imagination, technology and lateral thinking to another level to bring fans the most exhilarating experience possible! The 25 shows were broadcast live over a five-week period from Radius Chicago, a cool new 3,800 capacity cutting-edge live performance venue in an old Pilsen steel factory. Each day was orientated towards a particular city, complete with special locally related video content, and people living in the relevant area able to access advanced tickets before the box office was opened further.

Enthusiasm for the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest is bursting every disco bubble this year, especially in the wake of last year’s first ever cancellation due to – we all know what – as competing countries ramp up the glorious glitz, glamour, drama and pop moments with gusto! Melodifestivalen – ‘Mello’ for short – the annual competition to select the Swedish entry is organised by Sveriges Television and is a phenomenon in itself! In recent years, it has been a touring show visiting six key cities, but due to Covid restrictions, this year the six rounds – four heats, the ‘second chance’ and the final – were staged in one place, the Annexet arena in Stockholm, part of the Globe complex, and broadcast live on STV1.

Diversified installs a K2 and A15 system that provides a nearfield-like experience and consistent coverage in an acoustically and architecturally challenging space.
 

NEP has been recognizing International Women’s Day for the last few weeks by celebrating women’s achievements in broadcasting and live events. Over the years, we have seen a rising movement of women taking on more roles in these industries and there are amazing professional opportunities and career paths for women. Today, we highlight Sjoukje Lezwijn, AV Assistant for Faber Audiovisuals, and Suzan Peetoom, Client Manager for NEP The Netherlands. We hope their stories will inspire more women to consider a career in our industries. If you or someone you know is interested in applying to NEP, make sure to visit https://www.nepgroup.com/career/careers#openings to view all of our current openings.

Christian artist Chris Tomlin and best selling author and pastor Max Lucado joined with other contemporary Christian musicians for “Good Friday Worldwide,” a worship service that aired on Trinity Broadcasting Network April 2. Bandit Lites supplied a lighting system for the program, which was simulcasted to the radio by K-LOVE and Air1, in addition to 30 other radio stations across the country.

In late April, Michael and Carrie Sands will be fulfilling a longtime dream when they open Richmond, Virginia’s newest entertainment venue, Sandman Comedy Club. Located in a roomy 1940’s bank building complete with bank vault, the new venue houses an Elation lighting system of WW Profile HP™, Fuze Spot™, Colour Pendant™ and SixBar 1000™ luminaires that will be used for much more than just comedy.

Lighting and set designer for the finale show and the two semi-finals that preceded it in Tallinn’s Saku Suurhall arena was Rene Jõhve, who was approached to work on the project by Estonian national broadcaster, ERR. This was his tenth year of lighting the finale and semi-final events which were aired live, and – for obvious reasons – this year were staged without an audience! The lighting rig included a selection of Robe fixtures including two BMFL WashBeams, 13 x DL7 Profiles, 12 x 300E Spot, 42 x Pointes, 25 x Spiider LED wash beams, 18 x LEDBeam150s and eight MMX WashBeams, plus other lights, all of which were supplied to the production by rental company Cuuclub Ltd.