City Theatrical: A Supplier of Unique and Innovative Theatrical Lighting Products

City Theatrical, found on the web at http://www.citytheatrical.com/, is the leading innovator in unique theatrical lighting supply products.  They have found the industry niche of supplying custom lighting accessories for lighting fixtures regardless of the manufacturer.  Manufacturers make the lights but they do not supply the top hats, irises, and barn doors.  This is where city theatrical comes in.  They supply these important accessories for all lights.  They make each unique accessory slightly different sized to fit many manufacturers, like Vari-lite, High End Systems, ETC, Altman, Color Kinetics, and Martin just to name a few.  They also have designed some of their own innovative products for the industry based on the needs and the wants of the people.  Here are three of the highlights.

The first product is the City Theatrical AutoYoke.  It was the first device to turn a traditional stage lighting fixture into a moving light fixture.  It gives all the advantages of a moving light at a faction of the cost.  A theater only needs to invest an AutoYoke instead of a full moving light.  The space can then use any existing stage light they already have in their inventory.  The AutoYoke can fit almost any fixture making it one of City’s hottest selling and most useful products.

The next product is City’s SHoW DMX, their proprietary wireless DMX system.  City is the first company to release a decently reliable wireless DMX system.  This is huge in the industry because wireless DMX replaces long cable runs that used to have to be run to the light.  In addition to the SHoW DMX, some lights also have an optional battery pack to eliminate the need for cable runs at all.  This new wireless age of theatrical lighting can lead to a big industry change.  What use to take a whole crew a day to run cables, can now be done by one guy in a few hours.  This is still a ways off but is now something that can only be possible due to the geniuses over at City.

The last product is more a product line that City makes exclusively for Color Kinetics by Philips.  Color Kinetics is a leader in high quality LEDs for all types of applications.  City theatrical supplies all the accessory products.  These include all sorts of lighting attachments to focus the lights as well as wireless DMX and battery packs.  They also have controllers and power supplies that do all sorts of preprogrammed LED features.  The City Theatrical and Color Kinetics partnership is a great example of how companies can work together and create products that work together and provide mutual benefit to each other.

City Theatrical has made a name for itself creating the innovative and unique lighting products and accessories the people need.  They have become the industry leader and work with various companies to come out with new, fresh product ideas.  City also does custom work and will work with whoever necessary to come up with the product that is needed for the unique application.  This ingenuity and drive to stay current in the market will keep them on top for years to come.

Nintendo 3DS, An Innovative New Product

Nintendo is one of the oldest and most innovative technology companies on the planet.  Founded in 1889, Nintendo has been the leading innovator in gaming for more than 100 years now.  In 1985, they brought home gaming to the North American masses with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).  In 1989, they released the super popular Game Boy for gaming in your pocket.  In 1996, they came out with first controller Rumble Pak so gamers could feel the game in your hand, a feature all the competitors quickly adopted.  In 2006, they came out with the Nintendo Wii, the world’s first motion gaming.  Radically different, it’s something Nintendo’s competitors only caught up with in 2010, with the Sony Move and Xbox Kinect.  And on March 27, 2011 Nintendo will raise the innovation bar again with the release of the new Nintendo 3DS.

The Nintendo 3DS is the first of its kind, a portable handheld device that does gameplay and movies in stunning 3D, all without the need for the 3D glasses.  Nintendo is the first company on the scene to introduce the first 3D screen without glasses and the device will come with a 3D slider switch to adjust how 3D the image is or make it plain 2D.  The 3D, while warned not for children, is supposed to offer stunning visuals with no eye fatigue.  It will play new 3DS games as well as all regular DSi and DS titles.  It offers an analog stick, a d-pad, various face and shoulder buttons, a touch screen and stylus, two front cameras as well as a rear camera, a microphone, a gyroscope, and an accelerometer.  These are all used for a variety of precision gameplay controls and options.  The 3DS also uses the front cameras as one 3D camera and photo editing software for it built in.  This is just one of a ton of other features preloaded.  These include VR games, sound and music editing software, Internet browser, online connectivity just to name a few, as well as an eShop for future download content (DLC).  It also comes with charge cradle and 2GB SD card compliments of Nintendo.  These are for game saves and so the unit can be in sleep mode with a game on indefinitely, without the need for turning it off and charging.  It can also connect wirelessly with other 3DS’s while in sleep mode.  The technology this thing is loaded with is incredible.  But how much?

             At $249, it is reasonably priced and sure to fly off of stores shelves at launch.  A whole new era of portable gaming is ushered in on March 27^th.  I myself have preordered mine and will be at Best Buy when it opens.  Preorder yours today at Best Buy, http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Video-Games-Gadgets/Nintendo-3DS/pcmcat232900050000.c?id=pcmcat232900050000.

            The Nintendo 3DS is an exciting, innovative, new product that is driving forward and pushing the limits of various types of technologies involved in making it.  The 3D screen without the need for glasses being the biggest, and opening the door for the possibly of bigger 3D TVs in our living rooms without having to wear glasses.  I wonder what would then come next, holograms?  For more on Nintendo 3DS check out the official website, http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

NY Fashion Week Purchasing Manager Negotiating Interview

SeaWorld San Diego

     On my recent trip to California, I was able to fit in a trip to SeaWorld, San Diego. Despite the fact it was middle of January, the park had a very decent crowd for a summer attraction.  I was quite impressed with the size of the park and how they are able to run it so efficiently even in the middle of winter.  To keep such a massive site that requires 365 days a year of care to every single inhabitant within the park, needs to have the financial background to carry those daily stresses.

     SeaWorld, San Diego does this very well by closing just a few attractions, working at about 80 percent operating capacity. Even with this percentage, I feel, as a paying customer, that I definitely got my money’s worth.  I also got a, AAA discount, which didn’t hurt either.  Though the closing of the main roller coaster attraction, Journey To Atlantis, was mildly disappointing, the rest of the park made up for it.  This is probably due to the high cost in operation and maintenance.  It seems to make sense to close a few attractions a day to keep operating costs down and maintain profit in the off-peak months.  All of the animal displays were open and the animals were out.  The lack of big crowds to scare them and mild weather makes for an ideal environment for the animals and even the park crowds.  I also waited on zero lines for the rides that were open and was able to walk into every show finding a great seat.  The shows were extremely impressive, exciting and colorful.  I saw the Dolphins Show Blue Horizons, The Shamu Show Believe, and Sea Lions Live.  The impressive level of skill in training between the animals and trainers is but a hint of the high quality each aspect of the park is given.  Show schedules change everyday keeping excitement and are a great addition to a park visit.

     Overall, Seaworld, San Diego is a great park that should be visited by all.  It has a little something for everyone and runs a smooth, high quality operation with a smart financial mindset.  Hopefully with all the profits gained, they will be expanding soon.  Check out the park schedule and further information at http://www.seaworld.com. 

Virtusphere

With the onset of 2011 we are starting to see new and exciting technology.  With 3D becoming a forerunner of technology today, there is a one company that is taking it a step further by putting the user in a full virtual environment, which they are calling 6D.  Virtusphere Inc. is doing just that with their cutting edge new product the Virtusphere.

The technology is really the wave of the future for the gaming industry.  You are truly in the game.  For about $10 you get a 4 minute or so level inside what looks like a giant hamster ball.  The game I tried at a mall was an Area 51 type base with aliens coming at you from every angle.  Armed with a gun controller it was my task to shoot as many I could.  What sets this apart from other games is while I was shooting aliens I actually believed I was walking around the base.  This was achieved by wearing a full visor headset in addition to the gun controller.  With it on I had a full panoramic view of the base and heard aliens blasting at me through the headphones.  Whichever direction I looked was whatever I saw in the visor.  So if I turned left I would see what was left and I could freely walk around the game while staying in place inside the ball. This combination of wearing the headset while being inside the ball really gave a sense of full virtual reality, a totally new sensation for me.  As a hardcore gamer this blew my mind and the 4 minutes was not long enough.  Sure the technology is new and little buggy but overall very impressive and a 2.0 version is already in the works.

But gaming is not the only use for such a sphere.  Imagine a trip to the Great Wall of China, where you enter the Virtusphere and are free to walk and explore the wall like you are really there but your still in your local mall! Maybe you are in the sphere, and you see a movie screen in the visor and then all of a sudden the screen shots forward and wraps around your head and you are now truly in the movie.  The possibilities are truly endless.  Look for the Virtusphere coming to a mall near you or buy your own and invest in this amazing new technology on the ground level.

www.TED.com... Awesome!

Recently the website, http://www.TED.com/, was brought to my attention.  It is filled with informative and motivating speeches by various groups of speakers, like industry professionals and educators in various fields.  TED is ideas worth spreading.  One speech in particular that caught my attention was Jason Fried: Why work doesn’t happen at work.  Found at http://www.ted.com/talks/jason_fried_why_work_doesn_t_happen_at_work.html, he speaks about just what you’d expect, why work doesn’t happen at work, meaning why work doesn’t really ever get done at the office.

There are many reasons for this.  Jason speaks on the main two reasons, managers and meetings, or M&M’s, as he calls them.  The main reason no one gets any work done at the office is that no one gets any uninterrupted time.  People are always coming in and out the office, causing distractions.  This is why some people come into the office early or stay late to try and get work done uninterrupted.  People have spaces where they are most productive, like on a porch or in a home office, but working from home isn’t always allowed. Some managers think if you’re at home your not working, but that not true, it is just that if you’re at home then your manager has no one to manage so then what are they to do?  Most of the time managers just interrupt subordinates as they are working and this can disrupt someone really involved in something important for example.  People are also pulled away from something for a meeting they might not even be part of, are then distracted and it’s just a waste of company time.  Jason had a few ideas for helping to combat this, ideas I myself am defiantly going to borrow in the future.  For one, instead of face-to-face meeting why not use an instant messenger?  That way people can respond at their leisure and not be interrupted at a crucial moment.  Another idea is have silent Thursday afternoons or any block of time for that matter where no one talks and everyone just sits and is productive.  No meeting or interruptions or nothing just quiet time.  One last idea he had was no Monday meetings for example.  Just an easy Monday morning and great way to ease everyone back into the workweek and be more productive.  It will people be relaxed and ready to work, which is what all employers really want.

I could not agree more with Jason had to say and his ideas to help people actually work at work.  People don’t always need meetings and managers to get things done; they just need a quiet spot to be uninterrupted.  For my future companies and corporate culture I will defiantly take to heart what his speech had to say.  For more information on Jason Fried and his work check out, http://www.ted.com/speakers/jason_fried.html

ETCP Certification

In today’s modern age of safety and only hiring the best and brightest workers in the industry, organizations like the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) are working to help get the dedicated professionals the recognition they need and deserve.  Found on the web at http://www.esta.org, ESTA is in the business of building show business.  As such they are always trying to improve and standardize the live events industry.  Having industry standard certifications is one way to do this.

One major improvement ESTA has made is its Entertainment Technician Certification Program or ETCP for short.  This will make any technician that has qualified and completed the test to become ETCP certified.  There are three main certifications offered, Rigger – Arena, Rigger – Theatre, and Entertainment Electrician.  You obtain certification through examination but not anyone can apply.  You will need 30 or more points to be eligible to take the exam.  Points can come from industry experience and/or higher education.  You can require up to 10 points for having both an undergraduate and graduate degree in the entertainment technology field.  You need to put time in your entertainment field before you can even consider the rigorous test.  But once you have the certification you are recognized as the entertainment industry best and safest, and can get certain jobs and wages as a result.

Safety is becoming ever more increasing in the work place.  Having the ETCP Certification is obviously a benefit.  It says right on your resume you are up to date with the latest safety procedures and have know how of new industry products.  Since it is a prestigious honor, you can negotiate higher wages if needed though reputable companies will offer you higher than average wages from the start.  This will help encourage serious industry professionals to go out and get certified.  It can open new doors and ensure higher wages.  And shows only, use the best labor, a win-win for everyone. 

Having an organization like ESTA is extremely helpful for the entertainment industry as seen with their examinations that certify the best and brightest helping build a safer show business.  ECTP helps make an industry standard that is universally recognized as a symbol of quality and craftsmanship.  It shows merit of pride and determination, discipline and hard work to get certified.  Certification will also help lower insurance rates; requiring only certified technicians on jobs means less rookie mistakes and accidents.  It is something every entertainment technician should look into and I encourage everyone in the industry to get certified, I am on my way myself.