Author: Lori Rubinstein

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ETC’s Apps Serve Their Commitment to Caring

ETC's iRFR and aRFR Apps Serve Their Commitment to Caring

ETC continued its remarkable commitment to caring for entertainment technology professionals in need by presenting a check to Behind the Scenes during LDI for $23,628.98. This represented the most recent proceeds from the company’s iRFR and aRFR (Radio Focus Remote) applications. Since the launch of the iRFR in 2009, ETC’s mobile app sales have now generated over $390,000 in donations.

The iRFR and aRFR mobile apps enable convenient, touchscreen-based remote control for Eos family consoles and controllers. You can learn more about the apps from the ETC website and download them from the iTunes or Google Play stores. 

“We never imagined that this app would provide such continuous support to Behind the Scenes. ETC is grateful to all the people who have supported the Eos platform and purchased this app over the years,” said Wendy Orfan, Marketing Communications Manager at ETC. “ETC is proud to continue supporting the efforts of Behind the Scenes.”

Behind the Scenes will soon be hitting the major milestone of having provided $1,000,000 in grants,” commented Rick Rudolph, Chair of Behind the Scenes. “Fred’s early support was quickly taken up by the entire ETC organization which has played such a major role in our ability to help so many of our colleagues in need. The heartfelt thanks and tears of gratitude we receive every day belong to ETC and all our contributors who make these moments possible.”

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Support the LRLR 2019 Charity Ride

With a healthy mix of Colorado’s mountain peaks and mountain goats, spectacular curves, amazing views and the close-knit camaraderie of the participants, the Long Reach Long Riders have completed their 16thAnnual Charity Ride, dubbed “The Altimeter Tour.” Ride Marshal Jon Kirchhofer executed a nearly flawless logistical plan, choosing routes, restaurants and rest stops that kept the 26 riders and chase car drivers entertained and looking forward to each additional day.

Since 2004, the LRLR have ridden all over the US and parts of Canada to help raise awareness and funds for Behind the Scenes and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Donations are still being accepted for this year’s ride through August 31st, and the total raised this year is already over $50,000. Noted Mark Heiser, one of the core members of LRLR and Treasurer of Behind the Scenes, “The need now is greater than ever. As more people learn of our mission, more grant applications come in. Every little bit helps!”

Donate now! 

To learn more about the ride  visit www.LRLR.org. Look for an announcement soon about LRLR2020!

 

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Lightswitch Becomes Pledge-a-Service Partner

Lightswitch Becomes BTS Pledge-a-Service Partner

Lightswitch has become the newest Behind the Scenes Pledge-a-Service Partner by pledging to donate a percentage of their design fees to the charity. For more than twenty-five years Lightswitch has been committed to changing the way people experience their world. They are a consortium of internationally recognized lighting, media and visual designers who create unforgettable experiences where people live, work, learn and play. Whether for a concert, an event, an experiential environment, or an architectural project, they use a balance of artistry, practicality and technical mastery to create memorable, compelling and responsible lighting and visual design. This core principle guides their team of dedicated designers who serve clients from their full-service studios around the world.

Upon presenting their first check for $1,000 Howard Werner, Partner and Principal, stated, “As people that have worked in the entertainment industry for our entire careers the people of Lightswitch have had our share of personal setbacks.  We fully support those in our industry that are in need and are very happy to be a part of Behind the Scenes and the effort to help our brothers and sisters in their time of need.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Lightswitch as a Pledge-a-Service Partner,” commented Rick Rudolph, the Chair of Behind the Scenes. “Having a company of their stature and vision participate in the program is extremely important to the charity both in spreading the word to those in need that help is available and in encouraging others in the design community to join them in supporting the work of Behind the Scenes.”

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Support the LRLR Altimeter Tour

Support the Long Reach Long Riders on the 2019 "Altimeter Tour"

The Long Reach Long Riders announce their 16th annual charity motorcycle ride. The ride, appropriately dubbed “The Altimeter Tour” begins on July 6 in Denver, Colorado and returns there on July 13. The route winds through the Rocky Mountains where the riders will encounter breathtaking mountain passes, awesome mountain valleys and jaw-dropping mountain peaks. Some of the highlights along the way will be Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheater, Rocky Mountain National Park and, of course, Pike’s Peak. Most of the ride will be spent between 10,000’ and 14,000’ At 14,114’, Pikes Peak is the second highest spot we’ll see on the ride.

Jon Kirchofer, ride marshal for The Altimeter Tour noted, “The mountains will provide scenery galore and the route will present a wide variety of roads to satisfy everyone’s expectations. Pike’s Peak and Rocky Mountain National Park are great spots for a motorcycle ride and we’ll take full advantage of all they have to offer”.

The Long Reach Long Riders annual charity motorcycle ride benefits Behind the Scenes and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. What began in 2004 as a single event immediately turned into an annual ride that has raised over $650,000.00 for the two charities. Please visit http://lrlr.org for more information on the 16th annual ride. Support a rider today!

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ETC’s iRFR and aRFR Apps – Continuing Fred’s Legacy of Caring

ETC's iRFR and aRFR Apps – Continuing Fred Foster's Legacy of Caring

Kate Foster presents a check to BTS Board Members Rick Rudolph and Tobin Neis

Continuing Fred Foster’s legacy of caring for entertainment technology professionals in need, ETC presented Behind the Scenes with a check during USITT for $14,937.81, representing the most recent proceeds from the company’s iRFR and aRFR (Radio Focus Remote) applications. Since the launch of the iRFR in 2009, ETC’s mobile app sales have now generated almost $370,000 in donations.

The iRFR and aRFR mobile apps enable convenient, touchscreen-based remote control for Eos family consoles and controllers. You can learn more about the apps from the ETC website and download them from the iTunes or Google Play stores. 

“Behind the Scenes provides great relief to members of the extended entertainment production industry family who are dealing with financial hardship due to injury and illness,” said Kate Foster, ETC’s marketing scenic designer, upon presenting the check on the USITT show floor. “We at ETC are proud that our app sales can continue to support their efforts.”

These funds come at a critical time for the charity, which is experiencing a significant increase in applications for assistance, with many from individuals in extremely dire circumstances. “We are seeing so many individuals with medical bills that have wiped out their savings, and their inability to work due to illness or injury means they can’t cover even the most basic expenses such as rent and utilities,” commented Rick Rudolph, Chair of Behind the Scenes.

Upon accepting the check, Rick expressed the Foundation’s deep gratitude for ETC’s ongoing commitment to its mission, “Fred was our champion from the earliest days of the charity, as he immediately understood the need for it, and we are so grateful that the entire ETC organization has become such a strong supporter. By showing others the care and respect Fred showed them they are carrying on his legacy and creating a lasting memorial.

Members of the Foundation Board of Directors also updated Kate about the recent scholarship awarded in Fred’s honor. The Fred Foster Scholarships help children of grant recipients continue their educations despite their families’ financial hardships. In Leena’s case, her father’s diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia and subsequent bone marrow transplant left him unable to work and to keep up with basic expenses. That meant the family couldn’t afford her tuition so she could complete her last year of nursing school. Behind the Scenes paid her tuition bill so she could.

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The LRLR Raise Funds at USITT Raffle

The Long Reach Long Riders Raise Funds at USITT Raffle

The Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) celebrated their upcoming ride with a raffle and live auction to benefit Behind the Scenes during the USITT Stage Expo last week in Louisville, KY. A myriad of activities including sales of raffle tickets, a live and silent auction, challenge grants, swag sales, and sales of Neal Preston’s books, posters and prints raised over $18,000 for the charity. The LRLR 2019 ride, dubbed the Altimeter Tour, starts on July 7th in Denver Colorado. The riders cover all their own expenses so everything they raise goes to the charity. Sponsor a rider today at www.behindthescenescharity.org/lrlr.

The booth featured a display of some of The Lightpower Collection’s iconic photographs by Neal Preston including those of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Robert Plant, Bob Marley, Ray Charles and others. Neal’s books “In the Eye of the Rock’n’Roll Hurricane” and “Exhilarated and Exhausted” and posters of some of his most famous images were also available for sale.

Raffle festivities led off with the traditional kazoo parade led by Bill Sapsis and Eddie Raymond (yes, they were the T-Rex’s), and many of the LRLR. Following the parade, BTSPledge-a-Product partners ETC (irFR and aRFR application for iOS and Android devices), ACT Lighting (The dot2 Series of Lighting Control Solutions from MA Lighting) and InCord (Theatrical Safety Netting Systems) presented checks from the sales of their products pledged to BTS.

Live auction items included a hand-tooled seam ripper and serving tray created by Shan and Trish Ayers, a special pack of Amberient’s industry trading cards which included a signed Richard Pilbrow Rookie card, and a hand crafted pen and pencil set donated by Indianapolis Stage in association with Penchant4.com. Amberient also held a silent auction in their booth throughout the show featuring custom furniture made from old lighting equipment including a recliner made from a Kliegl Dyna-Beam. Bob Scales’ ever popular ghostlights were sold out by the end of the show.

Bill Sapsis (Sapsis Rigging) and Reid Neslage (H&H Specialties) announced their challenge grant to the crowd just before the raffle began and the attendees ponied up to make sure they had to pay.

The winners and their prizes are:

  • Grand Prize, Vectorworks Spotlight with Renderworks won by Matthew Easley
  • BTS Ghostlight from Altman Rentals won by Sara Gable
  • $250 American Express Gift Card from Barbizon won by Christian McKinney
  • Prostar 300lb capacity 115 volt, 10ft lift with chain bag won by Carolyn Satter
  • Event Safety Summit 2019 Registration from Event Safety Alliance won by Jennifer Estremera
  • Nespresso CitiZ Espresson Machine with Milk Frother won by Paul Winnick
  • Stagehands Dream Kitfrom Monkey Wrench Productions won by Kim Pelle
  • $250 Gift Certificate to musson.com from Musson Theatrical won by Alexi Carlson
  • $250 Gift Certificate from Sapsis Rigging won by Heather Brown
  • USITT 2019 Full Conference Registration from USITT won by John Mitchell

Special thanks go to USITT for making our presence at the show possible; to The Lightpower Colllection, Neal Preston, Giulia Calani and Shepard for making the exhibition of Neal’s work possible;  to Moe Conn, Kim Craigie, Mark and Alison Heiser, Alice Neff, Greg Williams, and Bill Sapsis, for their invaluable help; to the donors of our fabulous prizes; and to all who bought raffle tickets, auction items, and swag.

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ACT Lighting Supports BTS Through Pledge-a-Product Program

ACT Lighting Supports BTS Through Pledge-a-Product Program

ACT Lighting, a Behind the Scenes Pledge-a-Product Partner, demonstrated their support for their colleagues in need by presenting a $5,000 check to the charity at the recent USITT show. The donation reflects proceeds from the sales of the dot2 series of lighting control solutions from MA Lighting. The dot2 range consists of the lighting consoles: core, XL-F, XL-B; playback expansion wings: F-wing and B-wing; the Node4 1K network output node; onPC console software; and 3D visualization software. Designed for small and mid-sized projects and venues, dot2 offers advanced functionality with outstanding ease-of-use. Full tracking backup is available via plug and play networking. Learn more about the dot2 Series.

Upon presenting the check, Darius Seabaugh, Sr. VP of Marketing – ACT stated, “We are thrilled to be able to take part in contributing to such an important initiative for our industry. We hope this contribution will help those families of entertainment technology professionals in their time of need.”

Behind the Scenes Board member, Tobin Neis, accepted the check saying, “Behind The Scenes greatly appreciates ACT Lighting for their donation to BTS to help industry technicians in time of crisis, these ongoing donations help the charity to make a difference and that’s pretty wonderful.”

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Neal Preston’s Iconic Rock’n’Roll Photography to Benefit BTS at USITT

Neal Preston's Iconic Rock'n'Roll Photography to Benefit BTS at USITT

Behind the Scenes is thrilled to announce that the work of famed Rock‘n’Roll photographer and author Neal Preston is coming to the USITT show, March 21-23 in Louisville, KY courtesy of The Lightpower Collection. Neal’s iconic pictures will be displayed in the BTS booth #1253 and his books Exhilarated & Exhausted andIn the Eye of the Hurricanewill be available for sale. Posters, including his famous images of Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant, will also be available for just $10 each. Sales of books, posters and prints will benefit the Behind the Scenes charity. Behind the Scenes would like to thank The Lightpower Collection, Shepard, TMB, and USITT for making this exhibition possible.

Neal will be present in the Behind the Scenes booth to sign books and posters on Thursday and Friday from 12-1pm and 4-5pm. He’ll be available throughout those two days to talk about his work and for press interviews. To schedule an interview, contact [email protected] or call 212-244-1421.

Neal Preston is one of the most highly respected photographers in the history of the music business and his legendary images include some of the most memorable ever made of rock’s most iconic stars. His career in photography, which started in high school and continues to the present, has spanned well over four decades. His photographs have appeared in every conceivable media outlet: on the covers and pages of world-class magazines and newspapers, to books, television shows, feature films, Broadway show programs and billboards, vinyl, CD and DVD packages … literally everywhere. Through his body of work Neal has made a significant contribution to the pop culture histories of multiple generations.

Neal’s client list is a virtual who’s-who of rock royalty and his archive is regarded as one of the music industry’s most extensive and significant photo collections. Rock fans know him best as the photographer who has toured with Led Zeppelin, The Who, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, and countless others. In 1985, Preston was chosen as one of the official photographers for Bob Geldof’s “Live Aid” concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. In 1988 his association with Bruce Springsteen helped land him the job as official tour photographer for Amnesty International’s landmark “Conspiracy of Hope” tour.

Neal is also a gifted sports photographer, the most-assigned photojournalist in the history of People Magazine, with almost 700 shoot days to his credit, and a member of the International Cinematographers Guild, for which he worked as the unit and special photographer for feature films like “Almost Famous” and “Vanilla Sky.”

Lightpower was founded in 1978 in Germany as a lighting rental company. Since then Lightpower has grown to be an internationally established distributor for stage and studio lighting equipment. The Lightpower Collectionwas born out of a company culture that has grown over several years with a passion for collecting Rock’n’Roll art. The collection features photography and album cover artwork from many of the world’s greatest photographers and designers. Neal Preston’s Rock’n’Roll photography represents the core of this collection and comprises over seventy large-format original fine art prints. 

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Gray Matter Visual Becomes Behind the Scenes Pledge-a-Service Partner

Gray Matter Visual Becomes BTS Pledge-a-Service Partner

Behind the Scenes is pleased to announce that Gray Matter Visual has become a Pledge-a-Service Partner by pledging to donate a percentage of their design fees to the charity. Gray Matter Visual is a lighting and production design firm working on corporate and special events, concerts, television, benefits, and more. Founded in 2010 by Brendan Gray and based in Brooklyn, New York, GMV works with clients all over the US and beyond to realize their visions.

Upon announcing the pledge, Brendan Gray, Principal Designer and President, stated, “I became aware of the Pledge-a-Service program through fellow designer (and friend) Herrick Goldman’s involvement. Joining sounded like a great idea, but one that sat on the back burner for a while. The recent sudden loss of a friend and colleague prompted me to take action. I hope that other designers and business owners will follow suit and support this worthy cause.”

Rick Rudolph, the Chair of Behind the Scenes, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Gray Matter Visual as a Pledge-a-Service Partner. It is so important to us to have the design community involved in our efforts. Designers, by the very nature of their work, come into contact with so many industry members that they can be enormously helpful in spreading the word that help is available to those in need. We thank Brendan and his team for their wonderful commitment.”