ETC’s iRFR and aRFR Apps – Continuing to Care for the Industry
ETC presented Behind the Scenes with a check during USITT for $40,316.27 representing the 2020-21 proceeds from sales of 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 $440,000 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.
Upon presenting the check, David Lincecum, Vice President of Marketing for ETC, stated, “ETC is honored to play a role in Behind the Scenes, but we are just the vehicle. The money we give comes entirely from the buyers of our iRFR and aRFR apps. The real thank you goes to the many Eos family users for their continued participation and support.”
Tracey Cosgrove, accepted the check along with other members of the Behind the Scenes Board of Directors. Tracey commented, “We continue to be astonished by, and extremely grateful for, the popularity of these apps and the generosity of ETC. From providing funding for grants for our colleagues in need to supporting the work of the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative, ETC has been fundamental to our ability to carry out our mission.”
Learn more about joining the Pledge-of-Support Program by naming a product or service to support the charity.
Behind the Scenes is very pleased to announce that Cable Munkey LLC has become a Pledge-a-Product partner by pledging a percentage of sales from its Cable Munkey® cable management product. Cable Munkey® easily slips onto battens or truss giving the user a quick and easy way to attach cable. Data and power cables each run in their own separate hook for easy access, troubleshooting, and reduced electrical interference. With integrated mousing points, cable can be secured for temporary use, permanent installations, or tours. Place a Cable Munkey™ every four feet and you’re ready to go.
Cable Munkey LLC is a small business founded to bring innovative products and solutions to the theatre and live event market, like Cable Munkey®. Founder Jonathan Allender-Zivic says he decided to support Behind the Scenes with his product because “I am a lifelong theatre artist and practitioner who wants to give back to those in need within our industry.”
BTS Foundation Chair Rick Rudolph commented, “We’re delighted to welcome Jonathan and his unique product as Pledge-a-Product Partners. He’s a wonderful example that you don’t have to be a large company to want to give back and support your industry. Every commitment makes a difference in what we are able to do to help our colleagues in need.”
Two of the Long Reach Long Rider founding members, Greg Williams and Wayne Rasmussen, recently attempted a wildly ambitious charity motorcycle ride dubbed “Autumn Extravaganza.” The plan was to ride in all 48 contiguous states within 10 consecutive days.
They almost did it.
Greg Williams, lead rider for this adventure explained what happened, “We were so very close, but Mother Nature thought otherwise. There was snow in Maine and New Hampshire at the beginning of the ride. In the Midwest we encountered cold temperatures and high winds, which wasn’t fun. But it was the ice on I-90 in Montana that convinced me it was time to call it quits.” Greg’s motorcycle, Ice Dancer,put it this way: “I was on my side bouncing off the median and Greg was sliding down the highway on his back. It wasn’t like we had a choice or anything.”
The ride began in Kittery Maine on October 17th and ended 10 days later in Montana on October 26th, just 1 state shy of #48. In between the two intrepid, and very cold, riders experienced:
7,000+ miles riding on the route
4,000+ miles riding to/from the route
15.5 days – riding
1 snow day – not riding
2 ice days – also not riding
Autumn Extravaganza was conceived to help raise awareness and funds for Behind the Scenes, an industry based charity that not only provides financial assistance to entertainment technology professionals in need due to serious illness or injury, but also makes available mental health tools and resources through its Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative.
Lori Rubinstein, Executive Director of Behind the Scenes noted, “We are so grateful to Greg and Wayne for their valiant attempt to complete the 48-state/10-day challenge. The Long Riders are an amazing group of people with a longstanding commitment to caring for those less fortunate than themselves. Please show your support by making a donation at behindthescenescharity.org/lrlr.”
Greg and Wayne are safely home (all protective gear and bike guards worked as designed!) and thinking about when to try this ride again. Ice Dancermay have the last word on that, “I’d be happy to try that route again, but let’s wait till summer.”
Greg has posted a full account of the journey here http://lrlr.org/
The Long Reach Long Riders (LRLR) and Behind the Scenes announce the LRLR 2020 Autumn Extravaganza – a bonus ride to help those who need it most.
The Autumn Extravaganza is a one-time event and will feature 2 members of the original LRLR, Greg “Chrome” Williams and Wayne “Razz” Rasmussen, riding in all 48 contiguous states over 10 consecutive days. The ride, which will be “Iron Butt” certified, begins in Kittery, Maine on October 17th and ends in Missoula, Montana on October 26th. Along the way the intrepid duo will be joined by other veteran members of the LRLR. To date over a dozen riders have signed up to ride for at least part of the route.
Lori Rubinstein, BTS Executive Director, noted, “Rather than sponsor a particular rider, we’re asking supporters to make a pledge per mile. It can be a penny, a quarter or any amount you wish. The Autumn Extravaganza will cover 7,170 miles.”
Autumn Extravaganza organizer Greg Williams commented, “These are extraordinary times and we felt an extraordinary ride was needed. This ride will continue to support the Behind the Scenes charity and help it carry out its mission, ‘To provide financial assistance to entertainment technology professionals, or their immediate dependent family, in need due to serious illness or injury’. The ride will also support the BTS Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiative.”
As it is with the traditional LRLR rides, the riders will pay all of their expenses. 100% of your donation will go to the Behind the Scenes charity.
For more information on the Autumn Extravaganza, please visit http://lrlr.org
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.
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.”
The LRLR Raffle, Auction and Boutique Benefit BTS at USITT
The Long Reach Long Riders and Behind the Scenes will host their annual fundraising raffle at the USITT Conference March 21-23 in Louisville, KY. This year’s raffle will celebrate the 16th Anniversary of the Long Reach Long Riders annual charity motorcycle ride. The Riders who have raised over half a million dollars for charity in their years of touring will be riding July 7-13 on the Altimeter Tour through the Colorado Rockies.
The prizes, provided by our generous donors, are: Grand Prize, Spotlight with Renderworks from Vectorworks; Ghostlight from Altman Rentals; American Express Gift Card from Barbizon; Prostar 300lb capacity 115V, 10ft lift with chain bag from CM-ET; Event Safety Summit 2019 Registration from the Event Safety Alliance; Nespresso CitiZ Espresso Machine with Aeroccino Milk Frother from IA Stage; Stagehands Dream Kit from Monkey Wrench Productions; $250 Gift Certificate to musson.com from Musson Theatrical; $250 Gift Certificate from Sapsis Rigging; and a USITT 2020 Full Conference Registration from USITT.
Tickets for the raffle are an affordable $5 each or 5 for $20 and can be purchased at the Behind the Scenes booth #1253 throughout the show. Winning tickets for nine regular prizes and one grand prize will be drawn at 1pm on Saturday, the final day of Stage Expo.
This year we are introducing the “BTS Student Doubler” designed to double a student’s chances of winning. It’s a great way for companies to support the charity, get more prizes into the hands of students, and introduce your company to the next generation of industry professionals. Purchase at least $100 worth of tickets and BTS will put your company name on each ticket. For the first five tickets a student buys during the show, he or she will receive a free ticket while supplies last. If you’d like to participate, purchase your tickets by March 13th at www.behindthescenescharity.org/donate. Be sure to put “student tickets” in the “In celebration of” field on the online donation form. Behind the Scenes will publicize the sponsored tickets to students prior to the show, at the booth, during the raffle draw, and in post-show releases and articles.
Westview Productions Makes First Pledge-a-Service Donation
At the recent NAMM Show, Westview Productions presented a check for $5,162.32 to Behind the Scenes as their first donation to the charity as a new Pledge-a-Service Partner. Westview is an entertainment, energy, and immersive technology solutions firm headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Their unique project process encompasses all aspects of design that integrates with all construction trades to ensure a cohesive and seamless project experience. Westview has global experience in lighting, motion control, audio and A/V systems, media, and architectural systems allowing them to provide comprehensive services as a sole solutions organization.
Upon presentation of the check, Eric Bloom, President, stated, “I feel so strongly about the Behind the Scenes Foundation’s efforts, that it’s a great pleasure to be able to support the foundation this way. Helping to support our colleagues in a time of need, especially with funds from service work that came directly from the industry is really special. We are just pleased to be able to give, even in a small way, to such a beneficial organization.”
Rick Rudolph, the Chair of Behind the Scenes, commented, “We were thrilled to receive such a wonderful first-time donation from Westview. Their generosity sets a benchmark for other service companies and helps to ensure we will be able to assist the many people coming to us for assistance. We thank them for their commitment to the program and challenge other service companies to follow their lead in caring for our colleagues in need.”
