USITT welcomes Creative Stage Lighting Co. Inc., as a new Contributing member of the Institute. Creative Stage Lighting Co. Inc. is based in North Creek, New York and has a wel presence at www.creativestagelighting.com. George B. Studnicky III serves as president of the company which lists itself as "wholesale supplier to the entertainment industry." It prides itself on its knowledgeable sales people who help ensure projects are completed on time and on budget.

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Existing counterweight sets can be automated simply and economically using J. R. Clancy's PowerAssist winch. Specifically designed for retrofitting existing counterweight rigging systems, the PowerAssist can be used to automate just a few sets or a complete rigging system. This eliminates both the need to handle counterweights and the concerns associated with out of balance sets. Fixed speed units are available for motorizing lighting sets, shell ceilings, and other utility sets. Variable speed units allow automation of scenery sets providing a complete range of dynamic movement. Since PowerAssist upgrades existing sets, the cost is as little as half the cost of replacing sets with conventional winches yet provides the same versatility as a new, motorized rigging system -- at tremendous savings.

For smaller systems, basic pushbutton controls are included on the face of the winch. Or, to take full advantage of automated rigging, the SceneControl 500 console offers the ability to program cues to control your rigging movement. PowerAssist replaces the floor block, rope lock, and hand line of an existing set, and reuses the remaining components. It uses a fixed counterweight to assist the winch motor giving it a greater capacity range with an economical motor. The PowerAssist™ winch was introduced by J. R. Clancy during this year's USITT Stage Expo in Louisville, Kentucky. More information can be found on Clancy's web site: www.jrclancy.com.

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Production Resource Group, LLC (PRG) provided 600 of its new AutoPar Wash Luminaires to the North American International Auto Show last month. Designer Howard Werner, of Lightswitch New York, needed a specialty fixture for trade show exhibits and PRG responded. "I was looking for an automated fixture to serve the needs of auto show clients. The fixture needed to have a daylight color temperature with a lens that rotated, but it didn't need a lot of other bells and whistles," explained Mr. Werner. The result was PRG's AutoPar, which debuted at LDI 2005.

The AutoPar is a compact, automated fixture with a 700-watt arc lamp that features a fully DMX-programmable, rotating lens assembly. "The AutoPar is much smaller and lighter than a standard moving light," noted PRG Vice Chairman and Chief Technology Officer Rusty Brutsché.

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InterAmerica Stage, Inc. announced the addition of Jack Hoffend to its staff as General Sales Director at the Sanford, Florida facility. With more than 35 years of comprehensive experience within the Specialty Performance Rigging industry, Mr. Hoffend is eager to develop increased contact and service between InterAmerica Stage and theatrical and stage performance facilities throughout the world. InterAmerica Stage, Inc. has earned a distinguished reputation as a premier manufacturer/installer of a wide variety of performance rigging equipment within the Amusement Theme Park venue, as well as traditional professional performance theatres and school stages.

InterAmerica is proud to offer turn-key services for both new construction and renovation performance rigging projects in conjunction with J.R. Clancy Co., which has designed and manufactured numerous innovations for the entertainment industry.

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Lisa Kerwath recently was promoted to Sales Manager at TMB. She will coordinate global sales with TMB's European general manager, Paul Hartley, and will oversee TMB sales operations in the Western Hemisphere and Asia. Ms. Kerwath also will help implement a restructuring to accommodate the company's OEM and new architectural divisions.

Ms. Kerwath joined TMB in 2001 and is based at the headquarters in Los Angeles. Having worked in TMB's Los Angeles, New York, and United Kingdom offices, she will help continue strengthening of TMB's global reach.

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