Giulio Pedota, IALD, LC, IESNA, a senior lighting designer at Schuler Shook, traveled to Tbilisi, Georgia, to promote architectural lighting design through a series of workshops, lighting mock-ups, and meetings. He was joined by Sherry Weller of Weller Design. The two designers spent eight days in the former Soviet state sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas at workshops held in the Georgian National Museum Auditorium. Mr. Pedota's and Ms. Weller's presentations and mockups were eagerly received by an audience of city officials, architects, engineers, designers, and students from the architectural school and the Academy of Fine Arts.

The event was organized by the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, the Georgian National Museum, the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts, and the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD).

For Mr. Pedota, this was a return trip to Tbilisi, and he commented on the positive changes evident after 16 years.

"There is such a desire and energy to move forward following Georgia's independence from the former USSR. People are looking to the future with great enthusiasm. During our workshops, Georgians asked a lot of questions, and took plenty of notes with an eagerness to put the knowledge into practice. When you combine that passion for design, along with their own knowledge of the arts and science, you know these young designers are going to have a huge impact on their future, and the prospects of their nation as a whole," he said.

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Mainstage Theatrical Supply, Inc. announced David R. Krajec has joined the company as a System Sales Specialist. In this new role, Mr. Krajec will be a key consultant to local and national schools, churches, and professional venues. He was spent 17 years at Cardinal Stritch University where he served as Associate Professor.

"David is highly respected in the theatrical world. He brings extensive theatrical lighting and design knowledge to the Mainstage team. We look forward to his future contributions and are excited to have him aboard," said Stephen Kokesh, Sales Manager.

Mr. Krajec is a Director at Large for USITT and a past Chair of USITT-Midwest. He is also a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society.

Mainstage Theatrical Supply, Inc. is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has offices in Milwaukee, Pensacola, and Memphis. The company specializes in lighting, curtain, and consumable supplies. For more information, visit www.mainstage.com.

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The Nickelback North American summer tour began in June and runs through September with a final date in Kansas City. The tour is a mix of stadiums and festivals, most of which are already sold out. Mode Studios of Seattle, production designers for the tour, are using massive video displays to accommodate the larger venues.

Two Hippotizer Stage media servers feed video content (synchronized with audio) to a 26 by 22 foot video display and two outboard projection screens. Four Hippotizer Express machines drive video to a combination of Barco MiPIX and Element Labs VERSA Tubes. In one song, a tribute to "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, the dead Pantera guitarist performs virtually with the live band.

TMB is the distributor for Hippotizer in the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia. Visit the TMB Hippotizer web page at www.tmb.com/products/hippotizer. For information on other innovative products from TMB, visit www.tmb.com.

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