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FEATURE
PROJECTION LIGHTS & STAGING NEWS
PLSN readers anoint six regional lighting
companies as the best in North America.
The readers have spoken. And who are we to argue with them?
Not that we ever doubted their choice, but they have voted for an
especially eclectic group of companies for the regional winners of the Parnelli
Hometown Heroes Awards. The common thread among them is that they
are all serving their clients above and beyond the call of duty, yet they all do it in
their own unique way. From these six winners, one will be chosen to receive the
overall Parnelli Award for Hometown Hero at PLSN’s gala ceremony Oct, 24 2008.
So read about those you don’t know and reacquaint yourself with those you do.
Then go to www.parnelliawards.com and cast your vote!
Hollywood Lighting Services
Portland, Ore. & Seattle
Dwayne Thomas, president,
Hollywood Lighting Services
Hollywood Lighting Services handled the lighting for the International Fight League’s mixed martial arts competition
Hollywood Lighting Services has a long, rich history. Founded in 1948 by Don
Cameron and George Howard in Portland, the company went through several
owners and partners before Tom Neal joined in 1969. Neal holds a BS
degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University with a background
that includes R&D engineer for Boeing. He worked his way through college as a
humble stagehand.
Then came Richard Fuller, who started in the company’s rental department in 1973.
In 1978 Fuller bought into the business, and in 1989 he became sole owner. In 1994,
the Seattle office was opened. Today the company boasts 9,200 square-foot showroom
and warehouse.
Dwayne Thomas, president of Hollywood Lighting Services, would love to show
you pictures of some of their most recent work, a military assignment. But then he’d
have to kill to you.
“We just finished lighting the product rollout for the [censored], and new type of
[censored] that [may or may not] float,” he doesn’t say. They weren’t allowed to photograph
it, though it involved a “shock and awe” unveiling, which is what they got with
the help of a couple of tons of trussing. Lots of Martin MAC moving lights may or may
not have been involved. The roll out was just for the hard working employees who did
or didn’t build whatever it is we’re not talking about. Not only was there no press at the
event, but also no generals or government officials.
Some things Thomas is a tad chattier about include work they do for the large number of
apparel companies in the Northwest, including Macy’s, Nordstrom and “every shoe company
in Portland, which is, like, all shoe companies.” Adidas recently brought in 1,000 associates for
a spring sales meeting and Hollywood Lights was on hand to help motivate the crowd.
Thomas is a musician who transitioned to lighting, and has been running the company
since 2005. “It comes down to creative design,” he says. “We believe great lighting
is not just about gear, but the people behind it. I like say we have a pretty darn ingenious
design staff. Not to say we’re just about big. If you’re only required to hang two
PARs, hang them right. We take it all seriously.
Precise Corporate Staging (PCS)
Phoenix, Ariz.
David Stern, president of Precise Corporate Staging
“ It’s the quality of the equipment,” says David Stern, president of PCS, when
asked why readers of PLSN nominated the company for a second time in a row
as best lighting house in the Southwest. “That’s what makes a company grow
so large in eight years.”
But of course, Stern makes it look easy when it’s not. He doesn’t blindly buy everything
that comes off the line. “If a company pushes something that they say is cool but
the clients aren’t asking for it, I don’t buy it,” he says. “I’m careful about the selection and
what ends up in our warehouse.”
Right now he’s got equipment on the road with Tom Petty, Billy Joel, Elton John,
Tina Turner (“I have 148 lights out with her”), Alice Cooper and Madonna. He says that
lighting designer Roy Bennett paid him a big compliment when his gear was used on
the Spice Girls reunion tour. “He said that he had never seen cleaner moving lights out
on a tour before,” Stern says. “That’s another aspect that has really driven our growth.
You look at our gear, and it all looks brand new. We maintain it that well.”
Stern got into the business as a musician and was a sought-after keyboard tech
for Bon Jovi and Van Halen. When he tired of the road, he formed PCS with his wife
Marla, and they’ve been successful since founding the company. “We were both
brought up in the age of ‘the customer is always right’ and that is hard to find these
days.” A belief in mutually beneficial relationships with the clients allows for their
growth and success as well.
Today they have two offices — one in Tempe, Ariz., and another in Marietta, Ga.
Last year, they moved into more spacious digs: a 36,000 square-foot building that they
bought. They needed a place that would to hold all their gear, and that’s a lot.
38 PLSN SEPTEMBER 2008