Production Resource Group (PRG) has contributed both equipment and technical support to NBC's production of Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope.
The two-hour concert and telethon was held on January 15th to benefit the victims of the December 26th tsunami disaster in South Asia. Broadcast live from NBC's studios in Los Angeles and New York, the program appeared on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Trio, SCI FI, PAX, and Telemundo. Participating celebrities included Madonna, Sheryl Crow, Diana Ross, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Kenny Chesney, Nora Jones, John Mayer, Lenny Kravitz, Bruce Willis, Drew Barrymore, Uma Thurman, Gloria Estefan, Chris Matthews, Bill O'Reilly, and Robert DiNero. All proceeds raised by the telethon were donated to the Red Cross' tsunami disaster relief fund.
"We're all saddened to see how the tsunami disaster affected so many people in South Asia," proclaimed Susan Tesh, general manager of PRG's California operations. "When we were asked to help with this project, we immediately took the opportunity to play a part."
At NBC's Los Angeles studio, PRG provided lighting designer Allen Branton with a complete lighting package, including Martin MAC 2000 wash units, Vari-Lite VL5 wash units, VL6 spot units, VL 1000s, VL2416s, VL3000s, Supertrooper spot lights, Colorblast™ LED lights, dimmer racks, Wholehog consoles, and a variety of truss structures. In New York, PRG provided technical manager Keith Barbaria with a full audio monitor package, including wedges, standard microphones, wireless in-ear microphones, console support electronics, and floor video monitors for the teleprompters. PRG audio technicians Darren Shaw and Neal Scott Pushkin served as system technician and monitor engineer, respectively, for the two days involved in the set-up, rehearsal and broadcast of the New York segment of the production.
"What a great job PRG's crew did for the tsunami benefit concert," NBC's Barbaria stated. "It was extremely generous of PRG to donate the equipment and manpower for such a great cause. As usual, PRG's crew proved invaluable in setting up the bands, troubleshooting, and making the day run smoother than I had hoped."