There's a new player in the New York area lighting rental scene: Scharff Weisberg. The company, a fixture in the A/V market, recently began offering lighting services through its staging division. To that end, the company expanded its inventory to include lighting products and added two lighting veterans--Ben Saltzman and Ron Brodeur--to head up the new initiative. The company plans to further expand those resources into a standalone, full-service lighting company.
Scharff Weisberg's lighting initiative is the newest in a series of announcements and comes on the heels of the successful launch of the Scharff Weisberg Media Resource Center. "Last summer, when we opened the Scharff Weisberg Media Resource Center, which provides media-related post-production services, it was because we saw a need for it among our clients preparing for a staging job or multimedia installation. We realized that we had an expertise in this area and could generate a certain amount of work from our own clients as well as servicing the industry at large," explains Scharff Weisberg president Josh Weisberg. "The same is true of lighting. Many of our clients, when they book us on a staging job or hire us to do an installation, will have a lighting component to deal with as well. Combining our current expertise with our newest staff additions uniquely qualifies us to become one of the more competitive lighting companies in the New York area."
One recent project of note was for Cable Positive, an AIDS awareness organization that each year chooses a cable company (this year it was Comedy Central) to do a fundraiser dinner. Scharff Weisberg was involved in the entire production, including lighting, audio, and video. The venue was the Marriott Marquis and the event featured a concert by the B-52s. Joe Volpe, Scharff Weisberg1s project manager for the show, notes, "It was the first big lighting venture and everything went off without a hitch."
Equipment highlights for the job included a large EAW/Meyer PA system, Crest/Midas audio consoles, Folsom Vista switching (two-screen) cameras, Beta playback, graphics for video, Digital Projection 8 GVs, and a 100-unit lighting package plus moving lights that included High End Systems' Studio Colors and Cyberlights, a Wholehog II console, and custom truss setup.
Another recent project was a special event at the Powerhouse stage in the Rose Center at the Museum of Natural History. Scharff Weisberg's staging division managed the installation, provided sound reinforcement for the entertainment, and brought in a lighting package. "I do a lot of lighting and multimedia design and love working with Scharff Weisberg in all aspects of what they do," comments Howard Werner, lighting designer for the Powerhouse job. "I was thrilled to learn that they now do lighting as well, as I could go to one company for all my needs and trust that my job would be in good hands. One of the rooms for the event didn't have any real facilities for lighting. The team at Scharff Weisberg, however, was able to convert the empty room into a beautiful space."
For more information about Scharff Weisberg, call (212) 582-2345 or visit www.swinyc.com.