Scharff Weisberg teamed with Number Nine on the 2007 Effie Awards gala and the launch of the men’s cologne, Narciso Rodriguez For Him.
Produced by Legend Productions, The 39th Annual Effie Awards gala, held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City on June 7, honored the most significant achievements in the business of marketing communications. The Effies recognize all forms of consumer engagement that contribute to a brand’s success. This year, Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign, from Media Arts Lab/TBWA, was awarded the Grand Effie.
Scharff Weisberg provided the lighting, audio, and video for the evening and worked with Number Nine who oversaw the lighting design. “The all-white scenic design was a blank canvas of layered panels,” notes Number Nine’s Brendan Gray who co-founded the company with Aaron Mason. “Using LED fixtures and moving lights from Scharff Weisberg we were able to employ color and texture to create a wide variety of looks for different segments of the show. We also finessed Scharff Weisberg's existing light systems in the room to highlight the tables and create a festive atmosphere for the evening.”
Scharff Weisberg’s project manager for the gala was Robert Bergdall with John Healy lighting manager. Andy McCann was the production electrician and Faith Yildiz the lighting programmer. Jeff Goldstein produced for Legend Productions.
Earlier, Scharff Weisberg and Number Nine came together for the launch of Narciso Rodriguez For Him, a new fragrance from the Cuban-American fashion designer. The event was produced by Dizon, Inc. Scharff Weisberg furnished lighting, audio, and video for the event at New York City’s Lux Studios, May 22 and 23; the designer already has a signature fragrance for women, Narciso Rodriguez For Her.
“We worked with Scharff Weisberg and producers Dizon Inc. on a similar event for a Burberry fragrance launch last year,” Gray recalls. “The look for this luxe event was driven by the desire to make the product and launch campaign images the main focus. We created a gallery-type setting where we accented both of these elements with precisely framed light. All the lighting had to be very specific and controlled, and we had to avoid interfering with the video/sculpture installation.
“Executing this kind of high-end, intimate event leaves very little room for error,” Gray continues. “Thankfully, Scharff Weisberg's equipment is always in excellent, clean condition and the technicians understand the level of attention to detail that’s required.”
Andy Muller was Scharff Weisberg’s project manager for the fragrance launch with John Healy lighting manager. Harry Rosenblum was production electrician; Gayle Dizon produced for Dizon Inc.
“Working with Scharff Weisberg is always a pleasure,” Gray states. “The support we get from the staff is phenomenal, and that makes the jobs much easier. John Healy, Meghan Marrer, and Dennis Menard, especially, understand the requirements of the corporate event market and make sure we have what’s needed to get the job done.”
Scharff Weisberg’s John Healy adds, “We love working with Number Nine because of their extraordinary production values and great design vision. We have shared many successful credits and look forward to working with them for years to come as we continue to build a good vendor-designer relationship.”
"Scharff Weisberg treats the small shows with the same attention as the large ones, and that is very important to us as we handle a range of projects for our clients, to whom every event is significant. We also rely on them to provide audio and video support for a number of the projects that we bring to them," concludes Number Nine co-founder Aaron Mason.
