Kinetic Lighting Teams Up with Gov. Schwarzenegger

For the second straight year, Kinetic Lighting was commissioned to illuminate the California Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women and Families, held on Thursday, Oct. 27 in Long Beach, California.

The 19th-annual event – hosted by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver at the Long Beach Convention Center – brought together women of all generations and backgrounds to share practical ideas for success in their careers, while juggling increasingly complex and diverse life demands. The theme of the event was “Women as Architects of Change: Lessons on Leadership, Activism and Family.”

A host of celebrities spoke at the event, including Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw and Billie Jean King. Mary J. Blige concluded the event with a performance in front of the nearly 11,000 attendees.

Kinetic provided rigging and lighting for the event. Additionally, the company used Finelite® projectors in the exhibit hall to showcase the logos of the event's sponsors. Kinetic's Kent Hayworth served as technical director for the event.

With the conference airing live by ABC Television, Kinetic needed to provide broadcast-quality lighting that could accommodate multiple stage layouts – ranging from podium to concert – as well as illumination for multiple breakout stages and backstage press areas. Striking a balance between what was suitable for the audience and what looked good on TV was a challenge for Kinetic lighting designer David Jacobi and ABC lighting director Robert Murdock.

“The main stage scenery was lit entirely with Color Kinetic’s ColorBlast 12 fixtures. They worked beautifully, providing intense color saturation, instant color shifts and amazing brightness,” Jacobi explained. “[Martin] MAC 2000 fixtures were used to tone the set, and for the concert performance.” The fixtures were controlled from an iPC console, programmed by Rob Fritz.

Carl Bendix of Ambrosia Productions, was Kinetic's client. Bendix lauded the company’s innovative approach for satisfying both the broadcasters and conference attendees with its lighting choices. “The lighting was fabulous,” concluded Bendix.