Scharff Weisberg began offering lighting services and expanding its inventory shortly after it hired lighting veterans Ben Saltzman and Ron Brodeur. The company plans to further expand those resource into a stand-alone, 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," commented 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 fund raiser 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-52's. Joe Volpe, Scharff Weisberg’s project manager for the show, commented, "It was the first big lighting venture and everything went off without a hitch.”
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," commented 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."