Starlite Productions Lights AMC Upfront

	Photo: zimbio.com

Upfronts are a television industry spring event that gives advertising media buyers an up-front view of the TV shows that will air in the fall and often provides a chance to interact with many of the stars of those shows. Getting up close and personal allows the ad buyer to feel more comfortable about the shows during which they choose to advertise. Among others, New York City's premier venues Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and Lincoln Center have for many years played host to these exclusive events, but in television -- anything can happen.

The American Movie Channel (AMC) decided this year to build full size immersive spaces inside Manhattan's mammoth 69th Regiment Armory for several of its premier shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Walking Dead. New York's very own Empire Entertainment was tasked with orchestrating the production details and they called on Starlite Productions to provide the very unique lighting needed for this event.

Empire Entertainment brought on theatrical director Mikhael Garver to oversee the look and feel of the immersive spaces. Matt Stevenson was the technical director and needed a lighting team that could deliver. In addition to the Starlite Team, he brought on two lighting directors and a programmer. The very tight schedule had the Starlite team racking up 42 hours' work in just two days. Jason Danowitz, senior production manager and lighting designer for Starlite Productions said, "The AMC Upfronts was one of the more interesting shows we've done in a while. We were tired when the trucks finally rolled out of New York, but it was one we won't soon forget."