Upstaging, Inc. Invests in Clay Paky Moving Lights from A.C.T Lighting Sycamore, Illinois-based Upstaging, Inc. has purchased a large complement of Clay Paky moving lights from A.C.T Lighting, the distributor of Clay Paky fixtures in North America. "As with most of our gear, we bought the Clay Paky fixtures because demand for them was client-driven," says Upstaging's Jerry Swatek. "Lighting designers are asking for Clay Paky, and we wanted to be able to meet their needs." Upstaging took delivery of 77 Clay Paky Alpha Beam 300s for use on AC/DC's current tour, 34 Alpha Beam 700s for Katy Perry's California Dreams Tour and 48 Sharpies for Disney Junior's Imagination Movers' In a Big Warehouse Tour and Ricky Martin's Musica + Alma + Sexo Tour. "The fixtures have been outstanding," Swatek reports. "The Sharpy itself is a unique fixture: It brings back that tight ACL beam effect that lighting designers have missed, only in a very practical moving head. Clay Paky says Sharpy is a 189W moving beam light with unprecedented brightness usually achieved only with far greater wattages: It creates a parallel, laser-like beam with an output of 55,000 lx at 20m. The company adds that Sharpy is also groundbreaking for the purity of its beam, which is halo-free with no discoloration around the edges. The unit offers 14 different colors and 17 gobos. Clay Paky's Alpha Beam 700 was the first 700W moving beam light on the market. Small, lightweight and quick-moving, it produces parallel light beams visible even in the brightest scenes, the company says. The beam can be colored or shaped as desired for mid-air effects; it can be pointed at the audience or used as a dynamic color-changing sky-tracker. The Alpha Beam 300 was the first 300W moving beam light on the market. It produces a super-concentrated parallel beam of light that's especially useful for long-throw applications, the company says. Compact and easy to maintain and install, the Alpha Beam 300 can penetrate the brightness of washlights or LEDs and produce extraordinary aircraft-landing light effects, the company adds. "We have always been extremely happy with the service and support we get from A.C.T Lighting," says Swatek. "We haven't been interacting with them about servicing the equipment, though: Our service department reports the lack of any complaints about the fixtures and the absence of big parts orders or warranty repairs. "From the sales end, A.C.T made it simple. They know a lot about their products, the price was right and they met delivery targets, which was key. They never let us down." 
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