Ronald McDonald House Charities Awards of Excellence 2007

To honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to improve the lives of children, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) hosted its 23rd Annual Awards of Excellence celebration in Rosemont, Illinois in October. In addition to the awards presentation, the Awards of Excellence celebration included a dinner and lively entertainment by actor and comedian Bernie Mac.

The annual event presents three prestigious awards to individuals selected from across the globe. Past recipients have included such personalities and dignitaries as Paul Newman, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, former First Lady Betty Ford, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and many others.

The event is produced for RMHC by McDonald’s Creative Services division, and for the 13th consecutive year they turned to Lightswitch for lighting design; long time McDonald’s vendor Billy Nolan and TLC to provide equipment; and Andy Warfel for scenic design.

This year the producers charged the design team to bring a new, fresh look to the production without increasing the budget for the fund raising event. Lightswitch principal John Featherstone explains the next step, “When I learned from owner Billy Nolan that TLC was investing in Martin LC Series™ panels, I immediately felt this was the perfect solution,” John said. “The attractive price point and almost absurdly easy installation the LC’s offer meant we could include scenic LED video technology in the show without busting the budget.”

The LC Series is a semi-transparent, modular system of LED panels, ideal for displaying video and images. Andy Warfel arranged 12 LC Series panels in a spaced, angled array, backed with Atomic Design ‘Pillow Walls’ to take advantage of the LC’s translucent design. Using Martin Maxedia media servers, John Featherstone and programmer Dennis Connors were able to provide the producers a vast array of visual options.

“This was my first opportunity to use the LC panels in a show environment, and I couldn’t be happier with the results,” enthused Featherstone. “The panels gave the show a totally new look, and the producers were delighted. I think the LC line is perfect for projects looking for an affordable, easy to install LED video panel solution.”

Equipment:
12 x Martin MAC 2000 Performance
24 x Martin MAC 2000 Profile
31 x Martin MAC 300
Martin MAC 600
12 x Martin LC 2140 Panels
2 x Martin Maxxyz
2 x Martin Maxxyz Wing
1 x Martin Maxedia Pro
1 x Martin Maxedia Broadcast
4 x Martin Ether2DMX Router