The “World’s Largest Paint Party” is maintaining its momentum as a fast growing, “must-see” EDM experience. The Life in Color festival tour life travels all over the world, with stops in major cities like Denver, Sacramento, Philadelphia & Chicago, all the way overseas in Manchester, Guatemala, & Turkey. Mountain Productions has staged many of the Life in Color events over the past few years, and is proud to have provided staging to the 2016 Miami Life in Color event.
The 31st Annual CM Hoist School: February 29th – March 4th
March is one of our favorite times of the year, because we bring in the month hosting our Annual CM Hoist School. For 30 years, Mountain Productions has been educating and providing the resources necessary to start a career in entertainment rigging and production. Our Hoist School takes a deep dive into chain hoist maintenance with one of the leading manufacturers in entertainment, Columbus McKinnon. But why should you attend our 31st year? Here are 10 things we’re sure you’ll enjoy if you attend:
1) Mountain Productions’ campus
Students are welcomed to Mountain Productions with a tour of our operations. As you walk through the multiple buildings and offices at our location, you’ll see familiar equipment, and probably something new along the way. We take pride in maintaining our workspace, and invite you to see where it’s all made!
For the past several years, Mountain Productions has brought in the new year in Times Square, staging the New Year’s Eve ball drop and Rockin’ NYE show. This year, we also traveled to Chicago to build a truss grid stage for Chi-Town Rising. Here’s a few pictures of those events below. Big thanks to 8 Hands High for providing the images of Times Square. Hope you are having an amazing start to 2016!
We work outside all the time. Although the spring/summer festival season usually brings warm weather and sunshine along, there are certainly times when we find ourselves and our equipment out in the rain or inclement weather. How can you make sure that your equipment is protected from the elements?
Leica’s E7400x DISTO is IP65 Rated
The IP Code (IEC standard 60529) classifies and rates the degree of protection provided against intrusion, dust, accidental contact, and water by mechanical casings and electrical enclosures. This standard was defined in order to further identify equipment as not simply “waterproof”, but to clearly state exactly what level of protection a piece of equipment has. CM’s newest hoist model, the IP66 Rated Lodestar, is named after its newly added weather-proofing features. But what exactly does “IP66” mean?
We know how important it is to collect accurate measurements. Almost every aspect of entertainment production requires precise data, from site surveys to rigging points. Technology is changing the way we work, including the way we collect measurement data. It’s time to trade in the tape measurer and replace it with a laser distance meter.
Pictured: Leica DISTO E7400x
We’re excited to share that we have linked up with the original creators of the first laser distance meter, Leica Geosystems to provide their quality line of DISTO laser meters and LINO self-leveling lasers.
CM’s research and development department has been busy as ever, listening to customer feedback and demands, and working on new products that truly change the way we work. As one of the leading providers of quality chain hoists in the entertainment industry, CM has created hoists that cater directly to our needs. Last April, the 2-Ton, Single Reeve Lodestar was launched, giving customers and economical hoist that is lighter and easier to rig and transport (among many other added features! Read our article on CM’s RRS Lodestar here).
Now, CM has created a product that, again, is the solution to entertainment’s unique demands. We spoke to CM product expert and Vertical Market Specialist, Ken Tilson, about the newest chain hoist from CM: the IP66 Rated Next-Gen Lodestar.