Bridgeville, Penn. – January 9, 2024 – Founded in 1912, the City Club of Cleveland, is one of the oldest independent free speech forums, renowned for its tradition of debate and discussion. When the organization moved to a new location in Cleveland's Playhouse Square district in September of last year, it needed lighting that would be comfortable for those on stage while providing broadcast-quality illumination for the speakers as well as live streams and local PBS rebroadcasts.
The Forum Room at the City Club of Cleveland hosts roughly 100 programs a year, including weekly Friday Forums, which air on local NPR affiliate, WKSU, and are livestreamed to www.cityclub.org. The discussions are rebroadcast on the local PBS television channel, WVIZ, each Sunday morning.
The lighting for the new Forum Room had to be easy to control and adjust for non-AV professionals. And the fixtures must illuminate the Forum stage and provide broadcast quality video for the livestream audience. David Walters, Regional Sales Manager at iVideo, a leading supplier of audio/video technology based in Cleveland, recommended Brightline lighting for the job.
"We all knew we'd use LED lights," said Walters, "but the stage couldn't look like a TV Studio. It had to be lit in a way that allows the in-person attendees and virtual audiences to experience the event without it being overly bright or a distraction for those on stage."
Walters decided on Brightline SeriesONE L1.2 studio fixtures. Twelve L1.2 lights now hang overhead in the Forum Room. The ceiling is white in color, so the lights were selected in a matching shade. "We've got a very blended look in the ceiling. The piping the fixtures hang from is also white. The lighting also uses wireless DMX controls, which avoids additional cabling from each fixture."
The DMX controls, ease of use, and an improved, overall look made the strongest impression on City Club staff and colleagues. "Our partners at Ideastream Public Media, who produce our forums, greatly appreciate the color temperature control and ease of use," reported Maria Gerstenberger, Digital Content Manager, the City Club of Cleveland. "They are very happy with the way the show is lit for broadcast."
The Brightline L1.2 soft light utilizes > 97 CRI LEDs to emit high-quality illumination.
Weighing less than 13 pounds, the compact fixture is an asset when working with tight spaces. In addition to its extraordinary performance, the L1.2 features variable white color temperature, supporting optimized color matching throughout changes in ambient light.
"The feedback from the staff has been that the lights look great and are very easy to use," continued Gerstenberger. "We just slide faders to adjust the lighting. Anyone from the staff can work with them, not just those in production or part of our technical crew.
"The lighting has enhanced the space tremendously. The lights themselves are visually appealing and complement the room's décor. We love how they just blend in with the ceiling."
"We couldn't be happier to be part of this historic organization's upgrade," said Kathy Katz, Brightline managing partner. "The many supporters of the City Club of Cleveland will enjoy dramatically improved production values whether watching live streams, broadcasts, or in-person. I'd like to extend a special shout out to our Cleveland-based dealer, David Walters at iVideo, as well as our Lighting Designer and CAD Specialist, Leslie Moynihan, who worked hard to find the best solution for the City Club of Cleveland. They did a spectacular job."
