Take1 Updates Entertainment And Rental & Staging Industry Coverage To Include All Reusable Media

When it comes to looking out for the insurance interests of the worldwide entertainment industry, no company works harder at making sure its policies are completely current with the times than Take1 Entertainment Insurance, a division of U.S. Risk Insurance Group, Inc.  Today, Take1 demonstrated the extent of its commitment with the announcement that, effective immediately, it was amending its policies on software, media, and data storage devices to include all reusable media that is part of or attached to photographic, video, and sound recording equipment. 

Furthermore, according to Take1 Executive Vice President and Program Director Scott Carroll, the new policy amendment automatically extends to all current policy holders, thus eliminating the need for clients to reapply for the added protection coverage.  “This is a very big deal.  No one is more in touch with the needs of the entertainment industry than Take1,” Carroll asserted today. 

“The vast majority of today’s entertainment content is created and stored on reusable media and it’s critically important that the creators of this content be able to rest assured that the content they produce is protected just like every other piece of equipment they use.”

Carroll emphasized that, very often, recording media of all types are excluded from coverage in most policies written by other insurance providers.  “We believe that doing so is a genuine disservice to our clients,” Carroll explained.  “After all, the content is the most value asset that should be protected.  We can help provide this peace of mind by covering the media connected to a client’s recording equipment.”

About U.S. Risk Insurance Group

U. S. Risk Insurance Group, Inc. is a specialty lines underwriting manager and wholesale broker headquartered in Dallas. Operating 12 domestic and international branches, it offers a broad range of products and services through its affiliate companies, which include U.S. Risk Underwriters, U.S. Risk Brokers, Lighthouse Underwriters, LLC, Professional Claims Managers, Omnisure Consulting Group, Oxford Insurance Brokers, Ltd. (London), Goss Reinsurance Brokers, LLC, and NovaPro Risk Solutions, LP.  Its entertainment division, Take1, has served as the official endorsed insurance provider for the last 15 years INFOCOMM, the leading association of A/V communications industry professionals.

NanoLumens NanoFlex Displays Provide Live Video At Ontario's 2012 Remembrance Day Ceremony

When APG Displays was asked to once again provide the right state-of-the-art video display solution to compellingly present the proceedings of the 2012 Remembrance Day ceremony in Toronto, the leading Canadian display rental company didn’t have to think long about the decision.  They immediately turned to the same company they relied upon for the 2011 Remembrance Day ceremony — NanoLumens, for its 112” NanoFlex™ displays.

APG Displays, NanoLumens’ exclusive Canadian Distributor, provided its trade partner Mediaco with two NanoFlex displays to use at the November 11 ceremony in downtown Toronto. The very same NanoLumens display solution was used for the 2011 ceremony.

Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day, is a memorial day that honors all veterans by remembering their selfless courage and commitment on the anniversary of the end of World War I. The ceremony took place at the Ontario Veterans Memorial on November 11 and featured a speech by Dalton McGuinty, the Premier of Ontario.

According to APG Displays Vice President David Weatherhead, the decision to bring back the NanoFlex displays was an easy one. “Everyone, from Mediaco to the ceremony attendees, absolutely loved the NanoFlex displays last year, so it only made sense that we would provide the same stunning displays for the 2012 ceremony. The NanoFlex displays can be set up and taken down quickly, and they provide attendees with an incredibly bright, crisp image resolution, making it possible for the entire crowd to get a great look at everything taking place up front. In the end, everyone was happy to see the NanoFlex displays return.”

According to Josh Byrd, Director of Marketing at NanoLumens, “Our NanoFlex 112” displays are the ideal solution for this type of event, with their signature combination of brilliant image quality and ease of installation and operation. We’re happy to have our revolutionary technology utilized for this ceremony and we hope to be asked back in 2013!”

NanoLumens displays are extremely slim, ultra-lightweight, energy efficient, and feature a bright, seamless, high resolution picture quality that can be viewed from any angle throughout the display horizon without color shift or image distortion. The company’s patented display technology, which allows customers to select from 4mm up to 10mm pixel pitch (depending on the model), promises to transform the way marketers engage their customers in every type of trade show, retail, hospitality, stadium, arena, transportation and public event environment.

NanoLumens displays are designed and engineered with the environment in mind, and consume significantly less energy per square foot than conventional digital displays. Further emphasizing their commitment to eco-friendly technology, NanoLumens displays are composed of up to 50 percent reclaimed materials, and are completely recyclable.  What’s more, some NanoLumens displays can be serviced from the front, making maintenance easier than ever before possible.

Designed and assembled in the United States, NanoLumens displays are offered in standard configurations as well as design-specific configurations to fit virtually any size, shape or curvature in both the NanoFlex line of flexible displays and the NanoSlim line of fixed frame displays.

The company’s technology has been named ‘Best LED Product’ of the year by Rental & Staging magazine in its 2012 INFOCOMM Product Awards Program, as well as being recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as a 2011 future-proof tech trend and cited by The Wall Street Journal in its 2010 Technology Innovations Awards.  NanoLumens’ technology also received the 2011 Breakthrough Technology of the Year Award at the American Technology Awards.  Digital Signage Magazine awarded the NanoLumens NanoFlex a 2011 DIGI Award for “Best New Display Device – Non-LCD or Plasma.”

About NanoLumens®:

Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, NanoLumens, Inc. (www.nanolumens.com) is a privately held corporation engaged in the research, product development, marketing and sales of unique flexible and fixed large-format LED display solutions in any size, shape, or curvature, that address a yawning technology gap in the $14 billion digital display industry.  Since its founding in 2006, NanoLumens has built a portfolio of more than 20 international families of issued and filed patents on its flexible display technology that effectively address the commercial market void between relatively small flat-panel displays and huge, limited application LED boards. NanoLumens technology is not constrained by standard sizes and shapes, or by the weight, noise and cost issues traditionally associated with commercial LED products.

CORE Brands To Introduce More Than 25 New Products At ISE 2013 In Amsterdam

Demonstrating the breadth and scope of its combined product development and marketing capabilities, CORE Brands LLC, a division of the Nortek Technology Solutions Segment, will introduce more than 25 new audio, control and power management products and system solutions at ISE 2013 in Amsterdam.  The introductions will be made by the group’s BlueBOLT®, ELAN®, Furman®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, SpeakerCraft®, Sunfire® and Xantech® brands at two different exhibits in the Amsterdam RAI Centre.

According to Paul Starkey, CORE Brands Senior Vice President of Marketing, the number of new product introductions speaks directly to the group’s ability to offer dealers and integrators a line of integrated audio, control and power management solutions that are unmatched by any other manufacturer.  “In every market segment, and at wide-ranging price points, CORE Brands offers a solution that delivers the very best performance value,” Starkey said today.  “We believe this to be unique for dealers at a time when operational simplicity and profit are top of mind.”

Leading the parade of new introductions are SpeakerCraft’s TV speaker system and multi-room wireless audio solution, ELAN’s Android and Door Locks App, as well as streaming content and drivers, Niles’ System Integration Amplifiers, mini-subwoofers and garden speakers, Xantech’s groundbreaking new line of IR and IP connectivity solutions, Panamax’s MR Series of power management solutions that combine form and function for today’s home theater environments, Furman’s Contractor Series CN-15MP MiniPort that extends SmartSequencing™ Technology to components outside the equipment rack, the first BlueBOLT-enabled product in the MD family of direct plug-in devices—the MD2-ZB, Proficient’s Zero wireless additions, soundbar & TV speaker along with various in wall/in ceiling releases, and Sunfire’s new shockingly small and powerful ATMOS subwoofer and HRSIW8 in-wall suboofer with the company’s patented StillBass anti-shake technology.

“And these are just the highlights of what our brands will be offering customers at ISE 2013,” Starkey emphasized.  “The addition of these products to an already rich portfolio of over 1,000 active CI channel products gives dealers a range of choices with unprecedented association to each other.” 

“It is difficult to find a dealer who is not using one of these brands today, and our goal is now to have each dealer using five or more of our brands,” he added. “Product development is the key initiative for our brands in the next year.”

The full range of CORE Brands products and solutions can be seen at the group’s two ISE 2013 exhibits. ATON, ELAN, Niles, Sunfire, and Xantech will be exhibiting in Stand 1N80.  BlueBOLT, Panamax, Furman, SpeakerCraft and Proficient will be exhibiting in Stand 1N62.

Headquartered in Petaluma, California, CORE Brands is a division of the Nortek Technology Solutions Segment (www.nortek-inc.com).   CORE Brands combines the product and marketing strengths of ten iconic audio, power management and control brands into a single business unit that includes the ATON®, BlueBOLT®, ELAN®, Furman®, Niles®, Panamax®, Proficient®, SpeakerCraft®, Sunfire® and Xantech® brands.  CORE Brands has more than 190 years of combined experience in the residential, commercial and professional markets and over 4,300 direct customer accounts in multiple distribution channels in the United States and around the world.

NanoLumens Announces New Latin American Partnership With Integration Firm NC4U

NanoLumens® today announced a strategic alliance with São Paulo, Brazil-based technology integrator NC4U to support its rapidly growing Latin American market.  The partnership was formed after the companies worked together on Latin America’s largest-ever digital signage installation project for São Paulo’s new Metro Line 4.  According to Almir DeCarvalho, NanoLumens‘ VP of International Sales, this is an important step in the company’s expansion into international markets.

“Retailers, sports arenas, convention halls and public transportation hubs all over the world are recognizing the incredible benefits of NanoLumens LED displays,” DeCarvalho said, “and our new partnership with NC4U gives our technology the representation it deserves in the Latin American market.  High quality digital signage installers and systems integrators will play an integral role in NanoLumens growth as they increasingly spec our products and help us grow public visibility.”

NC4U is a full-service company that specializes in digital signage applications, utilizing today’s most advanced display technologies to merge advertising, promotions, media, engineering and technology to meet every client’s digital signage and advertising needs.

According to NC4U’s Edgard Bueno Junior, NanoLumens’ LED display technology gives Latin American advertisers and business owners a unique and powerful new medium to deliver their digital messaging to the masses.

“In a fiercely competitive field like digital signage, NanoLumens has made a name for itself by offering a product that no other manufacturer can match.  The NanoLumens displays we are installing at São Paulo’s new Metro Line 4 stations are the digital centerpiece of the project, and we’re excited to be a part of bringing the company’s breakthrough LED displays to the Latin American market.”

NanoLumens displays are extremely slim, ultra-lightweight, energy efficient, and feature a bright, seamless, high resolution picture quality that can be viewed from any angle throughout the display horizon without color shift or image distortion. The company’s patented display technology, which allows customers to select from 4mm up to 10mm pixel pitch (depending on the model), promises to transform the way marketers engage their customers in every type of trade show, retail, hospitality, stadium, arena, transportation and public event environment.

NanoLumens displays are designed and engineered with the environment in mind, and consume significantly less energy per square foot than conventional digital displays. Further emphasizing their commitment to eco-friendly technology, NanoLumens displays are composed of up to 50 percent reclaimed materials, and are completely recyclable.  What’s more, some NanoLumens displays can be serviced from the front, making maintenance easier than ever before possible.

Designed and assembled in the United States, NanoLumens displays are offered in standard configurations as well as design-specific configurations to fit virtually any size, shape or curvature in both the NanoFlex line of flexible displays and the NanoSlim line of fixed frame displays.

The company’s technology has been named ‘Best LED Product’ of the year by Rental & Staging magazine in its 2012 INFOCOMM Product Awards Program, as well as being recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as a 2011 future-proof tech trend and cited by The Wall Street Journal in its 2010 Technology Innovations Awards.  NanoLumens’ technology also received the 2011 Breakthrough Technology of the Year Award at the American Technology Awards.  Digital Signage Magazine awarded the NanoLumens NanoFlex a 2011 DIGI Award for “Best New Display Device – Non-LCD or Plasma.”

About NC4U:

NC4U delivers turn-key digital signage solutions across all Brazilian territory, including content design and distribution, monitoring, media checking, installation, maintenance and technical support, either directly or through its clients in more than 200 retail stores and supermarkets.  The company has more than 2,800 exhibition points installed throughout Brazil. NC4U specializes in POS digital signage solutions featuring full service interactive displays and content design, and software development including e-mail, social networks interfaces, printing, audience metering and voice recognition.

About NanoLumens:

Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, NanoLumens, Inc. (www.nanolumens.com) is a privately held corporation engaged in the research, product development, marketing and sales of unique flexible and fixed large-format LED display solutions in any size, shape, or curvature, that address a yawning technology gap in the $14 billion digital display industry.  Since its founding in 2006, NanoLumens has built a portfolio of more than 20 international families of issued and filed patents on its flexible display technology that effectively address the commercial market void between relatively small flat-panel displays and huge, limited application LED boards. NanoLumens technology is not constrained by standard sizes and shapes, or by the weight, noise and cost issues traditionally associated with commercial LED products.

Stampede Expands Unified Communications Product Marketing Program

Calling it one of the industry’s most important strategic new opportunities for long-term growth, Stampede Presentation Products, Inc. today announced an expanded Unified Communications product marketing initiative and promoted two of its best seasoned executives to lead the sales effort.  According to an announcement made today by Stampede President & COO Kevin Kelly, effective immediately Peter Hurley and Kevin Welling assume the positions of, respectively, Eastern and Western Vice President of Sales of the Unified Communications Integration Group.

“Unified Communications is on the verge of becoming a major new growth opportunity for our dealers in virtually every vertical market, but in particular in corporate, government, and education,” Kelly stressed today.  “Over the last two years, we have worked diligently with our manufacturing partners to assemble a veritable menu of unified communications product offerings, covering every need from dedicated enterprise-wide video conferencing systems to software based, PC-attached solutions.  There is no company more ready to exploit the opportunities this new field offers.  We have integrated Unified Communications throughout our organization and, today, I am announcing the sales team that will lead this group.”

Assuming the position of Eastern Vice President of Sales, Unified Communications Integration Group is Peter Hurley, who has served as a Stampede Director of Sales for the last seven years. Prior to joining Stampede, Hurley served as the Distribution Manager for Sharp Electronics from 2002-2005. Prior to this he was the Sales Manager for Ingram Micro, Inc.  Hurley received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Business from Canisius College before earning a Certificate in Management Development from the Harvard Business School Club of Buffalo, New York.

Kevin Welling has also served as a Stampede Director of Sales from 2009-2012. Before joining Stampede, Welling served as Southwest Senior Territory Manager at Electrograph from 2006 through 2009. Prior to this, he was the Midwest Account Manager at Activelight from 2005-2006, the Midwest Distribution Manager at Projector Wholesale Supply from 1999-2005, and he worked as the Midwest Account Manager for Boxlight Corporation, after earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington.

According to Kelly, Stampede’s Unified Communications Sales Specialists will now report to Hurley and Welling, and Stampede is looking to expand the team in 2013, as the company expects that both its sales and the strength of its Unified Communications initiative will continue to grow.

About Stampede

Known for its value-added distribution, Amherst, New York-based Stampede is the leading distributor of presentation equipment including LCD /DLP projectors and flat panel displays. Stampede provides a complete range of brand name presentation equipment to a variety of audio/video, computer, and home theater resellers and integrators in the United States, Canada and Latin America. These resellers rely on Stampede for value-added services in distribution, marketing and solution- based sales. Stampede annually produces the “Big Book of AV,” an 816-page catalog and companion website (www.BigBookofAV.com) providing hundreds of sales, installation and spec tips for Stampede’s dealers in addition to product details on more than 5,000 SKUs. For more information on Stampede, log onto www.stampedeglobal.com.

Introducing MIZCO Sports: A New MIZCO Line of Team Logoed Power and Travel Electronic Products

MIZCO International, the fastest growing manufacturer and marketer of distinctly branded mobile and tablet technology accessory products, today announced the formation of a new sports-focused division, MIZCO Sports, that will soon bring to market a broad based line of authentic brand professional NFL football, team logoed travel and portable power products.  According to MIZCO CEO Albert Mizrahi, the new division is being led by David Strumeier, the current head of MIZCO’s Travelocity® licensed product line, who now becomes Vice President of MIZCO Sports.

“Today we are introducing a strategic new division for our company and a major new business opportunity for our prodigious retail partners throughout North America,” Mizrahi said today.  “Starting now with a complete line of NFL licensed, team logoed travel and portable power products, we will eventually expand our line to include the other key licensed entities in sports and entertainment.”

Leading the new division as Vice President is David Strumeier, who joined MIZCO in 2010 as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the company’s Travelocity® line of licensed merchandise.  Strumeier is best known in the professional sports world for being the founder of Pro Player, a highly recognized manufacturer of licensed sports apparel and accessories.

According to Strumeier, the initial line of MIZCO Sports travel and portable power products will feature NFL® licensed team logos and be available for delivery to dealers beginning in March 2013.  The offerings will include Android and Apple chargers, USB power accessories, universal USB car and wall chargers, hands-free microphones, in-car E-ZPass® holders, memory foam tablet cases, retractable cables, rubberized smartphone and tablet holders, eye masks, cooling and heating stadium seats, waterproof cases for iPhone®, iPad®, and eReaders, ponchos, travel pillows, travel blankets, laundry bags, and foldable travel bags.

“With the launch of MIZCO Sports I have returned to my roots in the professional sports licensed marketplace,” Strumeier said today.  “And I couldn’t be more excited about our prospects for long-term success.  We have developed a fashion-forward line of high quality, smartly designed travel and portable power products that every NFL team and fan will be proud to be part of.  We are bringing team logoed merchandise to an entirely new level of quality, one that consumers everywhere will respond to with enthusiasm.  In the future we will add other fan based logoed merchandise to our portfolio of offerings.  Our goal is to be nothing less than the number one seller of professional sports team licensed travel and portable power products. We are currently in negotiations with two other licensing sports entities.”

“We’re taking MIZCO’s 22-year successful history of leading innovation in mobile tech accessories and combining it with my knowledge of and expertise in professional sports licensed merchandising,” continued Strumeier.  “The result is going to be a line of products that brings a higher level of execution to sports licensing; and that is going to create a whole new world of profit opportunities for our retail partners. Some of our retailers have seen a sneak preview of our offerings and have expressed their excitement to retail the product.”

The first line of NFL licensed products from MIZCO Sports will be showcased at CES 2013 within its own pavilion in South Hall 3, Booth 30842 in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

About MIZCO International

Headquartered in Avenel, New Jersey, MIZCO International (www.mizco.com) is the world's fastest growing supplier of mobile phone headsets and accessories, as well as imaging and iPhone power solutions.  Founded in 1990, MIZCO markets products under the Cellular Innovations, DIGIPOWER, iEssentials, Ecko Unlimited ToughTested, and Travelocity brands.  The company currently offers more than 1,000 products through a global dealer network.  For more information on Mizco and its product offerings call 1.800.266.4026 or visit www.mizco.com.

John Kahn Appointed Chief Financial Officer Of NanoLumens®

John Kahn has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of NanoLumens®, according to an announcement made today by Rick Cope, President & CEO of the Georgia-based company that introduced the world to large-format flexible LED display technology.  The appointment is effective immediately.

“We’re very excited to welcome John as our new CFO,” said Cope. “He comes to us with an exceptional track record and is certain to play a crucial role in this critically important time of growth for NanoLumens. With his experience and leadership abilities, we will be able to successfully accomplish both our short and long-term goals.”

Kahn has more than 25 years of strategic international financial experience that includes CFO roles at a variety of NASDAQ listed, private equity owned, and venture capital backed companies. Kahn, a Certified Public Accountant, is an accomplished and highly networked CFO who is experienced in working with technology-focused companies, both domestically and internationally. In addition to his strong financial background, Kahn also has significant experience managing legal, human resource, and information technology functions.

Most recently, Kahn was CFO of TeamStaff, Inc. where he helped the Company become a top-performing micro-cap stock and led a public offering.  Kahn started his career with Arthur Andersen in the United Kingdom, before transferring to Silicon Valley, where he was part of Andersen's Global High Technologies Industry Team and served as an Audit and Business Advisory Manager.  Kahn then became CFO of various publicly traded, private equity and venture capital backed companies, achieving over 50% IRR for his investors.

Kahn is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, a Chartered Global Management Accountant and a Certified Information Technology Professional. He is currently President of the Atlanta Chapter of the Association of Chartered Accountants in the United States (ACAUS) and a member of the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG). Kahn is also a past president of the Technology Executives Round-table (TER) and has a Bachelor of Science (Economics) degree from the University of Wales.

“I’m very proud and excited to be joining the NanoLumens team,” Kahn said today. “NanoLumens is doing things unlike any other digital signage provider in the industry, and I’m looking forward to doing my part to help them continue this unbelievable rate of growth. Their innovative technology is changing the way the world sees digital signage and I’m confident that I can use my experience and expertise to help take the company to the next level!”

NanoLumens displays are extremely slim, ultra-lightweight, energy efficient, and feature a bright, seamless, high resolution picture quality that can be viewed from any angle throughout the display horizon without color shift or image distortion. The company’s patented display technology, which allows customers to select from 4mm up to 10mm pixel pitch (depending on the model), promises to transform the way marketers engage their customers in every type of trade show, retail, hospitality, stadium, arena, transportation and public event environment.

NanoLumens displays are designed and engineered with the environment in mind, and consume significantly less energy per square foot than conventional digital displays. Further emphasizing their commitment to eco-friendly technology, NanoLumens displays are composed of up to 50 percent reclaimed materials, and are completely recyclable.  What’s more, many NanoLumens displays can be serviced from the front, making maintenance easier than ever before possible.

Designed and assembled in the United States, NanoLumens displays are offered in standard configurations as well as design-specific configurations to fit virtually any size, shape or curvature in both the NanoFlex line of flexible displays and the NanoSlim line of fixed frame displays.

The Company’s technology has been named ‘Best LED Product’ of the year by Rental & Staging magazine in its 2012 INFOCOMM Product Awards Program, as well as being recognized by Entrepreneur magazine as a 2011 future-proof tech trend and cited by The Wall Street Journal in its 2010 Technology Innovations Awards.  NanoLumens’ technology also received the 2011 Breakthrough Technology of the Year Award at the American Technology Awards.  Digital Signage Magazine awarded the NanoLumens NanoFlex a 2011 DIGI Award for “Best New Display Device – Non-LCD or Plasma.”

About NanoLumens:

Headquartered in Norcross, Georgia, NanoLumens, Inc. (www.nanolumens.com) is a privately held corporation engaged in the research, product development, marketing and sales of unique flexible and fixed large-format LED displays that address a yawning technology gap in the $14 billion digital display industry.  Since its founding in 2006, NanoLumens has built a portfolio of more than 20 international families of issued and filed patents on its flexible display technology that effectively address the commercial market void between relatively small flat-panel displays and huge, limited application LED boards. NanoLumens technology is not constrained by standard sizes and shapes, or by the weight, noise and cost issues traditionally associated with commercial LED products.