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LiteGear is acquired by Chauvet to expand leadership in the cinematic lighting industry

LiteGear is acquired by Chauvet to expand leadership in the cinematic lighting industry

Burbank, CA – LiteGear, the innovative cinematic LED lighting manufacturer, is excited to announce its acquisition by Chauvet, a leading name in the lighting industry. This strategic acquisition aligns with Chauvet’s vision to broaden its reach and expertise in the realm of professional cinematic lighting. LiteGear, renowned for its pioneering products such as LiteRibbon, LiteMat, and LiteTile, is the latest addition to Chauvet’s prestigious roster, which includes other notable brands like Kino Flo and ChamSys. This merger brings together a powerhouse of expertise and innovation, promising to elevate the standards of cinematic lighting solutions.

With this acquisition, Chauvet is excited to introduce the Chauvet Cinema Group (CCG), a dedicated division focused on expanding cinematic lighting markets. This new division, led by industry veteran Mike Wagner, will drive the mission to venture into new lighting markets catering to image capture. The Chauvet Cinema Group will commence with the Kino Flo and LiteGear brands with plans for further expansion to include other brands. In a statement, Wagner expressed excitement about the merger citing, “Our objective is clear — we are developing a new playbook to become the market leader in cinematic lighting. By combining the strengths of LiteGear and Kino Flo under the Chauvet umbrella, we are poised to deliver unparalleled innovation and value to our customers.”

The collaborative efforts of LiteGear and Kino Flo will channel decades of experience and a commitment to advancing cinematic lighting technology while fostering education and community engagement. The Chauvet Cinema Group is poised to play a significant role in supporting and rebuilding the lighting industry amid challenging times. “Joining Chauvet enables LiteGear to offer a wider variety of products to our customers than ever before,” said LiteGear co-founder Mike Bauman. “We will be focusing on what the community needs and ensuring that new products come from the work, as LiteGear has always done.” LiteGear, under the Chauvet Cinema Group, will bring cinematic lighting forward into the future with cutting-edge technology, world-class customer service, and innovative products that meet the high standards of film professionals.

LiteGear co-founder Al DeMayo added, “The ongoing changes in our industry highlighted the need for a strong partner to continue offering the best to our customers. Chauvet’s world-class manufacturing and global reach make it the perfect partner, and we are thrilled about the future possibilities.”

LiteGear partnered with Gary Rabishaw at Intrepid Investment Bankers and Andrew Apfelberg at Greenberg Glusker to complete this industry-changing acquisition.


About Chauvet:
Chauvet is a leader in the lighting industry, known for its high-quality and innovative products that serve a variety of professional lighting applications, including cinematic, architectural, and event lighting.


About LiteGear:
Founded by Mike Bauman and Al DeMayo, LiteGear offers innovative LED lighting solutions for film and television, renowned for its dedication to quality and creativity on set.

FAQs

Service Continuity

  • Will my order or repair be interrupted?

    There will not be an interruption with services, including orders and repairs.
  • Will my existing account remain active?

    Your associated accounts including sales, service, rental, and ecommerce will remain active and unchanged.

Pricing and Billing

Will prices change after the merger?

Although limited products may see a price increase, the majority of the LiteGear product portfolio will remain unchanged.

Customer Support

  • Will customer service contact details remain the same?

    All LiteGear contact information including our location, emails, phone, and website URL will remain the same.
  • Will the merger affect the quality of customer service?

    You will continue to receive the same world-class industry leading customer service you have come to expect from LiteGear.

Product Changes

  • Will there be changes to the products I use?

    There will be no immediate changes to your products. The mission of LiteGear and the Chauvet Cinema Group is to continually improve by developing cutting-edge products and technology for you.
  • Will new features or products be introduced?

    LiteGear, under Chauvet, will focus on releasing a wider variety of lighting products and features for image capture applications.
  • Will certain products be discontinued?

    No changes will be made to the LiteGear product portfolio at this time.

Brand and Identity

  • Will the company name or branding change?

    The LiteGear name and branding will remain the same. The Chauvet Cinema Group will include the LiteGear and Kino Flo brands, creating a powerhouse of innovation and service for the cinema lighting industry.
  • Will there be changes to the website, or other platforms I use?

    The LiteGear website and social media addresses will remain the same.
  • Will my customer experience differ due to cultural shifts?

    The LiteGear culture of innovation, community, integrity, passion, and quality will remain the same. You will continue to receive the same industry leading customer service you have come to expect from us.

Transition Timeline

When will the merger take effect?

The merger takes effect on January 23, 2025.

Impact on Locations or Availability

  • Will physical locations remain open?

    LiteGear will remain at our current location, 4406 Vanowen Street, Burbank, CA 91505 Our days and hours remain are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30PM
  • Will the LiteGear expand or reduce its service areas?

    LiteGear and Chauvet Cinema Group will expand into new markets while providing high-quality lighting products to lighting professional worldwide.

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Industry Kudos for MIMIK 120

Kino Flo’s MIMIK 120 Continues Winning Ways With Latest Accolade: 2023 HPA Award for Engineering Excellence

For Utmost Realism in Virtual Productions, Image-Based Video Lighting Tile Mirrors LED Volume Via RGB Video Signals, With Patented Conversion Algorithm 

Burbank, California — Sept. 27, 2023 — Kino Flo Lighting Systems today announced that its MIMIK 120 full-spectrum, image-based video lighting tile has been honored with a 2023 Hollywood Professionals Association Award for Engineering Excellence. Previously this year, the MIMIK 120 also received the Best of Show Award at the Euro Cine Expo and a Product of the Year Award in the “Location/Studio Lighting” category at the 2023 NAB Show.

The HPA Awards for Engineering Excellence are a coveted honor, denoting outstanding technical and creative ingenuity in media, content production, finishing, distribution, and archiving. A distinguished panel of industry judges review materials and video presentations to determine the shortlist of finalists. The finalists then appear before the panel to answer in-depth questions about their submitted solution. The panel then votes on the top technologies, with the MIMIK 120 chosen as a winner based on the innovation and advancement it delivers for the media and entertainment industry.

The MIMIK 120 is designed to create a full spectrum color correct lighting environment on virtual sets that perfectly mirrors the LED wall volume via the video signal, ensuring unprecedented realism for every shot,

said Frieder Hochheim, founder of Kino Flo Lighting Systems. “We believe its capabilities are a game-changer for virtual production, and it’s extremely gratifying to have our efforts acknowledged with these three prestigious awards.”

Optimized for virtual production environments, the 7,200-pixel MIMIK 120 mirrors video content while applying a higher tonal and color rendering range, delivering extended spectral bandwidth and cinematic color fidelity when lighting talent and set elements. The patented Kino Flo algorithm converts the incoming RGB video wall signal into four or more individual emitters — RGB-WW-CW for the MIMIK 120 — generating synchronized foreground lighting that delivers the utmost realism on virtual sets.

Featuring a lightweight carbon fiber frame, the adaptable MIMIK 120 is designed to be stacked like a video wall, flown as a ceiling, or put on traditional lighting rigs. The lighting system is controlled by the Megapixel VR HELIOS LED processor — which provides a level of control that would be limiting if performed through a traditional DMX — and delivers 10,000-nits brightness, along with the ability to shoot as high as 900 frames per second and offer as many as 30 Alpha channels at 30 frames per second. A single processor can control up to 2,100 panels — that’s over 15 million pixels with zero latency — which can also be fully synchronized up to 30 kHz to eliminate flickering and support advanced VR technologies.

The 2023 HPA Awards for Engineering Excellence will be presented at this year’s HPA Awards Gala on November 9 at the Hollywood Legion in Hollywood, California.