Name: Joseph Conover

Title: Director, Immersive Entertainment, Live Event Production

Company: Christie

rAVe [PUBS]: Tell us a little bit about your role at Christie.

JOSEPH CONOVER: Last year, I was brought in as director, Immersive Entertainment, Live Event Production to help support Christie’s global efforts. My mission here is two-fold: first is to develop strategic relationships with customers as a trusted advisor for their long-term, turn-key immersive AV solutions, be it a permanent fixed location or a traveling experience. Second, is to build upon Christie’s great reputation within the live event and production market. This includes supporting our many loyal rental partners as well as influencing our visual product development as we navigate the future of cinematic and virtual production.

rAVe [PUBS]: How did you get involved with the live events community?

JC: I was always involved in technology as a profession and passion and gravitated towards entertainment technology. This combined with my appreciation for communal gatherings and storytelling led me down this unique path. My time working with artists, museums, theme parks and music venues all converged simultaneously as the entertainment industry redefined itself into what we know today as live events. This convergence, which was accelerated by the pandemic, highlights the very human need for communal experiences.

rAVe [PUBS]: In live events, planning ahead is crucial to avoid day-of disasters. How does Christie collaborate with event planners, AV integrators and other stakeholders to ensure seamless integration of your technology into diverse event environments?

JC: The live event/entertainment space is quite different from most other areas of the traditional AV business. One of the biggest challenges is never letting a show go dark. We, as an industry, must support our stakeholders and valued integrators in this regard.

As a company that has been in business for 95 years, Christie has a portfolio of software tools and custom services to support its amazing range of ProAV solutions. Be it projection or LED, I am truly confident in our ability to provide a proactive and predictive approach to support our clients.

rAVe [PUBS]: In that same vein, quality and reliability are critical to day-of success. How do you ensure your technology provides a consistent performance under such a wide variety of usage scenarios?

JC: We approach each use case as unique. Depending on the individual factors, we have a team of skilled individuals and a range of solutions to support any scenario. Be it fleet monitoring, blending of projection or delivery of content, Christie ensures longevity and consistency throughout.

rAVe [PUBS]:How does your company approach innovation in projection solutions to address the evolving needs of event professionals?

JC: Christie has led the industry with its pure laser RGB projection with a color space perfectly suited to immersive venues. This, along with our full range of projection offerings, are not developed in a vacuum but with direct input of industry experts. These trusted advisors help us navigate this rapidly changing industry.

rAVe [PUBS]: What’s the one Christie product live events professionals have to have in their tool kit and can you share a little about that product?

JC: It’s not so much as a tool per se, but a holistic solution. The traditional approach to hanging projectors from the rafters without the forward-thinking of the total cost involved has seen its day. Investors, integrators and live event professionals now look to Christie to provide long-term solutions that may include hardware — including projection, LED video walls, processors, media servers, software and service and support. Our clients value Christie as their AV solution provider as we mutually collaborate so they may focus on the business of providing their guests with an unforgettable experience.

rAVe [PUBS]: What’s next for Christie in terms of live event technologies?

JC: While we have products that are in development for the market, I think we’ll continue to see the use of LED and projection in live events in new and creative ways.

We’ve continued to evolve our MicroTiles LED — which now includes pixel pitches from 0.75mm to 1.5mm — and because of the modular design, they can be used in almost any configuration. Recently, Something Corporate wrapped its piano in MicroTiles LED to display song lyrics and artwork during live performances.

RGB pure laser projectors deliver stunning color, contrast and brightness, but in smaller and lighter form factors. At a recent launch event for Nescafe, Christie M 4K25 RGB pure laser projectors were used to create an immersive, wrap-around, on-stage experience.