In my next installment of “Meet the Staff”, I would like to re-introduce you to one of the company’s most veteran employees, Shane Nelson. We’ve talked about this very special person in blog entries before, but I wanted to make sure and officially introduce him to our readers so they can see for themselves how innovative, creative, and hard-working he is. Shane’s incredible eye for detail has helped produce some of the most interesting and inspirational stage designs for our clients we’ve ever seen. Please take a moment and read a little bit about why we are so thrilled to have Shane as a member of our SW? family!

When did you first start at Sew What? What were you originally hired to do, and how have your duties changed since working here?

I began working here at Sew What? over 8 years ago as a Sales Rep and have had basically the same duties here ever since.  However, because of my prior experience in this business, I have been lucky enough to get to work on some of Sew What’s larger projects. I am now Sew What?’s Creative Director and Senior Sales Rep, which I truly enjoy.

What kind of work did you do before coming to Sew What?

I have worked as a large-scale party planner, and for over 30 years as a set and stage decorator, as well as an Art Director and Production Designer in Hollywood. I was fortunate enough to be able to design sets for music videos, television shows, movies, and stage productions of all kinds. One of my proudest jobs was working for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics Bid Committee. I was sent to Budapest to be able to personally help set up the displays for this bid, and I was able to be on stage back in Utah when we were officially chosen to host the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. After all of that hard work and energy, it was extremely gratifying, and also very exciting!

If you could take a vacation to anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would go to Paris! I am an official “foodie” and am completely taken with the food, art, culture, and architecture of that beautiful city.

 Do you have a special talent?

I love to paint watercolors and acrylics, mostly scenery and nature. I have also been playing guitar my whole life—I learned with the Classical Spanish style, but enjoy playing lots of other styles, too. I have also learned how to play some piano, too.

 What is your favorite memory from being part of the Sew What? family?

I have really enjoyed all of our “outside work” social functions—it’s a great opportunity to get to know my colleagues on a more personal level, and be able to enjoy one another in a less professional environment. We always have so much fun!

What is your favorite sports team/TV Show/Book/Movie?

I absolutely love the television show “Dexter”, and I can watch “Phantom of the Opera” as a movie or play over and over again. I’m not a huge fan of sports normally, but I am totally addicted to watching the Olympics every time they are on—of course, I will always have a huge interest in watching the Winter Olympic Games, no matter where they are being held!

 What are some of your hobbies?

I have substituted doing any personal hobbies for working on our Spanish Colonial house—it takes up pretty much all of my extra time. We just finished doing a new roof for the house, and we enjoy working on indoor and outdoor remodeling of all kinds. I have just as much fun puttering in our yard as I do almost anything else!

What project have you worked on recently that was interesting or challenging?

Recently I’ve worked on some custom mixed media backdrops for some internationally famous performers. Working with their production designers, I was able to utilize my experience and knowledge of art directing to help produce one-of-a-kind creations never seen before. It was very challenging, but also very rewarding to see the end results.

 Anything more about your time here at Sew What?

I have always enjoyed all of the company’s outside excursions and events, and look forward to being able to have a lot of fun with my co-workers!

We love it when our clients use our theatrical rental drapes as almost “a kit”, in that they utilize a huge variety of sizes, styles, and types of drapes within the same color and collection for their special event. A wonderful recent example is what Production and Lighting Designer Marc Janowitz and the creative team at The John F. Kennedy Center (commonly referred to as “The Kennedy Center”) put together for their exciting “New Orleans Bingo! Show” this past April. It is self-described as, “A curious spectacle with a multimedia stage show, including original black-and-white silent films, aerialists, dancers, ingénues, clowns, audience interaction, bingo games, slapstick comedy”, and with a great medley of live musical performers. So they needed theatrical rental drapes that would be versatile, elegant, rich in color and texture, and yet lightweight and easy enough to install in their venue, all with a tight turn-around.

What they decided on was a brilliant assortment of our gorgeous Burgundy Super-Vel legs and borders (both swagged and pleated), along with a Venetian Drape from our Timeless and Traditional Drapery Collection. With sizes ranging from 23′ h to 28’h and 10’w to 40’w, The Kennedy Center’s creative team had a multitude of variations they could design with.

Creating the perfect framing for their show was as easy as starting with our beautiful Burgundy Venetian (or Contour) Drape to their stage. Featuring flame retardant polyester velour fabric and a classic theatre curtain design, this theatrical rental drape is 24’h x 40’w, and has 7 lift lines which can be lifted by hand or mechanically. It is a fully functioning drape that hangs floor to ceiling, and can be used either as a fully pleated backdrop, as a beautiful frame for the stage, or both. Completing their design with some of our dazzling Burgundy Super-Vel Legs and Pleated Borders, and our fully adaptable Burgundy Super-Vel Swagged Border, they were able to surpass the vision they were aiming to create for this extraordinarily original event. Even without any special lighting or staging, you can see how alluring and dramatic these drapes can be.

 Photo Courtesy Marc Janowitz

Now add a little mood lighting and unexpected stage design, and you can see how spectacular and exciting these drapes can truly become. Captured beautifully by the photographic team at Margot Schulman Photography, you can see what a difference a change of lighting and subtle variations in stage design can make to the overall feel of the individual performances. We love that The Kennedy Center had a unique vision to use a variety of our opulent rental Burgundy Supervel drapes to help create the exact right mood for their one-of-a-kind show and all of the vastly unique acts within it.

Photo Courtesy Margot Schulman Photography 

Photo Courtesy Margot Schulman Photography

Have you had a chance to check out the new Flickr format?

Flickr – which is of the Yahoo family – has recently been given a face lift – with a more image-first page layout and changed functionality…..

We think it is great look for showcasing the products we make, and certainly displays our wonderful stage design and concert photos. See how the Flickr re-launch has changed the look of our Flickr photo sharing homepage…. Love to get your feedback!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rentwhatinc

We here at Rent What? are so honored to be able to work with some of the most innovative and creative people in production, and for some of the most well-known and beloved entertainers in the entertainment industry, too. We are currently renting a fabulous rental drapery package to the creative team working with Steve Martin’s current tour with Edie Brickell and The Steep Canyon Rangers, showcasing their latest album “Love Has Come For You”. This fantastically entertaining show includes mixed media with comedic commentary, contagious bluegrass music, and some of the fastest fingers in the world playing the most amazing banjo music you’ve ever heard! Steve Martin’s Tour Manager Matthew Murphy wanted to make sure they had something versatile enough that it could be used in dozens of different venues across this country and Canada, and yet give them the full capability to design their creative vision each and every time. They needed something lightweight, eclectic, and durable since they would be touring from location to location. And, of course, they wanted something dazzling and memorable for their audience to thoroughly enjoy.

With the help of Megan Duckett, they decided to rent our gorgeous Pewter Textura Swaggettes and Pre-Pleated Specialty Drapes from our Timeless and Traditional Collection. With Swaggettes ranging in size from 6’h x 5’w all the way to 10’h to 50’w, and drape legs at 30’h x 10’w, they were given a great variety of drapes to be able to individually style at each venue. Here is an example of the drapes set up without any special lighting, and on a single truss system, and you can see how stunning and dramatic these drapes can be all on their own.

These inherently flame retardant drapes also reflect light beautifully, and can effectively change the tone of the stage design with a simple splash of some well-placed colored lights. Add some of this specialty lighting and change the stage design to a multi-truss system, and you can see what a different look and feel these exact same drapes have been able to produce for their shows, allowing them both flexibility and creative freedom from one venue to the next.

Back in March, we were contacted by designer Dan Hadley regarding a design project he was working on for electronic music group The Postal Service.    For the band’s North American tour, the design had used a hard set for the majority of the design.  The main focus of the hard set was a series of rows of 1 1/2″ metal pipes running in a configuration above the heads of the band members and then down behind them.

Dan’s goal was to replicate the same look for the band’s European tour, but to utilize a soft set of fabric drapes rather than the metal pipes.   The challenge was to come up with a drapery design that would give the illusion of rows of 1 ½” individual metal pipes.  While fabric could certainly be cut into narrow strips, such strips on their own would not have the rigidity needed to simulate the pipe structure.

Through a series of phone calls, emails, and other collaborative efforts, a drapery design solution was reached.  A series of 18 drapes of about 1 foot in width were manufactured in FR Black Textilene®, a PVC mesh material that almost disappears under stage lighting. Appliqued onto the drapes were rows of 1 ½” strips of FR Silver Drizzle, chosen for its silver color and linear appearance, to give the illusion of the original metal pipes.

The drapes were then hung from truss – 9 of them from truss to truss (to simulate the horizontal section of pipes), and then from truss to the floor (to simulate the vertical section of pipes). The end result?  Fabric drapes that mimic both the appearance and configuration of the original metal pipes, making it difficult to see the difference between the original hard set and the new soft set!

Photo Courtesy of Chris “Reno” McLendon

The addition of coordinating keyboard skirts, utilizing FR Black Commando appliquéd with the same FR Silver Drizzle fabric, finishes the look.

This year Rent What? was thrilled to provide some beautiful staging drapes for Visions Lighting, one of the premier lighting, staging, and production companies in Southern California. They designed the set and main stage for the LA Times Annual Festival of Books, held on the USC Campus here in Los Angeles. This important annual event helps children in the community celebrate books and everything positive that they bring to us. It also had panels and discussions on numerous topics of interest both to children and their parents, as well as a gorgeous outdoor stage to showcase an abundant variety of performers, speakers, and entertainers. Working with Todd Roberts, Kelly Roberts, and the creative team at Visions Lighting, we were so happy to be able to provide a rental drapery mix of some of our reliable Red Super-Vel Pipe and Base drape panels along with several of our lush Red Super-Vel theatrical stage drapes and borders from our Rockin’ Red Collection to help create the festive look they wanted for this beautiful outdoor space.

Lightweight, versatile, colorful, and easy to install, Red Super-Vel drapery can add that special touch to any production—inside or outside—that you may have, without the hassle of having to buy and store big, heavy, expensive drapes for a single event’s use. With a wide variety of sizes and styles to choose from, Rent What? would love to help you figure out the right complementary mix of our rental drapes for your next special event, too!

In scrolling through Flickr recently, we came upon several photos of a concert backdrop that we immediately recognized, because it was one we made for indie rock band The Yeah Yeah Yeahs back in 2009.  I remember it as one of the most interesting custom band backdrops that we have made.

Our manufacturing staff began by cutting Black FR Tiger Gauze, a square cotton netting with a 1/4″ opening, to size to serve as the backing of the 20′ h x 40′ w backdrop.  Then the detailed work began.  Working with detailed drawings provided by production designer Dan Hadley, our sewing staff painstakingly cut out and appliqued metallic blue floral petal mylar sheeting to replicate the concentric circle design.

As you can see from this photo , the tiger gauze recedes so that, even up close in standard fluorescent lighting, the mylar circles appear to float.

The backdrop is beautiful as-is, but it became even more dramatic once the client added a giant eyeball prop to the center, seen most dramatically in this Flickr photo.  The backdrop also looks great up close in the daylight, as in this photo.  It was great seeing the photos and being reminded of this fun and innovative project.  It’s hard to believe it has been four years since we made it.

(Note: We recently made a new backdrop for The Yeah Yeah Yeahs current tour.  This new one was a beautiful classic design of  3 giant “Y”s in Silver Allure appliqued onto Black Poly Muslin.  Check  out this photo to see this year’s backdrop).

About a month ago, we were contacted by one of our favorite clients, designer Bruce Rodgers of Tribe.  He wanted our help in achieving his vision for the set design for the 2013 Inductee Ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, held this year at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Through a series of conversations between Bruce and Megan, the details were nailed down to a variety of drapes in Pewter Textura.  By combining rented 30′ h x 10′ w pleated drapes from Rent What?s Industrial Textures series with several purchased large swagged drapes, custom-made by Sew What? for the project, Bruce was able to achieve just the look he was after.

When loading in the drapes at the Nokia Theatre, we knew they looked terrific, but the crowning glory was watching the ceremony on television this past weekend and actually seeing the drapery in action.  Most memorable was seeing inductee rock group Heart performing in front of the drapes.

After seeing the ceremony on television, Creative Director Shane Nelsen, who assisted Megan with the project, was blown away and wished he had been able to record the show.  With the “magic” of YouTube, though, he was able to find the video above which really captures the beauty of the drapes.

Combining rental drapery with custom-made purchased drapery really gives the best of both worlds for events such as this.  It allows the customer to lower his costs while also creating a custom look.

Over the last eight years, Sew What? and Rent What? have focused on expanding our online presence.  From a complete redesign of Sew What?’s website in 2005 (along with various upgrades and additions to the website in the years since) and later adding a Rent What? website, to Flickr photostreams and galleries to a YouTube channel, and even to this blog, it has been a longstanding goal for the company to provide user-friendly online content on custom theatrical drapery and the like, in order to inform, educate, and entertain clients and consumers.

Our latest venture is with Linked In.  While Company President Megan Duckett has maintained a personal Linked In account for years, recently we launched a company Linked In page.  We know that people use many different ways to access information via the web, and so we wanted to offer one more channel to those looking for information on theatrical and special event drapery.

If you too are Linked In, check out our new company page.

In our next installment of “Meet the Staff”, I’d like to formally introduce you to the newest member of the SW? team—Greg Bowles.  He recently wrote a brief introduction in a previous blog entry, but I wanted to be sure to introduce him properly because we are so thrilled to have him here! His fantastic attitude, his sunny demeanor, and his ability to juggle ten spinning plates in the air simultaneously in his position as SW Purchasing Manager, all make him an outstanding addition to our “Whatters” family. Please take a moment and read a little bit about Greg, nicknamed “Mr. Sunshine”, and you’ll see why we are so happy to have him working with us on a daily basis!

When did you first start at Sew What?

I am the newest member here at Sew What?, having been hired as the Purchasing Manager in February of 2013. In the few months that I’ve been here, my duties have not changed that much. However, I am always open to new responsibilities and challenges, and look forward to everything that this company has to offer!

If you could take a vacation to anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would love to go back to Paris, France.  I went about 6 years ago, and completely fell in love with the food, the art, the culture, the architecture, and… did I mention the food?? I just couldn’t get enough of the ham and cheese baguettes while I was there—they are absolutely perfect in their simplicity.

What kind of work did you do before coming to Sew What?

I worked 9 plus years in the theatrical textile industry as an Operations/Purchasing Manager, very similar to what I do now for Sew What? and I really enjoyed it. Then I went into a seemingly different field for a few years as a Pharmaceutical Technician. You’d be surprised at how similar these positions were, though—both deal with customer service in a broad sense, and very complex logistics on a more basic level. When a position arose to work at Sew What?, though, I jumped at the opportunity and am now happily back to working in purchasing and textiles again.

Do you have a special talent?

I enjoy painting watercolors and pencil sketching of all kinds, but I am really inspired to paint and draw realistic nature images, especially. I was accepted into the Rhode Island School of Design and almost pursued a career in art and painting—but I decided that I would rather have that as a wonderful outlet for my creativity, rather than having to make it as a means of income.

What is your favorite memory from being part of the Sew What? family?

I really enjoy all of the lunches that the company puts on for its employees!

What is your favorite sports team/TV Show/Book/Movie?

My favorite TV shows are Scandal and Game of Thrones (total guilty pleasures!). My favorite book is Tuesdays with Morrie, which I can read again and again. And my favorite movies are by far the original Indiana Jones and The Breakfast Club—classics that never get old.

What are some of your hobbies?

I love to sketch and paint watercolors whenever I have some free time.

What project have you worked on recently that was interesting or challenging?

All of them are interesting and challenging in their own way.

Anything more about your time here at SW?

Fantastic work environment and really friendly people—this is an amazing place to work!