Ten Organizations that Lit Up Ground Zero Honored by Commercial Producers

More accustomed to setting up lights for shooting commercials andfilms, eight companies and two unions were honored by the commercialproduction industry for the equipment and help they provided toilluminate Ground Zero so that workers at the site of the World TradeCenter disaster could keep their efforts going around the clock.

The companies —- Angel Aerial Corporation, Camera ServiceCenter, Cinema World Studios, Feature Systems, Inc., K/A/S Lighting,Luna Lighting, Panavision New York, and Silvertrucks Lighting -—plus the members of IATSE Local 52 and Teamsters Local 817, the unionsrepresenting crew members and drivers, were presented with the Jay B.Eisenstat Award for Distinguished Service in the Television CommercialProduction Industry. The award is the highest honor accorded by theAssociation of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP).

“These companies and the crew members supplied, set up, andmoved light to wherever it was most needed. They were among the firstto recognize that such a bleak day would be followed bydarkness,” said Matt Miller, AICP President and CEO. “Therescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero, and the work at the supportand staging areas, could not have continued twenty-four hours a daywithout their generous contributions. We’re so proud that our ownmembers are among those who raised their hands first to volunteer tohelp out.”

The honored companies provided trucks, generators, rigging, cable,and lights—including huge multi-bulb lights called“maxi-brutes” (9,000 watts) and “dino” lights(24,000 watts)—and the unions provided the manpower fortransportation, and setting up the equipment.

The awards, named for a founder of AICP, were presented at theopening ceremonies for the premiere of the AICP Show, The Art &Technique of the American Television Commercial, which took place atThe Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Show recognizes excellence in 23categories of commercial filmmaking, and the annual event is one of thehighlights of the New York advertising calendar.