When veteran lighting designer Tom Kenny was called on to light a reimagined NHL Draft at the incomparable Las Vegas Sphere —the first ever live TV broadcast from that extraordinary space—he knew he needed something special for the main frame television shot and chose multi-dynamic PULSE PANEL FX lights from Elation to back the all-important look.   

A 21st Century Spectacle

Evolving from a traditional convention-style draft to a 21st century show at arguably the most talked about venue in the U.S., the NHL dazzled players and fans June 28–29 with a visually striking broadcast that redefined what a sports draft can be. 

“The NHL Draft at the Sphere was just amazing and out of this world,” Kenny enthused. “This was really a historical show and we needed a modern look for this new way to hold a draft. I knew I wanted something that was epic and futuristic looking in that main television shot, and even though you’re up against the biggest backlight in the world with its amazing content, the PULSE looked beautiful and won over a lot of hearts.” Indeed, Kenny reported widespread praise from NHL executives, teams, and the TV network for a job well done.  

Acclaimed Designer

When the NHL decided to elevate the draft experience by hosting it at the Sphere, they sought a top-tier designer with extensive large broadcast TV and touring experience and tapped Kenny for the job. Already familiar with the venue from his early consulting work on the Sphere project, Kenny also has long-time associations with Willie Williams and the entire U2 crew (including Allen Branton and Felix Peralta), who opened the Sphere last fall, not to mention his own experienced crew, all of whom provided the designer with valuable venue insight. 

PULSE PANEL FX

Featuring arrays of RGB and cool-white LEDs across its large face, the PULSE PANEL FX is ideal for direct view applications like TV visuals, while zone control opens up a myriad of design possibilities. Panel rotation ensures flexible positioning and continuous 360° pan/spin and 180° tilt add an extra level of dynamism. 

Supplied for the NHL Draft by Fuse Technical Group, the fixtures generate a powerful 100,000 lumens, though Kenny only needed to use them at a fraction of that output. “We didn’t have the chance to show them off as much as we could have,” he said, referring to their multi-functional strobe/blinder/wash light/eye candy capability, “but with that amount of power, I can see it being used on big events, tours, and stadium/arena type shows.”

Highlighting New Technology

Kenny, who has a tradition of being the first to use new lighting technology in a real-world application, jumped at the chance to debut the PULSE PANEL FX. “I have always enjoyed moving forward with new technology and knowing Elation has launched some beautiful, high-tech lights of late, I was eager to incorporate them into my design,” the designer said. 

“Especially in TV, the backgrounds are very important so I was happy to get a new and interesting product in that upstage position, right in the main frame where it can be seen and make an impact. And it worked! The PULSE has this very modern, high-tech look, like something out of Star Wars or a modern video game, and they have all the tricks that we’ve always liked and wanted. They just blew us all away.”

Subtle to Energetic

Characterizing the modernized NHL Draft as an “artistic and elegant show,” Kenny placed 14 PULSE PANEL FX fixtures upstage in a semi-circle, prominently displayed throughout the two-day event for “subtle eye-candy bling” in camera shots. Additionally, Kenny created more energetic looks for camera shots when players were drafted.

“Whenever there was a pick, programmers Scott Cunningham and Han Heinz gave us some great ballyhoo looks for the in-house audience,” Kenny said, noting that it wasn’t visible on camera as they cut away to the draft pick. “But it looked great in-house and cut through the heavy lumens of the giant screen, which is very difficult.” 

Kenny added that because the show was filmed in 360-degrees, the back of the PULSE fixture occasionally showed in the frame, but that didn’t concern him. “The fixture has beautiful lines and even the back of it looks good, like sitting behind a beautiful car.” 

Due to the high demand for the Sphere, which runs a unique “Sphere Experience: Postcard from Earth” show multiple times a day, the crew had to load in and out twice daily. “You need lights that can handle constant movement and don’t mind being recalibrated. Another great thing about the PULSE is that they worked every time,” Kenny concluded.

See a video of the NHL Draft here. 

Crew:

Lighting Designer:  Tom Kenny

Lighting Director:  Pickles 

Gaffer / Crew Chief:  Brian Carico

Best Boy:  Daniel Fly

Lighting Programmers:  Scott Cunningham, Han Heinz 

Production Manager, Fuse:  Christian Reyes 

Project Manager, Fuse:  Eric Schlobohm, Eric Hainchek 

Head of Lighting Systems, Sphere:  Kyle Glaser 

Head of Production, NHL:  Steve Meyers, Bob Chesterman, John Bochiaro

Vice President of Production, NHL:  Brett Ostro

Vice President, Arena and Event Operations, NHL:  Dan O’Neill

NHL Tech: Spud Murphy

Technical Director, BaAM:  Chris Dowling

Photos:  Brian Carico