SEE FACTOR PROVIDES LIGHTING SERVICES FOR POPE BENEDICT XVI’S ADDRESS AT PAPAL YOUTH RALLY, ST. JOSEPH’S SEMINARY
Yonkers, NY—More than 35,000 guests thronged St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers on April 19, 2008, as Pope Benedict XVI delivered an address during his tour of the United States. This invited audience of young people and their families were assembled to receive a special message from the Pope geared to the next generation of the Catholic faith—and the seminary entrusted the lighting and rigging services for this historic, private event to See Factor, Inc.
The monumental outdoor event featured performances by Kelly Clarkson, Toby Mac, Third Day and many other Christian artists. Chris Wangro produced the Youth Rally, with assistance from production manager Aaron Leventhal. Marilyn Lowey provided the lighting design, and professional services included lighting assistance by Jared Sayeg, programming by Hilary Knox, and Mike Finocchiaro as the head gaffer. Matt Endicott, Ed Duda and Edguardo Serano were production electricians for the event. The entire Papal Visit was headed by Stig Edgren, executive producer.
See Factor was the logical choice for this event because of the company’s experience with the last Papal Visit to the United States by Pope John Paul II in 1987. “We provided equipment for two locations for the last visit,” said Bob See, president of See Factor. “We have a long history of events for the Catholic Diocese and for designer Marilyn Lowey—who we had worked for on the Neil Diamond tour for many years—so we did our best to give her everything she needed.”
The full package of lighting instruments, truss and other equipment included the following:
Providing production services for the entertainment industry for more than 35 years, See Factor supplies lighting, rigging and sound systems for every venue in the New York City metropolitan area, including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Hammerstein Ballroom, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
See Factor’s most prominent industrial clients have included the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, GA, and the 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York City, the BMW presentations at the New York Auto Show for the last 20 years, and many others. Recent film and television productions that have used See Factor equipment and expertise include Sex and The City, The Sopranos, Lipstick Jungle, Spin City, Hope and Faith, and several series in the Law And Order franchise. Movies including Just My Luck, Spiderman, The Departed, The Interpreter, I Am Legend and The Good Shepard all relied on See Factor for lighting and sound equipment.
More information about See Factor is available at www.seefactor.com
