GLS Lighting, based in Southampton, along England’s southern coast, is celebrating 25 years of offering quality lighting solutions to all walks of the entertainment industry. As one of England’s renowned providers of stage lighting with an inventory of top-level lighting gear, GLS recently reinforced its high standards with an investment in Elation Professional Artiste Picasso LED profile moving heads, along with multifunctional Paladin Panel lights.
“Elation is, in my opinion, one of the most exciting brands out there today. They are charging to the front now, bringing products that are head and shoulders above the rest,” stated Ian Turner, one of two founding directors at GLS. Speaking specifically about the acquisition of the Artiste Picasso, he said: “Everyone has been waiting for a product to do what Picasso does. We all need a bright workhorse spot fixture, LED, good framing blades, bright and crystal-sharp optics – simple! That is the Picasso! Over the last year, all the manufacturers have launched a product of this type but, on balance, the Picasso offered the most. The noise level is also important, and the Picasso is so quiet. It was a no brainer for us.”
GLS worked with Elation’s distribution partner in the UK and Ireland, Entedi, to evaluate and demo the Elation products. Turner has worked closely with Entedi Managing Director Cally Bacchus for years. “Cally understands the business we are all in,” Turner said. “He isn’t just a box shifter; he understands and cares about what we all need from a supplier. The world is very reactive these days, very last minute, and we need suppliers to be able to help us keep up. Entedi have some great brands already in their portfolio and Elation was an exciting addition.”
GLS has a track record with Elation going back a few years but the recent purchase is a more significant commitment between the companies. “We had a number of Elation products in smaller quantities, but we felt we were really seeing a step-change in the products on offer and wanted to go further,” Turner said. “They also understand the need to support a product family for a period and not replace it within months, which is vital for rental return on investment. We like to feel we are working with the best so it’s an obvious choice.”
GLS has built a reputation for quality and dependability over the years, offering complete systems to handle all aspects of show lighting be it an arena concert, music festival, wedding or awards dinner. “We provide a lot of architectural lighting during the average year – from stately homes at corporate events, to ice rinks, to trees at festivals – the range is huge,” Turner stated.
“Our new Elation products have already lit a castle, a ship, some ice rinks and even one of the royal houses!”
Included in the purchase is a stock of Paladin Panels, Elation’s versatile IP65-rated wash/blinder/strobe light. Housing 50 15W RGBW cells, the panels can be used as powerful floodlights, dynamic uplights, effect lights or audience blinders. “I was very impressed when I first saw this product,” commented Turner, adding that they had planned to invest in a different brand until they were able to demo the Paladin. “With Paladin-style products, it’s about brightness first and foremost and that brightness is huge. It has a good range of colours, pastels and deep saturates, but they can also handle skin tones, which is important as these products get used everywhere.”
