Accenture Gets CSSI Custom Treatment
When Michelle Faulkner and Pam Kalish of Jack Morton needed someone to stage an eye-catching set for an Accenture business meeting, they called Chicago Scenic. CSSI Job Lead Wayne Adams and Project Manager Gary Heitz worked hard to make sure the show came together to the liking of client Tom Fiske.

The business meeting took place at the Arie Crown Theater and was designed by James Joy. The set involved several scenic elements, the main being an 80-foot-high by 45-foot-wide forced perspective globe that created a portal and screen surround. The globe was created out of plywood on the CNC router in the CSSI shop and backed in black rear-projection material used for lighting effects. John Featherstone of Lightswitch was the lighting designer.

Other scenic elements included a 14-foot-high by 38-foot-wide screen which allowed images to be shown in thirds, creating lots of interesting looks for the graphics and video. Six-foot-diameter inflatable spheres, hung upstage, added interest by changing colors and giving depth to the space created by the portal.

Allstate Hosts Meeting in Downtown Chicago
Working with Jan Hughes Productions, Chicago Scenic Studios helped to produce the set for an Allstate business meeting at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago. Project Manager Ken Zommer made sure the project was completed on time and on budget.

The set, designed by CSSI’s Tom Ryan, required rental and custom wall panels and an audience riser system for nearly 250 Allstate executives. The walls were custom painted by CSSI Paint Department Head Kevin Taylor with a gray textured pattern to allow theatrical lighting, designed by Patrick Chan of Theatrical Lighting Connection, to create dramatic looks. CSSI also provided a backlit Allstate logo placed in the center of the set. Dave Duwell served as the job lead on the project, and supervised the CSSI crew during the set-up and dismantle of the show.

Boise Office Supply and Office Max Host Business Meetings
Chicago Scenic helped to produce two announcement meetings regarding the merger of Boise Office Supply and Office Max. Project Manager Ross Hamilton worked with Kaleidoscope Producer Tom Heron to coordinate the project.

Chicago Scenic provided two duplicate sets for separate meetings which took place in Cleveland, Ohio, and Itasca, Illinois. Designed by Steven Parsens, the set incorporated Chicago Scenic’s rental S.E.T. System of screen surrounds and walls that supported logos. The five-foot-wide logos were cut on Chicago Scenic’s CNC routing machine and were painted by CSSI’s Paint Department Head Kevin Taylor. Dave Duwell and Mike Zaremba served as the job leads on the project.

Leo Burnett Hosts "Make Your Own Breakfast"
Since 1985, Chicago Scenic has been helping Leo Burnett produce their famous annual employee breakfast. This year’s theme, “Make Your Own Breakfast,” was once again designed by CSSI’s Tom Ryan. CSSI Project Manager Gary Heitz worked with Executive Producer Ron Nelken to ensure the show went off without a hitch.

Chicago Scenic created the scenic look which involved nine large-scale Leo Burnett identification badges as set pieces. The clever folks at Leo Burnett inserted five plasma screens where an employee’s face would be on the badge, and showed video of moving eyes and lips to give the appearance of a moving face. The rest of the badges featured a picture of Leo Burnett himself. Partial badges, created to fill the space, completed the look.

The creative bunch at Leo Burnett created a stunning show finale, including circus acts such as tightrope walking chickens and flag-raising groundhogs, and, as always, Chicago Scenic was there to help with whatever was needed. For a song and dance number from the musical Chicago, CSSI provided stairs and a ribbon curtain, as well as a stage and scrim for the three-piece live band. Video Manager Randy Young and Stage Manager Jim Dawson worked together to coordinate the show. CSSI’s Tim Steimle served as the job lead.

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