Roscor holds free Tech Expo May 19-20 at RDS

MORE THAN 60 EXHIBITORS will display their latest and greatest at Roscor’s 3rd annual Communications Technology Expo May 19-20 in the big first floor stage at Resolution Digital Studios.   

Representatives from 18 of these companies will lead seminars on various practical subjects, such as designing videowalls with microtiles, conference systems for the boardroom, digital technologies, corporate and campus-wide mass notification solutions and using production asset management and media asset management. 

Roscor makes the free Expo easy to attend, by providing free valet parking and shuttle service from downtown.  For details, click here.

LOTS OF NON-THEATRICAL SHOOTS going on. Acme Media of New York shot “Mr. Mayhem,” played by actor Dean Winters (Oz, Law & Order SVU) as he wreaked his havoc for Allstate/Leo Burnett last week at South Side locations … R. Kelly’s latest music video for Collaboration Factory tapes this week at Essanay … And Fletcher Cameras were used to capture Eminem’s new music video in Detroit… 

STORY went out on location at St. Joseph’s Hospital on the North Side for Sanford Brown Vocational College … Chicago was one of the several cities on Smuggler New York’s itinerary for Prudential Insurance commercials … The Northwest Side was the destination location for a Steak & Shake spot produced by Epoch of New York.

THE PROPOSED AFTRA SAG MERGER is getting closer to reality after decades of discussions. AFTRA’s national board passed a resolution approving the appointment of a New Union committee to work with the SAG Merger Task.  SAG passed a similar resolution two weeks ago.  

The two groups will begin meeting by June to develop a merger agreement and all that goes with it for presentation to AFTRA and SAG’s national boards by the end of January, 2012.  

GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION of the spacious new River West studios of MotoMedia, Andrew Ryann’s production company, Lauralyn Farwell’s Gabriel Media and Jess Lauren’s Mix Media Solutions and Hoffman Media, takes place Thursday, June 2, from 6-9 p.m. at 700 N. Carpenter. 

INVITATIONS HAVE GONE OUT under the aegis of Gov. Pat Quinn, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Senate President John Cullterton for a special sneak preview June 16 of the new Museum of Broadcast Communications (MCA) after a six-year construction delay.

Broadcaster Bruce Dumont (Beyond the Beltway) founded the MBC in 1985 in the Cultural Center. The MBC had long outgrown its space when it planned to erect its own 62,000-sq. ft. building with the help of a $6 million DCEO grant promised by ex-governor Blagojevich that never materialized. Construction museum consequently was brought to a stop and plagued with financial woes.  In June, 2010, however, Gov. Pat Quinn stepped in and approved the grant and completion of the building was underway.

When it opens to the public later this year, it indeed will be, as the Tribune called it, “a shrine to the history of radio television and radio.”

OPRAH FANS can walk through the door she used at Harpo Studios each day for more than a decade, in the lobby of the MBC where it’ll be on exhibit from noon to 5 p.m. weekend through July 15.  Admission is free. 

Visitors will be able to take pictures in front of the door and leave personal messages for Oprah. Oprah donated the door to MBC in 2004 after her show underwent a set change. This is the first time it has been put on public display.

THE WINNER! Tribeca Flashpoint Academy CEO Howard Tullman won the 2011 Illinois Technology CityLIGHTS award for his support of the local technology community as a whole.  The winners were announced at ITA’s awards gala Saturday night.  In attendance were more than 700 guests from 400 organizations, including business owners, investors, legislators and policymakers. 

MULTI AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR GUS VAN SANT, currently in Chicago directing the 8-episode Boss series for Starz, is the executive director of the documentary ACT UP! (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) which re-contexualizes the powerful accomplishments of past and present AIDS activists for a 21st century audience.

It was co-written, produced and directed by Film Wisconsin founder Scott Robbe, now living in Austin, Texas, where he started Feed Your Head Productions, LLC, a socially conscious indie film company and returned to his long-time roots of producing docs, TV series and features.