VITALSTATS
VITALSTATS98
Natasha Safavi
Profession:
Owner and Managing Director ofUniversal StarsIncorporated.
Date & placeofbirth:
December 16 1965; Tehran, Iran.
Your first job after full-time education?
I worked as a film PA and ran a small duplication “Go for the jobs that you really
library for ICM International in Frith Street,
London W1. The video duplication paid my
wages,butIhadlotsofsparetime.Theproducers love, be prepared to network
started relying on me so I used the opportunity
to work hard at being a good PA which got me
lots of work on most of the agency’s location and don’tsmoke!...”
shoots and eventually elevated me to producer
for nearly 15 years.
What led to your involvement in entertainment technology? bulbs and they have a 15-year life span.
Having been trained as an audio-visual technician, my technical experience
got me far in my career in film and TV. I’ve always been a behind the scenes What has been the most unusual request you’ve received from a client?
girl, super-organised, passionate about filming and lighting and well-versed There was a magician who wanted us to create blind spots in the starcloths
in dealing with clients and crew. so he could sneak around and reappear in different parts of his stage set.
Well, of course, we said yes!
How did Universal Stars Incorporated evolve?
Universal Stars was the brainchild of John Dipple, the first person to apply What has been your most outstanding starcloth application to date?
industry lighting technology to an LED and put it into a cloth. He created I’d say the full colour RGB ceiling at Battersea Evolution was a sight to
the first ever DMX LED starcloths back in 1999. Sadly, John passed away in behold when all 155 starcloths were connected for the first time and a
2006 and in his inimitable way, he passed on all his knowledge to myself. colour wash run through them — it was a real ‘wow’ moment!
As a promise to him, I decided to re-start the company and continue the
wisdom. Luckily, our chief technicians are still with the company and we are Is the recession biting in your world?
good friends as well as colleagues. We feel incredibly fortunate that our repeat businesses are so far intact and
that our manufacturing is stronger than ever. In the world of entertainment
How competitive is the current LED starcloth market? you can’t predict what will happen, but I feel everyone is resolved to try
In terms of hire and installation, I always take the position that there is and keep working, so that’s reflected in the special deals we are prepared
plentyof workto goaroundfor allof us. While somecolleaguesconcentrate to undertake for our UK and overseas customers.
on the capital, I find there is plenty of work for us elsewhere in the UK
[Universal Stars is based in Malpas, Cheshire], as well a number of high Any big ambitions?
quality projects that we retain in London. I’d like to continueto developthe product and workwith serious partners to
We are a unique manufacturer of a specialised product and possibly one creatively enhance the use of LEDs in set designs, as well as manufacturing
of the only true manufacturers of this product in the Western world. It’s a lots more LED starcloths for the American market.
big label to carry so we are adamant in keeping the quality of the product
at the highest level. All our equipment is hand-sourced and hand-built by us What occupies your free time?
to be roadworthy and provide a long life. Sleeping, swimming, live music and yoga.
As a customer, what should one look for in a starcloth in terms of reliability? Your favourite record of all-time?
The bulb is the most important aspect, closely followed by the materials. I want to say Deee-Lite’s ‘Groove Is In The Heart’ or ‘All Along The
We primarily recommend heavy duty black serge wool which provides a Watchtower’ by Jimi Hendrix, but David Bowie’s album Hunky Dory is
certain blackout density, but is also long-wearing, fire retardant and easy to always next to the stereo.
clean. Some starcloths sport LEDs that have a relatively short life span — for
instance, if your serge is going to last 10-15 years, you want your bulb to do What would be your advice to a teenage Natasha Safavi?
the same. We have always bought our bulbs from the same manufacturer. Same as it is to my teenage son: Go for the jobs that you really love, be
They are the best LEDs with a wonderful varietyincluding full RGB tri-colour prepared to network and don’t smoke that cigarette!
66 • TPiMAY 09
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