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PHILADELPHIA (February 1, 2010) - SpectiCast, a
Philadelphia company that broadcasts professionally
directed and produced live events to Multi-Viewer
VenuesTM worldwide, has announced additions to its
winter 2010 lineup.
Expanding on its already impressive winter lineup of
renowned authors such as Ken Burns, Richard Dawkins
and Karen Armstrong, SpectiCast has made a number of
exciting new additions to its Author Events Series,
including Francine Prose "Anne Frank: The Book, The
Life, The Afterlife"; Garry Wills "Bomb Power: The
Modern Presidency and the National Security State";
Gordon S. Wood "Empire of Liberty: A History of the
Early Republic, 1789-1815"; Michael Lewis "The Big
Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine"; and Tim O'Brien
"The Things They Carried (20th Anniversary Edition)".
"We are thrilled to add such diverse and exciting
programs to our schedule," said Mark Rupp, President
of SpectiCast. The Free Library of Philadelphia's
extraordinary Author Events program has been a
tremendous addition to our portfolio of arts and
cultural events, and we look forward to bringing
continued simulcasts of these events to our growing
audience for many years to come."
# # #
About SpectiCast
Based in Philadelphia, SpectiCast broadcasts live cultural arts and entertainment events, never
before available, through its private digital network to Multi-Viewer VenuesTM including Assisted
Living Facilities, Independent Care Facilities and Continuing Care Retirement Communities. The
company delivers the highest quality audiovisual digital television experience via the Internet in
the comfort, convenience and safety of private auditoriums, theatres, and living rooms.
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Founded in 1900, The Philadelphia Orchestra has distinguished itself as one of the leading
orchestras in the world through a century of acclaimed performances, historic international
tours, best-selling recordings, and its unprecedented record of innovation in recording
technologies and outreach. The Orchestra has maintained an unparalleled unity in artistic
leadership with only seven music directors throughout its history: Fritz Scheel (1900-07), Carl
Pohlig (1907-12), Leopold Stokowski (1912-41), Eugene Ormandy (1936-80), Riccardo Muti
(1980-92), Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003), and Christoph Eschenbach (2003-08). This rich
tradition is carried on by Charles Dutoit, who was appointed chief conductor and artistic adviser
of The Philadelphia Orchestra from the 2008-09 season through the 2011-12 season. Mr. Dutoit
has a long-standing relationship with the Orchestra, having made his debut with the ensemble
in 1980.
The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of more than one million music lovers
worldwide through its performances, publications, recordings, and broadcasts. The Orchestra
presents a subscription season in Philadelphia each year from September to May, in addition to
education and community partnership programs, and appears annually at Carnegie Hall. Its
summer schedule includes an outdoor series at Philadelphia's Mann Center for the Performing
Arts, free Neighborhood Concerts, and residencies at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and
the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in upstate New York.
For more information about The Philadelphia Orchestra please visit www.philorch.org.
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by KYW's Lauren Lipton
Say you want to hear a concert or lecture but you have
no way of getting to where it's going on.
Enter Specticast, a Philadelphia-based company
that is starting something new.
(Rupp:) "Specticast is a private digital broadcast
company. We're focused on televising live, cultural,
performing arts and entertainment events to senior
communities, colleges, universities, and community
centers for their use in private theatres."
Specticast's Mark Rupp (right) says first up, the
Philadelphia Orchestra!
(Rupp:) "We have an agreement with the Philadelphia
Orchestra Association, and we're scheduled, starting
this fall, to broadcast five live Philadelphia
Orchestra events. We will be sending those events
live to senior communities and some colleges and
universities."
So how does it work?
(Rupp:) "It would be like any other live event. In
this case, instead of live performers on stage, on
their large screen in their primary auditorium,
they would be able to view a live event right out
of Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center."
Joan May lives at the Quadrangle, a continuing care
facility in Haverford, Pa., and was part of a test
run of the orchestra.
(May:) "It was wonderful -- very exciting."
And this is just the beginning.
(Rupp:) "We have an agreement with the Free Library
of Philadelphia to broadcast live their author event
series."
(May:) "It's the closest you could possibly get to
being there."
And that's Positively Philadelphia!
For more information on SpectiCast, please visit
www.specticast.com.
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PHILADELPHIA (September 4, 2009) - Specticast has announced a new content partnership
with the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia's world-renowned conservatory on Rittenhouse
Square. SpectiCast, a Philadelphia company broadcasting live, professionally directed and
produced events to Multi-Viewer VenuesTM using a proprietary digital video technology, will add
several Live from Curtis programs to its Music Collection in the 2009-10 season.
"We are thrilled to welcome the Curtis Institute of Music as a new content partner," said Derek
Pew, Chairman of SpectiCast. "Curtis offers our viewers a wide range of virtuosic performances
by some of the finest young talent in the world." Live from Curtis will capture the unique and
intimate atmosphere of Curtis, where a distinctive "learn by doing" educational approach
prompts more than 130 public performances each season. Since the school's founding in 1924,
this philosophy has produced an impressive number of notable artists, from such legends as
Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber to current stars Juan Diego Flórez, Alan Gilbert, Jennifer
Higdon, Hilary Hahn, Lang Lang, and Time for Three. The Live from Curtis series will include a
mix of Curtis performances, including chamber music, opera excerpts, and orchestral selections.
"Curtis welcomes this unique opportunity to offer its music to new venues nationwide through
SpectiCast's state-of-the-art video technology," said Roberto Díaz, President and CEO of Curtis.
"We're proud of our superb student performers, and delighted to bring their enthusiasm for
music-making to a broader audience."
SpectiCast broadcasts cultural arts and entertainment content to Multi-Viewer VenuesTM:
locations with a standard broadband Internet connection, a television, a sound system, and
seating for multiple spectators. SpectiCast offers programming in Enhanced Definition and high
Definition format. The company's goal is not to replicate the in-person experience of going to
see a live performance, but to offer a new experience for audiences who are not able to travel
to see live cultural events such as orchestra and opera performances, musicals, theater
productions, and celebrity and author speaking engagements.
To showcase its new life-enrichment concept, SpectiCast broadcast its first nationwide event on
Friday, June 5: a live performance of Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances by The Philadelphia
Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit. Several thousand viewers in over two dozen locations
throughout the country participated in such venues as assisted living facilities, independent care
facilities, and continuing care retirement communities. SpectiCast recently announced its first
offering under the Speaker Collection, which will showcase the highly successful Author Event
Series from the Free Library of Philadelphia. In addition to senior care facilities, SpectiCast will
also broadcast events this fall to universities and community theaters.
# # #
About SpectiCast
Based in Philadelphia, SpectiCast broadcasts live cultural arts and entertainment events, never
before available, through its private digital network to Multi-Viewer VenuesTM including Assisted
Living Facilities, Independent Care Facilities and Continuing Care Retirement Communities. The
company delivers the highest quality audiovisual digital television experience via the Internet in
the comfort, convenience and safety of private auditoriums, theatres, and living rooms.
About the Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians for
careers at the highest professional level. One of the world's leading music schools, Curtis
provides full-tuition scholarships to all of its 160 students, ensuring that admissions are based
solely on artistic promise, A Curtis education is tailored to the individual student, with
personalized attention from a celebrated faculty and unusually frequent performance
opportunities. For more information on the Curtis Institute of Music, please visit
www.curtis.edu.
For more information on SpectiCast, please visit www.specticast.com.
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Illinois and Wisconsin Venues to Screen
Live Philadelphia Orchestra Concerts for their Residents
PHILADELPHIA (August 19, 2009) - This fall, residents of several CRL Senior Living Communities
will enjoy concerts from the acclaimed Philadelphia Orchestra through a new service offered by SpectiCast,
a Philadelphia-based company that broadcasts live, professionally-directed and produced events to venues
throughout the country using a proprietary digital video technology. The classical music industry has been
increasingly using technology to reach vaster audiences and win over new fans. Through SpectiCast's
services, the Philadelphia Orchestra can significantly expand a concert's audience, bringing its
world-renowned performances to private theaters throughout the country and internationally.
CRL Senior Living Communities, based in Chicago, will offer SpectiCast's services in three of its independent and assisted living facilities: Island Shores in Neenah, Wis.; Bellevue in Green Bay, Wis.; and Fox Point in McHenry, Ill. The season kicks off on October 2, 2009, with a performance by The Philadelphia Orchestra of Bartók's The Miraculous Mandarin and Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 live from the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.
On June 5, 2009, SpectiCast broadcast their first nationwide event, a live performance by The Philadelphia Orchestra featuring Charles Dutoit conducting Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, to venues throughout the country to showcase their new life enrichment concept. CRL Senior Living Communities participated in the June 5 event, as well other facilities in the mid-West and on both the East and West coasts.
"Our residents gave us rave reviews of the June 5 broadcast," said Ari Weinberger, president of CRL Senior Living Communities. "We are thrilled to bring SpectiCast's Music Collection and The Philadelphia Orchestra to three of our communities this fall, with the thought of expanding in the near future to the rest."
"SpectiCast allows residents who may find it difficult to see live performances or attend the theater a chance to watch live performances as they unfold in real time," said Mark Rupp, founder of SpectiCast. "Our goal is not to replicate the in-person experience of going to a cultural event, but to bring a new experience to viewers through close-ups, interviews and amplification. We are thrilled that CRL Senior Living Communities has signed on for SpectiCast's fall concert series."
SpectiCast broadcasts live cultural arts and entertainment content to Multi-Viewer VenuesTM, which are sites that include retirement communities, independent living and assisted living facilities, community centers, playhouses, movie theatres, school auditoriums and other similar venues.
In addition to the Philadelphia Orchestra performance package, Specticast also offers a Speaker Series through a partnership with the Free Library of Philadelphia. Their author events will be available through SpectiCast starting this fall; past speakers at the Library included Malcolm Gladwell, Ruth Reichl, Elie Wiesel, P.J. O'Rourke and President Barack Obama.
# # #
About SpectiCast
Based in Philadelphia, SpectiCast broadcasts live cultural arts and entertainment events, never
before available, through its private digital network to Multi-Viewer VenuesTM including Assisted
Living Facilities, Independent Care Facilities and Continuing Care Retirement Communities. The
company delivers the highest quality audiovisual digital television experience via the Internet in
the comfort, convenience and safety of private auditoriums, theatres, and living rooms.
About CRL Senior Living Communities
Based in Chicago, CRL specializes in operating and managing state-of-the-art senior care residences that deliver the highest standard of care in specially designed therapeutic environments. The company meets the needs of seniors with independent living, assisted living and Alzheimer's/memory impairment care communities. CRL operates communities in six Wisconsin cities and is expanding throughout the state and the Midwest. For more information, visit www.crlcares.com.
For more information on SpectiCast, please visit www.specticast.com.
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Philadelphia Business Journal - by Peter Key Staff Writer
Two local telecommunications entrepreneurs have started a company that uses new technology to
bring cultural events to mature audience.
Derek Pew and Mark Rupp are principals in SpectiCast, which last Friday broadcast a Philadelphia
Orchestra performance over the Internet to more than two dozen retirement, assisted-living and
independent-care communities across the country.
The company has a deal to broadcast five performances during the orchestra's upcoming season and
today announced a deal to broadcast speaking appearances by authors at the Free Library of Philadelphia.
Pew and Rupp are the founders of Network Acquisition Co. LLC, which last June took over the network
built by EarthLink Inc. to provide wireless, high-speed Internet access throughout Philadelphia.
The two have been working together on various telecommunications and technology startups since
1995 and in 2001 formed Boathouse Communications Partners LLC to be a holding company for their
ventures.
In testing various digital transmission technologies for a phone company owned by Boathouse,
Pew and Rupp came across one they liked so much that they decided to start SpectiCast around it.
SpectiCast's digital video technology allows it to, in effect, create a channel over the
Internet through which it can transmit enough data fast enough to broadcast live events.
Receiving the broadcasts requires a special box in addition to an Internet connection. The box
can be connected to one television or to a network of televisions, so that an assisted-living
community, for example, can make a broadcast available to residents in its community center
and in their rooms.
SpectiCast broadcasts events in regular and high definition. In both cases, the broadcasts
are of sufficient quality to be viewed on large format screens.
Pew and Rupp did two test broadcasts of the Philadelphia Orchestra - Pew is a member of the
orchestra's board of directors - to a half-dozen or so retirement communities in the Philadelphia
suburbs last winter and this spring.
When they got a positive response, they brought on some additional investors and officially
launched SpectiCast last month.
The broadcast Friday was to demonstrate SpectiCast's capabilities on both the presentation
and technology fronts. WHYY-TV and radio announcer Ed Cunningham hosted it and conducted
interviews with orchestra members prior to the concert and at intermission.
Most of the retirement communities that received the broadcast were in the area, but there
were several in the Midwest and two in California.
SpectiCast decided to target retirement communities, as well as independent-care and
assisted-living communities, because of the sheer number of them.
"There's about 30,000-plus retirement communities in the United States alone and there's about
50 million people that are about to retire, so it's one segment of the population that's
definitely going to grow in the next five to 10 years," Rupp said.
SpectiCast also intends to make its broadcasts available to community centers, playhouses,
movie theaters and school auditoriums. Rupp said universities in Japan and Romania have
inquired about its service.
The trail that SpectiCast is trying to blaze isn't completely uncharted.
The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City makes high-definition broadcasts of its
performances available in movie theaters throughout the world and the Berlin Philharmonic
has begun making high-definition versions of its concerts available over its Web site.
But SpectiCast is going after a distinct audience and tailoring the choice and production of
its events to them.
"We don't think there's any other companies doing exactly what we're doing," Rupp said.
For more information on SpectiCast, please visit
www.specticast.com.
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New Speaker Collection Set to Begin this Fall
PHILADELPHIA (June 12, 2009) - SpectiCast, a Philadelphia company that broadcasts live,
professionally-directed and produced events to Multi-Viewer VenuesTM throughout the
Philadelphia region and other markets using a proprietary digital video technology,
has announced a new content partner - The Free Library of Philadelphia. In addition
to their Music Collection, which currently offers live concerts from The Philadelphia
Orchestra, SpectiCast will now offer its Speaker Collection initially through the Library's
Author Event series.
"We are thrilled to announce The Free Library of Philadelphia as a new content partner,"
said Derek Pew, Chairman of SpectiCast. "The Library is an outstanding organization with a
history of providing to the public a meaningful dialogue with today's most celebrated voices
in the humanities and sciences through their Author Events."
SpectiCast broadcasts cultural arts and entertainment content to Multi-Viewer VenuesTM, locations
that have a standard broadband Internet connection, a television, sound system, and seating for
multiple spectators. SpectiCast offers programming in Enhanced Definition and High Defination format.
The events in the Speaker Collection will typically run 60-90 minutes in length: the first part
will be the talk given by the author, followed by a question and answer session with the live audience.
Past speakers at the Library's Author Events included Malcolm Gladwell, Ruth Reichl, Elie Wiesel,
P.J. O'Rourke and President Barrack Obama.
"We are delighted to be in partnership with SpectiCast and have the opportunity to share our
extraordinary author programs with a wider audience. The Free Library of Philadelphia presents
the best authors writing today from the writers of great American novels to the hottest graphic
novelists to the best cook book authors. I know this new audience will enjoy great conversations
with these great authors," commented Siobhan Reardon, President and Director of the Free Library
of Philadelphia.
"The Free Library of Philadelphia and The Philadelphia Orchestra are the perfect content partners
to launch SpectiCast," said Mr. Pew. "We have a phenomenal group of events to offer our customers
through the Library's dynamic Author Event Series and the Orchestra's distinguished concerts."
On Friday, June 5, SpectiCast broadcast their first nationwide event, a live performance by The
Philadelphia Orchestra featuring Charles Dutoit conducting Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, to
over two dozen venues throughout the country to showcase their new life enrichment concept. The
venues included Assisted Living Facilities, Independent Care Facilities and Continuing Care
Retirement Communities, including some as far away as California and Wisconsin, in addition to
those in the greater Philadelphia area. The target market for the Speaker Collection will be
complementary to the Music Collection, reaching out to universities and other venues in addition to
retirement communities and assisted living facilities.
# # #
About SpectiCast
Based in Philadelphia, SpectiCast broadcasts live cultural arts and entertainment events, never
before available, through its private digital network to Multi-Viewer VenuesTM including Assisted
Living Facilities, Independent Care Facilities and Continuing Care Retirement Communities. The
company delivers the highest quality audiovisual digital television experience via the Internet in
the comfort, convenience and safety of private auditoriums, theatres, and living rooms.
The Free Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia system consists of 49 branches, three regional libraries, the Parkway
Central Library, and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. With more than 6 million
visits annually, the Free Library is one of the most widely used educational and cultural institutions
in Philadelphia.
For more information on SpectiCast, please visit www.specticast.com.
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by Peter Van Allen Staff Writer
A Philadelphia company will broadcast Philadelphia
Orchestra concerts and other events to a niche audience.
SpectiCast has set up arrangements with assisted
living and retirement communities to deliver the
new service. It will launch broadcasts of the
Orchestra on June 5.
The broadcasts will be shown locally and in other
markets through proprietary digital video technology,
conveyed through broadband Internet connections.
Thus far, 20 locations have signed up for the service,
including retirement homes as far away as Wisconsin
and California.
"This is a unique opportunity to experience cultural
events in an entirely new way in the comfort of your
own community," said Derek Pew, chairman of SpectiCast.
"The Philadelphia Orchestra is committed to finding
alternative ways for listeners to hear its music, and
our new partnership with SpectiCast provides us with
an excellent opportunity to reach those who might not
otherwise be able to attend concerts at the Kimmel
Center," Frank Slattery, executive director of the
Philadelphia Orchestra Association, said.
SpectiCast broadcasts cultural arts-and-entertainment,
including orchestra and opera performances, musicals,
theater productions and speaker series.
For more information on SpectiCast, please visit
www.specticast.com.
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June 5 Marks Inaugural Event: A Live Performance by
The Philadelphia Orchestra
PHILADELPHIA (May 5, 2009) - A new company today announced that it will broadcast
live, professionally-directed and produced, orchestral and other cultural events to Multi-Viewer
VenuesTM throughout the Philadelphia region and other markets using a proprietary digital video
technology. These live events offer remote viewing to individuals unable or unwilling to go to
the concert hall or auditorium, and provide a different life experience through close-ups,
interviews and amplification.
"Responses to our test broadcasts have been overwhelming because our goal is not to replicate
the in-person experience of going to a cultural event, but to bring an entirely new experience to
viewers," said Derek Pew, Chairman of SpectiCast. "This is a unique opportunity to experience
cultural events in an entirely new way in the comfort of your own community."
SpectiCast broadcasts cultural arts and entertainment content, including live orchestra and
opera performances, musicals, theater productions, and celebrity and author speaker series to
Multi-Viewer VenuesTM.
A Multi-Viewer VenueTM is a location that has a standard broadband Internet connection, a
television, sound system, and seating for multiple spectators. Typically, the Multi-Viewer
Venues that SpectiCast targets seat 50 or more persons and include retirement communities,
independent living and assisted living facilities, community centers, playhouses, movie theatres,
school auditoriums and other similar venues.
"We are pleased to announce that our marquee content partner is the world-renowned
Philadelphia Orchestra," said Mr. Pew. "On June 5, we will broadcast our first event, a live
performance by The Philadelphia Orchestra, featuring Charles Dutoit conducting Rachmaninoff's
Symphonic Dances to a limited number of venues throughout the country to showcase this new
life enrichment concept. We will announce additional content partners in the near future and
are extremely excited about our content lineup."
"The Philadelphia Orchestra is committed to finding alternative ways for listeners to hear its
music, and our new partnership with SpectiCast provides us with an excellent opportunity to
reach those who might not otherwise be able to attend concerts at the Kimmel Center," said
Executive Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association Frank Slattery. "It's exciting for all
of us to participate in a venture that takes advantage of cutting-edge technology and we look
forward to working with SpectiCast as the project unfolds."
# # #
About SpectiCast
Based in Philadelphia, SpectiCast broadcasts live cultural arts and entertainment events, never
before available, through its private digital network to Multi-Viewer VenuesTM including Assisted
Living Facilities, Independent Care Facilities and Continuing Care Retirement Communities. The
company delivers the highest quality audiovisual digital television experience via the Internet in
the comfort, convenience and safety of private auditoriums, theatres, and living rooms.
The Philadelphia Orchestra
Founded in 1900, The Philadelphia Orchestra has distinguished itself as one of the leading
orchestras in the world through a century of acclaimed performances, historic international
tours, best-selling recordings, and its unprecedented record of innovation in recording
technologies and outreach. The Orchestra has maintained an unparalleled unity in artistic
leadership with only seven music directors throughout its history: Fritz Scheel (1900-07), Carl
Pohlig (1907-12), Leopold Stokowski (1912-41), Eugene Ormandy (1936-80), Riccardo Muti
(1980-92), Wolfgang Sawallisch (1993-2003), and Christoph Eschenbach (2003-08). This rich
tradition is carried on by Charles Dutoit, who was appointed chief conductor and artistic adviser
of The Philadelphia Orchestra from the 2008-09 season through the 2011-12 season. Mr. Dutoit
has a long-standing relationship with the Orchestra, having made his debut with the ensemble
in 1980.
The Philadelphia Orchestra annually touches the lives of more than one million music lovers
worldwide through its performances, publications, recordings, and broadcasts. The Orchestra
presents a subscription season in Philadelphia each year from September to May, in addition to
education and community partnership programs, and appears annually at Carnegie Hall. Its
summer schedule includes an outdoor series at Philadelphia's Mann Center for the Performing
Arts, free Neighborhood Concerts, and residencies at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and
the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in upstate New York.
For more information about The Philadelphia Orchestra please visit www.philorch.org.
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