Nanlite has grown from nothing in 2019 to being a major player in the lighting-for-video market in 2024. The Church Production team asked for an update on the company's strategy for the church market from Wayne Schulman, vice president at Nanlite.
CPM: Nanlite makes a really interesting range of products. What can we expect from Nanlite in 2024?
Wayne Schulman (WS): More products!! We are launching 8 new products in the first half of the year. We will be building on our recently released PavoSlim with new accessories for the current selection of 4 lights and we will be releasing 3 new lights to the series. We will also be expanding our COB spotlights, and we have a surprise introduction at NAB. Hint? Might be something to do with panels.
Wayne Schulman is Vice President of Nanlite.
Tell us more about your approach to serving the proaAV and broadcast markets.
WS: Inventory and service are the keys. We approach all channels through our dealer base. We support our dealers with unusual access to our on-hand inventory, regional business managers assigned to assist them, and excellent profit margins. However, in today’s world of social media and direct online access to the manufacturer and the distributor of products, we also have a great internal support system including customer service and repair facilities in White Plains, New York.
Our “ace in the hole” so to speak is Barry Garcia. Barry is an ex-news cameraman whose title is Technical Sales Manager, but he is more than that. Barry is available for any inquiries about anything involving the technical capabilities and applications of our lights. Barry has even traveled to many facilities, including churches to help with the planning and set-up.
Basically, the availability of products and knowledgeable people to handle any issues is what we consider key to success.
How does the church market fit into Nanlite’s overall strategy?
WS: The church market has a prominent place in our overall strategy. If you put the sales potential aside for a moment, strategizing within the church market fits nicely into how Nanlite wishes to do business. We find the people in this market to be collaborative when discussing products and applications. This allows for the building of long-term personal relationships and a good understanding of our product’s alignment within the market. We listen to what people have to say and are then able to understand specific needs and requirements. If Nanlite did not align with the church market we would have moved on. Fortunately, we have found that our products align very well in price, features, and functionality.
What are some of the more compelling use cases you’ve heard about Nanlite products being used in churches (or other markets)?
WS: There are many so I will try to highlight the key applications and lights. Our first real success story was back in April of 2020 when Hope Community Church and our good friend Chuck Fishbein outfitted their studio and their remote shooting with Nanlite Forza’s. They replaced cheaper LED lights and fluorescents with our Forza spotlights which worked well both in the studio and on location.
After that, our Pavotubes and RGB lights became, and still are very popular for shooting music videos and holiday plays and events. Several churches have shared music videos with us and some of them are truly extraordinary.
There are many, many more compelling cases but one recent use of our product stands out for me. It is not a church setup, but the application can be. CBS News used ONLY our new PavoSlim’s to light their remote anchor desk for the Iowa Caucuses. I was sent several images and I believe they used 6 lights in total. The results were great, and the amazing thing is that the whole lighting setup fit in 2 cases.
What’s next for Nanllite? What can we expect to see from the company in the future?
WS: I will continue to make sure that we provide excellent service to our current customers and to everyone who chooses Nanlite lights. Our partners at the factory will continue to manufacture to the same high quality and standards we have to this point including version 2 of our app to be released in February.
I want to take a moment to say something about the parent company of Nanlite, Nanlux, and Nanlink: Nanguang. I have been in this business for a long time and have had relationships with many manufacturers in China, Europe, Israel, and the US. None were better partners than Nanguang. They are not just business associates they have become friends. In 2019 the Nanlite brand did not even exist. Since then, I believe we have created a brand that stands for quality and service. The factory has expanded from two buildings to six. We have grown to 1000 employees. Everything from the circuit boards to the molds is made in that factory. We do not just order bits and pieces and then assemble them. This allows us to have what I consider to be the best quality control in the business. My recent visit to the factory confirmed the level of quality control that takes up half the floor of each final assembly point. The owners of Nanguang and all their employees are passionate about their products, and it shows in the quality of the results. As their US distributor, we try to honor that passion with the same focus on our products and attention to our customers.
