The creative and production firm FiveCurrents has successfully concluded the busiest 24 hours in its 10-year history after staging the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles on 25 July followed by the Closing Ceremony of the Pan American Games in Toronto on 26 July.
The staging of the Special Olympics World Games Opening Ceremony also marked the crossing of the halfway point in FiveCurrents’ Summer of Ceremonies.
FiveCurrents produced the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the inaugural European Games in June in Baku, Azerbaijan, and will produce the Closing Ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games and both ceremonies at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games in August.
The Special Olympics World Games Opening Ceremony was a star-studded show that celebrated the "Real Superstars of LA"— the athletes of the Special Olympics – with performances from Stevie Wonder, O.A.R. J. Balvin, and Avril Lavigne, and guest presenters such as Jimmy Kimmel, Eva Longoria, and U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama.
The 60,000-strong crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – site of the 1932 and 1984 Olympic Games – also witnessed the embodiment of the five Special Olympic attributes: courage, determination, unity, acceptance and joy, introduced by a Special Olympics athlete, Olympians, celebrities and politicians.
Just 24 hours later in Toronto, the curtain was drawn on the 17th Pan American Games in style as the 45,000-capacity Rogers Centre was re-imagined by FiveCurrents in an energy-packed spectacle with the theme of "Unity through Diversity." The ceremony featured the Parade of Nations, international music acts including Pitbull, Kanye West and Serena Ryder, and recognition of the most outstanding athletics performances of the Games – all staged in a celebratory atmosphere.
Scott Givens, FiveCurrents CEO, speaking from Toronto, said: "FiveCurrents is honoured to create ceremonies from Azerbaijan to Toronto and Los Angeles. We are proud to be a part of such extraordinary events that create memories that last a lifetime for the tens of thousands of athletes and the hundred million person broadcast audiences. The logistics of producing back-to-back ceremonies were formidable, but teams of the best professionals and most dedicated volunteers surrounded us. We are proud of what we accomplished together."
FiveCurrents was the production company behind the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the past two Olympic Games – in Sochi in 2014 and in London in 2012 – paving the way for their appointment to produce seven ceremonies this summer. The first two ceremonies were in Baku, Azerbaijan, with both generating world-wide media interest, contributing significantly to Baku 2015’s success as Europe’s debut continental Games.
FiveCurrents’ creative approach is to combine heritage, sport, human emotion and fun to create a memorable spectacle for those in the stadium and on television.
Scott Givens added: "The Baku 2015 Ceremonies started FiveCurrents’ Summer of Ceremonies and I’m very proud of the shows we put on for the people of Azerbaijan and Europe. They gave us great momentum and we have sustained this through to Toronto 2015 and Los Angeles 2015. We are now fully focused on our three remaining ceremonies and ensuring that the stories we tell at these events also create impressions that stay with the audience and influence their lives in a positive way."
For more information, contact:
Jack Zorab
Email: jack@jtassocs.com
Telephone: +44 (0) 7833 050764
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