Ten years after receiving its first Emmy Award for the Vari*Lite Series 200 automated lighting system, and seven years after being presented with its second Emmy, for the VL5 wash luminaire, Vari-Lite has won another gold statue from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. "Winning three Emmy's over these last 10 years has been a truly wonderful experience, and we're honored to receive this prestigious award," said Rusty Brutsché, chairman and chief executive officer of Vari-Lite. "It's a compliment to the extremely gifted, hard-working and dedicated people who have made Vari-Lite such a success during the past 20 years."

The Academy will present the Dallas-based company with an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development during the engineering awards presentation tonight. This marks the first time the company, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in September, has earned an Emmy for a control console. Introduced in 1999, the Virtuoso has quickly become the console of choice for many lighting designers and programmers in the entertainment lighting industry. The Virtuoso's most high-profile use has come in recent months for its part in controlling the automated lighting for one of America's favorite primetime game shows, The Weakest Link, as well as its use at the 73rd Annual Academy Awards Ceremony, the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards and this year's Super Bowl halftime show.