Clay Paky
Italian professional lighting brand for stage, entertainment, architectural, and event applications.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Clay Paky is an Italian professional lighting brand serving the entertainment and architectural-lighting markets. Its equipment is designed for theatrical productions, television, concerts, nightclubs, outdoor events, and other environments that require programmable or visually distinctive illumination. The company is associated particularly with moving-head fixtures, moving-mirror projectors, effects units, and other automated lighting systems used by lighting designers and production teams. The business was founded in August 1976 by Pasquale “Paky” Quadri. Its name combines the family name Clay with the founder’s shortened first name. Quadri was an early advocate of the idea that advances in lighting technology would become increasingly important to show business and live entertainment. Clay Paky’s development history reflects the transition from conventional stage lamps to digitally controlled, motorized, and highly programmable lighting instruments. The company gained early visibility through products intended to create strong visual effects in entertainment venues. In 1982 it introduced Astrodisco, a fixture that used one lamp to project multiple colored beams across ceilings and dance floors. In 1987 it launched Brilliant, a digitally controlled moving head that anticipated the broader adoption of intelligent lighting. The 1988 Golden Scan further established the company’s reputation. It used a programmable moving mirror and implemented stepper-motor technology rather than servo motors, helping make it a widely used effect projector in late-1980s and 1990s nightclubs and rock concerts. From 2000 onward, Clay Paky also developed applications for architectural lighting. In 2002 it relocated its headquarters to a new industrial complex in Seriate, in the Bergamo area, where it consolidated research and development, production, quality control, sales, and administration. The facility obtained UNI EN ISO 9001 quality-management certification in the same year. Clay Paky’s international business model has relied heavily on exports and a network of dealers and service partners. Reference material describes approximately 95 percent of production as being exported and the dealer network as covering more than 80 countries. The company reported revenue of more than €50 million in 2011, representing an increase of more than 50 percent over the preceding year, and employed nearly 200 people at that time. The 2011 figures are historical and should not be treated as current financial guidance. Ownership changed after Quadri’s death in 2014, when the business was sold to Osram. On December 20, 2022, Osram sold Clay Paky to the Arri Group. On May 13, 2025, Clay Paky announced that Arri’s interest had been purchased by the Chinese company EK Lights. Clay Paky therefore remains an active specialist brand, with its identity rooted in Italian product development and manufacturing while operating through an international sales and service network. Clay Paky’s institutional and cultural legacy also includes the Museum of Modern Showlighting, or MoMS. Conceived by Quadri and formally opened in 2015, the museum documents the history of show lighting, relating technological development to changes in entertainment and society. Its collection covers the history of stage lighting, the growth of lighting effects in the 1980s, and the motorized projectors used in contemporary productions. The museum includes an archive, library, and multimedia facilities.
History
Clay Paky was established in August 1976 by Pasquale “Paky” Quadri, whose shortened first name contributed to the company’s name. Quadri recognized that electronic control, motorization, and other technical developments could transform lighting from a largely fixed support function into an expressive and programmable part of entertainment production. The company consequently developed products for stages, television studios, concerts, clubs, outdoor events, and later architectural projects. One of Clay Paky’s early notable products was Astrodisco, introduced in 1982. The unit used a single lamp to produce several colored rays across ceilings and dance floors, making it suitable for clubs and other entertainment venues. In 1987, Clay Paky presented Brilliant, a digitally controlled moving head. Moving heads were an important step toward intelligent lighting because they allowed operators to change the direction and effects of a fixture remotely during a performance. The company’s Golden Scan, launched in 1988, became especially influential. It was a programmable moving-mirror projector and was described as the first luminaire to use stepper-motor technology instead of servo motors. The fixture became common in nightclubs and rock concerts during the late 1980s and the 1990s. Its visual identity was sufficiently recognizable that the British band Klaxons associated it with the inspiration for the light-themed song “Golden Skans.” Beginning in 2000, Clay Paky expanded its work into architectural applications. In 2002 it moved its headquarters to a new industrial complex in Seriate, near Bergamo and approximately 40 kilometers from Milan. The site brought together research and development laboratories, the principal production plant, quality-control activities, sales, and administration. Clay Paky also achieved UNI EN ISO 9001 certification in 2002, formalizing its quality-management credentials. The company developed an export-oriented operating model. Reference material states that around 95 percent of its production was exported and that its sales and service organization was supported by dealers in more than 80 countries. This international reach positioned Clay Paky as a specialist supplier to professional lighting designers and production companies rather than as a mass-market consumer brand. The company reported more than €50 million in revenue in 2011, over 50 percent above its 2010 figure, and employed nearly 200 people at that time. Ownership changed shortly before Quadri died in 2014, when Clay Paky was sold to Osram. On December 20, 2022, Osram sold the company to the Arri Group. Clay Paky later announced on May 13, 2025 that EK Lights, a Chinese company, had purchased Arri’s share. These transactions changed the ownership structure without erasing the brand’s Italian industrial base and specialist focus. Quadri’s interest in lighting history also led to the creation of the Museum of Modern Showlighting. Conceived by him and formally opened in 2015, the museum presents the evolution of show lighting from early stage practice through the development of modern motorized projectors. Its exhibits place technical advances alongside social and cultural changes, and its facilities include a historical archive, library, and multimedia room. The museum extends Clay Paky’s role beyond equipment manufacturing into the preservation and interpretation of entertainment-lighting history.
- 2025
EK Lights acquires Arri’s interest
[1]Clay Paky announces that EK Lights has purchased Arri’s share in the company.
- 2022
Osram sells Clay Paky to Arri
[1]Osram transfers ownership of Clay Paky to the Arri Group on December 20.
- 2015
Museum of Modern Showlighting opens
[1]The Museum of Modern Showlighting, conceived by Quadri, formally opens during the UNESCO International Year of Light.
- 2014
Sale to Osram
[1]The company is sold to Osram shortly before the death of founder Pasquale Quadri.
- 2011
Historical revenue milestone
[1]Clay Paky reports revenue above €50 million and a workforce of nearly 200 people.
- 2002
Seriate facility and ISO 9001 certification
[1]The company moves to a new industrial complex in Seriate, near Bergamo, and obtains UNI EN ISO 9001 certification.
- 2000
Architectural applications become part of the business
[1]Clay Paky begins developing lighting applications beyond entertainment, including architectural uses.
- 1988
Golden Scan launches
[1]Clay Paky introduces Golden Scan, a programmable moving-mirror projector using stepper-motor technology.
- 1987
Brilliant brings digital moving-head control
[1]The company launches Brilliant, a digitally controlled moving head that anticipates the development of intelligent entertainment lighting.
- 1982
Astrodisco is introduced
[1]Clay Paky presents Astrodisco, a single-lamp effects fixture that projects multiple colored rays across ceilings and dance floors.
Products and positioning
High-end professional lighting for entertainment production, live events, and selected architectural applications.
Effects lighting · 1982
Astrodisco
Introduced in 1982, Astrodisco used a single lamp to project multiple colored rays across ceilings and dance floors. It represented Clay Paky’s early focus on creating dynamic visual effects for discos and entertainment venues.
Moving-head lighting · 1987
Brilliant
Launched in 1987, Brilliant was a digitally controlled moving head. It belongs to the generation of fixtures that helped shift professional lighting toward remotely operated, motorized, and programmable instruments.
Moving-mirror projector · 1988
Golden Scan
Golden Scan was introduced in 1988 as a programmable moving-mirror projector. Its use of stepper-motor technology instead of servo motors was a notable technical feature, and the fixture became widely used in clubs and rock concerts in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Professional stage lighting
Sharpy
Sharpy is one of the Clay Paky product names associated with professional entertainment lighting. The available reference material identifies it as a flagship offering but does not provide sufficient technical or launch detail for a fuller product history.
Professional stage lighting
B-Eye
B-Eye is a Clay Paky product line used as a flagship reference for the brand’s professional lighting portfolio. The supplied sources do not establish a reliable launch date or complete technical specification.
Brand decisions
2025
EK Lights purchases Arri’s interestM&ABackground
Following Arri’s ownership of Clay Paky after the 2022 transaction, the company announced a further change in ownership.
Action taken
On May 13, 2025, Clay Paky announced that Chinese company EK Lights had purchased Arri’s share.
Aftermath
EK Lights became the identified owner of Clay Paky in the supplied reference material. Additional post-transaction operating details are not established by the available sources.
2022
Transfer from Osram to ArriM&ABackground
Osram owned Clay Paky after acquiring the company in 2014.
Action taken
On December 20, 2022, Osram sold Clay Paky to the Arri Group.
Aftermath
Clay Paky continued as a specialist professional-lighting brand under Arri ownership until Arri’s interest was later purchased by EK Lights.
2000
Expansion into architectural lightingStrategyBackground
After establishing a business in entertainment lighting, Clay Paky began developing applications for architectural environments from 2000.
Action taken
The company broadened its product-development scope beyond theatre, television, concerts, clubs, and outdoor events to include architectural lighting.
Aftermath
Architectural applications became part of Clay Paky’s stated market coverage, although the supplied material does not quantify their contribution.
Recent events
- 2025
EK Lights purchases Arri’s interest in Clay Paky[1]
M&A
Clay Paky announced on May 13, 2025 that Chinese lighting company EK Lights had purchased Arri’s share in the business.
- 2022
Clay Paky is sold by Osram to the Arri Group[1]
M&A
On December 20, 2022, Osram sold Clay Paky to the Arri Group, transferring ownership of the professional lighting brand to another established production-technology group.
- 2011
Clay Paky reports strong 2011 revenue growth[1]
Other
The company reported revenue above €50 million for 2011, more than 50 percent higher than in 2010, with a workforce of nearly 200 people. The figures are historical rather than current financial information.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/clay-paky · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled