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Clay Paky SpA is an Italian developer of automated spotlights and stage lighting equipment commonly used in theatre, television, concerts , nightclubs and outdoor events. The company was established in 1976 by its current president and chief executive officer, Pasquale Quadri. Since 2002, Clay Paky has been based in Bergamo, Italy, where its 33,000m² industrial complex operates to the UNI EN ISO 9001 quality standard.

History
The company took its name from the shortened, anglicized names of the two founding partners Claudio (Clay) Paredi and Pasquale (Paky) Quadri.

Founded in 1976, Clay Paky was one of the first manufacturers to commercially produce lighting effects for clubs and discotheques. In 1982, Clay Paky introduced the Astrodisco, which used a single lamp to project multiple rays of coloured light across ceilings and dance floors. Five years later it launched Brilliant, an early digitally controlled ‘intelligent projector’ or ‘moving head’. This was followed in 1988 by the programmable Golden Scan, a moving mirror projector and the first luminaire to implement stepper motor technology instead of servo motors.

The Golden Scan established itself as the world’s most popular and best selling mirror projector, and became a commonly used lighting effect at nightclubs and rock concerts during the late 80s and 90s. It has also been claimed by London rock band Klaxons to be the inspiration behind their light-themed, hit single Golden Skans.