About TechScout Systems
TechScout Systems started life in the promotional department of LiteGear Inc. LiteGear is a Hollywood based cinema lighting company founded by working gaffers and proud IATSE local 728 members Al DeMayo, Mike Bauman, and Jeff Soderberg.
LiteGear is one of the few successful crew-owned lighting companies in Hollywood. Founded in 2006, Al worked part time for LiteGear since all three were working full time on Marvels IronMan feature film. The trio went on to work together on several other projects with one singular goal for LiteGear, make lighting products that “come from the work”.
In the early oughts, corporate conglomerates dominated the cinema lighting market with nicely engineered products, but they lacked real world application, and practical uses. Solving that problem became LiteGears primary focus, to design products for ourselves, but build them for the masses. Products such as LED LiteMat and LiteRibbon were just some results of this effort.
It is this drive, the desire to give back to the business we love, that created the very first ordering app for iOS, TechScout Touch. Back in 1997, Al was working on another cinema oriented software app that served as the Microsoft Office for Camera, Grip and Lighting crews, it was called OnSet Office.
Designed using FileMaker Pro, OnSet Office operated on Mac and Windows computers and allowed users to create timecards, kit rental invoices, gear lists, payroll records, transpo run slips, petty cash records, and more. About 700 copies were sold and used for over a decade.
So, in 2011 TechScout Touch became a free ordering app that LiteGear gave away to give back to the business. Today, it is easy to see that OnSet Office led to TechScout Touch, and TechScout Touch to WorkFlow.
Thanks for your interest in the TechScout history.
