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How Telemak (now 2 Stream) got involved in one of the world's most challenging live streams

In 2006, long before live streaming was mainstream, Telemak (now 2stream.live) was tapped to make history — with a project so ambitious, most thought it couldn’t be done. The occasion?

Christophe Lenaerts, CCO / Partner at 2 Stream

Christophe Lenaerts

CCO / Partner · August 1, 2025 · 3 min read

Rencontres - Gaultier² fragrance launch making of

In 2006, long before live streaming was mainstream, Telemak (now 2stream.live) was tapped to make history — with a project so ambitious, most thought it couldn’t be done.

The occasion? The global launch of Jean Paul Gaultier’s new fragrance, Gaultier² — an event designed to blend art, culture, and technology in real time, across continents.

Rencontres - Gaultier² fragrance launch making of

The Concept: An Artistic Collision Between East and West

Directed by David Mileikowsky for Milly Films, the production brought together two artistic powerhouses:

  • Zhang Yimou, legendary Chinese filmmaker, performed calligraphy and poetry live from Beijing
  • Maxim Vengerov, world-renowned violinist, performed live in Wiesbaden, Germany

Each location was equipped with three cameras, feeding live video both ways. Meanwhile, a technical team in Zaventem, Belgium handled real-time editing of all six feeds, streaming the final output live to 600 VIP guests across the globe.

The China Factor: A Massive Technical Hurdle

Doing a live stream from China in 2006 was like walking a tightrope with no net. There were no local partners, no accessible production infrastructure, and no guarantee the internet would even allow outbound video traffic.

Sourcing equipment in Beijing was nearly impossible. From encoders to switchers to basic signal converters, everything had to be shipped in — often blindly, with no on-the-ground fallback options.

The biggest challenge? Getting a stable, high-bitrate live video feed out of China. We weren’t just pushing signal — we were pushing boundaries.

Christophe Lenaerts: Calm in the Chaos

At the center of this high-wire act was Christophe Lenaerts, who led the technical side of the production. With no room for failure, Christophe architected and executed one of the most complex live streaming infrastructures ever deployed at that time.

Nothing failed. Nothing dropped. The stream was executed perfectly — a staggering achievement considering the conditions.

Apple Took Note

Apple was so impressed by the technical execution — and the role its technology played — that it featured the entire production as Video on Demand on the Apple homepage. The video drew millions of views per day, becoming a case study in how live streaming could be used to launch a global brand moment.

From Telemak to 2stream.live

This event wasn’t just about fragrance. It was about possibility. About showing that live streaming could be artistic, global, and flawless, even under the hardest conditions imaginable.

Telemak made it happen. Today, that same pioneering DNA powers 2stream.live — and we’re still raising the bar.

Telemak streaming setup in a hotel function room: laptops, a CRT monitor and a screen showing a video call
Telemak crew preparing a live stream in a hotel meeting room, with a tripod camera and a video call on a monitor
Crew rigging a camera and overhead light in a hotel function room while a man waits at a table on set
Young man seated at a calligraphy table while a camera operator and crew set up the shot
Crew setting up streaming equipment on a draped table in a hotel room, with a flight case and camera on a tripod
Crew at a table of laptops, a CRT monitor and a video deck while setting up the live stream in a hotel room
Laptop showing a chat transcript next to a Sony monitor with a live camera feed of a young man at a table
Man seated at a table with brushes and paper while a camera operator frames the shot beside two monitors
Crew member leaning back in a chair holding a compact camera beside a table of laptops and camcorders
Three crew members talking on a patterned carpet between white partition walls in a hotel function room
Woman in glasses and a man in a red T-shirt talking in white-covered chairs in a hotel room
Empty calligraphy table with brushes, ink and paper, facing a camera and two preview monitors
People talking in a hotel function room during a break, with a drinks table to the side
Woman and a man in a red T-shirt seated in conversation beside a production desk with keyboard and monitor
Monitor showing a video call with three smiling people, a man in red in the self-view window
Video call on a monitor showing three people laughing, with the man in red at the calligraphy table behind
Operator's hand on a mouse beside a laptop chat window and a monitor showing a remote participant on video
Group seated in a hotel room, including a man in a red T-shirt, leaning in to watch a screen
Rencontres - Gaultier² fragrance launch making of
Man in a red T-shirt and a young man with folded arms standing on a hotel set beside a light stand
Man in a red T-shirt and white trousers standing among flight cases and light stands on set
Monitor showing a smiling remote participant while a man in red holds up calligraphy in the room behind
Operator at a laptop showing a live chat while a CRT monitor shows a man in orange on camera
Camera operator and crew on a hotel set, a monitor in front showing a remote video call participant
Technician in headphones at a laptop and monitor on the streaming desk, with crew around him
Man in a red T-shirt at a table with calligraphy brushes and inked paper, watching a monitor off to the side
Man in a red T-shirt writing Chinese calligraphy with a brush at a table in a darkened room
Man holding up a sheet of Chinese calligraphy in front of a crew member wearing a patterned cap
Man in a red shirt and a man in a cap stretching out their arms beside a calligraphy table, laughing
Hotel function room set up for the stream: lights, tripods, monitors and a table laid with paper for calligraphy
Five people talking in a hotel function room, among them a man in a red shirt and a man in a white cap
Camera operator filming a woman in a red shirt as she talks with a small group in a hotel lounge
iChat buddy list on a Telemak workstation showing encoders in Beijing, with a laptop chat beside it
Streaming control table with two monitors, a MacBook and cabling beside a calligraphy table with brushes and ink
Streaming desk with laptops, a CRT monitor, a video deck and a large display, with camera operators behind
Young man at a table holding up a large white sheet while a woman in glasses stands beside him on set
Man in a red shirt at a calligraphy table facing a camera operator, monitors and studio lights
Woman taking notes in the foreground as a man in red sits at a calligraphy table and a camera operator films
Crew member preparing a calligraphy table in front of a tripod camera and a monitor on a side table
Operators at laptops and monitors showing live feeds of a violinist and a man in red during the stream
Camera operator filming a man in a red shirt at a table, as a woman in glasses watches from the end
Camera operator filming a man in red writing calligraphy at a table, with preview monitors in the background
Man in a red T-shirt writing Chinese calligraphy while a camera with a shotgun microphone films across the table
Man in a red T-shirt writing Chinese calligraphy at a table while a camera operator films in the foreground
Man in a red shirt holding up a sheet of Chinese calligraphy to the camera
Man in a red T-shirt writing Chinese calligraphy with a brush while a camera operator films him up close
Camera operator filming a man in red painting calligraphy as two women watch from the end of the table
Man in red writing calligraphy at a table on a hotel set, surrounded by monitors, light stands and a camera
Camera operator filming a man in a red shirt holding up two lines of Chinese calligraphy
High view of a man in red brushing Chinese characters on paper, filmed by a camera operator beside a Sony monitor
Man in a red T-shirt holding up a sheet of Chinese calligraphy for the camera, a woman seated beside him
Man in a red T-shirt seated at a table, smiling and holding up a sheet of Chinese calligraphy
Man in a red shirt laughing and sweeping his arms across a table of blank calligraphy paper
Man in a red T-shirt and a woman in glasses talking while seated in a hotel lounge, a fruit buffet behind them
Camera operator filming a man in red at a calligraphy table, with a monitor and laptop crew behind

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