UK - Earlier this year, Goldcrest Post announced its intention to radically expand its presence in the UK's post-production industry, hiring in a full team of film / drama post experts and significantly upgrading its facility in London's Soho. Asset finance was required to fulfil this ambitious plan, a major responsibility entrusted to Medialease.

Founded in 1997, Goldcrest Films is an iconic name in the cinema industry, with legendary movies like Chariots Of Fire, Gandhi and Local Hero to its credit. The company formed Goldcrest Post in 1992 and currently operates one of the industry's premier audio post-production facilities from its Dean Street, Soho premises, as well as having a significant branch in Manhattan.

With this new project Goldcrest Post is aiming to become the UK's premier 'one stop post-production shop' for picture, audio and grading post w

USA - PLASA has announced that Dinna Myers will receive its highest honour, the Eva Swan Award, which recognizes exceptional long-term commitment to the association. The award will be presented at PLASA's Behind the Scenes Happy Hour on Thursday evening, 20 November, the evening before the LDI Show. The event will take place from 6:00pm-8:00pm at the Westgate Las Vegas (formerly the Las Vegas Hotel).

The Swan Award is presented to a member who has put forth exceptional efforts in time, expertise and personal resources, and has been instrumental in shaping the strategic direction and contributing to the realization of the association's mission. Dinna Myers has gone above and beyond this criteria to create a stronger, better industry for all. Please join us in honouring her.

Dinna, the director of sales & marketing at Musson Theatrical, has made a significant impact on the Assoc

USA - PLASA will present the 2014 Volunteer of the Year Award to Bill Ellis for his work with the Control Protocols Working Group (CPWG) and the ad-hoc Technical Marketing Group (TMG) on Saturday, 22 November on the PLASA Booth #1469 at LDI.

The award to Bill Ellis, owner of Candela Controls, will be presented by Mike Lay, chair of the CPWG. Bill Ellis spends many volunteer hours on work for the CPWG and the ad-hoc TMG, which promotes the work of the Technical Standards Programme. He has put in an extraordinary amount of work in the preparation, set up and running of the Technical Standards portion of the PLASA booth at LDI, first with the Control Protocols Pavilion and most recently with Standards on the Stage.

Bill's contributions also include presentations on DMX512 and RDM at various trade shows and conferences. Recently, he assisted in completing assembly of an equipment

Curve Ball - A musical version of the hit British comedy film Bend It Like Beckham is to open in the West End next year. It will be written and directed by Gurinder Chadha, who also made the 2002 movie starring Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley. "Developing Bend It Like Beckham for the stage has been the most enjoyable creative process of my career so far," Chadha said. "It was always my intention to build on the film and to present its themes and storylines to live audiences in an exciting new dynamic way. I believe we are presenting a totally new kind of musical - part West End, part London Punjabi, but whole-heartedly British."

Double Act - TV duo Ant and Dec are to host the 2015 Brit awards, 14 years since the last time they presented the ceremony. The hosts of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and Britain's Got Talen

UK - Leading European flightcase manufacturer 5 Star Cases continues its support of local West Norfolk Swimming Club (WNSC), with the design and supply of some special new flightcases to house its timing equipment, which is usually stored at Kings Lynn swimming pool.

5 Star's Keith Sykes co-ordinated the project, saying, "We were approached by WNSC's chair Sam Baxter as they needed to be able to stow and transport their timing kit safely and easily. It's one of their biggest capital assets, so we were very happy to offer a custom solution."

Two of the cases each take four timing pads, and both feature a split-top design making the cases as accessible as possible, facilitating extremely quick and easy removal and deployment of the pads from the large cases.

They are constructed from 5 Star's Tour grade specification materials with 9 mm ply utilised to minimise the w

UK - The Theatres Trust has published its 37th Annual Report: Enabling theatres to thrive which highlights its work and achievements from April 2013 to March 2014.

As the National Advisory Body for Theatres, The Theatres Trust works to secure a sustainable future for theatre buildings. Its aim is to ensure that current and future generations have access to good quality theatres that reflect our cultural life and offer inspiring places to enjoy theatre.

Mhora Samuel, director of The Theatres Trust, said: "This year saw the Trust once again in the spotlight - alerting authorities to the impact of relaxation of planning policy on the viability of theatres, continuing to be a voice for theatres, raising awareness of their needs, and celebrating the resilience and creativity of those in charge of our theatre buildings."

In 2013/14 the Trust published its annual <

UAE - AED Rent NV has announced that the first ever AED Rent Franchise company has opened its doors in the United Arab Emirates.

AED Rent Franchise UAE will be the dry hire partner for the rental companies in the United Arab Emirates. AED Rent sees the AED Rent Franchise offices as an expansion to EMEA and the East. As from 2015 this formula will be commercialized - one company per country will be able to become an AED Franchisee under the AED Rent nv conditions.

Says the company, "The way of working with interactive workflows guarantees AED to work fast and to the point. Touchscreen monitors in the warehouses allow the employees to work paperless, updates go very fast and all the information is centralized which allows AED to maintain high standards. The aim of this Rental Franchise formula is to provide the best service to the rental companies anywhere."

(Jim Eva

UK - ProLight Concepts Ltd has appointed Rob Armstrong as 'Area Sales Manager' for the North of England and Scotland.

Rob joins ProLight from Northern Stage Services where he held the role of 'Designer & Estimator' for 5 years: Designing, specifying and estimating for a range of small to large installations around the country. In this role, Rob gained an excellent understanding of, and worked with, an extensive range of products, including; specialist lighting, sound, AV and stage engineering systems.

Andrew Jeffrey, managing director of ProLight Concepts Ltd, said: "Rob's extensive experience within the industry and his knowledge of the product make him the ideal choice to support our customers and continue ProLights rapid growth. We are pleased to welcome Rob to the ProLight team."

Band Aid - One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Elbow are among the acts who will take part in a fourth version of the Band Aid charity single, Do They Know It's Christmas. Announcing the project, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure said the song's lyrics would be changed to reflect the Ebola crisis. The original was released in 1984. It sold 3.7m copies and raised £8m for famine relief in Ethiopia. The new version will be recorded this Saturday and should be available for download on Monday morning. "It's not a bad line-up so far," said Midge Ure. "As long as Bob and I stay off the vocals, we'll be fine."

Germany Calling - The first European edition of US music festival Lollapalooza is to be held in Berlin next year, organisers have announced. The main event, held in Chicago since 1991, will land in the city's Tempelhof airport site in September 2015. Foun

UK - Louise Jeffreys, the Barbican's Director of Arts and ABTT Chairman, was honoured along with her Barbican colleague Toni Racklin, the venue's Head of Theatre, at the Empty Space... Peter Brook Awards 2014. Together they accepted the Peter Brook Special Achievement Award for turning the Barbican Theatre into the most important international arts centre in London for foreign companies.

Louise Jeffreys, Director of Arts at the Barbican said: "I am absolutely thrilled that Toni Racklin and I have been presented with the Peter Brook Special Achievement Award.

"At the Barbican we are committed to bringing the very best international theatre companies to London, as well as providing a platform for emerging artists to showcase their work, so we are delighted that our work has been recognised with this very special honour at the 25th anniversary of the Empty Space Awards.

UK - With new exhibitors and new speakers being announced every week, there will be plenty for visitors to see at the Glasgow SECC for the inaugural PLASA Focus Glasgow event, which takes place on 2-3 December 2014.

New exhibitors announced this week include Adlib Audio and HDPro Audio, Orbital Sound and FBT Audio UK, who will join the all-star list of exhibitors already at the show - including Robe, Ambersphere, White Light, Avolites, Chauvet, AED, Sennheiser, Bosch, NL Productions, JHS ProAudio, Warehouse Sound, LMC Audio, Polar Audio, Black Light, Trusslite, Total Solutions Group, UK Rigging, TMB and many more.

PLASA's Professional Development Programme will deliver two days of presentations, technical demonstrations and panel discussions, all designed to help visitors build their industry knowledge and improve their skill set. This year's programme focusses on the hot topi

UK - Behind the Scenes UK, the newly launched charity that aims to provide financial support to entertainment technology professionals when they are ill or injured, is calling on companies and individuals to send their annual Christmas cards via Card Aid this year.

Card Aid has been helping charities increase their funds from the sale of their Christmas cards for over 30 years and John Simpson, Chair of Behind the Scenes UK, believes proceeds from the sale of Christmas Cards via the Card Aid Website will really make a difference to Behind the Scenes which only launched in the UK in October.

"Sending Christmas cards is a long held tradition and Card Aid allows us to keep the spirit of Christmas alive - as cards can be purchased online, either in the form of a pack of cards or as e-cards which can be sent on a pay per click basis. Whilst we are happy to accept donations in

USA - PLASA Events has announced the partnership with Show Ready Events, an event planning and management organization, who will assist with the 2015 PLASA Focus shows in Orlando, Florida and Kansas City, Missouri.

"We are delighted to be working with Steve Krawic and his team at Show Ready Events. From our very first meeting, Steve showed an immediate and insightful understanding of our events and the industry that PLASA represents. We are confident that we have found the right partner to succeed in Show Ready Events who will join our other partners in playing a significant part in delivering to our exhibitors and members the best possible experience and business opportunity through PLASA Focus Events in North America," says Christopher Toulmin, PLASA's Director of Events.

Steve Krawic, president and CEO of Show Ready Events says, "Cultivating partnerships with

Back on Song - The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall has reopened to visitors and live music performances after completion of part of a £14m refurbishment. Originally designed by Liverpool architect Herbert Rowse, the Grade II-listed building first welcomed audiences in 1939 but was closed in May for a revamp of the main concert hall and auditorium. Changes to the concert hall are the first part of the overhaul of the interior, due for completion next summer.

Wembley Bound - Ed Sheeran has announced plans for his biggest solo concert to date at Wembley Stadium on 10 July 2015. He said: "I've made no secret recently of my ambition to play Wembley Stadium on my own in front of 80,000 people. I am absolutely over the moon to be able to announce it's going to happen next summer. It's going to be amazing, I just can't wait." The show will be part of his Multiply

UK - Pulsar moved into its present Cambridgeshire premises in the latter part of 2002. It was also at this point they installed LED lighting on the front of the building, confident in its reliability, longevity, and durability. Twelve ChromaPanels were installed on the South-facing front of the factory building in May 2003 and have been running 24/7 ever since, with an additional 21m of ChromaStrip 2 installed the following year.

Fast forward to today and the original ChromaPanels printed with the Pulsar name have clocked an impressive 11 years 5 months of continuous activity - actually surpassing 100,000 hours! This real-world industry first is proof of LED's amazing longevity and also of Pulsar's dedication to making the highest quality LED lighting fixtures on the market, says the company.

Braving all that the Great British weather has to throw at them, the fixtures have en

UK - UK-based event safety consultancy Stagesafe reports the Health and Safety Executive's announcement that CDM Regulations will be enforced on the events and entertainment industry from April 2015.

The news was confirmed at last week's meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee on Entertainment (JACE) at the HSE in Westminster. The following report was produced by Michael Anderson and Lee Holloway, members of SAGE (Safety Advisors Group in Entertainment):

"This was an unexpected turn of events as it had appeared earlier this year that a "BEA" (Business Engagement Assessment) industry impact assessment process engaging with the event industry trade associations may have led to a decision not to enforce. But HSE stated that they had since received legal advice that not enforcing would breach European law and expose the government to international prosecution.

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UK - GMG Network has announced the launch of its new website. An updated design and more detailed information offer visitors to www.GMGNetwork.co.uk a better user experience.

The website demonstrates a sleeker design and greater information on GMG's services and the team's background and experience.

The update is all part of GMG's belief that the company will continue to grow and develop, always listening to their clients and investing in constant improvement.

"It is important to us that when clients visit our website they get an understanding not only of the services GMG can offer but also of GMG's personality" said Jayne McFahn, director. McFahn goes on to say, "Our diary page is a great example of this, weekly updates on everything from how we got started to sharing of thoughts and ideas."

(Jim Evans)

South Africa - The two leading organisations representing the audio visual industry in Southern Africa, SACIA (Southern African Communications Industry Association) and the TPSA (Technical Production Services Association) have merged so that they can present a stronger front to clients and associates, and a louder voice to government.

"We've merged in order to represent our industry more effectively in engagements with government and regulatory bodies - and in order to better serve our members," says SACIA CEO, Kevan Jones.

While SACIA members are responsible for fixed audio visual displays such as those one sees in board rooms, shopping centre, sports arenas and houses of worship, the TPSA membership have been responsible for the spectacular effects one sees at music concerts and other similar events. Over the last few months a task group made of representatives fro

Qatar - Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises (NMK) reports successful roadshow seminars in Doha and Oman.

The NMK Roadshow that took place in Doha, Qatar on 10 November 2014 and in Muscat, Oman on 18 November 2014 attracted a varied audience from systems integrators to end users. The attendees could choose to attend either morning session or afternoon sessions. The total number of the attendees reached 84.

NMK product specialists teamed up with the manufacturers' representatives to deliver the presentations and product demonstrations. Due to the variety of products on show, there was a chance for each attendee to experience gear from different parts of the industry and understand how complete turnkey solutions work. Several brands distributed by the company, namely HK Audio, Shure, Roland, Neutrik and Clear-Com were presented at the event.

The seminars are free of char

China - London-based theatre consultancy practice, Theatreplan LLP has announced its expansion into the Asia-Pacific region with the opening of Theatreplan (HK) Ltd in Hong Kong. The new practice, which is already operational, is being managed by Theatreplan's senior consultant, Robin Auld. The move follows the company's success in securing the contract with the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) to provide theatre consultancy services to deliver the Freespace Black Box Theatre in the burgeoning West Kowloon area of Hong Kong.

According to Theatreplan partner, Dave Ludlam, the opportunity to expand into Hong Kong was not to be missed. "It was clear that in order to deliver the best possible service to the WKCDA, we needed a base in Hong Kong," he explained. "In addition to the enhanced service we can provide to the Black Box project, it also offers u

UK / USA - PLASA's month-long elections to determine positions on its European and North American Regional Boards, together with its central Governing Body, concluded at midnight on Wednesday 19 November. Companies and individuals from PLASA's worldwide membership voted in the elections, which were conducted via a secure online poll.

There were four positions available on the European Regional Board. Ed Pagett of Panalux was elected for a second term as Chairman, Peter James of Shure Distribution as representative to PLASA's Distributor members and Malcolm Burlow of Highlite was voted as the Dealer/Retailer representative. Robert Kronman joins the Board as the new Individual representative.

Four positions were also up for election on the North American Regional Board with Todd Spencer of PSAV elected as Vice-Chairman, Tracey Cosgrove of Rosco Laboratories as Secretary, Orestes

UK - The British Entertainment Industry Radio Group (BEIRG) has expressed its disappointment and concern regarding Ofcom's decision to remove Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) users from the 700MHz band of radio spectrum. Ofcom's decision is a real danger to some of the UK's most important cultural, social and economic events. Instead, this spectrum will be allocated to Mobile Network Operators.

The regulator's decision will mean that radio microphones and other wireless audio devices key to the UK's thriving creative industries, including West End and regional theatres, could be forced to operate in less than two thirds of the spectrum to which they currently have access. Every night over 1000 wireless radio microphones are used in London's West End alone, largely operating within the spectrum that is to be cleared.

Fears remain that, if appropriate mitigating steps

Perfect Day - One Direction topped the winners list at the American Music Awards, taking home a total of three prizes. They were named artists of the year and also took home album of the year and favourite pop/rock album. "This has been a real perfect day... America feels like a second home to us," said Liam Payne. Katy Perry, who did not appear at the ceremony in Los Angeles, also won three awards, including one for best single for Dark Horse featuring Juicy J.

High Society - Maria Friedman will direct a revival of High Society, as part of the Old Vic's 2015 season. The musical adaptation of the 1956 film will be performed in the round, and will have a four-month run at the theatre from 30 April until 22 August 22. Friedman said, "To stage High Society in the round at the Old Vic is a hugely exciting project providing the perfect immersive en

UK - Get some audio cheer this festive season with DiGiCo's 12 Days of Christmas and treat yourself to the chance of winning 12 DiGiCo gifts.

For your chance of winning, all you need to do is visit DiGiCo's Facebook page at facebook.com/DiGiCo.Official.

The fun starts on the 1 December and finishes on the 12th, with a prize to be won each day. To be in with a chance of winning a prize, make sure you follow these simple Rules of Engagement:

•To enter the competition, click on the competition Tab

• Ensure that you authorise the competition app! (This is really important! Check your ad-blockers!)

• Already liked the DiGiCo page? You can go straight through to the comp!

• Not liked the DiGiCo page? No worries! Just visit www.facebook.com/DiGiCo and click 'Like'.

• Voila, you a

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