Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

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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.

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USA - Czech Republic-based lighting manufacturer Robe Lighting has appointed Craig Burross as regional sales manager of the Western United States, effective 17 November 2014. Burross, based in Austin, Texas, was most recently with Barco/High End Systems as the national sales manager for North America.

Due to customer demand and increased popularity, Robe Lighting is expanding its reach in the US under CEO Bob Schacherl. This is one of several strategic steps the company is making to provide Robe clients with better sales support and enhanced customer service.

"About a year ago Bob Schacherl and I were speaking and I said, it would be great to work with you again," said Burross. "Along with Bob, I have also known Harry von den Stemmen for many years as well. I've always had the utmost respect for both Harry and Josef and their collective accomplishments globally

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UK - David Ferreira has joined Pioneer Pro Audio as technical sales specialist, adding to the growing team responsible for sales and installation of the brand's sound systems for clubs, bars and restaurants. David brings with him seven years of pro audio experience, most recently as UK sales executive for Martin Audio. Prior to that he worked at Loud Technologies as European service supervisor and technical support specialist.

"It's an exciting time to be joining Pioneer Pro Audio," says David. "With Pioneer DJ's legacy of innovation and Pioneer/TAD's heritage in speakers, I'm looking forward to helping to develop and expand the Pioneer Pro Audio brand."

Alex Barrand, Pioneer Pro Audio manager comments, "We're delighted to have David on board. His experience and understanding of the pro audio market will be invaluable in taking our versatile sound syst

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USA - UK motion control specialist Kinesys is continuing to expand its Kinesys USA Inc. operation by welcoming David Bond to the team in the role of Head of Sales for North America.

Kinesys USA has received huge interest and many enquiries since being unveiled at the beginning of August, and bringing David to Kinesys is key to the company's planned medium term expansion strategy.

David will be leading the Kinesys USA sales department and travelling extensively to meet with and talk to customers throughout North America. He will be working closely with David Martin based at the Kinesys USA Inc. headquarters in Atlanta who will be focusing on the operations and training aspects of the company. Together they will continue to develop the company's US brand and expand its market coverage. Both David Bond and David Martin will also work closely with the relevant departments at Kines

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UK - Orbital Sound, the theatre, live sound and entertainment technology specialist, has announced the appointment of Andy Simmons to the post of director of sales. Joining Orbital in November, Andy brings over 25 years of international sales and marketing experience, gained within the pro-audio sector in association with many key brands, including Crest Audio, XTA Electronics, Peavey and KV2.

Andy will be fulfilling a strategic role at Orbital, working to develop the company's long-term sales plan, while making full use of the product-specialist expertise available within the organisation.

MD Chris Headlam comments, "At Orbital we have real passion for what we do and are always looking to add extra elements that enhance our service. With Andy's arrival we are focusing on how we innovate within the whole 'sales' field, on the basis that we are already a well-established a

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UK - CIE-Group has announced the appointment of Lloyd Wilson to the position of AV account manager, South East England. Lloyd is the latest recruit to join the award-winning CIE-Group team which is undergoing an expansion of its sales, technical and support operations to meet new demand. Lloyd joins from AVM where he was responsible for internal sales for the UK and Ireland.

"Having already had some dealings with the company, I was keen to join CIE-Group when the opportunity arose," comments Lloyd. "The 50thAnniversary year has made it an exciting time at CIE-Group, and it is also that clear through its range of brands and value added services, the company is offering something new for the AV integrator. I'm looking forward to spreading the word further."

"Lloyd has a wealth of AV industry knowledge and experience, plus a proven track record in relatio

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Germany - d&b audiotechnik has strengthened its top management by bringing on board Sabina Berloffa as Director of Marketing. Since August this year she has been responsible for global marketing and product management, with the aim of further expanding brand awareness, developing new markets and accelerating the growth of the company. Sabina Berloffa is part of the international management team around CEO Amnon Harman.

"Sabina Berloffa has great experience in B2B marketing, brand leadership and product management. She will take a key role in the company's strategic growth over the coming years. I'm delighted to have Sabina on board", says Amnon Harman.

Sabina Berloffa adds, "I am excited to join d&b. For the last decades, the company has stood for quality in professional audio solutions. d&b has a fantastic customer base, especially in the touring and installati

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USA - Joshua Rush has joined Audinate as vice president of marketing. Rush brings over 20 years of experience in business, consumer and channel marketing in a variety of industries, including computer hardware, networking and telecommunications.

As part of the continuing expansion of Audinate, Rush will lead the global marketing function for Audinate with a specific emphasis on driving awareness for Dante enabled products with the channel and end users. Through similar roles at HP and Vesta Corporation, Rush has extensive experience developing marketing initiatives for a variety of different customer segments and channel partners, including the custom installation channel.

"Josh is a great addition to our team," said Lee Ellison, CEO of Audinate. "His combination of B2B marketing experience, channel knowledge and marketing leadership will help to further establi

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UK - Unusual Rigging has announced, with deep regret, the death of Mike Philpott. Respected and liked by Unusual's clients and consultants alike, Mike joined Unusual in 2001 as a project manager specialising in QS type works and bid responses for stage engineering projects. In 2010 his experience and technical knowledge won Unusual the contracts for both the Convention Centre and Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin, projects which ran concurrently and which Mike handled with his usual good humour, tenacity and dedication.

He also led the field in bespoke Tension Wire Grids, initially for Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre in 2010, then Harrogate International Centre and most recently the Attenborough Centre.

Alan Jacobi, managing director of Unusual, said: "Mike's sometimes gruff outward appearance belied his true self. He was an inspirational character, always ready to help

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France - Nexo enters the new year of 2015 with a new CEO, as Jean Mullor takes over the reins at the French loudspeaker manufacturer.

Yoshi Tsugawa, who has guided the company for the past three-and-a-half years, is returning to Japan, where he takes up new responsibilities as the general manager for band & orchestra products in the MI & Audio Sales and Marketing Group of Yamaha Corporation.

New CEO Jean Mullor comes to Nexo from Yamaha Music Europe, where he has spent nearly four years as managing director of the French subsidiary, in charge of the domestic distribution of musical instruments, commercial audio products, audio video products and music schools network development.

Trained as a lawyer, Mullor brings with him a wealth of management experience. A lifelong passion for music has taken him from US petrochemical giant Mobil to Yamaha Corporation, joining the French

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UK - London-based theatre consultancy, Theatreplan LLP has announced the appointment of two new partners to the practice. With appointments that took effect from 1 October, Michael Atkinson and Paul Connolly join current partners, Roger Fox, Dave Ludlam, Clive Odom, Mathew Smethurst-Evan and John Whitaker.

Atkinson first joined Theatreplan as an associate in April 2014 where he designed the stage and working light control systems as well as dimmer engineering for the Copenhagen Opera and a range of other venues. A renowned lighting technology expert whose career has taken him from major West End shows to New York and then back to the UK where he enjoyed a long stint at the National Theatre as Head of Resources, Atkinson's proficiency in all things relating to lighting system design and energy management is nationally recognized.

As well as leading Theatreplan's lighting system

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UK - Marquee AV has announced the appointment of Jimmy Potter as sales manager. Potter started his career at Nomis, progressing through the ranks there to become studio manager of that facility which dominated the live rehearsal sector throughout the 80's. During Potter's tenure, Nomis hosted most of the greats of the era including The Jam, Dire Straits, Tina Turner, Status Quo, The Police, Wham!, Culture Club, Duran Duran and Queen. After leaving Nomis, Potter moved to the sales side of the pro audio industry and worked with Sensible Music, Marquee Sales and Fuzion.

"I had previously worked with Mark Brown and some of the other guys during my time at Marquee Sales", said Potter. "I always respected the installation division and could see the professional way Mark steered Marquee Installations to become independent, and how the company has evolved and expanded to

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Germany - Having recently turned 70 years old, Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser is handing over the chair of the supervisory board of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG to Dr. Frank Heinricht, as of 1 January 2015.

Frank Heinricht has been Chairman of the Board of Management of Schott AG since 2013 and became a member of the supervisory board of Sennheiser electronic GmbH five years ago. "Dr. Heinricht has a profound technical expertise and brings experience in managing large family-owned companies to his new role. We are very happy that he is taking over as chairman of the supervisory board of the Sennheiser Group," said Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser, CEOs and shareholders of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG.

In withdrawing as chairman of the supervisory board, Jörg Sennheiser is placing the management of the company fully into the hands of the third Sennheiser gener

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UK - LD Chris Rigby has been presented with the award for Lighting for Multicamera for his work on Alan Carr Chatty Man, Season 11/12 (Open Mike Productions for Channel 4) at the prestigious RTS Craft and Design Awards.

Held annually, the RTS Awards recognise the creativity and talent of the many individuals working behind the scenes in programme production. Spread over 25 categories, the 2013/14 awards were chaired by CBBC Controller, Cheryl Taylor and covered a host of skills from costume design and editing to digital effects and lighting.

Commenting on Chris's work, the jury said: "The jury were impressed by the quality of the music numbers in the winning show. The lighting gave the numbers an edgy quality which made the winner stand out from the rest."

The awards were held on 1st December at the London Hilton, Park Lane and were hosted by Jennifer Saunde

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UK - Presteigne Broadcast Hire has appointed well-known industry figure David O'Carroll as its new head of technology. He joins from leading outside broadcast company NEP Visions, where as technical manager he was responsible for major projects including the BBC Proms, Global X Games and Wimbledon.

"Presteigne is an important player in the industry, providing partnerships and backup for broadcasters, production companies and outside broadcast facilities," said O'Carroll. "That alone makes this new job an exciting challenge, to understand how we can all work together to create compelling and technically excellent television.

"Today we are also seeing huge technology changes, and with Presteigne I have the chance to get involved in some demanding and innovative projects," he added. "We are already leaders in RF mesh technology, for instance, providi

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USA - Apollo Design Technology has announced the appointment of Jeff Salisbury as laser/gobo technician. In this role, Salisbury will operate the high precision laser machines to produce metal and glass gobos. Prior to joining Apollo Design Technology, Salisbury worked in various sales and customer service positions. He is also a freelance theatre arts instructor / director and works extensively with local theatre groups.

Dan Boldt has joined the CNC team as a machinist. In this role, he will operate the CNC lathes, CNC mills and laser machines to create the precision parts used in the Averre fixtures and other products.

Jeanine Usher has joined the team as as QC technician and will work with the production teams to insure both purchased and manufactured parts and products meet quality standards.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians took the opportunity of its annual Christmas Party on 12 December, at the New London Theatre, to bestow its top honour, the ABTT Fellowship, on three outstanding industry individuals. Generously supported by Gold ABTT Industry Supporters' Group member ETC, the event was the perfect occasion for the ABTT's Council of Management to recognise those who have rendered signal service to the technical aspects of the art of the theatre.

On the day, Tony Bond was the first new Fellow to be introduced. Maggie Saxon commended Tony, whose career has spanned over six decades, for his foresight and vision in setting-up recognised technical theatre training in the UK through the Theatre Technical Training Standards Company, which later evolved into Skillscene.

It was also noted that Bond was instrumental in the development of the National O

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USA - Jack Calmes, the founder of Showco and Syncrolite, has died at the age of 71. One of the concert production industry's true pioneers, Calmes was also a musician, promoter, live music venue owner, artist manager and film and television producer.

In the mid-60s, Calmes and friend Angus Wynne co-founded Showco in Dallas, Texas, and set about putting on music shows. Among their early successes was a University party in Dallas headlined by Chuck Berry. Showco also brought The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and the Doors to Dallas. In 1967 Calmes and Wynne opened a Dallas music venue, Soul City, played by stars such as Stevie Wonder, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Ike and Tina Turner and Jerry Lee Lewis.

The pair sold their interest in the venue the following year and concentrated on Showco, promoting the Texas International Pop Festival in 1969. Despite a good

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UK - Elation Professional EU has announced that Damon Crisp is the company's new sales representative for the south of England, which includes London and surrounding counties.

Damon, who operates DAC Pro-Media LTD, a distribution company for entertainment technology, has a wealth of experience in the industry having operated as sales director for Lamba PLC, managing director for Numark Alesis Europe and managing director for Monacor International GmbH at their UK operation.

Tasked with growing Elation's presence in the rental, theatre, and stage segments in southern England, Damon's knowledge of the UK market and long list of contacts will help Elation raise its profile in one of the lighting industry's leading markets.

"I am truly delighted to be representing a brand that I have watched from afar get better and better," Damon stated about the new opportunity. &quo

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USA - Meyer Sound has promoted Michael Creason to the newly created position of product manager- system applications and training, while Ashley Hanson moves to the design services manager role.

The former head of the design services department, Creason now joins the growing product management group to expand the company's technical content and training resources. The goal is to give users a broader range of tools to work more efficiently and effectively in loudspeaker system design, rigging, and commissioning.

He joined the Meyer Sound design services department in 2008, following years of theatrical sound design and mixing experience on and off Broadway. In addition to credits that include The Pajama Game and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, he was audio supervisor for Glimmerglass Opera Festival for eight seasons, and designed and mixed a range of productions in the New York

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USA - Tightrope Media Systems' identity as a leading solutions provider across the broadcast/cable and digital signage industries has propelled year-on-year business growth since its formation as a standalone company in 2001. Looking to further bolster the company's sales and service team to support future growth across both businesses, Tightrope recently promoted five-year company veteran Kelli Smith to director of broadcast sales, and hired Richard Turner as digital signage regional sales manager.

Kelli, based in Raleigh, NC, now manages sales for ZEPLAY, Tightrope's choice for cost-efficient, multichannel instant replay servers; and the company's Cablecast portfolio of server and automation products.

"Tightrope is very well known in the digital signage space and in the local PEG broadcast community, and it's my goal to build that same recognition across a new group of

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USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the appointment of David Prince as director of development engineering. Prince has over two decades of experience designing, modelling and measuring pro-audio loudspeakers and developing them for manufacturing.

He comes to Community from Knowles Electronics where he was product development manager. Previously, Prince held the position of Director of Advanced Development for Tymphany; he was senior research engineer for International Jensen and he spent seven years as an acoustic consultant with Talaske.

He is a past chair of the AES Standards Committee on Loudspeaker Modelling and Measurement, serves on technical committees of the Acoustical Society of America and is a Board of Directors Emeritus member for the loudspeaker industry association, ALMA.

"I am delighted to join Community at this important time in its h

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Mexico - SGM has appointed one of Spain's most prominent lighting designers as its new representative in South America.

Ben Diaz takes up the position of area sales manager with immediate effect, in a role that also includes product training on the Continent.

Since 2000, Diaz has been involved in many creative roles within the entertainment industry, including lighting / production design and operation, video programming for media servers, cinematography and technical education.

He has worked in 16 countries as a crew member, including Europe and America, and has a deep and comprehensive understanding of all technical matters relating to show business worldwide.

Ben Diaz has spent the last 10 years touring as a lighting designer, programmer and operator, and creating visual shows for TV.

It was during one such tour - with Latin pop-rock artist Rosana - that he first met

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UK - Following a busy and successful first six months, VER Live has announced the appointment of Jonny Hunt as project manager. Hunt brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the television and entertainment industry to the role and has hit the ground running. On arrival, Hunt managed his first television show for VER Live, ITV's A Funny Old Year for production designer Paul Houston. Hunt stated, "I'm pleased to be a part of this exciting new venture."

The expansion follows a string of successful and high profile video productions delivered by VER Live since its inception in August 2014. In that short time, VER Live has supplied to televised spectaculars such as StandUp2Cancer, the Royal Variety Performance, Children in Need and BBC's The Voice.

VER Live's Adrian Offord, commented, "Jonny has already become a worthy asset to our stron

  1. Doughty adds new team member for UK sales
  2. Tom Casey joins CT in Singapore
  3. Electrosonic promotes Bryan Hinckley
  4. Ron Bonner joins RH Consulting team
  5. Creative Technology Spain expands
  6. Martin Professional expands Asia & Pacific team
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