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14 March 2016

With six years' experience in the entertainment industry, an inherent ability to problem-solve and an in depth understanding of 2D and 3D CAD, Prescott is perfectly positioned to complement Xolve MD Neil Darracott's mechanical engineering and design expertise and to hasten the development of this growing business.

Having already supported Darracott on such high profile projects as last year's rugby world cup, and West-end musical Gone With The Wind earlier this year, Prescott has recently led Xolve's work for George Michael as his 25 Live tour prepares for the USA in the summer

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14 March 2016

Steven will continue working with Sennheiser UK on a freelance basis on various special projects, including assisting general manager Phil Massey with the company's ongoing involvement with the National Film and Television School and the Liverpool Institute of the Performing Arts.

Massey wished his departing colleague well. "John's been very committed to this company for a long time and we're sorry to see him go," he said, "although I'm glad he'll still be involved with us in a freelance capacity. He leaves behind a very strong and capable marketing team."

Steven joined Sennheiser UK in January 2000, having previously worked for their appointed PR Com

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14 March 2016

Best wishes to John Steven who has left Sennheiser UK. Having been director of marketing for the past eight years, he leaves to start and run his own company, John Steven PR. He will continue working with Sennheiser UK on a freelance basis on various special projects, including assisting general manager Phil Massey with the company's ongoing involvement with the National Film and Television S

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14 March 2016

The National Skills Academy aims to significantly help to reduce skills gaps and shortages in backstage and off-stage skills. The NSA business plan, supported by PLASA and over 120 leading employers from theatre and live music, sets out in detail an ambitious vision to provide world-class training for the world's greatest stages. Working together with employers, freelancers, colleges and training-providers throughout the country, the NSA will deliver industry-endorsed training for young people and professionals. A proposed new state-of-the-art training facility in Thurrock, Thames Gateway, will pr

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14 March 2016

Working under instructions from the Army, Police officers evacuated the area, whilst a 200m cordon was put in place, forming an exclusion zone around the bomb. This effectively resulted in the immediate closure of the entire Film Studios, affecting all current productions in 15 stages totalling 114,000sq.ft and resident on-site businesses plus 200 production offices.

One of the oldest tenants in 3 Mills Studios, Rigging Se

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14 March 2016

The announcement that L-Acoustics has signed an Icelandic distributor, Nyherji, is further evidence that this North Atlantic outpost has established itself as a leading player on the international live sound circuit. Many international tours now include Reykjavik in their itineraries, whi

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14 March 2016

Company News - In the entertainment technology industry's latest high-profile acquisition, Barco has announced that it has bought High End Systems Inc, the well-known manufacturer of automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls, for a total value of USD 55 million. "With the merging of two strong industry players, this acquisition reinforces Barco's leadership position in the fast converging video and lighting segmen

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14 March 2016

Innovation: PLASA goes for Gold
During consultation with the PLASA Awards for Innovation Judges after the 2007 PLASA Show, the judges expressed a desire to be able to more accurately reflect the levels of innovation seen in the products nominated for the Awards. Specifically, they were looking for a way to highlight those cases where a product truly delivered something strikingly new and innovative to the industry.

Roland Hemming, a highly-respected audio consultant and a regular on the PLASA Awards for Innovation j

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14 March 2016

The tape that won Widget of the Year for J&C Joel was a prototype, but with a few minor changes to the packaging and branding the JCJ Serge Tape should be in production and ready for delivery by the end of July. Designed for use in Ideal theatres, touring shows, rental companies, film and TV studios and schools, this is one of those p

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14 March 2016

Festival News: Organisers of festivals including Womad, Creamfields, Bestival, Electric Picnic and Big Chill have joined forces to take on their bigger rivals. They have agreed to work together to help make events better for fans, greener and more cost-effective. Bestival promoter Rob da Bank said it was important to "ride out the problems and make them better for the customer". Creamfields owner James Barton said it was a good idea because "smaller festivals are also often overlooked". He added: &quo

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14 March 2016

Slingco services a broad range of markets with its wire rope and engineering solutions and a diverse range of companies were represented on the day - from theatre equipment suppliers to garage equipment suppliers, and from lift installers to aerospace designers, to name a few.

The move from the previous home four miles away has given the company a 50% increase in building size and additional land for expansion. With the building needing extensive remedial work prior to moving in, the Slingco team was able to shape the facility just as they wanted it.

On the day, sales director, Matt Dykins, introduced visitors to the full scope of the company's work

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14 March 2016

Disturbing News: Almost one in four secondary schools in England no longer has any specialist physics teachers, a survey suggests. The report, published by academics at the University of Buckingham, warns of a threat to the subject's future. The government has set targets to promote the number of physics teachers in secondary schools. But the report's authors wa

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14 March 2016

The licence, which was issued before the 2007 event, lasts for four years and allows organisers to continue holding the Glastonbury Festival until 2010, after which they will need to apply for a new licence.

One main issue dealt with by the district council was concerns about noise. Wind and low cloud meant that some Mendip residents who have normally not been able to hear the festival could hear some noise this year. However, according to Mendip's director for planning and environment, Charles Uzzell, although noise monitoring had taken place there was no significant breaches of the licence, and the levels of noise were within the national recommended guidelines.

Tom Killen, Mendip's portfolio holder for licensing and public protection

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14 March 2016

Last year's inaugural Award was won by Tony Andrews of Funktion One for his decades of dedication to the advancement of loudspeaker design.

The Nomination phase of the 2008 Gottelier Award is now open, and industry professionals worldwide are being asked to put forward the names of individuals who they believe should be considered for this year's award.

Following the nomination period, a shortlist of the leading nominees will then be ope

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14 March 2016

"Andy will continue to bring great enthusiasm and passion to the Board," said NSCA executive director Chuck Wilson. "We look forward to his leadership. At the same time, we thank Nancy and our two other retiring board members, Randy Vaughan and Rick Scharmann, for their hard work and dedication to NSCA."

Ron Pusey, president and CEO of Communications Specialists of Virginia, moves into the role of vice-pre

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14 March 2016

Conceived as an acknowledgement of Bob Stanton's founding of the innovative Two Year Stage Management & Technical Theatre course at LAMDA in 1965, the bursary was originally launched as a celebration of Bob's 85th birthday. Stanton was a legendary British stage manager and honorary LAMDA fellow who was instrumental in helping Theatre Projects' founder and chairman emeritus, Richard Pilbrow, to start up his early career and then establish Theatre Projects.

Stanton became a consultant to Theatre Projects and was the original director of the pioneering Two Year Stage Management & Technical Theatre cours

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14 March 2016

Sports News: More than 90,000 visitors to the Beijing Grand National Stadium will hear the words of the opening speeches of the 2008 Olympic Gasmes mixed on two Aurus desks installed in the stadium's central control room,, which will be fed via a Nexus audio network to the sound reinforcement system of 220 line arrays. Additionally, around 40 billion TV viewers around the world will view the opening ceremo

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14 March 2016

Light Engineering, the company Cliff formed in 1980, is a wholesale supplier of specialist lighting and sound products and has been for many years a member of PLASA (the Professional Lighting and Sound Association). From its base in Walthamstow in London's East End, the company provides a wide range of over 1,000 professional lighting and sound products, and is especially known for its expertise in creating custom mirror balls and other novelty shapes. In 2003, Light Engineering merged with Multiform Lighting, a specialist manufacturer of lighting controls since 1971.

Cliff's funeral will take place this Friday, 11 July, at the City of London Cemetery in Wanstead.

(Lee Baldock)

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14 March 2016

Andy Wright, managing director for Aethra UK says: "Aethra is a very special company and I am proud to be spearheading their new operations here in the UK. Our offices have already been set up and I've recruited a team of specialists to work

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14 March 2016

Following the launch of English Heritage's new Heritage at Risk register The Theatres Trust highlighted the importance of its own work with local authorities, theatre owners and the public to secure historic theatres for future generations. Director Mhora Samuel added: "English Heritage is encouraging local authorities to make use of its new ambitious and syste

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14 March 2016

Over 170 members and guests enjoyed a day in the glamorous surroundings of London's Hurlingham Club, where the AGM and members' questions were followed by a three-course lunch with a talk by renowned broadcaster John Humphrys.

In its fourth year as a combined AGM and Member Lunch, and its third at the Hurlingham Club, the event has grown into a major fixture on members' calendars and the growing demand for places means PLASA will almost certainly move to a larger, but equally special, venue for next year.

Members now see this as a prime opportunity to celebrate being part of an organisation that is moving the industry forward and to network with other members in relaxed s

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14 March 2016

"We are deeply saddened by Angus's passing," said friend and colleague Gregory Cohen. "He was a dear friend, colleague and partner. Words are beyond inadequate to express this loss. Angus was a dedicated father and husband; it was impossible to work with him without realizing how much he cared about his family. He was a world class electrician and a friend to be treasured."

Sinex was a renowned production electrician who has worked on high profile corporate events, television productions and concerts for over two decades. He served as a lighting designer and electrician for on many of our industry's largest productions.

For those close to Sinex, a sit

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14 March 2016

"There's still room for record companies but they should reinvent themselves as a service industry and not as owners. The structure of the old album and waiting for that to be finished still has some merit but you can do a lot of other things and I think it should be a lot looser and mixe

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14 March 2016

The Gel Swatch Library lets users browse, compare, and search nearly 1,000 gel colours made by GAM, Lee, and Rosco, showing similar and complementary colours for each shade. The CXI Color Calculator lets users create nearly 500 different colors for the CXI IT dual-gelstring colour-mixing scroller.

The applications earned rave reviews from customers within hours of being released 13 July through Apple's App Store.

The Gel Swatch Library catalogues hundreds of gel colors, each displaying its Spectral Energy Distribution curve and CMY/RGB percentages. The clean interface gives a side-by-side look at similar and complementary colours for every gel, and the search feature makes it easy to find a part