UK - Litestructures has announced a key new appointment to strengthen its management team. Ben Weijters joins the company as export sales manager.

Ben has a proven track record within the industry starting his career almost 40 years ago at Jac Van Ham, the Audio & Video equipment specialist in Holland. After spending 10 years in the production then installation departments, Ben moved on to the Sales team to finally become Jac Van Ham's General Manager after 20 years in the company.

Having built a strong and respectful experience, Ben decided in 1996 to buy Jac Van Ham's Audio & Videos department and set up his own company called Wytec which become one of the industry's favourites as a distributor in Europe.

Managing director, Adrian Brooks, commented: "Ben and Litestructures have known each other for many years. He knows our product range, and our way of working, very w

UK - The 5 Star Cases sales team has expanded with the addition of Richard Chilvers, who joins as technical sales representative.

Chilvers has been a 5 Star case user for 10 years, ever since his early days as an apprentice with lighting rental company, Hawthorn Theatrical. He has also worked as a technical manager at venues, including the Kings Lynn Corn Exchange and Arts Centre and the Princess Theatre in Hunstanton.

(Jim Evans)

USA - At its annual Member Meeting and Industry Forum during InfoComm 08, NSCA appointed two new members to the association's Board of Directors. Dave Ferlino, president of VistaCom, and Michael Hester, managing partner of Beacon Communications, will each join the NSCA Board for three-year terms.Andy Musci, president of Altel Systems, took the helm as president when Nancy Emerson, vice president of Vodaci Technologies, retired from the NSCA Board in June.

"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

UK - Show Presentation Services (SPS) has added to its creative design team by appointing Jack Beccegato to the role of senior designer and content producer.

Beccegato has extensive experience in the industry, previously owning his own creative agency called Sedicinoni SRL, based in Verona, Italy. There he also worked as senior designer and produced video graphics and other visualisations for events, business meetings and conventions, both in house and for other Italian communications agencies.

In his new role, Beccegato will be responsible for directing some of SPS's other graphic designers and taking the creative lead in corporate event projects. He will also be working alongside many of SPS's clients to establish briefs and to present and sell ideas.

Robin Coles, managing director at SPS commented, "Adding Jack to the team is a great boost to the creative arm of our

UK - Lightfactor Sales reports that Mick Hannaford has left the company, stating, "We wish Mick the best for the future and thank him for 30 years of dedication to the business.

Lightfactor Sales was acquired by the Polaron Group in December 2004 prior to Polaron's acquisition by Cooper Industries in March 2007 and currently operates within the Cooper Controls division of Cooper Lighting.

Simon Sparrow, director global operations for Cooper Controls and Emma Waissman join the Lightfactor team to provide additional management support and allow the team to focus on customer needs. Peter Coles continues as the primary point of contact for Lightfactor .

(Jim Evans)

UK - LSI Online has received the sad news of the death of Light Engineering's Cliff Wilding. Cliff, the founder and managing director of Light Engineering, died suddenly at home on Saturday 28 June.

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)

UK - At Essential Lighting, the newly-created role of director of full service division, has been filled by a well known industry figure, John McEvoy. John joins Essential with a wealth of industry, project and management experience gained during 10 years as a senior account handler at PRG Europe, previously Vari*Lite / VLPS.

John says he is looking forward to the challenge of managing Essential's full service team, coordinating in-house resource and engaging the best of the industry's freelance talent to deliver a first class service to Essential customers.

The recent additions to Essential's team, combined with new investment into Vari*Lite stock and a constant fixture replacement policy that keeps equipment in peak condition, ensures that Essential remains the UK's premier lighting supplier for event organisers, freelance lighting designers and the trade, the company says.<

USA - Angus Sinex, a well known member of the North American entertainment community, died on 8 June at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi, as a result of an accident in a load out. He was 45.

"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

UK - Consultancy On Media Systems (COMS), headed by acoustic consultant Richard Northwood, is a consultancy and engineering practice that specialises in integrated media systems with the aim of combining audio, video, lighting and control into a single coherent entity. In a move designed to further strengthen and develop the range of acoustic services available to clients, former Arup consultant Paul Malpas has recently joined the team at COMS.

Richard Northwood is pleased to welcome his new recruit. "COMS has been exploring the possibilities of expanding the acoustic services that it offers to clients and after a lot of searching found the ideal candidate in the form of Paul Malpas and managed to tempt him away from quite a senior position at Arup Acoustics to join and help grow the team at COMS," remarked Northwood. "Paul has a great combination of enthusiasm an

Germany - Meyer Sound Germany has appointed Lothar Weimann to regional sales manager. In this position, Weimann will be working with clients throughout the Southern and Eastern parts of Germany.

Weimann has held leading sales and marketing positions at Frankfurt-based ProAudio Marketing for brands such as QSC. During the last three years, Weimann served as the registered manager of the German branch of Spanish loudspeaker manufacturer D.A.S. Audio.

"Lothar's experience in pro audio sales and in-depth knowledge of speaker systems make him a great addition to our sales team," says Jim Sides, CEO of Meyer Sound Germany. "I have personally known Lothar for more than 15 years; he is an industry veteran with a very good reputation throughout the German pro audio industry. These attributes make him uniquely qualified for this position. I am very happy to have him on bo

UK - Creative Technology (CT) has appointed Charlie Whittock, as managing director of CT Asia Pacific. He was previously managing director of CT London and has been instrumental in setting up CT operations in China. He will be relocating to Hong Kong.

Dave Crump will take over as managing director of the CT London business with immediate effect.

"CT is now the largest division and contributor within the Avesco Group and these changes and the commitment to develop the business reflect the importance of the CT to the group and Avesco's strategy going forward," says CEO Ian Martin.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Event services specialist PSL has expanded its sales team and its equipment inventory, in response to increased demand from the exhibition circuit.

Max Nembhard has joined the company as business development manager, having spent the last three years in the AV industry, most recently with Aspect Visuals. Nembhard has been recruited to the PSL sales team specifically to work in the exhibition sector, presenting PSL's inventory of AV and IT display technology to corporate customers, stand designers and builders and consultants.

As the rental market continues to flourish, PSL is building up its stock of flat screens, which have become almost de rigeur at exhibitions and as repeater screens at large live events.

Managing director Gary Davis comments: "There has been a market shift towards the more widespread use of LCD screens, which have a longer life expectancy and a

UK - Jason Kelly has been appointed by Midas and Klark Teknik to the newly-created role of technical sales manager. Kelly, who has spent the last four years working for Midas and Klark Teknik's UK distributor Shuttlesound, has also been a sound engineer and system designer as well as running his own rental and production company. He was also team leader for the development of Klark Teknik's new hard disc recorder, the DN9696.

"I'm very excited about my new role," says Kelly. "It will offer our distributor network a new resource as we look forward to a completely networked range of digital products from Midas and Klark Teknik. The possibilities and flexibility of these new products mean that this type of technical support, for both our distributors and end users, becomes very important. Although our products are always easy for the operator to use, the technology u

Germany - EVI Audio has announced that Franz-Josef Menke has joined the company in the position of sales manager microphones EMEA. In this capacity he will be responsible for the marketing of Electro-Voice microphones as well as expanding and optimizing the distribution network in concert with the marketing division and sales force.

Menke has been active in the pro audio sector for some years. For the last eight years he was international sales manager for a leading microphone manufacturer.

Vice-president sales EMEA Robert Hesse comments: "In Franz-Josef Menke we have found the perfect man for the job. We are focusing maximum energy on Electro-Voice microphones as part of our growth strategy, and I'm confident that we will see the fruits of our efforts very soon."

Menke stated: "It's really special for me to be part of the EVI Audio family - as we are one of t

UK - Shuttlesound has recruited former SSE project manager Rob Hughes to join its UK sales team, principally to look after the Midas and Klark-Teknik lines in the field, bringing sales expertise, training and tech support to potential and existing customers.

Hughes has been a full-time employee at SSE for the last two years, and a regular member of its freelance crew for over 10 years prior to that. During his time at SSE, one of his remits was to look after their digital console stock, including maintaining firmware and software upgrades as well as being responsible for keeping their freelance crew trained on all of the various platforms. He was also involved with some external training of professional engineers too, and is firmly of the belief that training is an invaluable tool to introduce new consoles into the market, and instil confidence in a new product with the end user

Germany - In February this year, Kamil Swobodzinski was appointed sales director ACT (Advanced Communication Technology) EVI Audio. Now he has assumed additional responsibilities, having been appointed sales director CCS (Critical Communication Systems) for the regions Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).

As well as responsibility for turnover and profitability, Kamil Swobodzinski's brief includes increasing market penetration, internationalization/expansion of the distribution network with a view to increasing growth potential, direction of the sales team, and the targeted use of marketing measures. "Once the team has been together for a few days," says Swobodzinski, "I'm convinced that, in view of the quality of the product portfolio, a sound basis will exist for sustained growth."

(Jim Evans)

USA - Bandit Lites has announced that Peter M. Heffernan, a 30-year veteran, has been named president of the firm. Effective immediately, Heffernan will take the reigns and serve as both president and C.O.O., a role he has held for the last 15 years.

This move comes at a time of growth for Bandit and is the logical step in taking the firm to the next level, says the company. Heffernan began his full time relationship with Bandit Lites in 1978 and he has risen through the ranks. He served as lighting director and/ or production manager for a number of artists that toured on the international scene including Blackfoot and Quiet Riot.

Heffernan moved into an administrative position in 1985 and has performed a variety of roles in the last 23 years. He will be working with the staff and management overseeing the day-to-day operations.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Mark Engel has been was named president and chief executive officer of Rosco Laboratories. He is only the third president in Rosco's nearly 100-year history. The company was started in 1910 by Sidney Rosenstein, who remained at its helm until 1958. That year, Stan Miller bought the company, whose primary product was colour filters made of gelatin ('gels') and assumed the position in which he has served for 50 years. He remains active as chairman of the board at Rosco.

When Miller bought the company it had four employees and gross sales of under $100,000. Today Rosco employs hundreds in eleven different countries around the world and sales are well up in the millions of dollars. It remains the world's largest manufacturer of color filters, as well as dozens of other products used in theatre, film and television production.

Mark Engel joined Rosco over 16 years ago. Active

UK - Fleetwood Mobiles has appointed Lise Regan to the new role of sales and marketing manager.

Regan comes directly from managing Livingston Studios where she had overall responsibility for their facilities. Previously she had a long association with Dave Stewart's The Church Studios in north London, managing the studios and frequently travelling with Stewart as his production manager for live shows.

In 2006 she launched her own Producer and Engineer Management company, Innocent Management, to develop new and established producers and engineers and her roster includes Grammy Award Winner Jerry Boys whom she will continue to represent.

Commenting on the appointment, Ian Cooper, director of Fleetwood said: "We are delighted that Lise has joined our team, she brings a wealth of experience with her and a new focus for the business."

In a further move, Fleetwood has

UK - Stage Electrics has appointed Ben Stephen as its new business development manager for London and the South East. He joins divisional sales manager Chris Patton and fellow BDM's Darren Beckley, Mark Burnett and Paul Roughton.

Stephen previously worked at Stage Electrics' Birmingham branch where he was responsible for hire and sales enquires.

(Jim Evans)

USA - Loud Technologies Inc has announced the appointment of James Stewart as its chief operating officer.

Stewart will be responsible for the core operations of the company including iInformation technologies, technical support, service and logistics as well as management of Loud's manufacturing partners. Stewart comes to Loud with more than 28 years of experience in the technology industry.

"We are excited to have Jim join Loud's executive team, where his proven record of success and passion will enable us to achieve our objectives," said Jamie Engen, CEO of Loud. "Jim's leadership skills will help us fully realise the growth opportunities before us."

UK - Simon Dancey, a trustee of the Arts Council of Wales, has joined Creative & Cultural Skills as Wales Director.

Simon is former director of Community Music Wales and is a leading figure in the community arts field in Wales. Simon has vast experience in music and events management and is also recognised as a prominent performer, composer and producer with a wealth of international experience. He has travelled the world as an advocate and promoter of community arts in addressing education and social participation issues.

Simon said: "The creative industries in Wales are vital and distinctive. I welcome the opportunity to be involved in unlocking the potential of all sections of the community and providing relevant skills for people that will in turn, lead to quality employment prospects and a vibrant cultural industries sector in Wales."

Tom Bewick, chief executi

UK - Following a period of significant growth over the last five years, Audio-Technica has recently restructured its UK operation to offer increased levels of customer service and to provide a solid foundation for future expansion.

Amongst the important changes for Audio-Technica UK, Isabelle Alran has assumed the position of European sales director and will take an active role in the day-to-day UK sales operation.

Audio-Technica's UK area sales managers will now report directly to London-based Alran and the drive to improved customer support will see them partnered by dedicated area sales co-ordinators at the company's head office in Leeds.

In addition, newly appointed UK sales and marketing assistant Tom Harrold will assume responsibility for building on relationships with some of Audio-Technica's smaller accounts, allowing a direct point of contact for independent reselle

USA - GearSource.com and LEDsource.com have appointed a new CFO / COO. Betsy Torres (formerly Halpin) spent nearly ten years in the lighting industry as Controller for both Martin Professional and Coemar. Five years ago, Betsy left the industry to pursue other interests but always remained in close contact with Sources' president, Marcel Fairbairn.

Fairbairn says: "This is a very important moment in our companies' existences. We're thrilled to be in a position to secure not only a friend, but the best person I've ever worked with in each of these roles. We are currently in a huge growth position, and need solid financial and administrative expertise in order to keep us on track."

(Jim Evans)

Latest Issue. . .

Save
Cookies user preferences
We use cookies to ensure you to get the best experience on our website. If you decline the use of cookies, this website may not function as expected.
Accept all
Decline all
Analytics
Tools used to analyze the data to measure the effectiveness of a website and to understand how it works.
Google Analytics
Accept
Decline
Advertisement
If you accept, the ads on the page will be adapted to your preferences.
Google Ad
Accept
Decline