USA - Bandit Lites has announced the hiring of Allen Deneau as its newest client representative.
Deneau brings decades of experience having previously owned a Chicagoland production company as well as years on the road as the lighting director for Grammy-award winning country music group, Diamond Rio. As a client representative for Bandit Lites, he’ll utilise his understanding of touring productions to provide his clients product and personnel solutions to ensure their creative endeavours are achieved.
“I’ve used Bandit gear on numerous occasions,” shared Deneau. “I was always impressed with the cleanliness, the quality and reliability of the gear I received from Bandit. Above the quality of the gear was the quality of the people Bandit sent. They were professional, dependable, ready to work and knowledgeable.”
“We are very happy to have Allen jo

Europe/Singapore - Robe lighting starts 2023 with the announcement of two new roles boosting its international management team, both looking ahead and eyeing the company’s expansion over the next several years.
Bram De Clerck adds ‘key account manager Europe’ to his existing ‘business development manager’ detail, while Jens Poehlker takes on a new role as regional sales manager for Asia on top of his position as MD for Robe’s Singapore office.
This follows the announcement at the end of 2022 of Ingo Dombrowski as Robe’s new international sales director, while Harry von den Stemmen became key global account manager as well as taking on a more ambassadorial role in the company.
Like Ingo and Harry, both Bram and Jens have already been integral to the growth and success of the Robe operation for some years.
Bram’s new role as key account man

Germany - ARRI has announced Dr. Raphael Kiesel as its new head of quality management. Based at the film technology company’s headquarters in Munich, he will ‘convert customer requirements into products and services in an even more structured manner’.
Dr. Matthias Erb, chairman of the executive board at ARRI, comments: “ARRI has stood for the highest quality in the film industry since 1917. These high-quality standards must be further advanced globally in all business and corporate areas. I wish Dr. Raphael Kiesel every success with this important task.”
Dr. Raphael Kiesel adds: “I am very much looking forward to this exciting position and am well aware of ARRI’s heritage and the responsibility that comes with it. Our goal is to further improve upon the quality of ARRI’s products and services and to offer customers the very best that is possible.”

UAE - Aram, a specialist in entertainment design and complex technical production, has announced the appointment of Bartosz Jankowski as its new senior production manager in Dubai. Bartosz was previously associated with Visualsupport.
“From now on, Bartosz will be our permanent senior project manager responsible for the events and productions in the MENA region including Saudi Arabia. We believe that our knowledge and expertise in execution events like TV productions, trade fairs, esports, or festivals will be beneficial for clients in the Emirates and Saudi Arabia,” said Rafal Mrzyglocki, CEO of Aram.
Aram provides design and production services, together with the latest audio-visual solutions for live events, TV shows, festivals, esports, and conferences.

UK - David Morbey has been appointed to the position of product manager for Optimal Audio. Having worked with Denon, Martin Audio, InMusic, Allen & Heath and Neutrik, David has, at various stages, specialised in the area of installed sound for the leisure and hospitality sector - experience which aligns with his new role.
David Morbey comments: “I’ve maintained a close relationship with Dom Harter and James King since my Martin Audio days and very much admired the Optimal Audio launch in 2021. The disruptive marketing and clear messaging around the ecosystem isn’t let down by the product, which proved to be as simple and intuitive as it promised, so when the opportunity arose to get involved, I didn’t hesitate. It’s an exciting brand with clear objectives that’s just starting out on its journey, and as part of the Focusrite group, will have the space to grow

UK - Brompton Technology has announced the appointment of Cesar Caceres, who will be joining the company’s cross-functional product development team as their product lead.
Having worked at Brompton between 2017 and 2019 as product specialist, followed by senior technical roles at disguise and Votion Studios [Hong Kong], Caceres is an expert when it comes to knowing how to use technology to create and deliver spectacular visual, virtual, and live experiences. In his new role as product lead, Caceres returns to Brompton to help lead the way with new and existing products, liaising with Brompton’s key customers across the globe and building deeper connections with them.
“For me, I have the best job in the company,” says Caceres. “I have always been passionate about delivering the best service and experience. The way Brompton designs and manufactures its products

Europe - Michel Arntz has joined Robe’s international sales team as key account manager for Europe.
He will be co-ordinating Robe’s activities in 18 countries across Europe including Ukraine, and his area will also include all of Scandinavia, Poland, the Baltic states, Austria, Switzerland and most of the Balkan countries. Netherlands-based Michel is already a well-known and respected industry figure in Europe.
In addition to sales, the scope of his work will cover product communication and marketing, plus relationship building with the distributors and end users.
Michel commented that he is “super excited” to be joining Robe’s international sales manager Ingo Dombrowski and his team of regional sales managers, noting that their “drive, passion and enthusiasm for their work and the industry that we all love so much” was a major reason for him accep

UK - AV and system integrator specialist Lucinda Faucheux has launched LuFau Consulting, an independent consultancy that specialises in transforming tech businesses by helping them ‘achieve their goals of driving lean, efficient and reliable supply chains while optimising workflows and driving down costs’.
“My time spent in the AV industry illuminated a clear gap in the market,” explains Faucheux. “It’s a common theme that many system integrators do not employ someone who is specifically focused on supply chain management. It is difficult to find candidates with the relevant AV technical knowledge and, with the challenges of our current economy, justify hiring them permanently. I’m confident this is a void my consultancy services can fill.”
She adds: “Lately, many businesses have been restructuring or undergoing transformations, and with LuFau Consult

USA - Fulcrum Acoustic has welcomed Zuo ‘Rambo’ Zhao as the newest member of its engineering team. As acoustic engineer, Rambo works on developing new technologies and designing new products. He comments, “I’ve always wanted to work with Dave Gunness and know I will learn a lot from him. “However, what made my decision to come to Fulcrum is that they really invest in technology. I’ll have the opportunity to focus on the research part of R&D and look forward to contributing to the next generation of loudspeakers.”
“Rambo’s passion for loudspeakers and related technologies is immediately apparent. In his short time with us, he’s already become a valuable member of the team” says David Gunness, co-founder and VP of engineering. “We are excited to have him on board and know that he will make significant contributions.”
Rambo brings a decade of

Singapore - KV2 has announced the appointment of Robert Tan to the post of director of sales, Asia. Based in Singapore, Tan brings over 20 years of experience as an AV consultant in the hospitality and events industries before moving into systems integration. Tan specialises in designing systems for acoustically challenging environments, be it in the live events or installed sound sector and is also a skilled business manager.
“It’s an honour to be representing KV2 in the APAC region,” says Tan. “I’ve long admired their technology and their approach to acoustics which, in my view, sets them apart from their competitors. I was introduced to the brand in 2010 and was immediately intrigued with the clarity of the ES1.0 cabinets. Since then, the product range has continued to develop with more options for a wide variety of applications.
“I have achieved some of

Italy - Sadly, we report the death of pro audio consultant and journalist Mike Clark, who passed away on 30 December at the age of 77.
Mike, Scottish by birth, arrived in Italy at the end of the sixties as a sound engineer for a band. He fell in love with the country and decided to live there.
He always worked in the field of music, first as a DJ in the leading discos of the Riviera, and then as a music expert in one of the largest shops in Italy, Dimar in Rimini.
A specialised journalist and correspondent for entertainment industry magazines including LSi, he also collaborated with many pro-audio manufacturers, including Outline.
“During the last 30 years, Mike was the most precious resource for our r&d and marcomms departments,” Michele Noselli of Outline states. “A brilliant, generous and extremely reliable person, Mike translated intricate pat

UK - As Entourage Pro, the freelance crew network and technology insights company, celebrates having successfully placed hundreds of crew on tours and gigs across the globe this summer, co-directors Joel Perry and James Stanbridge have announced the appointment of Harvey Goldsmith CBE to the Entourage Pro board to further expand their standing in the industry and help communicate the site’s suite of services to the global sector.
Goldsmith is one of the best-known names in the industry. He has acted as promoter for Live Aid and Live 8, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Jam, Teenage Cancer Trust, Madonna, Queen, Hans Zimmer and countless other international artists, and has recently launching the Nvisible Agency. He will assume the role of non-exec director at Entourage Pro with immediate effect.
“I’m excited to join this young, pioneering company,” he says. “E

France - Following the recent announcement of a new global sales and business development organisation, L-Acoustics has introduced the new business development team.
Under the general management of L-Acoustics CEO Laurent Vaissié, the new team is spread across three divisions: Sales and Sales Operations focusing on developing regional sales channels; Business Development concentrating on developing commercial expertise and end-user outreach in key vertical markets; and Strategy leadership developing mid- to long-term go-to-markets strategies and key partnerships as well as managing resource planning and market intelligence.
The team will focus on setting strategies and roadmaps in five key vertical markets. L-Acoustics veteran William Cornell takes the role of director, musicals & theatre, while Scott Wakelin has been promoted to director, hospitality. Paul Keat

Germany - Peter Lawo, founder of the company for broadcast and media technologies named after him, passed away on 24 November 2022, at the age of 85. The committed engineer and entrepreneur founded today’s Lawo AG in 1970 and laid the foundation for the company’s worldwide reputation and economic success with innovative audio products and uncompromising quality standards.
In the 1970s, Peter Lawo developed an electronic sound processor for the music of contemporary composer Karl-Heinz Stockhausen, which strongly influenced the compositions of ‘New Music’. His contacts with musicians led to first projects with regional public broadcaster Suedwestfunk (SWF) and installations at the station’s so-called Experimental Studio. This was followed by developing the first audio mixing system for SWF, which was used for music mixes with artists such as Pierre Boulez, Luigi Non

UK - Wharfedale Pro has announced the appointment of experienced audio expert, Jay Cresswell, to their UK team. Cresswell takes up the new role of applications and solutions specialist, with a focus on growing the brand through application expertise and product training.
With over 20 years of experience in system design, support and audio project management, Jay Cresswell brings his expertise and real-world knowledge to the team. He will work alongside UK sales manager, Jeremy Adkins.
“Customers need to know that we are here to support them, especially with the more advanced systems, such as the new WLA-1 Hybrid Curvature Array,” explains Cresswell. “It’s not about simply ‘selling the box’ - this new role is to help our customers get the best results for any project, big or small. I am really looking forward to working with our partners to help deliver the

UK - This year, the Association of British Theatre Technicians took the opportunity at its Members’ Christmas Party on Friday 2 December, generously supported by ETC and LW Theatres, to present honours to two of its members.
Howard Potts, recently retired technical director at Warwick Arts Centre, and Matthew Freeman, currently working as an associate project manager at TAIT, were both appointed Honorary Members of the Association.
At the start of the event Robin Townley, CEO of the ABTT, welcomed everyone gathered at the Gillian Lynne Theatre thanks to the generous hospitality of LW Theatres.
Robin's welcome was echoed by Matt Cowles of ETC, co-hosts of the ABTT Christmas Party, who also took the opportunity of the popular annual gathering, returning after two years' unavoidable absence, to thank the ABTT for all the work it undertakes to support the sector h

Canada - CAST has appointed Stuart Green as their new CEO. Green will succeed CAST’s founder and CEO, Gil Densham.
Densham, who has been CAST’s CEO for 28 years, is retiring, as well as moving to an advisory role within the company. “I am thrilled to become the new CEO of CAST and to oversee the exciting innovative progress we anticipate in the years to come,” says Green. “I, however, feel that this is the right time to express on behalf of all at CAST and within the community our sincere gratitude to Gil for his industry-changing contributions, being visionary, and his passionate leadership that allowed us at CAST to achieve many award-winning results and industry standards.”
For Densham, finding the right type of replacement was a long process, and had to be someone who could tick lots of boxes for the ongoing good at CAST. “Stuart is that person, I’m

Israel - Pixellot has announced the appointment of Ronen Tanami to the Pixellot management team as chief operating officer.
Tanami is an experienced executive, with 30 years of comprehensive achievements across the information technology and communications industries.
In his most recent role, Tanami served as senior VP at Amdocs, managing Amdocs’s quality engineering and head of revenue guard business unit.
“With Pixellot’s ongoing, strong growth worldwide, we felt it was both important and the right timing for enhancing our organizational structure to facilitate projected future scalability,” Said Alon Werber, CEO of Pixellot. “With the right mix of talent and experience, Ronen will be able to help streamline our international operations, leveraging our global footprint and broad portfolio of products. We wish him much success in his new role.”

UK - Alex Barrand has been appointed sales manager EMEA at Optimal Audio. An experienced audio professional with an impressive background in audio engineering, design and installation, Alex cut his teeth on a number of large-scale festival installs before taking up the position of head of production at the Ministry of Sound.
During this period, he co-designed the main room sound system with Martin Audio and gained valuable experience in the management of technical requests and budgets. In 2011 he moved to take up a global management position with Pioneer Pro Audio.
“Opportunities to be involved in helping to develop a brand from its very early stages are few and far between and not to be missed,” says Barrand. “Optimal Audio’s approach to commercial audio places the emphasis on harnessing cutting-edge technology to help deliver solutions that are easy to operat

France - L-Acoustics has announced the creation of a new sales organisation focused on sales strategy, business development, and building territorial sales channels.
Under the general management of L-Acoustics CEO Laurent Vaissié, the team will be spread across three divisions: Sales and Sales Operations will focus on developing regional sales channels; the Business Development team will concentrate on developing commercial expertise and end-user outreach in key vertical markets; and the Strategy Leadership team will develop mid- to long-term go-to-markets strategies and key partnerships as well as manage resource planning and market intelligence.
The new organisation emerges with the retirement of executive director of business development Jochen Frohn who, for the last 14 years, has set the vision for the global sales team. Frohn has created a legacy of performance

Mexico - Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) has announced the addition of Rafael Covarrubias to the LATAM team as regional sales manager. Covarrubias is responsible for developing new partners and managing existing EAW partners in the region south of the U.S. border.
“We are ecstatic to welcome Rafael to the EAW team,” says T.J. Smith, president of EAW. “He brings with him a thorough understanding of the industry that will assist him in furthering EAW’s goals of being a driving force within the LATAM market.”
Covarrubias comes to EAW with an impressive skillset accumulated from his time in the pro audio and music industries. From budget planning, AV and lighting operation and technical and HR management for live show production, Covarrubias has spent over 20 years forming strong relationships with distributors, retailers and Mexico’s major music shops.
“I

USA - Bandit Lites founder and Chair Michael T. Strickland was honoured with the CMA Foundation Humanitarian Award on 9 November at the 56th Annual CMA Awards live on ABC television.
The seldom given award is provided to “an individual who has served as a humanitarian through community leadership, financial support, personal volunteerism and advocacy.” Previous recipients include Kix Brooks, Vince Gill, Randy Owens, Brad Paisley, Dolly Parton.
“I am indeed humbled to be honoured in this way,” said Strickland. “To be mentioned in the same group as the previous honourees is amazing. But, at the end of it all, it was not me, but it was the millions of great people in the industry that have listened, acted, and taken the time to effect change and take care of one another. Entertainment is a huge family, and we all pulled together starting in 2020 and I was simply

USA - The American Society of Theatre Consultants (ASTC) mourns the loss of long-time member and Fellow, James “Jim” Read, FASTC, who passed away on November 2, 2022.
Read served as a president of the ASTC and was a constant presence at organisation events. Even as he retired from consulting and moved to emeritus status, Read was often present online or in person, always contributing observations and information.
Read was born in Fulton, KY in 1933, where he built his first theatre in his basement, complete with a stage, screen, footlights, and a control booth, in 1948. He rarely strayed far from the business after that. He continued in high school where he and a crew of friends ran a community high school auditorium; he apparently kept up with members of that crew until his death.
Before joining the US Navy as an officer and pilot Read attended the Universit

USA - Renkus-Heinz has announced the appointment of Felicia Lopez, Derryl Webb and Marisa Lainson as trade show & personnel coordinator, customer service manager and marketing manager, respectively.
“As we continue to strengthen our team, we are excited to have the opportunity to work with these dynamic individuals,” said Monika Smetona, president, Renkus-Heinz. “As a 40+ year old company, we are aware of the necessity to bring on board passionate people with new and diverse ideas.”
Felicia Lopez joins the company as trade show & personnel coordinator with an extensive background in customer service, client management and sales & logistics coordination. Lopez most recently worked as a transportation specialist for Adesa Auction Operations.
“I’ve always been passionate about music and live events. After attending my first NAMM in 2018, I

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