Germany - Gerriets GmbH has announced the appointment of Andreas Bickel as executive manager of technical projects and a newly formed position as director of research and development.

Prior to joining the management team at Gerriets Gmbh, Bickel held the position of senior manager of Stage Engineering at Bosch Rexroth AG. During his tenure at Bosch Rexroth, Bickel focused his efforts on stage technology engineering as well as developing standardizations within the group. He also was head of stage engineering and a project manager at Bruger + Fisher GmbH & Co. KG and served in various technical capacities at The Bavarian State Opera and Bavarian Radio in Munich earlier in his career.

Founded in 1946, Gerriets has developed into a specialized company offering products and services to the stage and event markets.

(Jim Evans)

Germany - Absen Optoelectronics Co., Ltd., global manufacturer of high quality LED displays, has appointed Hans Christian Stucken as senior marketing executive for its European operation.

Based at Absen's European headquarters in Rüsselsheim, Germany, Stucken has assumed the lead role in the European Marketing Department, responsible for all of Absen GmbH's marketing activities in the European region, as well as the delivery of the marketing strategy and co-ordination of other marketing goals globally.

Commenting on his new role in Rüsselsheim, a stone's throw from neighbouring Frankfurt am Main, Stucken said: "I am excited to have joined Absen at this crucial point in time of the company's European development." He continued: "As I'm truly passionate about technology, it's impossible for me to work for a company unless I actually believe in the quality of the

USA - QSC has announced the appointment of Cory Schaeffer as director of systems Solutions for QSC Systems.

Schaeffer has been tasked with strengthening QSC's presence in the systems market. In her new role, she will be applying her vision and thought leadership to the development and execution of end user strategies and forging relationships with consultants. In addition, she will be a key contributor to QSC's product development efforts and various marketing initiatives to ensure QSC's continued success in the AV space. She will join recently hired Joey D'Angelo, who is also working as Director of Systems Solutions.

Schaeffer has been in the professional audio industry for over 25 years. She is the co-founder of Listen Technologies Corporation. In her role there, Schaeffer brought assistive listening solutions to more than 30 countries and advocated the importance of the ass

Italy - ETC Italy's Daniele Peroni and Davide Gabbani have moved into new management positions, following the untimely passing of Fulvio Cotogni, ETC's longtime regional manager for Southern Europe and the Middle East. Peroni will step into the role of Southwest Europe regional sales manager, while Gabbani will take on the title of Southeast Europe regional sales manager.

In 2002, Peroni graduated from the film and television school, Institut des Arts de Diffusion (IAD), in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, where he studied lighting. Following his graduation, Peroni began working for television studios in Rome, then joined Link S.r.l., an entertainment-product manufacturer based out of Italy. There he served as a project manager for the American market. In 2011, he began a new job at Luxemburg's Codex Events, serving as production manager for events. Then in 2013, Peroni joined ETC as

UK - With the confirmation of a substantial new contract and the continued growth of major events in the region, UK conference and live event technical services provider Saville Audio Visual has welcomed two new faces to the North West events team.

Sam Ward started her AV career with Saville before moving on to embrace a diverse range of roles within the industry over the last 17 years. Working as business manager from the Manchester office Sam will draw on her wealth of experience in live events to establish new levels of engagement with both existing and prospective clients.

Supporting her in this mission is sales and account manager Jennifer Toothill, herself a specialist with over seven years' experience in high profile corporate client events, venue support and business marketing/advertising management

"We are pleased to announce that our existing contract with

USA - Apollo Design Technology has announced the appointment of Zane Sade as a customer care representative. In this role, Sade provides technical information, product recommendations and helps customers with quotes, processing orders and tracking deliveries. In addition to ensuring customer satisfaction, Sade supports the sales team at Apollo Design.

Prior to joining Apollo Design, Sade worked in various sales and customer service positions. He is also an actor, comedian, voice over artist and theatre technician and works extensively with local theatre groups.

"We are happy to have Zane join our team. He comes from a theatre background, a big plus when helping dealers and understanding our products," said Joel Nichols, president of Apollo Design Technology.

"Apollo is by far the best company I've worked for. I can't wait to develop relationships with my de

UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has announced the appointment of industry figure, Karen Fairlie to the newly created role of business development manager for Scotland.

Karen brings a wealth of local market knowledge and experience to the position, having forged strong relationships with customers and suppliers in Scotland over the past 20 years whilst working in sales management and various support roles.

A well-known figure in the Scottish theatre market, Karen has overseen the supply of leading entertainment technology systems to designers, specifiers, venues, rental and production companies. She has also worked on high-profile projects in the film & TV and public services markets.

Karen is based in the field, with support from AC-ET's Leeds office, and will work alongside the company's sales, marketing and purchasing departments to develop and implement th

USA - PRG Post, a subsidiary of Production Resource Group (PRG) has announced that they will now offer original music creation on site as Bruce Aronson, renowned composer for film and television, has joined their New York studio. Aronson is available to write and record original music during the post-production and production processes.

"It's a major advantage to PRG Post's clients that I am now located at a facility where last minute changes to music tracks can easily be made," says Aronson. "It's also tremendous gaining access to PRG Post's leading-edge surround sound audio mixing suite.

"Clients already come to PRG for their post-production and production needs, making use of PRG's state-of-the-art video editing rooms, colour-grading rooms, and the 5.1 surround sound audio mixing suite. Now for the first time, they can enjoy the benefits of original mu

Finland - Genelec has announced that Thomas Lund has joined as senior technologist. In his new position, Thomas will focus on professional audio, in particular film, broadcast, post production and music production.

Thomas has extensive experience in pro audio development; especially for loudness metering, sound exposure, dose management, true-peak detection, immersive sound and format conversion. From a background in medicine and cross-modal perception, Thomas has taken part in audio standardization globally, and hosted numerous seminars within film, broadcast and music. He is the current convenor of Genelec CLC TX108X/WG3, tasked with preventing hearing loss from spreading because of over-exposure to personal media players (PMPs).

"It is a great privilege to join Genelec Oy, one of the world's best loudspeaker manufacturers, says Thomas. "I worked for 18 years at

USA - Chauvet has appointed Jaime Friedstadt as Director of Business Development & Marketing for Hispanic Markets for the company's Chauvet Professional and Iluminarc divisions. Prior to joining Chauvet, Friedstadt was International Sales Manager of Philips Entertainment. Having been with that company since 2001, he managed Latin American sales of all Philips Entertainment brands, including Vari-Lite, Strand Lighting, Selecon and Showline. Earlier in his career, he was Latin American Sales Manager of Hubbell Lighting.

"The experience Jaime brings to this position dovetails very nicely with our vision of Chauvet's future in the Latin American market," said Albert Chauvet, President and CEO of Chauvet. "Jaime has a keen understanding of the lighting industry and of Latin American business culture. His experience in sales, marketing and business development will he

USA - Elation Professional has announced the addition of lighting industry veteran Gary Fallon to the Elation team. Fallon assumes the role of regional sales manager for Elation's Eastern US region and is based out of the company's South Florida office and warehouse facility.

Fallon is a familiar face to many in the industry, having worked in product and sales management at Martin Professional for 12 years before leaving to establish his own business. "Gary comes to us with vast industry knowledge and experience and knows the value of hard work, discipline and supporting customers above and beyond," stated Elation sales director Eric Loader. "Gary will work to support and continue our growth plans on the East Coast, managing our sales reps and supporting our dealers in the region. I am confident he will fit well into our company culture and growth plans."

USA - Automated Processes, Inc. (API) has announced the appointment of industry veteran Davwinder Sheena as the new regional director of sales, APAC. Sheena joins API with a wealth of experience including studio management and technical operations, as well as directing sales for several top professional audio manufacturers.

"API is committed to growing our presence throughout the Asia Pacific region. With large format consoles in Japan's largest scoring stages, along with our popular 1608 consoles in use from Jakarta to Seoul and on to Mumbai, Davwinder's experience will give us a bold head start in strengthening our distribution network and establishing new relationships throughout the region," says Dan Zimbelman, API's director of sales.

Sheena explains, "I've made a full circle in my career, from running world-class recording studios to working with some of

USA - Bandit Lites has announced the addition of two new team members, Allana Duyungan to the technical service department and Mark Mistal to sales and systems integration.

Prior to joining Bandit, Allana oversaw the lighting for the rehearsal of a dance troupe in Chicago, before moving to Orlando to attend school for lighting. Now as one of Bandit's essential lighting technicians, she will repair, clean and maintain Bandit's vast inventory of moving fixtures.

Mark Mistal's career in the lighting industry spans multiple settings including theatrical, film and television in addition to architectural installations. He also brings with him experience in stage rigging and automation. Previously, Mark was with Carnival Cruise Lines and most recently with Tait.

(Jim Evans)

UK / USA - d3 Technologies has appointed Matthew Cotter as Technical Sales Specialist based on the US West Coast. Cotter has been a lighting director and media programmer for the past 15 years, primarily working in television and on theme park spectaculars. He shared an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series" with his colleagues for Dancing with the Stars in 2014.

Cotter joins a growing US team representing d3 nationwide. "Matthew is a very strong addition to the team, and we're excited to welcome him," says Hans Beijer, Vice President of Sales for d3 Americas. "Matt came highly recommended by mutual friends in the industry and I fully understand why. He's bright, quick, committed and very much hands-on. His start with our team has been both impressive and very pleasant. I'm looking forward to a strong

UK - Aurora, the television and entertainment lighting rental has announced the appointment of Ben Taylor as project manager at their West London operation.

Ben's complete understanding of equipment and production is the result of many years working within the lighting industry in both 'hands-on' and customer support roles.

Having graduated from the Central School of Speech and Drama, Ben gained invaluable experience early in his career working as a freelance lighting tech on a wide variety of production types, from panto to film. Following three years with Trafalgar Lighting, Ben went on to join leading equipment supplier AC Entertainment Technologies ltd, progressing to a senior technical sales position where he was able to further expanded his product knowledge and hone his customer support skills.

As project manager at Aurora, Ben will be liaising with lighting design

UK - PRG XL Video, the UK division of Production Resource Group, is expanding its team specialising in corporate events.

The company has announced the addition of Nick Knowles, who joins as a senior account manager, based at the company's Hemel Hempstead location.

Knowles has worked with PRG XL Video on numerous occasions on a freelance basis, having specialised as a Technical Producer and lead Video Technician on a range of high profile projects including conferences, meetings and brand activations.

Prior to his time as a freelancer, Nick worked at Spirit Design as a lighting designer. His expertise in both lighting and video make him the ideal addition to the newly combined team.

Knowles comments, "After a long productive relationship with XL Video they approached me and asked if I wanted to come on board as part of the team. For me the time was right, and I cou

USA - As Production Resource Group LLC, (PRG) continues to grow globally PRG has continued to extend its senior leadership team. As previously announced, Scott Hansen, who had previously served as both chief financial officer and chief of asset strategy will focus on the asset side of PRG's business. Today, PRG is announcing the appointment of Ryan Schroeter as its chief financial officer.

As CFO, Schroeter will oversee all of the company's financial affairs and work closely with Scott Hansen and the other members of PRG's senior leadership team directing the company's strategic growth and assisting in the Company's capital market transactions.

Prior to joining PRG, Schroeter was vice president corporate finance at Intrepid Aviation, a commercial aircraft leasing company, where he was instrumental in the company's growth and debt origination activities. Previously he held th

UK - The Association of British Theatre Technicians has bestowed its top honour, the ABTT Fellowship, on three outstanding industry individuals, whom the ABTT's Council of Management wish to recognise as having rendered signal service to the technical aspects of the art of the theatre.

David Blyth has been involved in theatre management, in both the commercial and subsidised sectors, for over 35 years.

Between 1983-87 he gained experience with two major West End theatre owners - Maybox Group and Stoll Moss Theatres - before joining Croydon's Fairfield Halls management team as head of operations for the next five years.

He joined The Ambassadors Theatre in Woking as general manager in 1992 and became head of operations for all ATG theatres in 1997.

In 2000, he joined the board of ATG as operations and building development director and in March 2011 he became an e

UK - James Kempf has joined Brilliant Stages as head of systems design. Kempf joins the UK staging company, now based at Production Park Wakefield after three years as the Director of Design for Tait Rigging Group creating world tours for clients including U2, Taylor Swift, Rolling Stones, Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Cirque du Soleil.

Prior to Tait, Kempf spent fifteen years as the Director of Design and Senior Engineer for PRG Scenic Technologies, developing hundreds of corporate and Broadway projects including Lion King, Wicked, Spiderman, and Book of Mormon. Kempf spent six years as an IATSE stagehand and studio mechanic working in feature films including Silence of the Lambs and Shawshank Redemption. Kempf has been awarded 20 US patents, built two Olympics, and also ran away with the circus. He holds degrees in Scenic Design and Entertainment Engineering from Carnegie Mellon a

EMEA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the appointment of Jamie Ward as international sales manager, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa).

Ward has extensive sales and business management experience in the pro audio industry. His previous roles have included regional sales manager with Allen & Heath, sales director UK with Stanton Group and senior sales manager, HPRO EMEA Central, with Harman International.

"I am excited to be joining Community at such an important time in the company's growth and development internationally," said Ward. "With such a strong product offering specifically focused across the commercial and engineered installed sound verticals, there is a huge amount of potential to offer customers the right solutions and support they need."

Ward continued, "With a lot of manufacturing still on site in the US, everyone

UK - Peerless-AV has announced the appointment of Tom Fenton as business development manager, EMEA. Working alongside the UK and export sales teams, Tom will be responsible for growing new business opportunities across all regions.

Tom joins Peerless-AV from one of the major global LFD brands where he held various business development and product management positions within the LFD division; most recently focusing on interactive and professional display products.

"Peerless-AV has worked hard to position itself as a market leader and now is an ideal time to join as the company is experiencing strong growth and the biggest ever ISE is around the corner," said Tom Fenton. "I look forward to working with my new team to develop both the UK and export sides of the business even further in 2016."

Based at Peerless-AV's European Headquarters in Watford, UK, To

USA - LED video display manufacturer PixelFLEX has appointed Alexander Williams as its new director of project management.

"I am very excited to announce Alexander in the newly created position of director of project management," said Monty Rains, PixelFLEX president and COO. "In this role, Alex will lead a team of talented technical and production management professionals who will provide client support for events, installations and direct sales of our PixelFLEX line of products and services."

As a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, Alex has travelled the world working with a number of corporations and touring artists. Prior to joining PixelFLEX, he made his start in the entertainment industry as a video engineer, and has also worked as a video director, sales engineer, and in project management for other corporations.

(Jim Evans)

USA - It is with great sadness that Syncrolite, LLC announces that Jimmy Page Henderson passed away on 5 January, 2016. Since 1969 Jimmy has been a fixture in rock 'n roll touring and concert promotion. His roots went deep into the heart of our industry starting with concert promotions, night club management and then joining founder Jack Calmes at Showco in 1972 as their first and only salesman. Jimmy saw it all and came to know everyone as he helped grow Showco from a simple two system sound company to a complete production company doing over 2000 live performances per year worldwide.

After leaving Showco in 1978 and working another round of concert promotion and venue management, Jimmy again teamed with Calmes to help build Syncrolite in 1991. Working at Syncrolite for the next 24 years Jimmy and Jack grew Syncrolite into the world leader in large format lighting for concerts

UK - Chroma-Q has announced the appointment of Jessica Allan, in a new international business development role.

With immediate effect, Jessica is responsible for overseeing development of the Chroma-Q brand in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) and APAC (Asia-Pacific) international sales territories. This position is a result of Chroma-Q's continued strong ongoing growth in the global entertainment and commercial lighting markets.

Based in the UK, Jessica will work closely with Chroma-Q's brand manager, John Fuller, to promote their fast-growing portfolio of lighting solutions designed for entertainment, film & TV, architectural and other key market segments.

Jessica established her career at Martin Professional, progressing during her 14 years from their UK subsidiary to the company's Danish headquarters. She then moved into an events and production-focussed busines

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