Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
Renkus-Heinz - Banner - May 2025

People

Details
UK - Television lighting rental specialists Version 2 has announced a management reshuffle at its Reading operation with Emma Gale now as general manager, Sam Crook as technical operations manager, and Joe Marter as sales operations manager.
Emma has a strong track record in management and was instrumental in the transformation and growth of an independent transport company. “I am new to the lighting industry but can apply my skillsets in the various aspects of running a business to Version 2. I have always been responsible for vehicles being in the right place at the right time. Here it’s about delivering lights to a studio or location on schedule - the logistics are the same and I’m fast finding out about TV lighting.”
Meanwhile, long-serving Version 2 stalwart Sam Crook will continue to oversee equipment preparation procedures, equipment specification and pr

Details
UK - Sound Technology, exclusive distributor of Martin Professional in the UK, has appointed Avril Cook as technical sales support in its professional lighting division.
Cook comes to Sound Technology with over 14 years of experience as a lighting technician within theatre, touring and live events most recently as deputy head of lighting at The Old Vic, and previously as deputy head of lighting at Hampstead Theatre. Her CV also includes a spell at the ENO, and freelance, design and education work within the lighting industry.
Cook will be providing product advice and demonstrations of Martin fixtures to rental companies, dealers, venues and lighting professionals, working alongside Sound Technology’s lighting sales and support teams.
“I’m excited to be joining Sound Technology in the role of technical sales support and am eager to get out and promote the
Doughty - Banner - 9-14 May 2025

Details
UK - VDC Trading has promoted Herpreet Kaur Singh to the role of commercial director. She will now be responsible for the commercial aspect of the business for the whole of the UK and export and will oversee and assist the continuing growth of VDC and the Van Damme brand in multiple markets across the world.
Herpreet, who joined VDC in 2014, previously managed VDC’s export and customer services department. “I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to be able to expand my role in this way,” she says. “We have weathered an incredibly difficult time during the pandemic and have emerged more resilient with so much to look forward to. Van Damme as a brand has never been stronger and VDC has many interesting projects in the pipeline - both domestically and internationally. I’m excited to drive the commercial side of the business and look forward to continuing to

Details
Europe - Elation Professional has welcomed experienced industry professional Jonas Stenvinkel to its European-based sales team. Jonas, a native Swede who works from a base in London, joined the growing Elation sales department on 1 March and is tasked with overseeing some of the company’s most important growth markets including Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa.
Stenvinkel, a 20-year industry veteran, brings with him broad international sales and marketing experience and has a proven track record in leading sales teams to new goals and growth. He comes to Elation from a similar position at Ayrton. His industry journey began at Martin Professional in 2003, which included a three-year assignment in Singapore as managing director for Martin’s APAC office. He later moved to London to work for Harman International in a senior EMEA role.

Details
USA - Silver Spoon continues to augment its realtime animation and virtual production capabilities with the hiring of new head of production, Angela Cardetti. The recent enlistment follows the studio’s expansion of operations to Los Angeles in addition to their New York base.
Angela Cardetti has over 15 years of experience in technical production across multiple disciplines of audio, video and lighting in both the broadcast and live event industries. In her previous role as director of video services for Brainhub Powering ETP, she led the crew responsible for designing and executing complex video systems for large-scale corporate events and entertainment touring projects.
Cardetti states: “I am thrilled to be at the intersection of creativity and technology with Silver Spoon, a clear leader in the world of virtual production. With the rapid growth we are experien

Details
USA - After more than nine years at ARRI - three of which spent as an executive board member - Markus Zeiler has decided to accept a new professional challenge, ARRI reports.
Prof. Dr. Hans-Joerg Bullinger, chairman of the supervisory board at ARRI, comments: “On behalf of the supervisory board, I would like to thank Markus Zeiler for his outstanding efforts and accomplishments for the ARRI Group. We deeply regret this decision, but wish him all the best personally and professionally. We look forward to working with Markus Zeiler on joint projects in the future.”
Zeiler came to ARRI as general manager business unit lighting in 2013. In this position, his responsibilities included the successful introduction of the LED soft light platform SkyPanel, for which ARRI was awarded an Engineering Emmy this past year. Zeiler was most recently in charge of the business units

Details
USA - Obsidian Control Systems has expanded its team with two experienced members tasked with providing support, programming advice and training capabilities for customers.
Matthew Gerardi will lead Obsidian Control Systems’ Technical Support division with focus on Onyx, Netron and Capture, working out of Obsidian’s HQ in Los Angeles. Gerardi comes to Obsidian with an extensive background as a technical director and lighting technician. In his new role, he will work alongside Obsidian users to evolve Onyx, and will focus on Onyx and Netron training sessions throughout the US, in person and online.
Meanwhile, Hector Rojo joins Obsidian’s Latin American team to lead the Onyx support division for Mexico, Central and South America, along with other Spanish-speaking areas across the globe. He brings with him an extensive technical background as a lighting designer, li

Details
USA - Tributes have been paid to Juan ‘JC’ Faxas, who passed away unexpectedly on 12 February. A former employee of the ADJ Group of Companies, he leaves behind a devoted wife, two daughters, and many friends who were drawn to his outgoing personality and keen sense of humour. 
Juan Faxas, known to his many friends and colleagues as JC, was born on 21 February 1962. At the age of six, his family fled communist Cuba for the US. Settling in California, JC attended South California Military Academy, Long Beach, as well as Warren High School, and graduated in 1980. Music was a passion for him from an early age; JC enjoyed singing and playing guitar as well as playing other artistes’ music as a DJ. In 1977, while still at High School, he founded Discomania and performed at weddings and parties throughout Los Angeles. He quickly exp

Details
Belgium - Installation and touring loudspeaker manufacturer Audiofocus has announced two senior additions to its international sales team.
Håkan Sjöö has been appointed to the position of EMEA sales manager, with responsibility for developing and expanding the brand’s distribution partnerships. Luc Haubursin has also joined the team as commercial business development manager, with a specific focus on sales growth in Africa and the Benelux countries.
Håkan brings international sales experience with pro audio brands including Powersoft, Renkus-Heinz, and Holoplot. Luc also has a proven track record in the pro AV industry, with business development experience at Chauvet Europe and with AED Distribution.
“We are delighted to welcome Håkan and Luc to the Audiofocus family,” says managing director, Ann Leroy. “As part of our Audiofocus 2.0 journey, we a

Details
UK - London venue Troxy has announced the appointment of Jools Butterfield as operations manager. With over 25 years of experience within the event industry and 20+ years in managerial roles, Jools will be providing insight and invaluable experience from the ground up.
Jools will be making the transition from his most recent role as senior festivals manager Vision Nine His responsibilities included event manager for the NASS festival, assistant event manager for Boardmasters festival and the overall creation of the strategy and approach of all Vision Nine events.
In previous roles, he spent 15 years as Lovebox founder and festival manager, latterly being part of Live Nation where he was instrumental in the ongoing success of Citadel and Wilderness Festivals.
Simon Eaton, head of live at Troxy, comments: “Having spent many years working alongside Jools at MAMA

Details
UK - Solotech UK has announced the appointment of Rich Rowley to the role of general manager for its Redditch facility. Rowley joins Solotech with 30 years’ experience in the live productions Industry. Reporting to UK MD Bryce Jewell, Rowley will oversee operations supporting the live productions, sales and systems integration business for Solotech’s UK companies, including SSE Audio, Wigwam, Capital Sound and BCS Audio.
Rowley previously held roles as director at XL Video and as chief sales officer for PRG in the UK. Most recently, he has been general manager at Adlib, where he helped oversee the company’s transition from an audio supplier to a full 360 audio, lighting and video service provider.
Rich is no stranger to the Solotech family, having been hire manager in Redditch for SSE Audio between 2004 and 2006. During his time at SSE, he worked on many projects

Details
Germany - Lighting designer and DP Ben Díaz has joined ARRI Lighting as senior product manager. Based in Stephanskirchen. He will focus on the development of high-quality LED lighting fixtures and accessories.
Together with Florian Bloch, head of product management at ARRI Lighting, and the team, Ben Díaz will play an integral role in the planning, development, introduction, and life cycle management of new ARRI lighting products. Ben Díaz is a senior executive specialised in LED lighting technology. He is also a lighting designer, director of photography, and educator with more than 15 years of experience in the industry.
After several seasons directing lighting for television shows and designing tours for international artists, Ben Díaz joined the Danish manufacturer SGM Light in 2014, where he first worked as area manager and later as business development direc

Details
Japan - German audio technology and solutions company d&b audiotechnik has appointed Ayumi Hanano as Soundscape business development manager for Japan.
In this role, Hanano will be supporting Japanese users on both the technical and commercial aspects of d&b’s Soundscape System, with additional regional support. Hanano, who will be based in the d&b office in Yokohama, will report to both Hideki Yajima, managing director, d&b Japan, and Anand Narayanan, d&b president, APAC.
“We have seen success with both Soundscape and SL-Series throughout Japan, and Ayumi joins us at a great time to help build on this momentum and develop the markets further,” says Yajima. “Ayumi has a wealth of knowledge and experience throughout Japan and the APAC region. She will be working closely with end customers, system integrators and content creators to help demon

Details
UK - Sound Technology, exclusive distributor of Martin Professional in the UK, has appointed Joshua Wakley as area sales manager in its professional lighting division.
Wakley has been working in the theatre & live events industry for 13 years starting out as a lighting technician for regional venues in the south west. As the technical manager with The Redgrave Theatre, he oversaw investment and development into the venue, producing multiple in-house shows and attracting a range of commercial hires.
Wakley joined the customer service team at SLX in 2018 before becoming business development manager where he supplied and supported national venues, production companies and touring shows as well as event production companies & the corporate sector. Most recently, Wakley has added tools to his portfolio as a health & safety inspector & fire risk assessor. <

Details
Germany - Riedel Communications has welcomed Craig Thompson as executive director of the company's new customer success department. In his new role, Thompson will oversee operations for the department, which was created to deliver a frictionless experience for customers - from the initial demo and system design to training, delivery, and post-sales support - while expanding the company's services portfolio and associated revenue streams.
“With the creation of our customer success department, we're realising our vision of customer-centric operations, while preparing a solid foundation to support a product portfolio of hardware and software products,” comments Rik Hoerée, CEO product division at Riedel Communications. “With an impressive record of improving customer satisfaction, exceeding sales targets, and managing world-class services teams, Craig is a natural fit to

Details
Singapore - Ayrton has announced the further expansion of its international team with the appointment of Vijay Thaygarajoo as regional sales manager for Asia Pacific. The appointment takes effect from 1 February 2022.
Vijay brings over 10 years of industry experience in the region, working with Ayrton’s local distributor and as regional sales manager for a number of industry manufacturers.
“I am very excited to be joining the amazing team at Ayrton,” says Vijay. “As the RSM of Ayrton, I will be responsible for maintaining and building relationships with current distributors as well as appointing new distributors around the APAC region, with the aim of progressing and further strengthening the Ayrton brand and image in this part of the world.
“I’ve seen the quality of Ayrton lighting over the years and am very impressed with the full range of lighting

Details
Singapore - Pixotope has announced two new hires in their Asia Pacific leadership team.
Matthew Ma, former employee of Amazon Web Services and Avid, joins the company as general manager for North Asia. Matthew will be directly responsible for driving regional sales and advising on the regional functions of marketing operations, including developing distribution channels and building strategic relationships. The key locations for North Asia include China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.
Matthew states, “I am delighted to start a new chapter with Pixotope in this exciting period for Virtual Production. Having worked with the North Asia market for media and web technologies for many years, a key focus for this role will be building relationships with partners and ensuring consistent growth as Pixotope expands further across the region.”
With more tha

Details
Europe - K-array has announced the promotion of Francesco Maffei to area sales manager for EMEA. In his new position, Francesco will oversee the company’s sales and marketing activities and initiatives throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Francesco Maffei has been a long standing member of the K-array family with an extensive knowledge of the products, brand and has been an integral part of the growth of K-array over the last 20 years.
President of K-array Alessandro Tatini says: “We’re delighted that Francesco is taking the reins on EMEA. His deep understanding of the brand which he has helped to build over the years, our products, business know-how and leadership skills, will further strengthen K-array in EMEA with our story of passion, innovation and performance, in the exciting era ahead.”
Francesco Maffei comments: “I am really excited to ta

Details
The Netherlands - Follow-Me has announced two new members of its team - Victor Petitjean and Sander van der Meij.
Victor Petitjean is a French software developer, living in the Netherlands for five years. “I’m excited to finally discover the secrets behind the scene and to do my best to make show lighting even better,” he says.
Follow-Me founder and lead product developer, Erik Berends states: “Victor’s strong background in computer graphics matches perfectly with Follow-Me's ambition for upcoming product releases, we are excited to have him onboard.”
Based in the Netherlands, Sander van der Meij has been in the entertainment industry for almost 20 years as a lighting technician, rigger, dimmer tech, system tech and more recently as crew chief and project manager.
Product manager Tim van Dijk, who will be working closely with Sander in the Foll

Details
USA - Fulcrum Acoustic has announced Scott Pizzo will join as the U.S national sales manager. In this role, Pizzo will be responsible for overseeing the US sales rep network and coordinating the activities of Fulcrum’s rep force.
“Scott and I first worked together at EAW back in the early 2000s,” says Fulcrum Acoustic director of sales Todd Foster. “When we decided we were ready to expand the team, Scott was the first call that I made. He brings an impressive knowledge of the industry with him, and we are excited for his expertise as we look ahead.”
Scott is joining us at the perfect time,” says Fulcrum Acoustic president Stephen Siegel. “Todd Foster has done a tremendous job single-handedly managing our North American sales effort since 2013. Now, the growing interest in our products presents us with more opportunities than he can manage alone. Todd and

Details
Austria - AV Stumpfl has announced the creation of a new management position inside their screens sales department. On 1 January, Jan Walter joined the team as global business development manager, screens.
Walter began his AV industry career as a field application engineer and recently worked as a senior regional sales manager for an internationally known technology manufacturer. The focus of his new role will be expanding AV Stumpfl‘s international projection screens distribution network.
Walter comments: "Ever since I started working in the wider area of projection technology, AV Stumpfl screens have been a household name. I always associated their products with the highest quality possible and a great drive towards innovation. I see great potential for expanding the existing distribution network further and am looking forward to tackling this exciting challenge."<

Details
UK - Production services company Full Production has appointed a new director of live events and touring. Marc Thornton steps into the role after several years as lighting director and programmer for artists including Foals, Charli XCX and Goldfrapp. He will be overseeing the live events and music arm of the business.
Marc is a BRIT school graduate who began working alongside Full Production MD Steve Richardson early on in his career, whilst they were both working at White Light. Marc worked with Full Production as part of a successful freelance career for the past eight years, before joining the company on a temporary contract in February 2021. He played an integral part in some of Full Production’s biggest projects of 2021, including the Warwick Castle Sundown Spectacular.
“I’m delighted to be coming on board full time with the team at Full Production,” adds

Details
UK - Solotech has announced two significant appointments to its UK management team. Ryan Thomas and Phil Goldsworthy have taken over UK sales and systems integration leadership for SSE Audio, Wigwam Acoustics, Capital Sound and BCS Audio.
Both will report to Solotech UK MD Bryce Jewell and work in close collaboration with Solotech Live Productions leaders as well as overseeing corporate functions. They take over after the departure of Alex Penn, who served as sales and systems integration managing director at SSE Audio before leaving to pursue other professional interests.
Goldsworthy brings over 17 years of experience at Wigwam Acoustics and two years as the UK Group’s systems integration manager to his new role as head of systems integration.
Thomas will serve as head of sales for Solotech’s UK companies. With over 20 years of experience in various pro aud

Details
Europe - zactrack International has welcomed Alistair Smyth, a long-time veteran of the industry, as the company’s new brand manager.
After earning a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Kingston University London, he has worked for Vari-Lite, High End Systems, Christie Lites, A.C. Entertainment Technologies and Flashlight. Most recently, he was a technical sales advisor at Elation, where he was responsible for product demonstrations, sales support and technical communication.
Reflecting on his new role, Smyth says: “I am proud to join the Lightpower family of companies and be a member of the zactrack International team. I look forward to meeting our valued distributors, customers and users. The zactrack products are amazing and we believe they will revolutionize tracking in many areas of our industry. As part of the team here, we can work together to h
  1. HOF expands management team
  2. Nuri Waheishi passes away
  3. StageSmarts strengthens HQ team
  4. Bluesound adds North American sales manager
  5. Area Four Industries promotes Will Todd
  6. Nettlefold joins Audiologic as business manager
Page 23 of 190
PLASA Leeds 2025 - Large MPU - April 2025
Showlight (Tickets) - MPU - Jan 2025

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