UK - Pearce Hire has shared the news of the passing of team member and friend, John Huson.
“John dedicated over 20 years to Pearce Hire and was an invaluable part of the team. His deep knowledge and love for lighting and event technology, coupled with his skills in the digital world made him an exceptional part of the team.
Beyond his technical expertise, John will be remembered for his unique ability to inject humour into every situation, brightening even the most challenging times. His quick wit and warm personality made him not just a colleague, but a cherished friend and he will truly be missed by us all.
As we remember John, our thoughts are with his family whom he was extremely proud of and loved enormously.
If you would like to share your memories of John with the family then please use this form

UK - Panalux has announced the hiring of lighting-industry veteran Sandro Leone as the company’s long form sales director. In this role, Leone will focus on serving feature and series productions in London and Southeast England.
“Sandro brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in lighting rentals,” said Panalux managing director Mark Furssedonn. “Additionally, his previous roles in camera rental give him a keen perspective on how the equipment and service offerings of the larger Panavision group can further support our customers’ needs. We’re thrilled to welcome Sandro to the Panalux family.”
Leone previously served as head of sales at Procam Take 2 Films, and prior to that as head of film and drama at Filmscape Media. Those positions followed 17 years with Arri Lighting Rental.
“I feel lucky to be part of the incredible team here at Panalux,

UK - Stage Electrics Group has announced that the company’s present managing director, Dave Coull, has been appointed as the company’s group chief executive officer.
Announcing the change, the company’s chairman, William Rogers, said, “Given the tremendously strong recovery the business has made from the trials of Covid and the positive transformation that the company has been undergoing over the last three years, this appointment not only reflects upon the outstanding job that Dave has done, but also highlights the ambition we have as a business to build our company into a group of operations that sit at the professional heart of our sector.
“We have a simply outstanding team of people at Stage Electrics Group, and it is fitting that one of our next steps is to establish the foundations upon which the ambitions we have can be built. This appointment is one

UK - Audiologic has announced a number of strategic changes in its operations to capitalise on significant growth in 2023.
Effective 8 January 2024, Kristy Shepherd joins Audiologic as senior marketing manager bringing two decades of marketing experience from the audio visual industry, including 13 years at Reflex, and more recently running her own marketing company.
Shepherd states: “I started in the audio-visual industry at the same time as Audiologic was founded, so whilst developing my career, Audiologic has always been alongside me as a trusted and respected brand. To now be a part of the team that I have grown with, is an exciting opportunity to build out and execute on a defined go-to-market strategy.”
Effective 2 January 2024, Laura Davidson moves from internal sales to take on the role of an internal business manager.
Stuart Leader, senior sale

UK - JHS has announced the appointment of Carla Gracia Calvo as business development manager responsible for international export territories and distributor business.
Spanish born Carla will focus on JHS’s propriety brands including Fret King, Vintage, Encore, Rapier, Odyssey, PP, Kinsman and KAM Audio.
Managing Director Paul Smith commented, “We are extremely fortunate to have found a multi-lingual experienced professional, who is passionate about music and skilled in international sales.”
"I'm proud to start working with JHS, representing some of the best brands in the business on the world stage,” says Carla. “This exciting new chapter will grant me the opportunity to combine two of my greatest passions, travelling the world and connecting with people through music.

USA - Altman Lighting has hired Joe Cervone as the new manager of sales support services. With nearly 40 years in the industry, Cervone will coordinate with other department heads on everything that impacts sales, from engineering to product development. Cervone will also work with the regional sales managers on their sales efforts, advising on availability of materials and products in the factory.
Cervone makes his home in the Denver, Colorado area and in addition to his role with Altman, owns the Picadilly Music Group, which is a multi-company production and recording entity that provides voice, music and scoring talent to the film, television, radio and spoken word industries from Picadilly Studios in Centennial, Colorado.
Bill Groener, COO of Altman, is looking forward to having Cervone on the team: “As we continue to build the Altman Lighting team here in Denv

UK - 4Wall UK has welcomed industry veteran Graham Miller to the team as a director of live events. Graham, who has been working in the events industry for over 30 years, joins 4Wall’s Aylesbury location to focus on delivering live events to major concert tours and festivals across the UK and Europe.
Graham started his career in Scotland in audio-visual services, before moving to London to work on bigger shows. After working as a video engineer full-time in London, Graham worked as a freelance touring video engineer for 10 years working with several major touring artists.
Prior to joining 4Wall, Graham worked as a full-time project manager before taking on the role of head of music and entertainment at Creative Technology.
Graham says of his new role: “I am excited to join 4 Wall, it is a dynamic progressive company with a vision to take the live music and t

Canada - CAST Group of Companies has announced the promotion of Dekkar Densham to the position of sales manager, and the appointment of David Ferraz as international business development manager.
Since joining in 2017 as BlackTrax Sales Specialist and quickly advancing to the role of Solutions Manager in 2021, Dekkar Densham has proven himself as an integral part of the team. In this new capacity as sales manager, Dekkar will stand at the forefront of CAST’s sales strategy. Dekkar will lead initiatives to push BlackTrax, the real-time tracking solution, Vivien, the virtual event designer and wysiwyg the lighting previsualization products ‘further than ever before’.
Dekkar shares, “I look forward to bringing BlackTrax confidently into even more use cases it was never conceived to handle when it was released over 10 years ago. There’s no denying that our commu

UK - Shure has announced a new sales structure. Led by José A. Rivas, vice president and chief sales officer at Shure, the new global sales structure was reengineered to be closer to customers and end users. The new structure will cover six geographic sales organisations to maximise the global presence of the company - North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia and Pacific.
“This new organisational structure has been designed to enhance operational efficiencies and expedite growth initiatives, aligning Shure for success in the ever-evolving market landscape,” said Rivas. “We believe this change will allow us to be more connected with our customers and end users and will bring our extraordinary solutions even closer to the market.”
Marco Weissert, associate vice president at Shure will lead Europe. Ma

Italy - Powersoft has announced the appointment of Takis Tsonopoulos as business development manager for the MEA region. In his new role, effective from 1 February 2024, Tsonopoulos will be responsible for new and existing clients and working closely with high-level decision-makers in the region.
Tsonopoulos brings over 30 years of industry experience to his new role and joins Powersoft from Harman International, where he worked as an account manager, overseeing professional audio distributor accounts for the south EMEA regions.
“For me, quality is not only about the products of the brand, but also the level of support, people behind the company and the overall experience working with a brand. I am confident that Powersoft exceeds expectations in each of these aspects,” he says.
Looking forward to opportunities in the Middle East and Africa market, Tsonopou

UK - Owing to the demand in services, Artistic Solutions has appointed a regional hire manager to oversee operations north of the border in Scotland. Neil McCallum is based in Fife, and his primary role will be to continue to support clients into 2024 and beyond.
Neil joins Artistic Solutions with considerable experience, with a strong background in live theatre working with both professional and amateur organisations. His expertise will cover hire, sales and installations.

Italy - K-array, is marking the beginning of 2024 with a series of new appointments aimed at strengthening the brand’s development on a global scale, with a focus on the AV market. Internally, Francesco Maffei, Simone Rossoni, Daniel Strasserra and Lorenzo De Poi are adopting new and strategic roles within the company, whilst well-known industry name, Vincenzo Borelli, joins K-array in the role of business development manager focused on the live events market.
Francesco Maffei, formerly area sales manager EMEA, has been appointed to the new role of sales director. In this role, Maffei will oversee commercial efforts across all regions. “Having been part of the K-array story since the beginning, I'm very proud and excited to take on this new role,” he states.
Also joining the sales team, Simone Rossoni will be responsible for driving growth and providing comprehen

USA - Obsidian Control Systems has announced the addition of Daniel Boerner to its expanding global team as a newly appointed technical support and training specialist. Daniel started in the new position in November and uses his expertise in lighting control to support Obsidian’s Netron line of data distribution products. Over time, his role will extend to encompass support for all products under the Obsidian brand.
Daniel brings experience from his previous position at Acuity Brands, where he served as a technical support specialist for six distinct product lines. Additionally, he served as coach, author, and publisher for a Knowledge Centered Service (KCS) programme, contributing content for customer-facing troubleshooting and training.
In his new role at Obsidian, Daniel’s primary responsibilities encompass firmware/software testing, customer support, and the cr

UK - HH Audio has announced the appointment of Kyle Watson to the post of product manager. Kyle has been a member of the Headstock family for more than a year, having worked as an after-sales & service coordinator across the group’s brands. Prior to that he gained sales experience at PMT’s Birmingham store.
HH Audio director of international sales Ian Wright comments, “Kyle’s skills and experience, combined with a keen interest in the development of audio technology, mark him out as an excellent candidate for his new role. He’s a strong communicator with a ready feel for the needs of the market who understands exactly how our products and our business work.”
Visitors to this year’s edition of ISE in Barcelona can meet Kyle on HH’s Booth 7L760 where he will be part of the team introducing a number of new products to the market. He comments: “I’m

Germany - Holoplot has announced the appointment of Jocelyne Bückner as its new head of marketing. Based in Germany, Bückner brings over 15 years of marketing experience gained in various senior positions, including her latest leadership role at d&b audiotechnik as director of brand and corporate communications.
Reporting to Holoplot CEO, Roman Sick, Bückner comments: “Holoplot has elevated the sound control race to a different level. But what impressed me even more was the contemporary nature of the company. Among all the brands in the market, Holoplot has such an interesting story, and the company messaging is cutting-edge and personally resonated with me.”
“Jocelyne brings a strong strategic capability and unwavering energy to the team, coupled with a growth mindset,” concludes Sick. “As we expand our market presence, manifesting and building relati

USA - The recently launched music community platform We Are Giant has announced the addition of live music and entertainment executive David Rappaport to its board of directors. The chief operating officer of global touring at AEG Presents will serve as a strategic advisor to We Are Giant founding CEO Andy Apple and his executive leadership team.
Rappaport is an industry professional who brings a deep tenure of experience across live entertainment and artist relations. Before joining AEG Presents, Rappaport also served as head of artist relations (Americas) at YouTube Music / Google, where he spearheaded new education and strategy initiatives geared towards artists, management companies, and agencies.
“David’s leadership and many years of experience executing deals - in addition to building deep relationships across genres - will contribute to our success as we co

UK - The theatre industry is mourning the loss of Martin McCallum (6 April 1950 - 14 January 2024), FRSA, who passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on 14 January. Former president of the Society of London Theatre and advisor to the Arts Council, McCallum was a pioneering British theatrical producer who left a long-lasting mark on the world of theatre. With a career spanning over 500 shows, McCallum’s contributions to the theatre sector were ground-breaking and transformative.
Starting his career as an assistant stage manager at the Castle Theatre in Farnham, under the mentorship of Laurence Olivier at the Old Vic, Martin became a production manager for the National Theatre of Great Britain. His contributions were instrumental in the National’s move to London’s South Bank, where he managed notable productions such as Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journe

USA - Following its recent partnership with PK Sound, ACT Entertainment has set out to enhance its professional live sound division with the appointment of several new industry experts.
Included among them is Ralph Mastrangelo, who takes on the role of director of sales: live sound; as well as Richard ‘Rick’ Coleman, who will serve as outside sales representative: live sound and Joe Langholt, as product specialist: live sound. The new team members will be in attendance at the 2024 NAMM Show.
“We are thrilled to welcome these three experienced industry professionals,” says Ben Saltzman, CEO, ACT Entertainment. “Their experience in the live sound industry makes them all great additions to our team. We are eager for them to use their expertise and skills to contribute to ACT’s mission of helping our customers realise their creative vision.”
A New York

UK - ETC has announced the promotion of Matt Cowles to associate regional manager for the UK and Ireland. In his new role, Cowles will continue to manage sales activities for key accounts in the region whilst assisting regional sales manager, Jeremy Roberts in developing stronger relationships with ETC’s dealers and specifiers.
Matt joined ETC in 2019 as a field project coordinator, managing projects across the UK and providing technical sales for ETC’s customers. Prior to this, he had over 17 years of experience working in the industry.
Jeremy Roberts comments: “Matt has made an exceptionally positive contribution to the work of the ETC London office with his customer focus, technical ability and care for colleagues. This new role will allow him to become more proactive in the increasingly busy UK market; assisting in managing key accounts and contin

Europe - Void Acoustics has announced the appointment of Patrick Leiner as regional sales manager for Europe.
Patrick brings considerable expertise from his previous roles in B2B sales at Pioneer DJ/Pro Audio and Grundig in Austria.
Alex Skan, managing director, at Void Acoustics, said: "We are delighted to welcome Patrick to the Void team. His background and deep understanding of the industry make him the perfect fit to lead our sales efforts in the EMEA region. Patrick has an authentic enthusiasm for audio technology, an incredibly valued part of what makes Void Acoustics special."
Patrick Leiner, regional sales manager for Europe, said: "I am thrilled to be part of Void, a company that is synonymous with innovation and excellence in the audio technology space. Working in the AV sector for two decades, Void’s sound systems have a proven reputation as one of

Australia - Jeromy Young, co-founder of Atomos, has returned to the business as managing director and CEO. Young, who was previously CEO of Atomos for over 10 years, retired from executive duties in November 2021 to pursue other business and personal interests. Several of his subsequent business activities were aligned with the broader video technology industry, and he will bring that wider perspective to his existing knowledge of Atomos and its markets.
“I feel privileged and very excited to be back at the head of the company I helped to build. I have a very clear vision of how to return Atomos to a powerful and growing tech company and I’m already working with the team to realize this,” commented Young. “The last year has been a challenging one for many companies in the broadcast and professional video industry, Atomos included, but there are some green shoots and

USA - Lighting industry professional Koy Neminathan, who joined Elation as director of business development in May of 2023, has now transitioned to a business development position with Obsidian Control Systems, the company’s lighting control brand.
Neminathan is now wholly focusing on the Obsidian range of lighting control and data distribution products. “As the company continues to invest in Obsidian, I find myself naturally gravitating towards control and I see huge potential for Onyx and Netron,” he commented. “I want to use my experience and knowledge to expand the global presence for the brand, ensuring that Obsidian is represented by the best distributors around the world and becomes synonymous within all segments of our market.”
Before joining Elation, the industry veteran served as sales director at lighting console manufacturer Avolites, where he wo

USA - Christie’s principal product developer Mike Perkins, has been awarded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award in Scientific and Engineering, along with three other recipients, for his work on the design and development of the Christie E3LH projection system, developed in partnership with Dolby Laboratories. The Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards honour individuals and companies whose discoveries and innovations have contributed in significant and lasting ways to motion pictures.
The Christie E3LH Dolby Vision Cinema Projection System is the first projector to bring both high dynamic range (HDR) and wide colour gamut (WCG) technologies to the viewing audience. The system can be used as a single projector head or dual projector head configuration with a patented relay lens that enables 3D stereoscopic presentations with full brightness and simult

UK - The Academy of Live Technology confers Honorary Fellowships upon individuals in recognition of their significant commitment and contribution to the live entertainment and creative industries. The 2023 Graduation Ceremony, hosted on Saturday 2 December in Production Park’s Studio 005, saw the Honorary Fellowship awarded to Sarah Rushton-Read.
Her career spans over 30 years. Having initially stepped into the creative industries as an actress, she moved into stage management in 1985 and then successfully into lighting design and management for theatre, opera and ballet, working at leading venues including The Royal Opera House and Glyndebourne Opera.
After a brief stint as a production manager at PRG, Sarah swerved into garden and architectural lighting design, whilst also co-running an events lighting company.
In 2002, Sarah became assistant editor at LSi a

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