CEO Per Eriksson first began DJ'ing in 1974 at the age of 14, and started Starlight Disco in 1980. With a bus, a lighting rig and a Cerwin Vega sound system, he found regular work providing lights and sound to events staged in Sweden's 'People's Parks' - something of a national institution in the 1980s.
It was during this period that Eriksson first encountered Ulf Brynte. The pair worked together in 1989-1990, when Brynte rented Eriksson's van, some equipment and an employee to help service a tour by Swedish songstress Lena Philipsson - a new departure for Eriksson at the time. The following year, Starlight took another step forward when Eriksson bought some equipment from another lighting company which had closed down; he also invested in a Meyer MSL3 system, and further developed the Starlight rental operation over the following years.
The two men worked together again, briefly, in 1998; the following year Brynte joined VLPS Scandinavia - at the time owned by Vari-Lite - as general manager. By the time it was sold off to the Touch Wood Group in 2001, along with the Amsterdam and Brussels VLPS offices, it had doubled its turnover. However, a year later it was struggling: a lack of conventional lighting equipment meant increased sub-hire and dwindling margins. The geographical distance from Brussels and Amsterdam meant that the Stockholm operation was less of a 'fit' in the owners' portfolio, says Brynte; rather than reinvest in equipment, their preference was to sell the company.
Brynte quickly thought of his old associate Per Eriksson at Starlight - a company which he knew held plenty of fully depreciated rental stocks, and had a total package supply philosophy. It didn't take him long to convince Eriksson, and the merger was sealed in September 2003.
Today, Starlight maintains its focus on rock and roll and touring, while the Stockholm office works on one-offs, and some tours. Increasing sales activities is also a main aim for Brynte; while the company remains the exclusive Swedish distributor for Vari-Lite (its only exclusive brand), it also sells equipment from Meyer Sound, Yamaha, Syncrolite and MA Lighting. Increasing its portfolio will be a major aim of the company's presence at Sweden's LLB exhibition this month.
At Avesta today, Eriksson has a full stock of lighting, sound and staging equipment, plus a fleet of mobile stages, trucks and tour buses servicing many of the tours, both national and international, which hit Sweden in the summer. The warehouse is an impressive storehouse of industry history; here can be found elements of the auctioned-off remains of the Millennium Dome's technical infrastructure - including a number of ETC dimming racks and even the perspex weather domes which protected the now infamous Coemar fixtures on the Dome's yellow spires.
The Avesta base is an impressive model of self-sufficiency: 15 full-time staff somehow manage to service and repair the entire fleet (currently 100 vehicles) - including the complete custom fit-out of the tour buses - as well as managing the rental stocks. This hands-on mechanical capability filters down directly from Eriksson, who has a passion for renovating vintage American muscle cars: any number of Mustangs, Corvettes, Barracudas and Challengers in various states of restoration or disintegration can be seen at the Avesta premises.
Sweden's entertainment business is subject to marked seasonal fluctuations. Not only does the brief, treasured summer limit the scope of outdoor entertainment, but the Swedes themselves limit the scope of indo
