UK - Event production and audio-visual Installation company, Spotlight Sound has announced that Ashton Gold will join the team as account manager.
Ashton comes to Spotlight Sound from The Lion Inn in Boreham where she was the event planner.
“I will be fundamental in liaising between the client and technicians from the planning to execution of their event,” says Ashton. “My role means that the technicians can fully concentrate on the production of the event and I can make sure everything else runs smoothly.”
Sam Dimond, director of Spotlight Sound adds: “We

The Netherlands - Rogier Trok is joining the Avolites international team as sales and technical key account manager for mainland Europe, where he will be based in the Netherlands, and overseeing and co-ordinating with the pan-European distribution network there.
His work will include assisting distributors with sales and demonstrations as well as console and media server training.
Rogier brings onboard 20 years of rental company experience as a lighting technician, lighting designer and project manager. He also worked at Avolites’ Dutch distributor, Fairlight, providing

USA - Ayrton has announced the appointment of Scott Kinnebrew to the role of global install manager as part of Ayrton’s Global Installs team, with immediate effect. Kinnebrew, who is based in the US, has extensive experience, working with industry-leading brands.
“In my new role I’ll be helping others find the right products for environments such as amusement parks, arenas, cruise ships, theatres, stadiums, and other locations and venues,” says Kinnebrew. “Illuminating such locations brings a different challenge from the rental and staging world. Shows can run 24 hours a

UK - Area Four Industries UK has appointed Theresa Gibson to the newly created role of head of marketing.
After four years as head of marketing for Robe Lighting UK, she brings extensive experience across the sector.
This new appointment represents ‘a strategic pillar’ for the business as Area Four Industries approaches its 30-year anniversary, providing a pivotal support function to the UK sales team, working closely with HQ in Czech Republic, and its major global manufacturing divisions, international colleagues and extensive brand portfolio.
Area Four Industries

Germany - The Liftket Group has announced the appointment of Benjamin Göldner as vice-president of stage, with effect from 1 March 2024.
Göldner, who joined Liftket as head of purchasing in 2017 and took over the management of Chainmaster GmbH in 2021, brings extensive experience and expertise to the new role. Together with Jürgen Dlugi and Thomas Birke, Benjamin Göldner will form the management team of the Liftket Group.
The purpose of creating this position is to improve communication and efficiency in the stage area and to drive strategic growth. The focus will be o

Europe - Absen has strategically bolstered its European team with the addition of four individuals. Joining the team are:
Darren Jackson, UK business development manager, AbsenLive: Bringing 14 years of management and business development experience, Jackson will spearhead AbsenLive, a dedicated brand category catering to the high-end rental & staging and virtual production/XR stage segments. His expertise will be instrumental in shaping Absen's strategy and capitalising on the evolving LED display market.
River Harper-Boyce, marketing specialist: River's proven market

USA - ACT Entertainment has announced that Miles Dudgeon has come aboard as New York City Metro regional salesperson. Dudgeon brings extensive industry experience and knowledge of the eastern US sales market to his new post.
“Adding Miles to our team is an incredible win; his existing contacts in the territory and his depth of knowledge from design to specification of the product portfolio is a recipe for success,” says Doug Mekanik, ACT Entertainment director of sales. “All the members of our sales team come with a unique practical skill set beyond just sales. Miles is no

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 a

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 San

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

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

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 bra

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 th

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.

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

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 succe

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 prod

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,

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,

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

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 intere

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 / Goog

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

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