MLS makes major Esprite investment
- Details
After an initial dip in March 2020, business has now re-built. “Like everyone, immediately the pandemic hit everything slowed down,” explains co-CEO Marco Pütz, “but after a few months, the pace picked up again, so we re-scaled to suit the new circumstances and have now fully re-opened.”
Marco’s grandfather, Heinz Pütz, originally founded the company in 1961 to service the burgeoning film industry in and around Cologne. Marco Pütz is now a co-CEO together with Thomas Hessling.
Once things stabilised and were rolling again, Pütz and Hessling saw this time as an opportunity to invest in some of Robe’s latest LED moving light technology.
They wanted something new to boost their already substantial 3000 strong moving light inventory, and it had to be an LED source. In addition to the lower maintenance of LED products being attractive, looking to the future, the intention is to start shifting to more sustainable options.
The opinions of various lighting designers, directors and programmers were canvassed and the Esprite was chosen.
“It is properly versatile and multifunctional,” comments Pütz. “One Esprite can do the work of three different devices - effects, general illumination and key lighting - and that ticked a lot of boxes.”
“We wanted a new fixture with lots of features,” says Hessling, adding that the Esprite’s light weight was also a selling point, but most importantly, thanks to MLS’s history with Robe products, they knew they could trust the technology during a time when making the right investment is particularly critical.
MLS’s Esprites have hardly been in the warehouse since they were delivered in May of this year by Robe Germany.
Shows on which they’ve been used include Joko & Klaas gegen ProSieben, Ninja Warrior and Top Dog all lit by Manuel Da Costa, the 2021 Deutschland such den Superstar castings and final lit by David Kreilemann, a Big Brother promo lit by Oliver Stemplinger and Halbpension a new improvised comedy show by Ralf Schmitz, lit by Gilbert Dadario.
In addition to working all over Germany, MLS’s clients and projects regularly take their equipment and crews across Europe to Italy, Spain, Croatia, Austria and further afield.
MLS maintains its apprentice scheme which supports 20 trainees who learn all aspects of the business over three years and become fully qualified lighting technicians and programmers, project and logistics managers. This initiative has been established over 15 years, and MLS also supports a master’s apprentice scheme that extends after the three years for those wanting to further pursue their industry careers.
