The Netherlands - ETC has announced the addition of Robbi Nassi as field project coordinator for the Northern European territory. Based out of Amsterdam, Robbi will be responsible for providing sales support in the Benelux region. His role will involve managing projects and supporting regional sales manager Tim Stokholm in developing the customer and dealer network throughout the territory. With over 18 years of experience in the industry, his interest in the field began with a Performing Arts Technology degree at the Tshwane University of Technology where he went on to specialize in lighting. Prior to ETC, he was at Electrosonic SA where he worked in a sales position as a live events manager before moving to Sydney, Australia to pursue further career advancements as a technical sales representative for Event Communications. Robbi has worked on several large projects
APAC - Alwyn Wong has joined Symetrix as their new regional sales manager overseeing the Asia-Pacific region. Wong comes to Symetrix with over 20 years of experience in the professional audio industry. He was first introduced to audio DSP’s while working on a system installation for the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur in 1998. He later spent six years at Harman Professional as a technical sales engineer, and then as a senior application engineer. Most recently, Wong came from Peavey Commercial Audio where he was the technical manager overseeing the APAC territory. “It is my honour to work for one of the top Audio DSP brands where I can utilise my expertise in network audio,” says Wong. “With my ample experience in the Asia-Pacific market, I feel confident that we can navigate the audio-visual landscape and produce favourable outcomes.” Won
USA - Austrian AV technology manufacturer AV Stumpfl has appointed Conor McGill as a global business development manager with a special focus on the US media server market. McGill is the former director of strategic partnerships at Float4 in Montreal. At aV Stumpfl, he will focus on growing the customer base of the media server system Pixera. "I first used an AV Stumpfl product for a projection mapping project at a NFL football stadium in the USA four years ago. That project was a smashing success and every interaction I've had with the company since has been stellar,” says McGill. “I feel very fortunate to have found my way to the company and am looking forward to working with old and new customers alike on cutting edge media projects with Pixera," says McGill. In 2018, AV Stumpfl GmbH established AV Stumpfl Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia, and has continued to gro
Spain - Chauvet Professional has appointed Eusebio ‘Sebi’ Romero Garcia as product specialist for Spain. An experienced lighting and stage technician, Garcia will be working closely with the company’s Spanish distributor, Barcelona-based, ACSON, to coordinate product training and roadshows throughout the country. “There are exciting opportunities for us in Spain,” said Michael Brooksbank, general manager of Chauvet Europe. “Sebi’s experience and talent make him a valuable addition to our team as we continue to work with ACSON to build on our success and develop our brand in this vibrant market.” Garcia will be based in Madrid, but will coordinate his activities closely with ACSON in Barcelona. He will report directly to Sam Bowden, Chauvet’s European product manager, but will also work closely with the Stéphane Gressier, international sales director,
UK/USA -Media serving and pixel management specialist, 7thSense Design, has appointed Eric Nolfo as project manager as the company expands its North America operations to the West Coast. Eric’s twenty-year career in the entertainment industry has seen him work in a wide range of project management and technical direction positions, including most recently with The Producers Group as technical coordinator for Bollywood Parks Dabangg Stunt Show and Motiongate Theatre’s Step Up Dubai Matt Barton, CEO, 7thSense Design comments: “We are excited to be expanding our global operations with a new presence on the West Coast of the United States, and we’re very pleased that Eric has joined us in our first step of that expansion. Eric brings with him a wealth of project management experience that will be invaluable to the many exciting projects we have in the pipeline.”
USA - ENCO, a specialist in automated workflow solutions for radio, television and professional AV systems, has appointed Shane Finch as sales director, effective immediately. Reporting to ENCO president Ken Frommert, Shane will focus on global sales and business development across all markets and product lines, and introduce ENCO’s automated workflow innovations into new business verticals. Shane comes to ENCO with more than 40 years in the broadcast industry, including 35 years with broadcast groups in the Midwest and Florida, where he currently resides. His experience has mainly focused on radio operations, balancing a mix of on-air personality and director-level management roles throughout his career. He later transitioned into the technology space as vice president, business relations for MusicMaster, ENCO’s longtime music scheduling partner, where he spent seven su
USA - Glenn Becker, the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA)’s first president, passed away on 19 June aged 70. “Glenn’s vision was about bringing the industry together to make it a better industry”, says ESTA. “He thought that competitors could come together and share ideas and solutions to make business easier and more successful for everyone. Because of that vision and Glenn’s hard work, the Theatrical Dealers Association (TDA) was born.” Becker organised its founding meeting in 1987 and served as the first president from 1987 to 1991. In 1994, when the decision was made to form ESTA, the TDA board turned to Becker to chair the committee that rewrote the bylaws and set up the new organisational structure. The board would continue to turn to him over the years to take on special projects. He became involved in theatre in high
USA - Altman Lighting has appointed Matthew Klasmeier as product development support engineer. Klasmeier was previously employed as a field service technician for Vincent Lighting Systems, specialising in the installation and verification of new entertainment and architectural lighting systems. Working within the new Altman headquarters in Denver, Colorado, he will be responsible for overseeing current and future product development, as well as in-house warranty service, support and repair. “We are very excited to have Matthew joining our team as he will serve as an integral part of the launch and support of many new Altman technologies,” says Pete Borchetta, vice president Altman Lighting product innovation. “His expertise within the lighting industry is undeniable and he will be a valuable asset in the development and customer service behind our entertainment
UK - Immersive audio specialist Sonosphere has announced that commercial director Jamie Gosney and creative director Henrik Oppermann have been appointed to the company’s board of directors. Sonosphere was formed in 2019 and specialises in all aspects of immersive audio from content creation, system design, consultancy through to installation. Find out more about the company in LSi's May/June 2020 issue. Sonosphere also provides education, having developed an Ambisonics Workflow for Immersive Content Production training course. The course has recently been taken online to ensure continuity while face-to-face training is unavailable. Jamie has over 40 years’
USA - Audio-Technica U.S. has announced two appointments to its product management team. Kurt Van Scoy has been appointed to the position of executive director of product management for ATUS. In this position, Van Scoy will be responsible for directing the product development/management efforts at ATUS. In addition, Kurt will oversee the A-T as global product manager, based in Japan. In addition, Gary Dixon has been promoted to the position of product manager for ATUS. In his previous position as sales engineer, installed sound, Dixon served as a technical resource for the Audio-Technica sales channel in the broad contractor market, where he helped ensure the proper and successful implementation of A-T products and technology in the marketplace while determining the application needs of customers.
USA - DAS Audio of America, Inc., the North American subsidiary of Spain’s DAS Audio, has announced the appointment of Carlito Cobos to the newly created position of national sales director, retail. Key responsibilities of the position involve strengthening the company’s focus on retail sales and E-commerce. Cobos started with DAS Audio in May 2020 and is based out of the company’s national headquarters in Miami, Florida. Bilingual in English and Spanish, he is well positioned to address the diverse range of professionals that constitutes the North American pro audio market. Cobos has over 20 years’ experience in pro audio and the music industry. Prior to joining DAS Audio, he served as the pro audio business development manager for Gibson brands. In this capacity, he oversaw 12 international distribution firms and managed distribution development strategies o
Europe - ETC has promoted Konstantinos Vonofakidis to regional sales manager. In his new role, Vonofakidis will oversee the sales activities in Greece, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus and Egypt. He will manage sales arrangements for key accounts in these regions and work in cooperation with the company’s distributors and dealers. Vonofakidis previously worked as a field project coordinator for High End Systems in the Southern European, African, Middle Eastern and Indian territories. He began his career as a service engineer working with High End Systems for 10 years before going on to manage significant lighting projects such as the National Theatre of Greece, Bahrain National Theatre and Onassis Cultural Centre. Darren Beckley, sales manager - ETC Ltd, comments: “Vonofakidis is a valuable member of the sales team who has built a great rapport with the dealers and customer
UK - Sadly, we report the passing after a short illness of long-time Sennheiser executive and well-known industry personality Paul Whiting. “It is with deep regret that we inform you that Paul Whiting passed away on the evening of Friday 5 June,” says Sennheiser. “Paul was taken ill suddenly in early May and, although he came home for a short period, it was quickly apparent that he would not recover. The family were given the opportunity to visit Paul at the end of last week to say goodbye. On the Friday evening, Paul passed away peacefully in hospital.” The statement continues, “For those that did not have the privilege of knowing or working with Paul, he began his career at Sennheiser in 1990, after 15 years with former UK partner Hayden Laboratories as the head of its Professional Division as Sales and Marketing Manager. Paul was instrumental in establishi
UK - Sennheiser has reported that Alan March passed away on Saturday 30th May after a short battle with cancer. The statement reads: “It is with a very heavy heart that we have to inform you that our friend and colleague, Alan March, has been prematurely taken from us and his family. Alan sadly passed away peacefully on Saturday 30th May with his wife Kate by his side. After a short but brave battle with cancer Alan is now out of pain and at peace. “Alan took up his employment with Sennheiser UK in 2008 as a ‘Business Development Specialist’. Alan’s 21 years’ experience in the pro audio industry in various roles, for HW International and Shure Distribution UK, meant that he arrived at Sennheiser with a wealth of experience and knowledge and was an instant fit within the Sennheiser team. Alan helped drive both new and existing business for Sennheiser with his exce
UK - Audiologic has reappointed Diogo Scutti as application support engineer. Scutti returns to Audiologic after spending three years as project engineer with SSE, a position that involved complete responsibility for system design alongside a focus on developing exceptional standards of interface management. Over his 20-year career, Scutti has played a major role in both live production and systems integration in many world-famous events and locations, including the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. “It is with great pleasure and delight that we welcome Diogo back into the business,” comments Ben Spurgeon, senior application engineer at Audiologic. “Diogo’s experience in large-scale projects and expansive system design will help to push our technical offering even further and we are thrilled to have him back on
Germany - ARRI has appointed Ivo Ivanovski as general manager lighting business unit, effective 1 August, 2020. In this position, Ivo Ivanovski will be responsible for demand creation including the areas of product management, application engineering, service, sales, and marketing. He will support long-term ARRI colleague Markus Lampier who will continue to focus on operations at ARRI Lighting. Ivanovski will report directly to Markus Zeiler, executive board member of ARRI. Ivanovski studied electrical engineering at the University for Applied Sciences in Aachen and began his career at Targetti Lighting in Italy where he pioneered the use of LED technology in the field of general lighting. Soon after completing his MBA studies, he continued his professional career at Osram Opto Semiconductors. Markus Zeilercomments, “We are thrilled to be able to welcome Ivo
UK - Knight of Illumination Award winning live video director Ben Farrey (previously Miles) sadly passed away last week. Sharing the news, Coldplay – just one of many high-profile bands and artists Ben worked with throughout his career – paid tribute to a ‘beloved’ member of their crew in an emotional post shared across their social media platforms on Thursday 14th May. The message, signed by all members of the band, reads: “We're sad to report that we lost one of our most beloved and talented crew members last night. Ben Farrey was our live visuals director. He was in charge of everything that you saw on the screens at our live shows. If you ever made it to a show, you’ll know that he was ridiculously good at his job. He was also one of the kindest and most generous-spirited people you could ever meet. We love you, Ben.” The message was accompanied by
UK - AVIXA has elected Visual Displays founder and displays consultant, Greg Jeffreys, as new chair for its Standards Steering Committee, which advises the main board on issues relating to industry standards. The Committee will provide recommendations for standards development within the context of AVIXA’s strategic plan, and approve completed standards before they are sent for American National Standards Institute (ANSI) ratification and subsequent publication. As one of the committee’s founder members, Jeffreys had written the previously published projection best practice paper, in conjunction with international consultants, experts and dnp’s R&D team in Denmark. As a result, the PISCR (Projected Image System Contrast Ratio) standard was amongst the first task groups out of the blocks. He then assumed InfoComm leadership roles in preparation for becoming p
UK - 7thSense Design has appointed Geoffrey Platt to the position of product manager. With over 20 years of experience as a media server technology and emerging digital media specialist, Platt has worked with a number of real-time video companies, and on many high-profile shows and events, including concerts, theatre, film, location-based entertainment and television. Platt will work with global systems engineering and sales teams from the 7thSense Orlando office, defining key product features and future roadmaps of the expanding 7thSense product range. “We’re excited to have Geoffrey join our team,” comments Eric Lehman, global sales and marketing manager, 7thSense Design. “His extensive experience of media server technology, interactive digital installations, product design for large-scale live events and video technology workflows will be a huge asset
Italy - Proel SpA has appointed Fabiano Cammoranesi as business unit manager for Sagitter. Cammoranesi can boast 24 years of experience in the communications and lighting sector. His career at Proel began in 2007 and his product and market strategies have contributed to the growth of the Sagitter lighting brand and the creation of a further brand, SDJ. In February this year, Fabiano Cammoranesi was called to fill one of the key roles within the Sagitter Business Unit. “An important professional challenge begins,” he says. “This role stimulates me to pour all my enthusiasm and my determination to make the brand grow on the national and international fronts. My passion for this sector is great and it is a pleasure to share it with the whole team. Communicating and transmitting this passion will be my main goal.”
Italy - DTS Illuminazione S.r.L. has appointed Maurizio Gidoni as the company’s technical director. Gidoni has a background in electronic engineering as well as management and process industrialisation. In his new role, he will lead DTS’ research and development department. The company says in a statement: “During his 30-year career, Maurizio has developed a strong leadership attitude, alongside with a fundamental teamwork and coaching skills. We strongly believe he will be an example and a human incitement to our technical teams. “For 10 years, Maurizio has successfully led technical departments and always focussed on electronic products development. His professional philosophy is to promote constant innovation by pursuing the excellence, paying strong attention to cross-functional interaction to achieve the company's goals. “His skills includ
Europe - Ayrton has appointed Kseniia Igoshkina as the latest member of its international sales team. Based in Detmold, Germany, Igoshkina is responsible for emerging markets across the Baltic countries, the CIS states and South America. Igoshkina joined Ayrton at the end of 2019, since when she has quickly established her position by appointing new distributors in Belarus, Armenia, Romania/Moldova, Colombia, Panama and the Caribbean. Her previous experience includes two years at Astera LED Technologies as key account manager based in China, after which she relocated to Europe to look for new challenges. “My first experience of Ayrton was its famous lightshow,” she says. “I was immediately blown away by their unique products. Now, a few years later, I am working for this amazing company and I couldn’t be happier. “Ayrton’s approach is very different f
UK - Tony Kingsley, a former PLASA chairman, industry maverick and disco lighting pioneer, passed away on Friday 8 May 2020 after a long illness. If the early 90s marked the period when Tony Kingsley was in the chair of PLASA, it was a decade earlier, when the trade association was still known as BADEM, that he achieved his finest moments, writes Jerry Gilbert. Tony ran the UK operation of Cologne-based Avitec Electronics GmbH, arguably the pioneers of the ‘superdisco’, who ran operations in four countries. A former Roger Squire’s store manager, Tony set up Avitec Electronics UK in Hitchin at the end of 1979, and became distributor for the vanguard of popular lighting helicopters, scanners, ‘flowers’ and other effects - mainly from Spain and Italy - that would quickly populate nightclub ceilings and redefine the new disco genre. These included K
UK - Following the death of Alan Jacobi in April, Unusual Rigging has announced that Jacobi’s son Tom Harper will take on the role of managing director, with Jacobi’s wife Peta appointed as chairwoman. Beyond this change, the Board will continue to lead the Unusual team, directing the overall strategy of the business and assessing how best to respond to all future opportunities and challenges. “The consequences of losing AJ are great,” says Harper, “and his absence will be felt, both by his family, colleagues, and the industry as a whole for many years to come. As a business, there are obvious implications that need to be addressed which in turn, honour AJ’s wishes regarding succession. AJ shared with Peta and myself that after he was gone, Peta would become the company Chairman, and I would become the MD”. This strategy was recently reviewed and approve
