The family-run company, owned by MD Walter Taietti, works all over Italy, extensively throughout Europe, and also worldwide - on a huge variety of productions, concerts, festivals and tours, including on some of the country's top TV shows. Mixer now employs over 30 regular freelancers, project managers and crew at any one time, and can supply everything needed to get a show on the road, from the design and conceptualisation to the equipment, crew and transport.
"Having the latest technology onboard has always been key to the company's philosophy," explains Taietti, who thinks this has ensured their consistent and sustained success. They were one of the first companies in Italy to invest in Telescan moving lights back in the 1980s - considered the first tourable moving light, which were purchased for a huge Mediaset TV show in Rimini. Since then, he's always kept a keen eye on the latest moving light trends - and that's why they decided to go with Robe for the first time in 2002.
The first Robe units added to the Mixer inventory were Spot 250 XTs. He decided to take the Robe route after seeing a demonstration from Robe Italia's Simone Rodella. "The units looked very bright and well engineered," he says.
Since then, Robe has proved a bit hit with all the crews and LDs, so he's continued to buy the new Robe fixtures as and when they have come to the market. Mixer now offers a full complement of both ColorWash and ColorSpot 'families' in all sizes. He says the colour options on the new AT series - specially the 575 - are one of its most popular features.
His Robe fixtures are constantly in use, and he often sub-hires to obtain enough units to cover projects, "such is their popularity in Italy as a moving light brand". He also believes that Italy is one of the hardest moving light markets to crack for an international brand, due to the stiff domestic competition.
Robe products have featured on a number of Mixer shows over the last 12 months including Miss Italia, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (Chi vuol essere Milionario), the Carlene Carson contemporary dance tour, Music Farm and many others.
(Lee Baldock)
