UK - Green Hippo has announced a key addition to its training team, further bolstering its ability to provide invaluable guidance to Green Hippo users across the globe. Annalisa Terranova joins as senior training manager and will provide training at Green Hippo’s London HQ, as well as taking sessions, including ‘HippoSchool’ Hippotizer training meets, across the rest of the world. Annalisa comes equipped to deliver immediately effective Green Hippo sessions, bringing extensive experience of the media server technology, including projection-mapping projects. She has most recently worked with M.I.A. on the singer-rapper’s world tour. Annalisa programmed and operated a Hippotizer Media Server the live show using a timeline and timecode. Terranova will be teaching the below Basic and Advanced sessions: HippoNet, HippoLauncher, Configuration, Output manager, Media m
UK - The Systems Group at Shure Distribution UK is expanding with the addition of Andrew Francis as senior applications engineer and Richard Knott as project manager. The new employees have been taken on in response to the growing demand for Shure conferencing audio technology following the launch of products such as the Microflex Advance networked mic array and in advance of the launch of the forthcoming IntelliMix P300 Audio Conferencing Processor. Andrew Francis has a decade of AV experience covering both installed systems and live events. During this time he has worked with politicians and business leaders, as well as other high-profile public figures such as His Holiness The Pope, while producing conferences, awards events and gala dinners. On the installation side he spent three years as a technical manager designing and commissioning AV systems for large corpora
UK - The long-standing former financial controller at the Bose Corporation, Simon Mighall, has joined Flare Audio as chief financial officer (CFO). Mighall’s role will include putting in place financial systems enabling Flare to “grow seamlessly and realise its potential as a rival of any of the world’s major audio brands”, supplying high end consumer and professional audio products globally. “Prior to joining Flare, Simon Mighall spent 20 years at the UK subsidiary of Bose Corporation, whose turnover in this country went from less than £3m to over £100m during his tenure,” says Flare founder and CEO Davies Roberts. “Simon’s deep functional expertise, ownership, tenacity and entrepreneurial spirit position him well for life at Flare.” “Flare Audio exudes excitement and enthusiasm,” says Mighall. “When I met Davies and the other directors, I c
UK - International theatre consultancy Theatreplan continues to strengthen its consultancy team with the recent appointment of Ashley Pickles. A seasoned theatre professional, Pickles comes to Theatreplan after 15 years at the Barbican Theatre in London where he oversaw the flying of international touring productions and project- managed large-scale capital works within the Grade II listed building. Amongst his most notable achievements was managing the replacement of the power flying system, grid and galleries, in addition to numerous other projects aimed at improving and upgrading the venue’s infrastructure. In 2013, he was invited to oversee the build and building management of The Drowned Man, a co-production between Punchdrunk and the National Theatre set over four storeys in a disused GPO sorting office, a production which ran for two years. “Ash
Germany - In the course of the successful repositioning of the company, the Adam Hall Group is developing its global business development division. From 1 July, Bodo Falkenried’s team will be augmented by Alessio Foti, who has several years’ experience as brand manager for leading companies in the pro-audio sector, where his principal responsibilities included business development, product management and sales in Asia, the USA and Europe. Falkenried, head of global business development, comments: “As a fast-growing, innovative company with an international orientation, Alessio will provide urgent support in meeting the demanding requirements for strategic and operative business development. His excellent knowledge and experience in international markets and the development of brands and their specific legal aspects will play an important role in consolidating o
UK - Source Distribution has announced the recruitment of Michael Clapham as area sales manager for the Midlands. Michael brings to Source over 25 years’ experience in the music industry that includes successful tenures as a senior regional manager at Yamaha Music Europe (UK), and as a sales manager for Marshall Amplification. In a newly-created position, Michael will assume responsibility for supporting and growing Source’s key accounts in the Midlands region, building on his excellent long-term working relationships with dealers in the area. Michael combines decades of management and retail experience with a lifelong passion for music and music technology. An accomplished guitarist and singer, Michael also co-owned and managed a busy commercial recording studio in Birmingham for many years, and maintains a broad and ever-expanding vinyl collection. Darren Power,
The Netherlands - Integrated Systems Events, the producers of the Integrated Systems Europe trade exhibition, has announced that Stefanie Corinth, senior VP marketing and business development NEC Display Solutions Europe and Piet Candeel, Senior VP EMEA, Barco, have joined the ISE Board of Directors as of 1 July 2017. They will replace outgoing ISE board members Wolfgang Lenz from Comm-Tech and Ollie French from Future Automation. Mike Blackman, managing director of Integrated Systems Events commented: “I’d like to welcome our new members and at the same time thank the outgoing ones. It’s vital that the ISE board regularly welcomes new members from our extensive exhibitor base so that we are exposed to fresh ideas and experiences. “Stefanie and Piet will bring valuable market intelligence and insight on the sectors in which they operate. Additionally, t
USA - AVID Labs has announced the appointments of Ryan Hall and Robert Kartman as mechanical engineers. In their roles, Hall and Kartman apply their expertise in the engineering process to design and develop new products. Hall worked as principal engineer for Harris Corp, Space and Intelligence Systems in his last position, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Purdue University. “I enjoy the process of coming up with new concepts and workarounds,” stated Hall, “and the people I work with at AVID.” Before joining AVID Labs, Kartman worked as senior staff engineer for Harris Corp, Space and Intelligence Systems, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Valparaiso University. Kartman shared that he enjoys the fast-paced variety of working with AVID Lab customers and associates, and added, “
UK - RealSound & Vision Ltd, the Oxfordshire-based sound, stage lighting and AV system integrators who have achieved UK-wide success and recognition within the education sector, has announced the appointment of David Wilkins as their sales manager. Wilkins is well known in the lighting industry with previous roles at Northern Light, Selecon and Strand. He now adds this experience to broaden the multidisciplinary skill set at RSV. On joining, Wilkins commented that: “It will be an exciting opportunity to drive the Company forward”. David Nibbs, managing director, added: “I am very pleased to have David on board as part of our team and I’m sure that he will be successful in significantly raising the RSV profile and our levels of successful business in Education and elsewhere.” (Jim Evans)
UK - PRG XL Video, the UK operation of Production Resource Group (PRG), has announced two new additions to its music team. Robert Watson and Michael George have both joined as account managers and bring a diverse range of talent and experience to PRG. Michael George has joined the company from Blink TV where he specialised in filming and streaming of live events – a service PRG XL has already begun to offer with the live streaming of Stormzy’s recent sold-out Brixton Academy shows. Stefaan Michels, director of music, PRG XL Video, comments: “It’s a pleasure to have Michael join the team. He’s great to work with. It is exciting to expand into the live streaming market and with Michael’s expertise and high standard of delivery, it’s sure to be a resounding success.” Robert Watson brings more than a decade of experience in live production, working a
UK - Natural History Museum has strengthened its venue hire team with two new appointments, ahead of the Museum’s relaunch of its main event space Hintze Hall on 14 July. Joining the team is Gavin Bevan who has recently been welcomed to the Museum as operations manager, bringing over a decade of hospitality and events experience including six years delivering conferences, private banqueting and match day hospitality at the Kia Oval. His responsibilities will be to ensure a smooth collaboration between clients, accredited suppliers and the museum, resulting in world-class event delivery. Susie Williamson, will join Bevan as the second operations manager, bringing with her five years of events experience within the heritage industry, having worked with the National Trust and the Royal Geographical Society. Susie’s experience ranges from organising family-friendly eve
UK - Polar has announced the appointment of Dave Griffiths as business development manager for its MI/Consumer Division. With Polar's authorised dealership structure now firmly established, it has refreshed its sales operation by giving him responsibility for managing accounts across The Midlands, The North of England, Scotland and Ireland. Dave is an experienced industry professional, who began his career as a studio engineer at multimedia specialists, The Music Factory, before progressing through the ranks first as a producer and then a production manager. Following this highly productive period, during which he became familiar with every aspect of music production and professional audio, Dave sought new challenges, working first for Yamaha's pro music division before joining Korg. Tim Riley, director of brand development at Polar welcomes Dave Griffiths: "We've rece
UK/USA - Leisure and entertainment technology consultant and designer, Eric Lehman, has joined media serving solutions company, 7thSense Design, as business development manager. With more than 30 years’ experience in the design and development of some of the world’s leading public attractions, Eric will be based in Orlando, Florida, working with customers in the immediate region and across North America. Specialising in the technical design and specification of world-class audio visual installations, particularly those with high pixel density, large-format projection requirements, Eric’s career has seen him work with, and contribute to the commercial success of, respected companies including Electrosonic, Solid Control Inc., and Mad Systems, in addition to his own consultancy business Lehman A/V Consultants. His installation portfolio includes many high-profile attract
UK - Friends and colleagues have been paying tribute to loudspeaker designer and entrepreneur Stephen Court, one of the pro audio industry’s more colourful characters, who has died following a fall at his West Country home. A dedicated sound man, in a long career – he claimed to be “a few years younger than Mick Jagger” - he worked for the BBC and ITV and some of the biggest names in rock. And he had anecdotes to relate about them all – and the merits or otherwise of their sound systems. In recent years, he was based at Tavistock Wharf in Devon which he and his wife Angela bought in 2006 and developed into the leading live music venue in the area. The sound system at The Wharf is, not surprisingly, designed and built by Court Acoustics, which was the vehicle for his various system designs for both studios and live applications. Just prior to his passing, he had bee
USA - In a move to expand their International sales division, Altman Lighting has announced the appointment of Jaime Friedstadt as their new international sales director. With a wealth of knowledge in both the architectural and entertainment lighting industries, Friedstadt will now manage the Altman Lighting sales channels in the Caribbean, Latin American, European, Middle Eastern and African markets. “With the expansion of our product offerings and our growth in a worldwide market, we are very fortunate to have Jaime join us to reinforce our efforts and expand our market presence accordingly,” stated Julie Smith, Altman Lighting general manager. Friedstadt has over 20 years of experience providing quality sales support and generating client relationships for a number of entertainment and architectural lighting manufacturers. Prior to joining Altman Lighting, Fried
UK - JHS has announced that HK Audio sales will now be handled exclusively by its Pro-Audio ASMs. Previously both the JHS MI and Pro Audio ASMs were advising and selling HK Audio to the dealer network; now all HK Audio business will be conducted via the Pro-Audio team, Neville Raine & Matt Flavell. JHS executive director of sales and marketing Alan Smith says: “The change has been made to provide all JHS HK Audio customers with a dedicated, highly technically trained and experienced ASM able to make recommendations on stocking and practical application advice, right through to technical site consultancy and large scale installation and concert system specification. “The MI ASMs have always done a great job with HK Audio but have a huge number of brands to cover, and we believe the change will increase levels of customer service even further.” (Jim
Austria - Fabian Stumpfl joins his brother Tobias Stumpfl in his new position as CEO at the Austrian AV technology manufacturer AV Stumpfl. Prior to his new role in the family owned company, Fabian Stumpfl was responsible for HR and strategic planning. AV Stumpfl CEO Tobias Stumpfl explains their work relationship: “We work really well as a team, not only when it comes to company business, but also when flying gliders, which is a passion we both share. During some of our glider trips we spend more than 12 hours together. Whether in the sky or in the office, in order to reach our goals we have to constantly take decisions and adjust our strategy to new developments. That kind of joint decision making only works when you can completely trust one another.” Towards the end of 2016, AV Stumpfl founder Reinhold Stumpfl handed over the management of the family owned
USA - Ashly Audio has hired industry veteran Bob Tamburri as product manager. In his new role, Tamburri will oversee and direct the full life cycle of Ashly products, from conception to launch, from launch through market position, support, and maturation. He will bring nearly 40 years of pro audio experience to bear, helping Ashly maintain the vitality of its core business and leveraging strengths to expand into adjacent markets. Tamburri will report directly to Ashly CEO Jim Mack. “Between his positions at Sony and TOA, Bob has 15 years of direct product management experience,” said Mack. “But the totality of his experience is much broader than that. Really, Bob has had a hand in almost every angle you can imagine in the pro audio industry, and we’re thrilled to bring his perspective and depth of knowledge to Ashly.” In addition to product management positio
UK - Internationally renowned production manager Ola Melzig - head of production for Eurovision 2017 - is set to host the glamorous tenth anniversary edition of the Knight of Illumination Awards. The prestigious ceremony will be held on 17 September at London's Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith. Throughout his career, Melzig has coordinated innumerable high-profile shows around the globe, including the Commonwealth Games, the Nobel Prize Banquet, and now no fewer than 12 Eurovision productions - all of which are a long way from his first role in the industry, working as a stagehand in 1989. At the 2017 TPI Awards, Melzig was announced 'Production Manager of the Year' as voted for by the public and his peers. "The Knight of Illumination Awards has become a 'must attend' event in our industry," says Melzig. "Not only does it offer an entertaining evening among notable lighti
UK - Arena Group has appointed John Farrell to the senior management team as the new Group COO. Reporting to Group CEO, Greg Lawless, John , who brings a tremendous business track record to the Group, most recently worked for Morrison Utility Services managing the acquisition and integration of a number of acquisitions projects throughout the UK. Previously, John also worked as business director with both Amey plc and Enterprise plc, where he worked as a group asset director. His development of large scale integrated contracts saw him leading over 2,500 people delivering complex infrastructure services to blue chip clients. Lawless says: “We are delighted to have secured the appointment of John as his breadth of business experience will further bolster a strong senior management team and enhance the Group’s international expansion capabilities in line with ou
USA - Christie has announced that industry veteran Brian Claypool has returned to the organisation to propel the company’s continued dominance in the cinema-technology field as VP, product management global cnema. He will report to Jennifer Smith, Christie’s executive vice president, global market solutions and engineering, and be based in Cypress, California. The appointment of Claypool, effective immediately, sees his return to Christie to help direct the creation of advanced products and services that further support Christie’s legacy as the leading provider of advanced cinema exhibition technologies and solutions since 1929. “Brian’s cinema pedigree is impeccable, since beginning in the industry as a projectionist in the 1980s and successive roles with Lucasfilm’s THX division, Avica Technology, Christie and Barco, Brian has an extensive history being i
France - APG has announced the appointment of Rodolphe Portet to the newly-created role of sales engineer for the southern region of France. With a solid experience in electroacoustic R&D and technical support for the pro audio industry, Portet perfectly matches APG’s new sales organisation, as the company is now fostering a direct approach with integrators and rental stagers in the French territory. Grégory Dapsanse, APG’s marketing and business development director commented: “Rodolphe is the ideal profile and a perfect fit for our sales force: He brings deep knowledge in sound technologies and technics, which will prove critical to the development of the APG brand in France. He is also affable, trustworthy and honest, some key values that we advocate in our sales approach.” Rodolphe will be responsible for promoting the APG brand in the south and
UK - Polar has announced the appointment of Will Turney to the post of business development manager. With seven years’ experience in the AV industry, Will joins the company from Harman-owned AMX, a manufacturer of control and switching equipment, where he was a channel account manager concentrating on the higher education sector. A marketing and management graduate of Newcastle University, Will's role at Polar will be to bring his dynamism and expertise to grow sales and revenues in the Integrated Solutions division. Polar director, Stuart Leader, who heads up the Integrated Solutions division, comments: "Will has a comprehensive understanding of AV technologies and their application, as well as a thorough knowledge of the UK marketplace. He was a standout performer in his previous role, recognised with numerous sales awards and we're really pleased to have recruited
UK - PLASA Managing Director Peter Heath has announced that Claire Beeson has been promoted to Editor of Light & Sound International (LSi). Claire has been with LSi and PLASA for the past 10 years, serving as LSi’s Deputy Editor before becoming Acting Editor earlier this year. Peter comments: “I am delighted to announce that Claire Beeson is now the Editor of LSI. Claire has been with the company for nearly 10 years and has made a massive contribution to the magazine and its success. LSi is a prized product within our company and I know it’s in good hands. We look forward to witnessing her personal journey and growth along with the continued success of the magazine.” As well as working on LSi, Claire is a judge for the Concert Touring & Events category of the prestigious Knight of Illumination Awards, and is a member of the organising committee for the po
