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UK - Colin Pattenden, managing director of CP Sound, the Staines-based audio and lighting design and installation company, makes a guest appearance on the popular BBC2 quiz show ‘Never Mind The Buzzcocks’ next Monday 17 March.

Colin appears in The Identity Parade round of the show, hosted by Mark Lamarr, during which the audience is shown clips of famous performers anything between 10 and 30 years ago. The teams - who've not seen the clips - have to pick the correct band member from a line up of 5 people - one genuine, and four actors.

Colin was bass player and founder member of the legendary rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band, back in 1969. During this time, he toured the world several times, playing to audiences of 35,000 plus. Manfred's Mann's Earth Band's classic ‘Blinded by The Light’, reached the top of the UK and US charts. The band enjoyed glo

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UK - White Light's long-serving hire director Mike Crossman will leave the company on 16 May 2003, after 15 years with the company. During that time he has overseen an increasingly diverse range of hire projects from the smallest school shows to the largest West End and touring productions, currently including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Contact, My Fair Lady, Miss Saigon and the Olivier-award winning Our House, as well as the company’s move from Fulham to Wimbledon. "I have had a fantastic time through the years at White Light, working with great people in the company and with all of the fantastic people we work with in theatres and on shows," says Crossman. "I will miss all of them and the hustle and bustle of getting shows on, but I feel that it is time for me to get out of the office and explore the world a bit!" To that end, he is leaving
Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

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UK - Leisuretec Distribution Ltd has announced the appointment of Peter Owen as UK sales manager. Owen joins Leisuretec after six years at Arbiter Pro Audio, where he was responsible for developing sales of JBL Professional loudspeakers and dbx signal processing product ranges in the UK.

Leisuretec managing director Nick Spalding is confident that Peter’s decision to head up the sales team at Leisuretec will prove to be a great move for Owen, the company and in turn the company’s extensive customer base. "Peter always impressed me whilst at Arbiter with his willingness to go the extra mile, making sure our customers received the products they needed, when they needed them. He was also singularly responsible for encouraging Leisuretec to invest in a large stockholding of both the JBL and dbx product ranges, resulting in significant increases of turnover of both l

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UK - Complementing the recent round of additions to the staff working in its hire department (see earlier People News), leading entertainment lighting supplier White Light has announced a new recruit to White Light Sales. Nick Blackman has joined the company as sales office manager, working alongside sales director Peter Threadgold and his team.

Nick Blackman joins White Light Sales from VLPS/Vari-Lite Europe, where he held the position of regional sales manager. Prior to that he worked for the Lighting Technology Group, for FSL International - the leading distributor of lighting, sound and AV production equipment in the Middle East - and prior to that he was with Strand Lighting.

Blackman joins White Light Sales at a busy time - in recent weeks the company has supplied equipment to both long-planned projects and in response to emergency calls, which saw the company supply new

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Australia - Coemar DeSisti Australia has announced some personnel changes. David Lee will take on the role of lighting consoles/control operator training and support. Lee has a wealth of experience in both television and theatre and has been involved in many projects with Coemar De Sisti Australia, including the role of project manager for the Melbourne Broadcast Centre (Channel 7) a turnkey lighting installation which Coemar De Sisti Australia completed in 2002. Lee is still active in the theatre and television industry and regularly operates lighting consoles for major events. Peter Kemp comments: "David’s hands-on console use should prove invaluable for the users of our products."

Lee will be conducting the Compulite and Stardraw training days in Queensland the week beginning March 17 and then in Melbourne the week beginning March 24.

Also announced, Julian

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UK - Stage Technologies has announced that Kevin Taylor and Ewart Richardson will be joining its Board as directors of electrical and mechanical engineering respectively. Kevin Taylor joined Stage Technologies in 1994 as head of electrical engineering, and has been instrumental in developing Stage Technologies state of the art automation control systems. His work includes the design of the control system architectures for the Maxis range of modular axis systems and project management and electrical design for a number of prestigious projects, for amongst others Carnival and Princess Cruise lines and theatres worldwide from Walsh Bay in Sydney Australia to the Lyric Opera Chicago in the USA.

Ewart Richardson, a more recent addition to the Stage Technologies’ team joined the company full-time in September 2001 to lead the Mechanical Engineering Department although he had be

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Denmark - Martin Professional has appointed Stig Holst as its new international sales director, entertainment. Holst, 40, joins Martin Professional from a position as international sales manager at V. Guldmann, a Danish company specializing in automated lifting equipment for the nursing and hospital sectors, which operates a worldwide network of subsidiaries and distributors.

Holst’s area of responsibility at Martin will be international sales and sales support for the company’s extensive entertainment division. He takes over the international sales responsibility from Kristian Kolding who retains his position as Martin’s President and CEO. The position will take effect as of 1 April. Holst will be located at the Martin head office in Aarhus, Denmark.

At the same time, Martin has announced two further appointments in Aarhus: Thomas Fibaek Jensen has been name

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France - Digigram, an innovator in digital audio network solutions, has hired Miranda Hageman as sales and communications director. "With a number of new products and new technologies to come, Miranda will help us to accelerate our move into new market segments and broaden our international scope," said Digigram managing director Philippe Delacroix. "Her sales and communications experience will be very valuable assets as we continue to look for new OEMs and partners."

Dutch native Hageman spent more than a decade in various roles with Maycom Systems Europe, Maycom Automation Systems and Electronic Data Systems, all headquartered in the Netherlands. Among others, she was involved in the product and sales strategy for Maycom's award winning Easycorder in 1999. Hageman graduated from Utrecht Business School with a degree in marketing, which she complemented wit

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UK - Stage Electrics has announced that Anna Western has been promoted to customer service manager. Western, who has been with the company for three years, will work closely with branch managers in developing and training the front line customer-facing staff based in the company’s 10 branches.

Stage Electrics currently has 23 staff in these key positions throughout the country, who will now be referred to as customer service representatives. They will continue to report directly to their respective managers but work closely with Western in her new position. She has extensive sales and customer service experience, bringing the necessary skills to this new and important role.

The company has also announced that Andrew Sugg, currently a front-line customer service representative in Bristol, is going out on the road for a three-month secondment. Sugg will be working in and a

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UK - Trantec has appointed Rob Piddington as UK sales manager. He will have overall responsibility for UK sales, concentrating primarily on the pro-audio sector of the market place (hire and broadcast). Rob’s vast experience in the Radio Microphone sales arena, having worked previously with Sennheiser UK for over 10 years, will be invaluable to Trantec, according to general manager Tony Reid. "We are all very excited about Rob joining us, as we see this as the beginning of a new era for Trantec. It also coincides nicely with the launch of our new S6000 system."

(Ruth Rossington)

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USA / Asia - Columbus McKinnon, the leading manufacturer of hoist and chain products in North America, has appointed Don Dimitroff has been appointed to the newly-created position of entertainment sales manager in North America. In his new position, Dimitroff will be responsible for sales and support of the complete line of entertainment hoists, rigging products, and accessories. Additionally, he will conduct CM Motor Schools, hands-on seminars designed to familiarize workers with the proper techniques for inspecting, troubleshooting and repairing CM Hoists.

Dimitroff joined Columbus McKinnon as a customer service representative in 1996 and since then has held numerous titles within the organization. Most recently, he was a customer service supervisor while simultaneously handling a variety of duties on the entertainment side of the business.

CM has also announced that Stuart

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UK - Avesco plc have announced a major sales and marketing restructure following the integration of Creative Technology and Screenco into a single resource. As sales director, Mike Walker will head up the consolidated team which has relocated to Chessington, and which sees the return of Adrian Offord who, prior to his last position with General Location, previously worked at Screenco.

The team also includes Alex Davenport, who joined MCL two years ago, and sales and marketing coordinator, Emma Houlden, from CT’s Wandsworth office. Also joining the team from CT is Charlie Whittock, who has recently returned from the US where he has been working in event and production management, having worked closely with Creative Technology since the company was founded in 1985.

Said Walker: "In centralizing the sales team at Chessington on the Silverglade Business Park, we will be

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UK - Lighting manufacturer Ryger Ltd has reported the sudden death of Tony Edwards - a lighting industry stalwart and long-time associate and personal friend of Ryger managing director Phil Smith. Edwards played a significant role in the relaunch of Ryger in 2002. Smith told us Edwards was "a man with a huge and often controversial personality, admired for his commitment to British design and manufacturing. Whilst owner and head of design at Apollo-Spectrum lighting he developed such well known effects as the Equinox and the Doris. Even in semi-retirement following the sale of Apollo-Spectrum Tony continued to design and innovate and was tireless in his desire to see new products through from concept to production.

"It was a great shock to all who knew Tony to learn of his sudden death on Good Friday and our thoughts are with his wife Janet and family at this difficult

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USA - Mark Nelson has been appointed national sales manager for Martin Professional Inc’s fast-growing architectural division, Martin Architectural. Nelson has extensive experience in the lighting industry and joins Martin from Metalumen Manufacturing, a manufacturer of specification grade fluorescent fixtures where he was central regional sales manager.

Prior to Metalumen, Nelson was employed with Hubbell Lighting as their national account manager, working with major end user accounts. He also has experience from a position as national sales manager at Paramount Industries, a manufacturer of high performance lighting equipment for specialized environments.

(Ruth Rossington)

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UK - As part of the re-structure of beyerdynamic GB’s expanding distribution operation, the company has welcomed on board Chris Hinds as specialist product manager. He will concentrate on developing the market share of ASL intercom products, Biamp, Renkus-Heinz and XTA across the installation, hire and live performance sectors.

Having spent over a decade in the sound reinforcement market, working as technical sales for loudspeaker manufacturer Turbosound and as operations manager for touring sound company GPA Hire, Hinds brings to beyerdynamic a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of contemporary market demands.

Commenting on his new position he enthused: "I’m delighted to be part of the beyer team. I’m looking forward to working with contractors, installers and rental companies nationwide to spearhead the use of this powerful product combinat

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UK - Paul Harte has been appointed hire manager at lighting, sound and staging specialists Stagecraft. Responsible for the management of the Hire department, Paul, who will be based with the Stagecraft team in Salisbury, will be working closely with Mike Naish, the new technical director of the recently-merged Live Events and Hire departments.

A trained electronics engineer Paul has worked on a freelance basis for the past two years and brings to Stagecraft a wide range of experience from within the industry, covering sound and lighting design, installation and service management. New technical director Mike Naish has worked with Stagecraft for 17 years and was previously a production manager for the Live Events department.

(Ruth Rossington)

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USA - TMB has announced the addition of Tim Baca to the LA sales department. Baca’s career in real-world entertainment started out with a BA in Theater Design at Lynchburg College, Virginia, including a semester at the University College of London. He then went on to work as technical director for the B Street Theater in Sacramento, California, where he oversaw all aspects of production, including lights, sound, set design, and wardrobe (his favorite). Following that, he spent two years chasing skaters as tour electrician for the Disney On Ice roadshow. This gave Tim hands-on experience in lighting, board operation, set design, and all things AC.

(Lee Baldock)

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USA - Multi-lite USA has recruited Thor Sundby as account executive for its recently opened Burbank, CA facility. Sundby not only brings 12 years of sales and management experience with Sunray Manufacturing to the company, but also 25 years of production experience as a gaffer. Also joining the company is Lynda Whelan, whose 10 years of management experience, will prove invaluable in her new role as operations manager.

Owner and president of Multi-lite USA and its parent company, Multi-Lite Germany (one of Europe’s largest specialty lamp distributors), Wolfgang Massow commented: "We are very pleased to announce these additions and are confident that our growing customer base will appreciate the enhanced service their industry experience will provide."

(Ruth Rossington)

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USA - Telex Communications has announced the appointment of Raymond V. Malpocher as president and CEO - he will succeed Ned Jackson who is retiring from the position.

Edgar S. Woolard Jr, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Telex, paid tribute to Ned Jackson: "During his tenure with Telex, Ned Jackson made outstanding progress improving our operations and introducing a new family of products. We greatly appreciate his many contributions." On the appointment of Malpocher, he added: "We are excited that Raymond Malpocher has decided to join Telex. He has broad operating experience implementing world-class processes. Together with his strong management beliefs and practices, we are confident he will build on our solid foundation and provide the necessary leadership to continue the company’s success."

Malpocher was most recently with Teleflex Corporati

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UK - Shuttlesound Ltd, the UK distributor for Telex-EVI products, has appointed Phil Pell as its regional sales representative in the South of England. Pell brings to Shuttlesound a long track record in sales of MI products, as well as knowledge of the audio installation market and the wholesale business. One of the most experienced sales people in the industry, Pell has spent the last four years at RCF-Mackie, and prior to that, worked for JBL and at Celestion.

Phil will be covering the southern half of England, from Lands End to Leicester. "The main focus will be on the MI market where my background will be especially useful, but I'll also be flying the Shuttlesound flag in the installation sector, where they've been making important inroads over the last couple of years. As soon as I found out Shuttlesound was looking to fill a sales position, I knew it was the job for m

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UK - Carlsbro Electronics Ltd has welcomed Duncan Boniface as MI product manager - he will join the research and design department. Boniface’s experience includes working as principal engineer at loudspeaker manufacturer Celestion International, and he holds a degree in Acoustics from the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at Southampton University.

(Lee Baldock)

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Denmark - Martin Professional’s Pio Nahum, a major player in Martin’s rise to the top of the intelligent lighting industry, who for the past seven years has held the responsibility of international marketing director for Martin Professional A/S, has decided to return permanently to Italy to be closer to his family and to concentrate on Martin’s business in the Italian market.

The opportunity to return to his home country arose from the fact that for the past two years Nahum has effectively managed the dual responsibilities of group marketing director at Martin Professional A/S with that of managing director of Martin Professional Italy SpA. Nahum’s contribution also included five years of service as Martin’s international sales director as well as a stint as acting CEO of Martin UK.

Nahum commented: "After spending so many years working abroa

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UK - Atmospheric, the supplier of AV and entertainment solutions to the leisure industry, has appointed Peter L Davies as sales director. Formerly sales director at PowerSport, founder and managing director of Life Fitness' Operations in Europe and international vice-president at Tectrix, Davies has recently been working as a self-employed management consultant with leading fitness equipment suppliers such as Star Trac UK and Gym 80. He comes to this new role with over 25 years of experience within the health and fitness industry.

Davies commented: "I was attracted to Atmospheric by their innovative and high quality range of products, by the excellent morale of their team and, most importantly, by the high standard of business ethics instilled by the managing director, Simon Spragg. This role is also a new challenge for me, as, despite my many years of experience in the fit

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UK - Autograph Sound Recording's busy hire department has undergone a major reshuffle, with Barry Channer joining as hire support engineer, Lee Dennison promoted to production sound engineer and Scott Arnold taking Dennison's place as hire department manager. Meanwhile David ffitch has moved out of the hire department to become Autograph's IT administrator.

Channer has been a familiar face at Autograph for some time, having worked as a freelance operator on many of Autograph's West End productions. His experience will prove invaluable. Dennison's new role will allow him the freedom to occasionally leave his day-to-day involvement in the every-busy hire operation to work on smaller engineering projects. Autograph has recently expanded its portfolio of West End plays and this new appointment is a timely response. Dennison has already overseen installations on My Brilliant Divor

  1. Biamp hires Asia-Pacific manager
  2. Martin Pro Inc hires demand planning manager
  3. InnovaSON appoints sales and marketing director
  4. Andy Holland Joins Robe UK
  5. George Gilbert - 1923-2003
  6. Keith Ferguson
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Astera - Large MPU - June 2025
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