USA - EAW is expanding the capabilities of its Application Support Group (ASG) by appointing Jerrold Stevens to the position of director, EAW Application Support Group (ASG), effective mid-May 2011. The announcement was made by Jeff Rocha, EAW vice president and general manager, and further underscores EAW's commitment to customer support, education and the ongoing development of market-driven products.

The director of application support is the worldwide technical liaison between EAW's customers and their sales and product development organizations. This role includes direct oversight and management of the ASG resources that are located throughout the world. In this position, Stevens will lead, refine and further develop the pre- and post-sale contribution of EAW to system design, support and optimization and will reinvigorate the role that education plays in the growth of the

USA - Liberty AV Solutions has named Tony Carr as its new Southwestern territory manager. An accomplished industry veteran who comes to the post from Samsung Electronics, Carr will assist in directing Liberty's sales efforts in Southern California, Arizona, Southern Nevada, and Hawaii.

Reporting directly to Liberty's director of Western regional sales David Ellis, Carr will work hand-in-hand with the company's independent manufacturer's reps to serve customers throughout his territory. As the latest addition to an overall sales force reorganization that began last year, he will be supported by a team of inside sales associates that brings an even broader base of specialized knowledge and resources to those in the field.

"Customers have an inherent right to expect high levels of service," Carr states. "To that end, it's great to be a part of the Liberty sales tea

UK - Orbital Sound has expanded its project and support team with two new appointments. Carl Rutherford has joined as project manager, while Lucy Jenkins is the new face on the rental desk.

Rutherford's background includes the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage, and general manager of the National Youth Music Theatre. As part of Orbital's expanding project management team, he will be responsible for managing a wide portfolio, across the spectrum of entertainment industry events.

Director of Theatrical Operations, Luke Hyde comments, "Orbital's reputation is based on being able to translate the challenging mix of client requirements, locations and timescales into focused, well co-ordinated implementations. We are delighted to welcome Carl on board as a valued team member, capable of delivering the first-rate planning and integration skills needed to ensure the smooth runnin

UK - Philips Entertainment Lighting has promoted Amber Tomlin to the position of key account manager for the UK, effective immediately. For the past five years Tomlin has been the company's demonstration and training manager for Philips Strand Lighting's range of Palette consoles.

"I'm delighted to have been promoted," says Tomlin. "Since working for Philips Entertainment Lighting, I've been impressed with the company's innovative and sustainable approach to lighting technology. Today Strand Lighting products are top contenders in the marketplace and it's been great to be a part of that development. I feel Philips Entertainment Lighting has an extremely well conceived, forward-looking business strategy. The diverse range of its lighting solutions ensures that it can service any lighting project, large or small. I'm very much looking forward to working alongside th

Italy - SGM has added two vastly experienced personnel to its sales force as it seeks to increase its profile in the key export markets. Announced at the Prolight&Sound exhibition in Frankfurt, where the company unveiled seven new products, was the news that Troels V°lver has taken on the role of new export manager for North America and Asia Pacific, based in Denmark, while Steen V. Geertsen will operate in a similar area manager capacity, focusing on sales and business development of the SGM brand in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Russia and part of the Arab regions.

Troels V°lver built up a large distributor network during his time in the industry and was CEO of Martin Professional Inc before leaving in 2005 to take up an export role with another Danish company.

With 25 years' experience in large-scale event staging already under his belt, Geertsen entered the lighting

UK - GDS has announced that Nick Read has joined the company as head of its newly created special projects division - GDS Specials. Read has over 22 years experience in the entertainments industry and brings with him wide range of skills, working recently as the head of hire and events for Northern Light and previously running his own successful hire company.

With an electrical engineering background he also boasts experience as a project manager, overseeing the €1m technical-build of Wexford opera house. He has worked around the UK and Europe as a freelance engineer and lighting designer, toured with and brought numerous shows into the West End and worked as a production electrician for major theatre companies, on many of the largest show in London.

His roll will be to develop the GDS brand into the specials market in entertainment, special event and permanent installation.<

UK - Blinding Light Ltd has announced that industry-renowned lighting designer Anthony Hall ("Turbo") will be joining its team this April. The addition of Turbo to Blinding Light's team will help to enhance the company's already established in-house design capability to offer its clients a comprehensive service, says Blinding Light.

"2010 was a milestone year for Blinding Light," commented managing director, Patrick Stacey. "In August, as a result of the company's growth, we moved into brand new premises that met our requirements for increased warehouse and pre-production space to support the projects that we have been working on."

Turbo has over 25 years' of experience in the industry and has had a successful career working for a number of industry leading lighting design companies as well as operating as a freelancer. His recent projects include

UK - Rigging Services has announced the appointment of Scott McAughtrie as manager of its North West branch in Manchester, UK. McAughtrie has a strong event industry background spanning more than 20 years. Formerly with well known AV providers Gearhouse, Blitz and MCL he brings a wealth of maturity and experience with him, which is already proving beneficial to the development of new business as well as growth with existing clients.

Rigging Services has opened its third location in the UK just over two years ago in Manchester and has great aspirations for business growth regionally.

Paul Fulcher, director of Rigging Services comments, "A multi-location business such as ours depends upon the local team to act with independence, strength and speed. Whilst at the same time recognising that they are part of a bigger entity with a need for adherence to the company's quality an

USA - An audio industry pioneer, Roger Nichols played an instrumental role in a Meyer Sound milestone when he inspired the company to develop the HD-1 reference loudspeaker into a near-field monitoring system for recording studios and live mixing environments. Nichols was the first engineer to use HD-1 monitors for a recording - Flying Cowboys by Rickie Lee Jones. Other artists who worked with Nichols include Placido Domingo, Roseanne Cash, Frank Sinatra, and The Beach Boys.

"It takes a visionary like Roger to steer change and break new grounds in technology," says John Meyer, CEO and cofounder of Meyer Sound. "He raised the important question about whether loudspeakers should play a neutral role in the audio chain and this opened up the path for reinforcement systems to be built for transparency and linearity. He was a talented individual who took a relentless sc

USA / Germany - Bosch Security Systems, Inc., Communications Systems Division has announced that Phillip Scobee will join the Electro-Voice team as product manager, Electro-Voice Concert Sound.

Best-known as the designer of high-end touring sound systems for artists such as Kenny Chesney and Sugarland, Scobee brings long experience and an end-user's perspective to his new position, where he will be responsible for both new and existing Electro-Voice concert product lines.

Scobee's connection to Electro-Voice equipment dates back to his early-career involvement with installed sound and has continued into his work in tour sound, most recently as director of operations for Morris Leasing in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

"I've designed large-scale touring rigs for many different artists," Scobee says, "and I've used a lot of EV equipment over the years. We chose EV for

Denmark - SGM has added two experienced personnel to its sales force as it seeks to increase its profile in the key export markets. The company has announced that Troels V°lver has taken on the role of new export manager, North America and Asia Pacific, based in Denmark.

V°lver built up a large distributor network during his time in the industry and was CEO of Martin Professional Inc before leaving in 2005 to take up an export role with another Danish company.

At the same time SGM has announced that Steen V. Geertsen will operate in a similar area manager capacity, focusing on sales and business development of the SGM brand in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Russia and part of the Arab regions.

The move coincides with the company reaching a milestone in its product timeline - with the addition of a new series designed by the new R&D facility to complement the current pr

UK - As the company becomes engaged in more and more projects around the world, independent media and communications technology consultancy

Visual Acuity has made a key new appointment to strengthen its technical system design resource.

Luke George joins the team this month as a technical design consultant, reporting directly to the Visual Acuity board. George is an InfoComm CTS-qualified professional who joins after spells with Creative Technology, Roger Preston & Partners and, most recently, Mark Johnson Consultants.

Explaining the significance of the appointment, Frank Sheehan, Visual Acuity's director of technology, says, "Luke will be performing the systems design role that I have historically fulfilled, offering youth and a fresh set of thinking. Initially I will be mentoring him so that he benefits from my depth of knowledge and wealth of experience, and as the t

UK - Mark Millar has joined Tannoy's expanding marketing team, based at the UK-based company's headquarters in Coatbridge, on the outskirts of Glasgow.

Millar will "bring new capabilities and added bandwidth" to the team under the remit of communications manager Mark Flanagan, pursing related editorial and media opportunities for Tannoy, as well as sister brands Lab.gruppen and Lake.

Having worked in magazine journalism at senior editorial level for over 10 years, Millar brings to his new role a wealth of experience within the music and audio press sector.

(Jim Evans)

UK - Autograph has announced the appointment of Scott Fraser as technical sales manager, for their Sales & Installations division.

Scott joins Autograph following 5 years at Yamaha Commercial Audio, where he specialised in system design and networked audio projects, varying from Westminster Abbey to the Pyramid State at Glastonbury.

"I am excited to join Autograph, at such a pivotal time," Scott explains. "I feel I am well positioned to help expand their already hugely successful installations division. Having worked with the sister company as a supplier, I've seen first hand exactly why Autograph has such a fantastic reputation within the Pro Audio industry & I am delighted to be part of that."

Prior to Yamaha, Scott headed up the sales division of RG Jones. He established an impressive client base within the Houses of Worship sector, using his experienc

Belgium - APart Audio has appointed Romano M. Cunsolo as their new account manager export for Central Europe.

Cunsolo has worked in the professional Audio industry since 1984 and brings a wide range of experience in acoustics and electronics. During his career he worked as sales, marketing and product manager for Dynacord and Electro Voice. After eight years as a regional manager for central and Eastern Europe at Biamp Systems he now joins APart as from 1 May 2011.

"I am very happy to start at APart Audio, a young and very dedicated team of people, who want to make a difference in the audio Industry," says Cunsolo. "I am sure that my long experience in the installed audio market will help APart to grow to an even more important player in this industry, with respect for our distribution partners and the market. I am looking to work more proactive and coach our di

UK - Avid has appointed Mick Brophy as European sales manager for its Live Sound division. Mick will be heading up Avid's Live Sound European sales team, with a focus on driving sales of the Avid VENUE live sound console range.

Mick brings with him over 25 years' experience in the live sound industry. Before joining Avid, he spent four years in Barcelona as the international sales and marketing director of professional products for Vieta, based at SeeSound, Avid's Spanish and Portuguese distributor. In this role he drove sales of the VENUE product range in Portugal, gaining extensive knowledge of the system and customer base. In addition, he's held positions at mixing console company, AMEK, where he spent 11 years, three as international sales director. Mick also worked as a consultant for various audio companies, advising them on how to grow their sales.

Mick will be based at

Germany - Effective from 1 August 2011, Peter Claussen will take over responsibility of the Installed Sound Business Division at audio specialist Sennheiser. Claussen joins Sennheiser from the IT company Höft & Wessel AG. His last post at the company was as deputy chairman of the management board. The Installed Sound Business Division has until now been provisionally led by Dr. Heinrich Esser. As divisional president, Claussen will become a member of Sennheiser's Executive Management Board.

In his new post, Peter Claussen will be responsible for installed sound technology. His core responsibilities will include the operative business and the strategic development of the Installed Sound division, with the task of "guaranteeing that Sennheiser addresses the many and various customer demands even more successfully in this product area".

"I'm really looking forward

UK - After nearly five years at Mondiale Publishing, TPi editor Rachel Esson has left to try her hand at PR & Marketing with Yorkshire's newly re-branded rehearsal and production facility LS-Live.

Rachel will be co-ordinating all aspects of PR and marketing for the company, based at the South Kirkby headquarters initially and then working remotely from London. She commented: "I'm very sad to leave TPi but equally excited to be taking on a new challenge at LS-Live. It's a new role and there will be lots to get my teeth into considering it has undergone a dramatic transformation with new on-site bedrooms, dressing rooms, studios and green room.

"There's also the new industry-led training facility Backstage Academy and its short courses and foundation degree in Live Events Production to promote, along with the boost to LS-Live's hire stock of a new range of outdoor stag

UK - Content production provider, Bracken Media has teamed up with industry PR and new-media specialist Stephanie Dell of Sound Marketing to form partnership in the emerging micro film market.

Mark Bracken and Stephanie Dell have over 35 years combined experience in the professional audio and lighting industry and have worked together in various roles over the past two decades. The pair announced the launch of their new partnership at this year's PLASA Focus show, whilst working on their first commercial projects together.

Bracken Media produces professional video content including, training videos, talking heads, digital press releases, corporate and promotional videos for use on YouTube, social networking sites and websites. Sound Marketing specialises in new-media and traditional marketing communications, from PR, copy-writing and media communications to social media servic

USA - Intelix has recently partnered with Shawn McLoughlin, who joins the company as a senior account manager. In this capacity, McLoughlin will manage and develop Intelix's growing customer base.

"Shawn is a welcome addition to our team," states Cameron Smith, national sales and marketing director. "His wealth of industry experience and aggressive sales philosophy make him an ideal part of our team."

A long time veteran of the audio-visual industry, McLoughlin most recently served as the sales manager for a major industry distributor. Previous experience includes audio-visual system design and installation.

(Jim Evans)

Csaption: Shawn McLoughlin

France - Analog Way has announced the appointment of John De Cet as new sales director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. He is taking over from Alexander Schöpff's who was promoted VP of American Operations last March.

Based in Massy in France, where Analog Way's headquarters are established, John De Cet will oversee management of sales activities over EMEA territories. He will also lead Analog Way's sales teams in the region, including the company's sales offices Analog Way UK, Analog Way Italia and Analog Way Deutschland. He will report directly to Adrien Corso, CEO at Analog Way.

"I'm thrilled to join Analog Way as sales director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, a diversified region showing an exciting potential", says De Cet. "Together with my team, we will further increase our presence in the area and strengthen our relationship with customers to prov

France - Digital mixing console manufacturer, Innovason, has announced the appointment of Alexandre Liagre to the role of sales manager for Innovason's domestic market in France. Alex, who is based in Paris, takes over from the highly respected Philippe Guillo who returns to manage and run his own rental company, Koroll Sonorisation, but nevertheless remains a strong ambassador for the brand.

According to Innovason's international sales director, Marcel Babazadeh, Alex is an ideal fit for Innovason in France. "He is trained as both a salesman and a sound engineer, so in terms of profile, we couldn't ask for much better! Furthermore, he is one of the new generation of sound engineers for whom digital technology is as natural as breathing, and so again, ideally suited to represent Innovason who have always been at the forefront of pioneering digital console technology. I'm lo

Czech Republic - Robe lighting's marketing team has expanded with the addition of graphic designer Bo Hyun Choi who will be taking care of the visual aspects and design of all the company's branding and marketing collateral, including the overall corporate identity, together with logos, merchandising, brochures, newsletters and all other printed and promotional material.

She will also be involved with exhibition booth design and potentially with future product lines.

Hyun Choi studied industrial design at Hongik University in Seoul, renowned as the best design academy in Asia, specializing in product and interior design.

After graduating, Bo continued her studies at Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Art (ENSA) in Dijon, France, studying 2D, 3D and spacial design, before moving to Prague in 2010. She speaks English, Czech, French Italian and Korean.

Bo joins Robe's market

UK - Hannah Eakins has joined specialist UK LED lighting manufacturer i-Pix as business development manager.Her role will be to identify and develop new business opportunities, working alongside both the in-house i-Pix team in Manchester, and Martin Palmer who is responsible for i-Pix sales at London-based sales and rental company, White Light.

In the past seven years, Eakins has worked at both Total Production International magazine and AED Rent. "I am very much looking forward to the future and taking the i-Pix brand strategy forward," she states.

i-Pix founder and director Chris Ewington says, "I'm delighted to welcome Hannah on board. We are continuing to focus on bringing a range of different and unique products to the market and working very closely with lighting designers and specifiers in all disciplines, particularly the entertainment, rental and

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