USA - Pixotope has announced three senior additions to its global staff. Juan Rubio, is joining the team as a new product specialist and evangelist. Based in the US, Juan's career has spanned across feature film VFX, AAA Games, and enterprise, having worked on movies like the Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions, The Day After Tomorrow and The Watchmen. Rubio said, “Having first-hand experience of being the customer, and being in the driving seat of a number of productions, it’s promising to see mixed reality’s popularity and offering growing in abundance. I’m joining the Pixotope team with a vision of delivering what our customers really need when it comes to virtual productions.” LA-based Brad Rochon is Pixotope’s new vice president of sales and marketing. His move follows a 23-year stint at Ross Video, where he held various positions i
Europe - Neutrik UK has announced the appointment of Karl Cowing as its new sales manager. Cowing comes to the position with an extensive 22-year career in engineering, and engineering sales, support and key account management roles within the electronics, automotive, transport, aerospace and defence sectors, including with Formula BMW, Varta, Aerco, Molex and Smiths Interconnect. His experience includes responsibility for electronic interconnect solutions into strategic aerospace and defence customers, helping them adapt to rapidly changing technology requirements within the radar and electronic warfare sector, and positioning high reliability RF electronic connectivity solutions, including fibre optic technology, to help customers address future bandwidth issues. Commenting on his appointment, Cowing says, “Over the years I have known of Neutrik connectors as best
Canada - Following Audio-Technica Canada’s recent announcement of its decision to streamline processes for its professional audio distribution operation, ATCA has revealed further consolidation with a move to new office facilities. This coincides with the appointment of permanent general manager, Kenji Yamabe. Yamabe – who comes from Audio-Technica Europe – takes over from Susanne Seidel, a business consultant who has been acting GM since June 2019. Commenting on her time at ATCA, Seidel states, “It has been my absolute pleasure to serve as ATCA’s interim GM; overseeing the development of a proficient organization that is ready for the next step of business growth”. She continues, “Although the circumstances created by Covid have not been ideal for anyone, I am proud of what we have accomplished as a team and delighted to be able to leave the comp
UK - Production designer Tim Dunn has joined the UK’s nvisible Agency, a group of independent live production professionals offering a dynamic range of project management and creative production services for events worldwide. The nvisible Agency’s other core team members include some true entertainment industry mavericks! Founder and MD Mark Bustard and chairman promoter Harvey Goldsmith are joined by show and event producer Jim Baggott, technical director Tim Spears and project director Luke Carr. For 24 years, Tim was based in South Africa and worked extensively throughout the African continent, Asia, and the rest of the southern hemisphere on some of the highest-profile and most interesting productions, including dealing face-to-face with governments, politicians, and world leaders. These include the 2010 FIFA World Cup Closing Ceremony, multiple SEA Ga
France - Technological Innovations Group (TIG) has appointed Alexandre Martin into the role of residential sales engineer in France. Reporting to Christophe Malsot, TIG's director of hospitality, leisure and retail, Alexandre will be the go-to technical specialist for system integrators and smart home customers, working closely with the expert regional sales team. Christophe Malsot comments: "Alexandre is a Crestron certified programmer and will therefore make a superb asset to the team, thanks to his perspective acquired from past roles as System Integrator and Automation Programmer. He brings a technical mindset and vast industry knowledge to help us ensure our continued, exceptional customer service for the Residential market." Alexandre adds: "I feel so happy and proud to join such a talented team and recognised brand. Crestron offers system integrators and h
USA - After more than 30 years with console manufacturer API, Dan Zimbelman has moved to loudspeaker manufacturer PMC where he is now senior export business development manager. Based in the US, Dan will be working closely with PMC partners and resellers around the world to ensure that they have all the training and support they need to grow sales in their local markets and understand new formats such as Dolby Atmos for music mixing. In a career spanning nearly 50 years, Dan has held many key positions within the professional sound industry, including recording engineer and recording studio owner. During the mid-1980s, he spent three years helping Rupert Neve launch the Focusrite brand of signal processing equipment in the USA, before moving to console manufacturer API where, as director of sales for nearly 30 years, he consistently exceeded sales targets and helped AP
UK - Shure Incorporated has announced the appointment of Duncan Bell, founder of Wideband Consulting, as a consultant on spectrum and advocacy affairs. Bell is a founding member of the BEIRG (British Entertainment Industry Radio Group) organisation and the former financial director of the Autograph group in the UK. He is also a senior member and political team leader of the #WeMakeEvents campaign, formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Shure has been the leader in spectrum advocacy on behalf of the audio industry and continues to devote significant investments to secure its future,” comments Ahren Hartman, VP of quality at Shure. “We look forward to joining forces with Duncan to secure and protect spectrum for the wireless microphone user community.” “Duncan’s 36-year career in live sound production and industry relations makes him uniquely suited t
USA - Altman Lighting has promoted Tom Casazza to senior regional sales manager. Casazza has been with Altman for more than a decade, and his promotion will allow for enhanced mentorship of new sales associates. “Tom’s promotion will allow us to improve customer support on a national level,” says Nicolas Champion, vice-president of sales and marketing. “I’m looking forward to growing our capacity to serve Altman customers nationwide, through my direct work, and particularly mentorship,” says Casazza. Altman Lighting recently relocated from Yonkers, New York to Denver, Colorado during the coronavirus pandemic. “We will always pivot as necessary to serve our clients to the best of our ability. The show must go on. We are grateful for Tom’s leadership as we continue to grow,” says Champion.
UK - Penguin Media Hire, the Brighton based event production and rental company, has appointed Sonny Evans as its new managing director. This coincides with the announcement of their expansion with a London warehouse and further facilities to come in the near future. Co-founder Dylan Thompson explains: “We have worked with Sonny on a number of projects over the years, and we’ve always had a great working relationship. With an exit in sight from the Covid nightmare we have all found ourselves in, now is the time to continue securing the best team for our current and future clients. Our sales and installation sector of the group, Penguin Media Solutions, is taking much more of my focus, and I can’t think of anyone better to push the rental and event production side onwards.” Penguin Media Hire has also secured a new premises less than a mile from ExCeL London, pl
UK - Recording and mix engineer Heff Moraes has been appointed to the position of business development manager for UK loudspeaker brand PMC, with responsibility for the company’s UK pro audio division. Based at PMC Studio London, PMC’s recently opened demo facility dedicated to Dolby Atmos music mixing, Moraes will act as a brand ambassador for PMC products and will use his extensive industry knowledge and experience to support dealers and help customers identify the right monitoring products for their needs. “This is a key appointment that comes at a crucial time in PMC’s history,” says PMC CEO Jeff Willcocks. “Heff’s credentials are second to none. He thoroughly understands modern recording techniques, he has excellent contacts with artists, producers and record labels, and he has hands-on experience of PMC’s products. We are really thrilled that he
Germany - Genelec has announced the appointment of Marcel Schechter as senior customer experience specialist, with special focus on the domestic German market. Based near Stuttgart, Schechter forms part of Genelec’s international marketing and sales team and will be working in close collaboration with business development manager Eric Horstmann and local German distributor Audio Pro, and will be concentrating on strengthening activities in marketing, education and customer support. Having graduated in Audiovisual Media, Schechter then worked as a studio engineer and lecturer, spending seven years as engineer at Bauer Studios in Ludwigsburg before joining Audio Pro in 2014 as Genelec product specialist. In this role Schechter gained a deep knowledge of the Genelec brand, specialising in assisting customers with loudspeaker selection, installation and room calibration,
UK - Colleagues, clients and friends have been paying tribute to Ken Watts, the popular tour director who died last week. Acts he worked with include George Michael, Duran Duran, Natalie Imbruglia, Bond, Blues Brothers, Jamiroquai and Duran Duran. Dennis Gardner, production manager for singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, wrote in a Facebook post: “It is with much sadness, this weekend I received news of the passing of my mentor, my friend, my brother and fearless leader Ken Watts. He was (and will remain) an industry legend and a personal hero of mine. I have learnt and continue to learn from Ken and the way he approached everything he did with heart, a heavy dose of common sense and, as ever, a wonderful sense of humour. Simply put, Ken taught me nearly everything.” Neg Earth Lights wrote on Facebook: “The shock with which we learnt of the loss of Ken Watts, who pass
USA - Mo-Sys Engineering has appointed Tanner Woodward as sales director, West Coast US. Woodward joins from RED Digital Cinema, where he spent five years managing existing channel partners and establishing new dealer networks, as well as creating the corporate creative vertical. “I am extremely grateful and excited for this opportunity with Mo-Sys,” says Woodward. “The one thing I’ve learned in my time working with creatives, is that the most valuable tools are those built to empower creativity while making life easier and more efficient. Mo-Sys creates such innovative tools and solutions, and I couldn’t be more honoured to be part of this team.” This news follows the earlier appointing of Mike Grieve as commercial director and is part of an expansion plan on the US West Coast. Woodward’s appointment reflects an ongoing investment in the LA sales and s
UK - The music industry has sadly lost another character with the passing of Phil Hildrow, an archetypal salesman, charmingly personable, slightly risqué loveable rogue. Phil died earlier this month, aged 75. During the ‘70s Phil worked for PACE-MM who pioneered the “cheap but serviceable” mixing consoles which launched the careers of so many bands on the pub circuits of the UK. The UK’s dominance in this market led to growing demand for ‘Made in GB’ products across mainland Europe. So, sensing the untapped potential for sales, Phil set off with a demo MM mixer in the boot of his trusty blue Vauxhall Cavalier to call on the music shops on the other side of the Channel and take orders, preferably large ones, prepaid. This launched Phil’s new love of travel, which along with his love of football and family stayed with him for life. Early in the
USA - PK Sound has announced the appointment of Andrew King to the role of global senior brand support. Reporting directly to PK’s recently appointed chief strategy officer, James Oliver, King will head ongoing marketing and communications initiatives while also supporting colleagues and outside partners as a key part of the company’s brand team. King comes to PK Sound following a lengthy stint with publishing and communications company NWC. “I’ve seen and reported on years of technological innovation in the pro audio industry, and firmly believe that PK Sound represents the future of professional loudspeaker systems for the next generation of technicians and engineers,” King offers. “Simply put, our technology inspires demand, empowering users with unmatched acoustic and operational advantages. The potential built into this brand is incredible and I look
UK - Mike Wroe, former CFO of Just Eat plc, has been appointed as non-executive chairman of TV and events supplier JLLighting and JLLive. Wroe has a wealth of experience as a senior executive, board member and non-executive director over the course of a 20-year career. As CFO at Just Eat plc, he led the transformation of a £20m start-up into a £4bn FTSE business operating in 15 countries worldwide. Amongst a variety of advisory roles to a number of leading European growth business, Wroe is also currently an active angel investor and is non-executive chairman of private equity backed proSapient Limited, the technology-led expert network and primary research platform. Jack Linaker, group director, comments: “We are thrilled to have Mike on board. His strategic vision will help us steer the business as we grow and enter new territories. Mike’s highly successful tra
Europe - Goldensea UV (GSUV), manufacturers of UV-C disinfection lights, has announced Franck Verin as its new European sales manager for enterprise and agriculture with effect from 1 April 2021. Verin will focus on GSUV UV-C sales in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, the Benelux countries. He will also investigate and help create potential new business for Goldensea UV in the agriculture sector. Verin brings with him a strong background in international business across variety of business sectors including automotive parts, material handling and, eventually, packaging for the wine industry. He has over 20 years of experience in managing multicultural sales teams, distribution networks and agents, and a special focus on service innovation. “We are delighted Franck is joining the team and adding his spirit of positivity and energy,” says Goldensea UV’s Micha
USA - Chauvet Professional has appointed Jean Lariviere as the company’s channel relationship manager for concert & touring/broadcast. Lariviere joins the company after serving for four years at Elation Professional in international business development and more than 25 years deeply embedded in the industry. In his new position, Lariviere will be responsible for communicating directly with lighting designers and decision makers in the concert/touring and broadcast segments of the market. He assumed his new position on 1 April and plans to be reaching out to designers and other members of the lighting community throughout the spring and summer. “We view communication as a two-way street,” comments Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “We not only want to talk to customers about what we do, we also want to provide an open door that makes it easy for them to tell u
Europe - Ayrton has announced the appointment of Matt Hallard as the latest member of its expanding international sales team. Hallard takes up the position of regional sales manager for the UK, Ireland, Benelux, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, Malta, Greece, Slovenia and Turkey, with effect from 1 April 2021. Hallard brings extensive experience of the lighting industry and the European market from a career that spans over 20 years. He first cut his industry teeth with an eight-year period as a production manager on cruise ships, after which Hallard returned to dry land in 2005 to launch a career as a specialist in European sales with some well-known moving light brands. “This was an exciting time in the development of moving lights and I worked with, and learned from, some incredibly talented, hard-working individuals,” says Hallard. “That diversity of experien
France - Arbane Groupe has hired Alain Boone as its new international sales manager. Boone will oversee the development of a distribution network for Arbane Groupe and its brands APG and Active Audio, as well as maintaining existing relationships with the company’s historical partners worldwide. An industry veteran, Boone has been active in the pro audio industry for more than 30 years. He made the shift from concert touring and system engineering to work as a product / sales manager in the Benelux region for audio distributor EML / AudioXL, before going on to serve as Nexo’s EMEA sales manager for six years. “I’ve spent many years maintaining and optimising relationships between distributors and manufacturers, all while integrating products into customers’ projects to ensure that they are carried out as efficiently as possible,” comments Boone. “My engi
USA - Point Source Audio has expanded its sales team with the addition of Forrest Breese as account manager for the Western U.S. Breese has been a familiar face around California’s pro audio industry for many years and brings with him considerable experience from previous roles with manufacturers, distributors, integrators - and on stage as a musician. Starting his professional career as a manufacturer’s rep, Breese has worked across just about every aspect of the industry from sales to integration, and has extensive experience working with a number of microphone brands. “I know the competition very well, they all make good products, but I’ve found that Point Source Audio has some advantages in tonal qualities and features, and it was that innovative quality that attracted me to the company,” says Breese. “I’ve always been a multi-brand rep, so I’m exci
France - The Crestron sales team has added Kevin Marchelidon as its new sales engineer in France. Reporting to Alain Solomon, Crestron’s regional sales director in South West Europe, Marchelidon will be the go-to technical expert for customers, and will support the regional sales team. “We're excited to welcome Kevin, who will be a great asset to our team in France,” comments Solomon. “He has been providing technical input for AV projects for many years and has a proven, excellent track record of customer service, project management and quality assurance.” Marchelidon adds: “I am really looking forward to meeting all my colleagues and customers, and I am ready to provide my best assistance for all your technical requirements.”
USA - Altman Lighting has announced the promotion of lighting designer, and former vice president of product innovation Pete Borchetta to lead the company as general manager. "We are thrilled to announce that Pete Borchetta has been promoted to the role of general manager,” says Russell Altman, president of Altman Lighting. “His expertise, communication skills and leadership ability have been a tremendous asset to Altman and the lighting industry as a whole.” Borchetta led the effort to move Altman headquarters from Yonkers, NY to Denver during the pandemic summer of 2020. Russell Altman cites his collaborative management style as having been integral in attracting and retaining strong teams committed towards the common goal of ‘bringing imagination to light’. “Since our move, we are reorganising around the concept of a ‘collaborative collective’.
UK - With a plan for continued business growth across North America and Europe, Ultratec Special Effects has announced two additions to its sales team. Young-Hoo (Aaron) Dengra Ju has joined as the European sales lead for both special effects and pyrotechnics, while Kevin Allinder comes onboard as the newest sales representative serving the North American market, dedicated to special effects. Dengra Ju is a seasoned event specialist with 15 years of experience in the industry, not only in sales and project management, but also from a strategic operations and process planning perspective. He has managed and executed an impressive list of events of all sizes within Europe and internationally, including Asia and the Middle East, spanning from major sporting events to local festivals. His ability to speak multiple languages fluently, including German, English, French, and Spani
