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USA - ETC has announced the promotion of four ETC employees into vice-president roles.
Fred Foster, ETC CEO says: “Each of our new VPs bring fresh viewpoints to our executive group which is something we constantly encourage across the entire company.”
Jake Dunnum is the new vice-president of commercial and industrial operations. Dunnum started working for ETC 18 years ago as a technical support specialist, later moved into marketing product management and most recently became the general manager of business development. In his new role as vice president, Dunnum will continue his duties in business development for all ETC companies around the globe and oversee the management of the commercial and industrial companies of Echoflex and Penko.
Vice-president of human resources, Val Farace, will focus on the global employee experience at ETC. Farace joined ETC 22

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UK - Bristol-based specialist LED lighting manufacturer GDS has added two new staff members.
Following a recent management restructure and the ongoing establishment of important new areas of business, the company has appointed Charlotte Fenwick to the position of marketing manager and Katie Dyer to the role of business development executive. Charlotte brings wide experience of growth-marketing from the property development and engineering sector, whilst Katie has a strong sales background, developed across the IT industry.
Managing director Richard Cuthbert comments: “These are very exciting times at GDS. We’re moving forward on a number of new fronts, so it’s essential that we keep pace with progress as we continue to expand the business. Charlotte’s appreciation of engineering and technology and her previous work in taking forward projects in the architectur

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Italy - Powersoft has appointed Thiago Terra as application engineer (rack amps). Terra joins the team to support the company’s business growth - acting as a bridge between the market and Powersoft’s product development unit.
Thiago joined Powersoft in June and is based at the company’s Italian headquarters in Scandicci, near Florence. The role will also see him travel around the world to conduct training and seminars and to support other engineers, as well as visiting distributors, customers and trade shows to deepen knowledge of Powersoft’s Touring and Install line and Armonía software.
At HQ, Terra will work side-by-side with the research and development team to strive for constant improvement to Powersoft’s hardware and software products - identifying and fixing bugs, bringing new ideas to the table and providing worldwide support for Rack Amps.
An

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UK - LSi is sad to report the passing of Australian lighting designer Richard Pacholski – perhaps better known to many in the industry as R2 – on 19 August after a brief and intense battle with cancer.
Fellow lighting designer, and LSi journalist Rob Halliday remembers his friend and colleague: “For many people taking shows, particularly musicals, down under, R2 was the friendly face that welcomed you to Australia. You immediately knew, from the ‘Hey mate’ said in that calm Aussie voice, the big open smile and that sparkly twinkle in his eye, that everything was going to be alright.
“Richard began his career at the Adelaide Festival Centre, then joined the Australian Ballet. He wasn’t the first Richard there and so soon became R2, a name that just stuck. In the late 1980s, when Cameron Mackintosh set up an Australian office, R2 joined as lighting manager

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Germany - Adam Hall Group has announced further expansion to its international sales team.
Markus Jahnel, COO and managing director, will assume responsibility for the Group’s global business development with immediate effect. Bodo Falkenried, who has headed that department since 2013, is retiring and will complete the handover to Jahnel by the end of September.
Jahnel comments: “The long-term development of new business areas and partnerships and the development and personal maintenance of our global networks are important priorities for the immediate future. I am looking forward to being even closer to our marketplace expansion.”
He adds: “We would like to thank Bodo for his great work and wish him all the best for the new chapter in his life. He was a valued employee who was greatly appreciated by the entire team.”
Marcel Mieger will be Adam

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UK - Bandit Lites has appointed Jerry Archer as an installation and service specialist to its sales and installation team. Archer will work from the company’s base in Charlotte, North Carolina. His responsibilities will include helping organise and provide support and ideas for the creations of new lighting systems, installing those systems and then maintaining those systems over time.
Chris Barbee, Bandit Lites Director of Sales and Installation: “We have spent the better part of a year looking to add this position in Charlotte in order to support our work in the Carolinas as well as nationally. We have a very diverse portfolio of projects which demands a person with a wide skill set and a great personality. We wanted to find the right person for our team and Jerry is definitely the right fit.”
Archer adds: “I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of the Bandit

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USA - Electro-acoustics specialist Audio Precision (AP) has announced the passing of its co-founder and former president Bob Metzler, aged 84.
Metzler founded AP in 1984 alongside Dr Richard Cabot, Bruce Hofer and Robert Wright. He served as the organisation’s president until his retirement in 1999 and was the face of the company in its early days, taking up marketing and sales duties as well as travelling internationally to engage with customers.
His legacy includes authoring the Audio Measurement Handbook in 1993, which was widely read throughout the audio community and was used as a text in university-level courses. Metzler also wrote numerous magazine articles and application notes, edited AP’s newsletter, Audio.TST, and conducted seminars and

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USA - Ed Grabscheid has joined the executive team at Atlona as chief financial officer (CFO), effective immediately. Grabscheid has spent more than three years at the company as its vice-president of finance and administration. In his new role, he will report to CEO Ilya Khayn and look after all aspects of Atlona’s strategic investments, reporting functions, human resources, and tax and treasury requirements.
Grabscheid’s finance experience spans more than two decades, including leadership positions with several Silicon Valley technology companies. Prior to joining Atlona, he served as VP of financial planning and analysis at ServiceMax; and senior director of finance at Intermolecular, where he built and managed the financial reporting function through the transition from a private company to a successful IPO.
Among other management positions over his career, Gra

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USA - DAS Audio of America has appointed Edwin Guerra to the position of US marketing manager. In his new role, Guerra will be responsible for all US tradeshow coordination from concept to execution, social media management and content creation, supporting the company’s sales staff with a variety of marketing initiatives, and overseeing the creation of related marketing collateral. Guerra is stationed at the Miami office.
Prior to joining DAS, he served as production director for Battlefrog Race Series of Miami, where he consulted on all audio equipment purchases in addition to overseeing the deployment of equipment for events. He was also an AV installation technician for AVED of Miami.
Reflecting on his new role with DAS Audio, Guerra comments: “I’ve been very fortunate to work with music and sound in several different areas and, with DAS Audio, I now have the

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USA - Harman Professional Solutions reports that Tommy Vext, lead vocalist of heavy metal supergroup Bad Wolves, has joined the Harman Professional Solutions Ambassadors Programme.
Bad Wolves released their debut album Disobey on 18 May and are preparing to embark on a 32-date summer amphitheatre tour across the U.S. with Five Finger Death Punch and Breaking Benjamin.
“I’m beyond excited to partner with Harman Professional Solutions and represent legendary brands like AKG and JBL as we continue our wild and exciting journey,” says Vext. “Bad Wolves brings an incredible amount of energy and focus to our shows, and we need rock-solid gear that works as hard as we do. Harman brands have set the standard for professional performance for decades, and I’m honoured by their support.”
The Harman Professional Solutions Ambassadors programme gives lead

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UK - Event design and technical production company Maestra London has expanded its team in readiness for a busy autumn season.
Joining MD Justin Hammond and the London team are Matt Spark (senior project manager), Euan MacLeod (business development manager) and Cameron Pullar (warehouse assistant).
Spark started working at festivals and events like SW4 and the Isle of Wight and other international events, as well as becoming a freelance production assistant for a succession of artists. This experience took him to Australia for three years where he worked with a raft of brands including Star Wars, Quantas and Disney.
MacLeod worked in New York and Woodstock before relocating to Scotland to take a degree in Events & Entertainment Management at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Pullar worked at a Scottish LED company whist still at school and then studied M

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Czech Republic - Architectural LED lighting manufacturer Anolis has appointed Peer Oestergaard as sales director.
Based in Denmark, Peer will be managing and co-ordinating Anolis sales teams globally and travelling extensively in his new role. He has most recently worked at SGM Light (sales manager) and has also held a business development role at Alfred Priess and international sales management roles at Thorn Lighting and Martin Professional.
Anolis director Tim Van den Eede comments: “We are delighted to have someone of Peer’s calibre and talent on-board. His personality, approach to business and smart outlook is the perfect match for us, and we share the same core visions for taking Anolis to the next level of operation. This is the first of several important upcoming announcements for Anolis over the coming months.”
Peer adds: “I am lucky enough to ha

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UK - AV technology specialist Peerless-AV has added Kate Butcher as key account manager (southern region) to its UK professional sales team. She will be responsible for maintaining and building on existing relationships with Peerless-AV’s reseller network, promoting new product offerings, and providing support on new tenders and sales enquires.
Butcher brings over four years’ AV sales experience, having held key account manager roles at Exertis-Medium, Sahara Presentation Systems and Beta Distribution. She studied International Theatre at the University of East London (UEL) and spent eight months at the University of Colorado Boulder campus in the USA.
Keith Dutch, managing director EMEA at Peerless-AV, comments: “Kate’s energy and enthusiasm, combined with her AV distribution experience and good industry connections, make her perfect for the Key Account Manage

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France - Chauvet has named Alain Minet marketing manager of Chauvet Europe.
Based in Chauvet's Paris office, Minet will helm the European marketing of the entire family of Chauvet brands and will report directly to John Castelino, global vice-president of marketing.
CEO Albert Chauvet comments: “We have enjoyed exponential growth in Europe. Our French and German offices, which opened in January, have both been off to incredibly fast starts, while our UK and Belgium facilities have been growing at a rapid pace. Given this growth, we needed someone who could oversee our expanding marketing efforts. Alain fits this need perfectly.”
Michael Brooksbank, European general manager at Chauvet, adds: “Alain brings a wealth of experience to his position. His knowledge, experience and passion for excellence will make him a valuable addition to the Chauvet team.”

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UK - Rich Rowley has joined Adlib as general manager (lighting and video). Rowley has enjoyed a long relationship with the Liverpool-based full production and rental specialist over the years and brings more than a decade of senior management experience from working at XL Video and PRG.
Rowley will be concentrating on the already substantial lighting and video / AV aspects of Adlib as the company completes the transition from its original audio roots into one of the premier full service technical solutions providers in Europe.
The appointment comes at a pivotal time for Adlib, which is poised to move into a new warehouse and office facility.
Adlib owner and founder Andy Dockerty comments: “I am delighted to welcome Rich into the Adlib family. I believe it is testament to the growth of Adlib and the development of our lighting and video departments that we hav

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UK - Cardiff-based events services provider 11th Hour has welcomed Matthew Morgan and Rhys Thomas as warehouse assistants, while Debbie Alexander takes the role of in-house bookkeeper.
Morgan has previously worked in various temporary capacities for 11th Hour across a range of projects and is an experienced stadium safety steward, having worked at Cardiff City Football Club. Thomas has experience as a freelance crew member in operations and logistics and has crossed paths with 11th Hour teams on many occasions. Debbie Alexander brings more than 20 years of experience in finance and accounts, accrued whilst working for a range of businesses in South Wales.
11th Hour director John Davies comments: “Demand for our services continues to grow and it is now common to find ourselves working simultaneously on multiple large-scale projects. Our staff are our greatest resourc

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USA - API has added Steven G. Christensen as the newest member of its engineering department. He will specialise in digital technology.
Christensen has been in the audio industry for 30 years, beginning as a high-capacity telecom chip designer. He was also part of the original Pro Tools development team, inventing and implementing the TDM system architecture. Christensen then went on to work for Telex and designed their ADAM digital matrix intercom system, before starting his own companies focusing on digital audio.
"Working at API is a breath of fresh air," says Christensen. "Larry Droppa [API president] does a great job leading the company and everybody is following in his footsteps. I love it here and have a lot to learn."
(Jim Evans)

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UK - ER Productions has announced the appointment of Jean Pierre Jammaers to the role of project manager. He joins ER with over 10 years of experience in the lighting and production industry and was the lead in lighting the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the Chinese New Year Celebrations in 2016 and 2017. He has also produced various installations for light festival Vivid Sydney.
Alongside Jammaers, George Baker has been appointed as special effects project manager for the organisation. Baker has over eight years of experience within the live events sector and has delivered special effects for international stars, including Robbie Williams, and for a number of popular festivals.
Based in the London office, the duo will be responsible for managing the communication for worldwide client projects, ensuring lasers and special effects have been successfully delivered for

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USA - Sensaphonics has promoted Claudia Pyne to the position of artist relations / sales specialist. The company has also hired Richard Sandrok as an independent outside sales and marketing consultant.
Pyne has been with Sensaphonics for 15 years, developing first-hand knowledge of every aspect of the business, starting as receptionist, then spending several years as a lab tech before moving back to “front of house” duties as primary client liaison and support. An accomplished visual artist, she helped develop silicone earpieces with handcrafted multi-colour swirls preferred by artists like Chance The Rapper. Previously, Pyne worked as a multidisciplinary theatre tech in northern California and the Chicago theatre community, doing everything from scenic and properties design to sound and lights.
Sandrok comes to Sensaphonics with a wealth of pro audio experience,

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USA - Shure Incorporated has promoted Brian Woodland to vice-president of business development, and Patricia Knoll to associate vice-president of global facilities.
Woodland joined Shure in 2002 and has held positions of increasing responsibility in strategic planning and in global business development. He was responsible for several of the company’s acquisitions and manages Shure’s partnerships in joint business ventures. Woodland has a BA in Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA in Marketing from the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University.
Knoll joined Shure in 2005 and leads an international team responsible for all acquisition, leasing, construction, maintenance, disposition, and activities associated with company offices, manufacturing plants, warehouses, and other facilities worldwide. Additionally, she has led other major undertaking

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Canada - Solotech has announced David Brazeau’s appointment as director, research and development (R&D).
In this role, Brazeau will lead a team of audio, lighting and video technology solution consultants and specialists. This team will support other Solotech professionals, contribute to the delivery of various complex projects and help select equipment from suppliers, in keeping with the company’s overall technology strategy.
During more than 21 years as a Solotech employee, David has developed a diversified expertise, first, as a shop technician, then as a production technician on international stages while touring with André Rieu and Céline Dion. He went on to make a name for himself as an audio project manager for various Solotech clients, including Britney Spears and Michael Bublé. Until recently, he was a technical advisor in the audio department.

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USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the appointment of Francesca Lynch to the position of a marketing associate.
She will report directly to Community’s director of marketing and sales operations, Julia Lee. Community says that in previous roles Lynch “had demonstrated herself to be an experienced content marketing specialist, using her skills in advertising, integrated marketing, event planning, public relations and social media management to enjoy eight successful years in the food and beverages industry”.
Lynch comments: “I’m thrilled to join Community, an outstanding brand that continues to innovate and transform in this exciting industry.”
(Jim Evans)

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UK - Ambersphere Solutions has announced that David Martin and Ian Green have joined the company as key account managers.
David Martin joins with almost 30 years of industry experience, having worked as an electrician at London Studios and as a key account manager at Martin Professional and most recently at Elation Professional. He will focus on the UK Film & Broadcast markets providing a knowledgeable contact for the gaffers, designers and rental partners for the Ambersphere range of products.
Ian Green spent 10 years in theatre, first qualifying as an electrician and then progressing to chief technician, before he made his move into business development. During the next 11 years Ian used his experience at Stage Electrics in a regional role and more recently in a national role at GDS. Green will be based in Glasgow and will focus on the northern UK regi

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Europe - Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA) has appointed Peter Schädel as European marketing manager.
Peter Schädel is a marketing and industry expert, having previously worked for Meyer Sound Germany for over 10 years as marketing manager. With his sound expertise, he will be in charge of establishing and expanding the marketing activities of AVIXA in Europe.
"I am very happy about my new challenge. While AVIXA has been a fixture in the US for decades, there is still a great potential for growth in Europe. It is therefore important to further raise awareness and communicate the benefits of membership." said Schädel.
(Jim Evans)
  1. George Masek joins Signify
  2. DPA confirms senior appointments in US
  3. First PMBS apprentice completes training
  4. Solotech appoints senior business developer
  5. Professional Wireless names project manager
  6. TSL expands as Jonny Tingle joins team
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