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USA - Christie Lites has welcomed Chris Patton as its VP rentals. Patton’s new role comes as part of a wider expansion of the Christie Lites management team, bringing increased focus to both client and rep support. To that end Patton will join Ken Alexander, senior VP rentals, to lead, develop and support the Christie Lites rental rep team.
Huntly Christie, CEO of Christie Lites, says: “As the company expands into new countries and market segments, the additional management capacity that Chris brings will ensure continued focus and consistency in our customer experience. Chris will concentrate on expanding our relationship capabilities and developing sustainable business opportunities across the Christie Lites global network.”
A UK native, Patton has 20 years of professional experience, embracing roles including business and team development manager for a large r

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UK - Television lighting specialist Version 2 has appointed Kelly Cornfield to the position of sales director at their Reading operation.
Graduating with a degree in Live Event Technology, Cornfield began her career at the Vari-Lite warehouse in 2002 (later VLPS). After a year out travelling in New Zealand, she returned to the warehouse, since acquired by PRG, and moved to an office role, working under project manager Mick Healey on major events including the Robbie Williams’ 2006 World Tour to the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow.
Cornfield went on to focus on the TV market covering numerous shows including the Brit & MTV Music Awards, X Factor, Britain’s got Talent and more recently The Masked Singer.
Over the last 20 years she worked her way up the ranks to become head of T
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UK - Sam Healey, formerly of PRG, has joined television lighting specialists Version 2 as lighting gaffer, bringing extensive knowledge of the entertainment and events industry built up over 24 years.
Healey’s father Mick Healey, retired account director at PRG UK, introduced Healey to the industry back in 1999. Starting in cables at Vari-Lite, Sam worked his way round the departments from lanterns and follow spots to moving lights and rigging and in the early days would take his holidays and weekends to go out on site.
When PRG acquired Vari-Lite, Healey became full time crew member as events co-ordinator touring extensively and has enjoyed working on countless rock and roll gigs over the years, notably the Led Zeppelin 2007 gig at the O2 Arena, and more recently as event manager on TV productions and red-carpet events.
He acknowledges his father and Rich G

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USA - Altman Lighting has promoted Angel Couto to the position of production manager. ‘Cap’ has worked for Altman lighting for over 30 years, during those years he has held many different titles ranging from but not limited to, forklift operator, assembler, customer service, customer support, buyer, to his most recent role, inventory manager.
Cap’s new role will allow him to take all of his years of experience into action by overseeing all things production from production and order scheduling and timing to running the facility with our incredible Altman fabrication and manufacturing teams.
“Cap’s passion, drive, collaboration, and attention to detail makes him a perfect fit for the production manager role,” comments Altman’s general manager Pete Borchetta. “His dedication and service to Altman Lighting customers has been second to none. I am thrilled

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UK - John Hornby Skewes & Co (JHS) has announced the appointment of Paul Smith as managing director, along with further changes in management, sales and administration.
Founded in 1965, JHS is a family owned and led SME, distributing a range of over 4,500 products across a blend of third-party distributed and proprietary brands through a variety of channels in over 150 countries.
With effect 1 April, Adam Butterworth, who joined the company in May 2006, is appointed to the position of director of sales. Adam, who has been instrumental in the growth and consolidation and success of JHS’ export business, will be bringing his considerable commercial acumen and sales skills to bear across JHS’ export and domestic sales activities.
Simon Turnbull, another long serving JHS team member is appointed to the position of media and communications manager. Simon, wh

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USA - Christie Digital has announced Hideaki Onishi as its new chairman and CEO. With more than 30 years of management experience in various positions within the Ushio group – parent company of Christie - Hideaki will begin his role immediately to lead Christie into its next chapter. Hideaki will replace Kazuhisa Kamiyama, who has completed his tenure with Christie and is returning to Japan to take up a new role at Ushio headquarters.
“It’s a great honour to lead Christie,” says Onishi. “Christie has a proud legacy of continued innovation, in its products, manufacturing, and in its ever-evolving business models. I aim to bring strong leadership and to honour principles of respect, transparency and integrity. Kazuhisa’s work was pivotal in navigating Christie through the many challenges faced in both the industry and the wider economy in recent years. I look forwa

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UK - Christie Lites has welcomed Mark Burnett as a new rentals rep. Burnett will be based out of Christie Lites Coventry and will focus on developing market share in theatrical rentals. He will also be working closely with the growing team of CL Reps on both sides of the Atlantic.
Huntly Christie, CEO of Christie Lites says: “As a pivotal member of the Christie Lites team, Mark will support the company’s UK and North American clients to strengthen our growth directive across our 10 multi-office network locations. Mark’s 20 years of experience in the UK rental market, and the strong relationships and friends he has nurtured along the way, are both huge assets to our company. We are all delighted to welcome his expertise, knowledge, and great humour to our global Christie team.”
Burnett comments: “This is an exciting time for Christie Lites, the industry and f

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USA - Bandit Lites has announced the recent promotion of Mike Stanley to client representative. In this position, Stanley will identify and develop new opportunities of growth for the company.
Stanley has worked at Bandit Lites for 16 years. During that time, he has toured as production manager, lighting designer, lighting director, crew chief, lighting tech as well as automation engineer. Previous productions include tours with Melissa Ethridge, Trace Adkins, OAR, Avenged Sevenfold, Killswitch Engage and Chris Young.
“I’m excited that Bandit has given me the opportunity to expand my role in the company,” said Stanley. “I look forward to catching up with old friends and cultivating new relationships as I open this new chapter in my career.”
“When it came time to add a Client Rep to the firm, hands down Mike Stanley was the first choice. Mike’s grea

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USA - Theatre Projects has announced two additions to their team in North America - Peter Wilson and Thomas Bukovac. Both have joined the firm as associates.
A licensed architect, Peter is an accomplished venue designer who previously worked at architectural firms such as Gensler and Barton Myers Associates. He is passionate about designing theatres and says he’s “thrilled to share my knowledge with new clients and new colleagues, and to learn as much as possible from each of them in turn.” His past projects include the renovation of the Madrid Theatre for the City of Los Angeles, several theatres at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, and a new 600-seat theatre for the Television Academy’s Saban Media Centre in Los Angeles.
Thomas joins Theatre Projects as their new audiovisual and integrated technology team leader. A licensed professional e

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USA - MXL Microphones, a division of Marshall Electronics has announced the promotion of Gina Stimler to the position of global sales manager.
Stimler’s diverse professional experience includes over 17 years working with the company’s core customers, dealers, distributors, manufacturer representatives and system integrators. Since 2005, Stimler has worked in international sales for MXL and has also spent the last four years as senior sales operations manager for Marshall Electronics.
“Gina has been actively collaborating with our customers throughout the world for many years and we are excited to announce this well-deserved promotion,” says Leonard Marshall, CEO of Marshall Electronics. “I am confident that she will expand MXL’s corporate and education markets in cooperation with our dealers as they look for new opportunities to increase business with ente

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Europe - Chauvet has appointed Antonio Parise to the position of EMEA business development manager.
Based in Rimini, Italy, Parise will work with Goran Dončić, the company’s current European business development manager, in that market, in addition to being responsible for serving customers in Africa. He and Dončić will both report directly to Stéphane Gressier, Chauvet’s international sales director.
“As a company, Chauvet has been extremely pleased with the way our brands have been embraced throughout EMEA market,” says Gressier. “As we continue to grow, we want to ensure that our distributors and dealers continue to receive the uncompromising level of support that they have come to associate with the Chauvet name. Given Antonio’s impressive track record in this industry, we’re confident that he will help us take things to the next level and help o

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USA - The American Society of Theatre Consultants (ASTC) has announced Scott Crossfield as a new Fellow of the Society. Crossfield has a distinguished body of work in performing arts design. He has consulted on the design of over 600 performing arts venues. He had been an ASTC Board member and vice-president. He is a director at Theatre Projects having joined the company in 2007.
Christopher Ochocki has been admitted into membership of ASTC. Ochocki was approved by the ASTC Board of Directors after having met the requirements for membership including leadership experience as theatre consultant on multiple projects over the past 16 years. He is a senior theatre consultant at PLA Designs in Portland, Oregon.
Finally, industry veteran Ted Ohl has been named an Associate of the American Society of Theatre Consultants. He is a principal consultant at Schuler Shook Theatre P

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USA - Riedel Communications has announced that Richard Kraemer and Josh Yagjian have joined the company as regional sales representatives for North America.
Kraemer, who is based in Toronto, will oversee sales in Canada, while Boston-based Yagjian will help cover accounts in the Northeastern region of the U.S. Both will report to Rich Zabel, vice president of sales, Americas.
"With the addition of Kraemer and Yagjian, we're expanding our sales force to respond to the increasing needs and requests of our current customers while providing the expertise and knowledge to accommodate new customers," said Zabel. "With impressive records of customer satisfaction, exceeding sales targets, and managing world-class accounts, Kraemer and Yagjian are a natural fit to our North American sales team, and we're thrilled to welcome them to Riedel."
Kraemer has over 20 years of ac

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Europe - Ayrton has appointed Nikolay Berenok as its new brand ambassador, with immediate effect.
Co-founder of the visualising software company Light Converse, Berenok brings considerable industry experience and contacts to Ayrton. His new role entails making use of his extensive network and superb recognition to drive interest in the Ayrton brand, and to support the work of its global sales team.
“I'm really happy and excited to take on this new role,” says Berenok. “It's a great honour and opportunity to become part of the wonderful Ayrton team and a company with such a great history and reputation.”
“We are excited to welcome Nick to the Ayrton family,” says Ayrton’s global sales director, Michael Althaus. “This is a new role within the company and we are very excited about its potential - which is showing itself already. Nick is extremely k

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UK - EM Acoustics has announced the appointment of Roger Harpum to the position of business development manager. A well-known figure in the professional audio world, Harpum brings nearly 30 years’ experience and a depth of knowledge to the role.
“A chance conversation with an industry friend in December stirred something in me and I decided to make contact with Mike [Wheeler] in January,” explains Harpum. “Following further communication, an eye-opening factory tour and two very productive meetings we all felt that the synergy between us was worth investing in.
“Joining EM at this stage in their journey is incredibly exciting, and having spent time listening to the range of products I have absolutely no doubt that a move to the next level is well under way,” he continues. “In Mike and Ed, the industry has two visionaries who have built a successful compan

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USA - Main Light has announced the appointment of Randy Mullican to chief executive officer. Having been with Main Light for 27 years, most recently as general manager, Mullican brings a deep understanding of the company and its dry hire business model.
Mullican has worked closely with Main Light's owner and chairman, Michael Cannon, over this past year as the team have made adjustments to the company's operations and expansion to three locations - Wilmington, DE (Main Light, East); Las Vegas, NV (Main Light, West); and Nashville, TN (Main Light, South).
Cannon, who purchased Main Light a little over a year ago, states: “The bright spot of the whole deal in acquiring Main Light, was the great team I inherited. They have all been fantastic, and the leader of that great team is Randy Mullican. I felt that with Randy’s years of service and his expanding responsibilit

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UK - Television lighting rental specialists Version 2 has announced a management reshuffle at its Reading operation with Emma Gale now as general manager, Sam Crook as technical operations manager, and Joe Marter as sales operations manager.
Emma has a strong track record in management and was instrumental in the transformation and growth of an independent transport company. “I am new to the lighting industry but can apply my skillsets in the various aspects of running a business to Version 2. I have always been responsible for vehicles being in the right place at the right time. Here it’s about delivering lights to a studio or location on schedule - the logistics are the same and I’m fast finding out about TV lighting.”
Meanwhile, long-serving Version 2 stalwart Sam Crook will continue to oversee equipment preparation procedures, equipment specification and pr

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UK - Sound Technology, exclusive distributor of Martin Professional in the UK, has appointed Avril Cook as technical sales support in its professional lighting division.
Cook comes to Sound Technology with over 14 years of experience as a lighting technician within theatre, touring and live events most recently as deputy head of lighting at The Old Vic, and previously as deputy head of lighting at Hampstead Theatre. Her CV also includes a spell at the ENO, and freelance, design and education work within the lighting industry.
Cook will be providing product advice and demonstrations of Martin fixtures to rental companies, dealers, venues and lighting professionals, working alongside Sound Technology’s lighting sales and support teams.
“I’m excited to be joining Sound Technology in the role of technical sales support and am eager to get out and promote the

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UK - VDC Trading has promoted Herpreet Kaur Singh to the role of commercial director. She will now be responsible for the commercial aspect of the business for the whole of the UK and export and will oversee and assist the continuing growth of VDC and the Van Damme brand in multiple markets across the world.
Herpreet, who joined VDC in 2014, previously managed VDC’s export and customer services department. “I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to be able to expand my role in this way,” she says. “We have weathered an incredibly difficult time during the pandemic and have emerged more resilient with so much to look forward to. Van Damme as a brand has never been stronger and VDC has many interesting projects in the pipeline - both domestically and internationally. I’m excited to drive the commercial side of the business and look forward to continuing to

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Europe - Elation Professional has welcomed experienced industry professional Jonas Stenvinkel to its European-based sales team. Jonas, a native Swede who works from a base in London, joined the growing Elation sales department on 1 March and is tasked with overseeing some of the company’s most important growth markets including Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Africa.
Stenvinkel, a 20-year industry veteran, brings with him broad international sales and marketing experience and has a proven track record in leading sales teams to new goals and growth. He comes to Elation from a similar position at Ayrton. His industry journey began at Martin Professional in 2003, which included a three-year assignment in Singapore as managing director for Martin’s APAC office. He later moved to London to work for Harman International in a senior EMEA role.

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USA - Silver Spoon continues to augment its realtime animation and virtual production capabilities with the hiring of new head of production, Angela Cardetti. The recent enlistment follows the studio’s expansion of operations to Los Angeles in addition to their New York base.
Angela Cardetti has over 15 years of experience in technical production across multiple disciplines of audio, video and lighting in both the broadcast and live event industries. In her previous role as director of video services for Brainhub Powering ETP, she led the crew responsible for designing and executing complex video systems for large-scale corporate events and entertainment touring projects.
Cardetti states: “I am thrilled to be at the intersection of creativity and technology with Silver Spoon, a clear leader in the world of virtual production. With the rapid growth we are experien

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USA - After more than nine years at ARRI - three of which spent as an executive board member - Markus Zeiler has decided to accept a new professional challenge, ARRI reports.
Prof. Dr. Hans-Joerg Bullinger, chairman of the supervisory board at ARRI, comments: “On behalf of the supervisory board, I would like to thank Markus Zeiler for his outstanding efforts and accomplishments for the ARRI Group. We deeply regret this decision, but wish him all the best personally and professionally. We look forward to working with Markus Zeiler on joint projects in the future.”
Zeiler came to ARRI as general manager business unit lighting in 2013. In this position, his responsibilities included the successful introduction of the LED soft light platform SkyPanel, for which ARRI was awarded an Engineering Emmy this past year. Zeiler was most recently in charge of the business units

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USA - Obsidian Control Systems has expanded its team with two experienced members tasked with providing support, programming advice and training capabilities for customers.
Matthew Gerardi will lead Obsidian Control Systems’ Technical Support division with focus on Onyx, Netron and Capture, working out of Obsidian’s HQ in Los Angeles. Gerardi comes to Obsidian with an extensive background as a technical director and lighting technician. In his new role, he will work alongside Obsidian users to evolve Onyx, and will focus on Onyx and Netron training sessions throughout the US, in person and online.
Meanwhile, Hector Rojo joins Obsidian’s Latin American team to lead the Onyx support division for Mexico, Central and South America, along with other Spanish-speaking areas across the globe. He brings with him an extensive technical background as a lighting designer, li

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USA - Tributes have been paid to Juan ‘JC’ Faxas, who passed away unexpectedly on 12 February. A former employee of the ADJ Group of Companies, he leaves behind a devoted wife, two daughters, and many friends who were drawn to his outgoing personality and keen sense of humour. 
Juan Faxas, known to his many friends and colleagues as JC, was born on 21 February 1962. At the age of six, his family fled communist Cuba for the US. Settling in California, JC attended South California Military Academy, Long Beach, as well as Warren High School, and graduated in 1980. Music was a passion for him from an early age; JC enjoyed singing and playing guitar as well as playing other artistes’ music as a DJ. In 1977, while still at High School, he founded Discomania and performed at weddings and parties throughout Los Angeles. He quickly exp
  1. Audiofocus strengthens international sales team
  2. Troxy appoints operations manager
  3. Rich Rowley joins Solotech UK in GM role
  4. Ben Díaz joins ARRI Lighting management
  5. d&b names Soundscape manager for Japan
  6. Sound Technology expands lighting team
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