UK - Following a three-month business review, specialist LED lighting manufacturer GDS has announced management changes at its Bristol HQ, “to assist in the long-term growth of the business”.
Richard Cuthbert will take on the role of managing director, whilst Matthew Lloyd will now occupy the position of sales director for entertainment. Ian Colquhoun will continue in the role of finance director.
Lloyd comments: “During the 14 years of the company’s history, Richard and I have overseen the growth and success of ArcSystem, BluesSystem, CueSystem, GDS-Korea and the business as a whole. I feel now that Rich should take GDS forward with his strategic view, allowing me to focus on the sales and international business so core to our roots.”
Cuthbert adds: “It has always been a pleasure working with Matt to create great solutions for the industry and we will continue to forge ahead together in our new capacities. I’m looking forward to assessing and further developing the commercial areas of GDS and helping to improve products and services for our customers. These are very exciting times for GDS and the focus is now firmly on establishing a solid base for the company’s long-term growth.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - Details for the funeral of late sound engineer Barry Bartlett have been released.
The funeral service for Bartlett, who died peacefully on 30 March, will be held at 11.20am on Monday, 23 April at Mortlake Crematorium, Kew Meadow Path, Richmond TW9 4EN. The family also invites Bartlett’s friends, colleagues and associates to join them for a reception after the service at 12:00pm at Putney Town Rowing Club.
Parking will be available at either location while nearest stations are Mortlake and Underground or Overground Kew Gardens (both a 15-minute walk). The family has asked for family flowers only while donations can be made to Woking & Sam Beare Hospice - www.wsbhospices.co.uk/support-us/remembrance/in-memory-donations/
Those wishing to attend the service are asked to RSVP to jackier@training.britanniarow.com. To celebrate Barry’s life, the family encourages people to send their pictures of him to jackier@training.britanniarow.com or bring them along on the day.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Unusual Rigging has appointed four new directors to the board in response to the company's exponential growth over recent years. The new directors, all current employees at Unusual will, in time assume specific leadership roles within the company.
Senior project managers Steve Porter, Simon Stone and Simon Tiernan, together with Tom Harper, Unusual's sustainability coordinator, have accepted positions on the board.
Alan Jacobi, managing director at Unusual, comments: "Unusual has grown at an unprecedented rate in recent years and now has responsibilities in very defined but different sectors where the clients expect to deal with officers at the highest level. This, together with the ever-increasing compliance requirements meant that we had to take measures to ensure the board is not overstretched."
He adds: "We needed to regenerate the thread of continuity as we move forward and continue to grow and the board needs to reflect this intention in the management and governance of the company. We need a solid and secure base to guide us into the future where no doubt the responsibilities will be ever more demanding."
Speaking on behalf of the newly appointed directors, Tom Harper comments: "It is an honour to be invited to sit on the board of Unusual Rigging. We are all long-standing employees of the company and have been a part of the team for nearly 30 years. We all know the company inside out and all share the same aspirations for its future."
Jacobi concludes: "We have been discussing these issues for some time now and decided at t

UK - Richard Black has joined stage track and engineering specialist Triple E in a newly created technical sales and marketing role.
Previously the projects manager at Flint Hire and Supply, Black’s new job will utilise his 10 years’ experience in scenic construction and rigging with a focus on client relationships, training and marketing Triple E’s expanding portfolio.
David Edelstein, managing director, says: “We’re delighted to have Richard on board. He’s familiar with our products and ambitions and fully equipped to communicate the company’s product solutions.”
Richard Black comments: “I’ve admired Triple E since I started working in this business. David wants people in tune with his designs, who recognise their merits. The tech sales and marketing position is a perfect fit for me and I’m looking forward to exciting challenges as Triple E takes its message into new corners of the market.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - Gary Makein has joined Blitz in the newly created role of general manager with a brief to head up the company’s expanding warehouse team and the new set and staging workshop facilities at the company HQ in Elstree.
He will also support the company’s satellite offices - based at five major venues across the UK - where Blitz are the in house, preferred AV supplier.
Makein has a long pedigree in the AV and broadcast industry. He joins the company from VER, where he was head of operations, prior to which he spent 18 years as co-founder and operations director at Show Presentation Services.
He will also take a lead role on the health & safety committee and reports to operations director, Ali Sumar.
“As Blitz continues to grow, we have made substantial investments in cutting edge technical equipment and improved stock availability. Combined with a new set and staging facility, we knew we needed additional, senior level support. Gary, with his expertise is a great and welcomed addition to the talent here at Blitz.” said Ali Sumar, operations director, Blitz.
(Jim Evans)

UK - It is with great sadness that we report that Barry Bartlett died on Good Friday, 30 March after a year-long struggle with cancer. He died peacefully surrounded by his family. Britannia Row Productions, where Barry worked for many years, issued the following tribute.
Barry had been a freelance sound engineer all his working life and had worked as such for Britannia Row Productions for many years. In 2012 he became the course director for Britannia Row Productions Training, a post he held until his passing on Friday. At the end of 2017, Barry also took up the part-time post of training manager for Britannia Row Productions.
Britannia Row said in a statement: "Barry was driven by a few key passions. He was passionate about music in all its forms and in its history, live audio, passing on his vast knowledge to others through his course writing and editing and tutoring. He had a keen interest in good red wine. He drank with appreciation and always responsibly. Above all, he was passionate about his family, his wife Fiona and their two daughters, Isabella and Sophia. Both Isabella and Sophia are brilliant young musicians playing violin, clarinet and guitar. Barry was immensely proud of their achievements.
One of the early name bands that Barry worked with after attending Goldsmiths College was Squeeze. There followed a long career in live sound engineering working closely with artists such as Damon Albarn and on many, many Britannia Row projects. Barry loved projects involving acoustic instruments from full orchestras to electric ensembles incorpora

USA - Atlona has expanded its residential AV sales team with the appointment of Joshua Trujillo as regional sales manager, west residential. Reporting to Victor Baut, national sales manager, residential, Joshua will cover a vast territory across Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. He will work closely with systems integrators, rep firms, consultants and end users to expand regional visibility and market share for Altona in the residential AV market.
Joshua comes to Atlona with 15 years of AV industry experience, most of which was with Logic Integration, a commercial and residential AV dealer and integration firm based in Denver.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Ohm has appointed James Jewry as director of technical integration, heading up the new tech integration department.
Jewry is an experienced system design technician working with artists such as Kylie Minogue, Tom Jones and the London Symphony Orchestra. Having been involved in audio for nearly 25 years, he has worked with major tour and festival companies, designing and calibrating some of the largest audio projects around the world.
Gareth Coleman, director of international sales, comments: “Ohm is focused on building a strong core team, with the imminent release of state of the art DSP software & hardware, the creation of a new technical integration team will ensure our new products have both pre and post sales customer support.”
Jewry adds: “I’ve seen and heard some amazing loudspeakers built at Ohm, with over 39 years’ experience behind them and with one of the best acousticians around, working on the new products for 2018, I’m excited to be part of Ohm’s future.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - Following the announcement of CUK Audio taking on distribution of ClearOne, the company has appointed Fraser Sanaghan to the position of applications specialist. Sanaghan will support the conference & collaboration sales channel initially, with specific focus on ClearOne, broadening out over time to designing live and AV solutions as well.
Sanaghan comes to CUK after nearly 11 years in applications support with TC Group (now Music Group) working with brands such as Tannoy, Lab.gruppen and Lake where he was responsible for training of the distributor network throughout EMEA as well as some system design.
“I’m delighted to be part of the team at CUK who have a great reputation in the industry,” says Sanaghan. “We took on distribution of ClearOne early this year so I’m excited to support their products as well as the other industry-leading brands we have on our roster. I’m looking forward to helping the company in their continuing growth.”
CUK sales director and head of the conference & collaboration sales channel, Simon Druce adds, “The ability to support the brands you sell, and support them well, has become a defining factor in the role of a distributor. Knowing that competent and qualified support is available adds real value for manufacturers in their choice of sales partners, as well as being a benefit for our own customers when they buy from us.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - Lighting industry veteran Matt Hallard has been appointed Chauvet UK sales manager and will be responsible for Chauvet Professional, Chauvet DJ and Iluminarc lighting products in the UK and Ireland.
Hallard's diverse experience in the lighting industry includes shareholder and director roles at full-service design company Limited Edition Event Design. He was with Martin Professional and acted as European sales manager for Philips Vari-Lite for many years, as well as a project manager for Production Resource Group Europe.
“We are very happy to have Matt on our team,” said Michael Brooksbank, general manager of Chauvet Europe. “Aside from his broad knowledge of lighting and the UK market, he also shares the Chauvet philosophy of total customer service, as well as our vision for the future growth of Chauvet Europe.”
(Jim Evans)

Switzerland - Atlona has strengthened its Central European sales team with the appointment of industry veteran Kai Ellingsen as senior sales manager, DACH. Reporting to Thorsten Goecke, Atlona’s director of business development EMEA, commercial, Kai will leverage his broad industry expertise to support sales initiatives and increase visibility for Atlona across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Kai’s career path over the past 15 years includes key sales and business development roles with distributors and systems integrators serving the commercial AV industry, including Kindermann, an AV systems distributor and manufacturer of mounts and lift systems based in Germany.
“Atlona’s strengths in balancing price and performance, along with their very recent innovations in networked control and AV over IP, have arrived for our industry at exactly the right time,” said Ellingsen.
(Jim Evans)

UK - SixEye is a new technology startup developing a flexible remote management platform which allows manufacturers and system integrators of lighting and audio-visual controls systems to provide a unified remote management solution under their own brand.
Bas Hoksbergen joins as SixEye is starting to bring on board manufacturer partners to integrate their products with its platform. His role will see him build relationships with new and potential customers and identify new markets for SixEye’s product.
SixEye CEO, Simon Hicks, describes the appointment as “The ideal combination of person, product and timing – we’re very pleased to be working with Bas as we bring SixEye’s solution to market. Having deployed large projects of exactly the kind that SixEye is designed to manage, Bas’s contribution will be invaluable as we add new features and fine tune the offer.”
Bas brings well over a decade of experience in the architectural lighting industry from previous roles with Philips ColorKinetics, Philips Lighting and Pharos Controls. In fact, Bas will continue to work part-time as Architectural Market Manager for Pharos Controls during the early stages of SixEye’s growth.
Pharos has signed up with SixEye as a partner manufacturer, so for Bas there’s a natural link between the roles. Bas comments, “SixEye’s approach to a remote management solution demonstrates a deep understanding of the needs of control system manufacturers and their customers, unrivalled in the market today. I’m excited to be joining them at the start of their

UK - Following a management buyout in May 2017, technical production company Saville is continuing its expansion of its in-house expertise with the appointment of international live event specialist, Chris Philpott, as head of operations for the live events division.
With over 15 years’ live events’ experience, Philpott has been brought on board to join the evolving senior leadership team and help shape the new generation Saville. The company has recently consolidated its national live event network to form two main operational hubs, located in Leeds and Guildford.
Joining Saville AV from Dubai-based Digicomm, where he was director of projects, Philpott was responsible for delivering technically challenging event experiences across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, for top global brands.
Colin Nixey, managing director of Saville Live Events, comments, “The live event industry is moving forward at an unprecedented pace and Saville fully intend to remain a leader within the technical production arena. Adding the kind of experience and expertise that Chris brings to the table is key to ensuring we achieve this.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - Martin Audio has recruited Ben Tucker to its product support group.
Tucker has a Distinction in Live Sound Foundation Degree from the University of Plymouth, a BTEC in Music and is an avid musician. He has worked for Millstone Sound and as a freelance live sound engineer designing, preparing and deploying audio systems for large scale events as well as carrying out console operation duties at both FOH and monitors for various shows.
Dan Orton, head of the product support group, comments: “This appointment reflects the growth of the company and the demand for in-field support for live sound production and training. The now six-strong team is set up to be adaptable, in order to support customers anywhere in the world, rather than being region specific. This allows us to better balance different application demands coming from different regions at different times of the year. With the runaway success of recent product launches and a host more to come in 2018, the timing couldn't be better.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - Dr James Green, former head of intellectual property at specialist technology development business Ilika, has joined Flare Audio in the same role. Dr Green has over 45 years’ experience in international technology commercialisation, having negotiated numerous agreements and licences with major corporations including US and Japanese multinationals.
His new role includes managing and progressing Flare’s portfolio of patents, designs and trademarks, and advising management on competitive threats or potential patent infringements.
Flare’s Davies Roberts comments: “Dr Green has an extraordinary wealth of experience and will play a key role in ensuring Flare’s proprietary technologies are recognised throughout the world.”
“When I met Flare CEO Davies Roberts, I was very impressed with what he had created,” says Dr Green. “I like working with interesting and enthusiastic people, and I like early-stage technology-based companies where the team is determined to succeed. Flare certainly fits that definition.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - Sound Technology, the exclusive UK distributor for Martin by Harman, has announced the addition of key personnel to its dedicated Martin UK team.
Ritchie Reed (business development manager, professional lighting) heads up the sales and application team and is joined by Rob Beamer and Lauren Drinkwater as area sales managers for the north and south respectively, while Chris Hale joins as product and application specialist, professional lighting.
Ritchie Reed has worked in the entertainment lighting world for over 20 years, including positions as key account manager for theatre and subsequently UK sales director at Martin Professional until April 2016.
Lauren Drinkwater worked at City Theatrical for seven years and most recently was UK channel manager at Martin Professional specialising in theatre.
Rob Beamer has been working in the entertainment industry for over 24 years, including positions as chief electrician for both the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatres, and business development manager for Stage Electrics. Rob has also worked as a freelance lighting designer for theatre and touring concerts.
Chris Hale joins as product and application specialist with over 20 years of experience at Martin Professional.
Robin Young is the primary contact for Martin customers within Sound Technology's sales office team.
(Jim Evans)

Sweden - Wireless Solution has recently expanded its team with the hiring of two new staff members to meet its continual growth rate and to keep improving its development and customer support.
As part of the expansion, Wireless Solution has built an in-house assembly space, where Jonas Jonsson, W-DMX’s new production technician, has started full-time. This new space will allow for quick manufacturing turnaround, along with a stricter quality control over all components. Jonas will also be involved with RMA and second-line of support and repairs of all W-DMX products.
Wireless Solution has also secured another in-house R&D engineer to support Anders Zellén in the development team. Dimitar Kolev, an electronics engineer with over 20 years of experience, brings wide knowledge of hardware and PCB design, allowing for a quicker turnaround within the department. Dimitar has previously worked for RISE Acreo, LumenRadio and Semcon.
Niclas Arvidsson, CEO of Wireless Solution, comments: “The biggest part of our commitment to our users is keeping our manufacturing and assembly in Sweden – for 15 years we have kept that promise, and we’ll continue honouring it. We are extremely happy with securing two new team members, as they will help us to improve and grow our brand.”
This year Wireless Solution will be celebrating its 15th year as a global supplier of Wireless DMX technology - the celebrations will be taking place at Prolight & Sound in April, where the manufacturer will showcase its latest technology.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Film, TV and theatre lighting supplier Flashlight has announced the appointment of Danny Tomkins, who joins the company's UK sales department as a business development manager. Tomkins will provide field-based sales and support for the company's expanding range of leading lighting brands.
He has grown into the industry over the last eight years working with Rosco (UK) focusing on the LED solutions for the film and TV market. Danny says: "I'm looking forward to the exciting challenges and learning from two of the best in Andy and Rob."
Flashlight directors Andy Dodd and Rob Williamson comment: "We're delighted to welcome Danny to the company. His enthusiasm and hunger in the film/ TV lighting market allows us to continue to be in front of end users and support new business with a strong presence."
(Jim Evans)

USA - Point Source Audio (PSA), an audio equipment manufacturer specialising in the development of miniature microphones and headsets, has named pro audio industry veteran Jim Sides as vice-president of global partnerships.
Sides has served as a consultant at the company since late 2017 and has nearly four decades of experience in the entertainment industry including senior management positions at Apogee Sound, Nexo USA/SA, Meyer Sound Labs. He also co-founded VUE Audiotechnik and entertainment consultancy Eklektric.
Yvonne Ho, vice president of sales and marketing at PSA, comments: “We are extremely pleased to have Jim officially on our team. After Jim came on board as a consultant, it quickly became clear that there was tremendous potential for a fit at a time when Point Source Audio is on a growth trajectory in the U.S. and around the world.”
PSA president James Lamb adds: “With roots as a working musician, sound engineer and producer, and senior management for several of the industry’s leading brands, I can’t think of anyone who can better support our mission than Jim."
Sides comments: “Point Source Audio not only has a line-up of top-notch products, but also a commitment to collaborative partnerships and customer experience that’s unmatched in the audio industry. I’m proud to be a part of it and look forward to helping manage the company’s continued growth in the coming years.”
PSA, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has leading pro audio partners such as Autograph Sales in the UK, Avon Lyd in Norwa

Denmark - AV equipment supplier Neets has announced today that Aske Korsgaard Hejlesen has joined the company in the newly created position as chief experience officer. Hejlesen will be responsible for integrating design thinking in the organization to ensure that new products and solutions address actual user problems and needs. He comes with an educational background in industrial design and more than 10 years of experience working with user involvement and design research. Most recently, he worked as a design researcher at the international roof window manufacturer Velux Group.
“I am excited to join Neets and for this opportunity to help the company deliver a seamless and consistent user experience across products and digital touchpoints,” said Hejlesen. “I am passionate about user-driven innovation, and I will be working across all teams to ensure that design thinking permeates the entire organization and is reflected in all products.”
“Exceptional user experience design has always been at the heart of our development philosophy,” said Neets CEO, Michael Jarl Christensen. “I’m therefore delighted to bring on Aske Korsgaard Hejlesen, who comes with the skills and experience we need to bring Neets even closer to users. It is important that we cultivate a user-centered approach across the company in order to create an environment in which design thinking is an integral part of our product development strategy. He will be instrumental in helping us accomplish that goal.”
(Jim Evans)

USA - Scott Fisher will receive the ESTA Technical Lifetime Achievement Award at the closing of the New World Rigging Symposium on 14 March in Fort Lauderdale’s Hilton Marina Hotel (Grand Salon).
Established in 2017 by the ESTA Board of Directors and Technical Standards Council, the award recognises individuals with ‘significant and sustained’ technical contributions to the entertainment industry over at least 25 years. Last year’s recipient was Robert Goddard of Goddard Design.
Fisher began his career in automation in the late 1980s in Las Vegas with Siegfried and Roy, the first of the mega shows at the first of the Las Vegas mega resorts, The Mirage. From this vantage point at the crest of the wave of huge Las Vegas productions and attractions of the 1990s and 2000s, he got to see what stage automation could be and just how far it had to go to get there.
Fisher has worked in a wide variety of venues and jobs, from rock’n’roll and Broadway touring shows to performer flying to special effects to rigging automation to large scale attraction design and construction, building a knowledge base along the way for what worked and what didn’t. In 1997, he founded Fisher Technical Services (FTSI) with the goal of making a truly integrated automation system specifically for live entertainment shows and attractions of all types.
(Jim Evans)

UK - JHS has announced the appointment of Ben Chapman to the position of media and artist coordinator/product demonstrator, joining the publicity team at the JHS head office in Garforth, West Yorkshire.
In addition to being a main point of contact for the press, artists and endorsees, Ben will promote the many brands under the JHS umbrella via digital and social platforms, be available to provide our stockists staff with product training, put on instore clinics and be a regular feature at the many trade and consumer shows at which JHS promotes its brands.
(Jim Evans)

USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the appointment of Paul Peace as senior director of engineering.
Peace has three decades of experience in the pro audio industry, including the design and development of loudspeaker systems and real-world hands-on experience as a systems installer. He comes to Community from Harman/JBL Professional where he was senior manager in systems engineering. Previously Peace has also held technical leadership roles at Renkus-Heinz and IMAX.
Leading all engineering efforts at Community, Peace will oversee product development, production engineering, product management and vendor research, while directing research in advanced directivity control, equalization techniques and loudspeaker specifications.
Community’s CEO, Steve Johnson, commented, “We’re really happy to extend a warm welcome to Paul. In addition to his extensive research and development expertise, he has the innovative approach to development that forms a core philosophy of Community. Paul will be a key member of Community’s leadership team, providing valuable input for our future success.”
(Jim Evans)

UK - FBT Audio (UK) has announced Mike Roissetter as its business development manager for South Wales, the Midlands and the South West of England. A well-known figure within the UK industry, Roissetter is described by FBT Audio (UK) managing director, Mark Parkhouse, as "the right man with the right ideas as we continue to grow".
Roissetter brings considerable experience to his new role, having worked in both audio retail for the Soundpad chain of stores, and distribution for a number of global brands including EAW. He was also responsible the launch of the Dexibell digital piano in the UK. His arrival at FBT Audio (UK) represents something of a reunion with Mark Parkhouse, with whom he previously worked closely at Proel Group, though the relationship goes back much further.
"Mike actually sold me my first PA, when I was 14," explains Parkhouse. "Since then we’ve had the pleasure of working closely together and I've also had the opportunity of watching Mike from afar as he has continued to excel in often challenging circumstances. He's a true professional who will raise our already excellent level of customer service to new heights. I’m very pleased to welcome him to the FBT Audio (UK) family."
(Jim Evans)