Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

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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

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Belgium - Installation and touring loudspeaker manufacturer Audiofocus has announced two senior additions to its international sales team.
Håkan Sjöö has been appointed to the position of EMEA sales manager, with responsibility for developing and expanding the brand’s distribution partnerships. Luc Haubursin has also joined the team as commercial business development manager, with a specific focus on sales growth in Africa and the Benelux countries.
Håkan brings international sales experience with pro audio brands including Powersoft, Renkus-Heinz, and Holoplot. Luc also has a proven track record in the pro AV industry, with business development experience at Chauvet Europe and with AED Distribution.
“We are delighted to welcome Håkan and Luc to the Audiofocus family,” says managing director, Ann Leroy. “As part of our Audiofocus 2.0 journey, we a

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UK - London venue Troxy has announced the appointment of Jools Butterfield as operations manager. With over 25 years of experience within the event industry and 20+ years in managerial roles, Jools will be providing insight and invaluable experience from the ground up.
Jools will be making the transition from his most recent role as senior festivals manager Vision Nine His responsibilities included event manager for the NASS festival, assistant event manager for Boardmasters festival and the overall creation of the strategy and approach of all Vision Nine events.
In previous roles, he spent 15 years as Lovebox founder and festival manager, latterly being part of Live Nation where he was instrumental in the ongoing success of Citadel and Wilderness Festivals.
Simon Eaton, head of live at Troxy, comments: “Having spent many years working alongside Jools at MAMA

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UK - Solotech UK has announced the appointment of Rich Rowley to the role of general manager for its Redditch facility. Rowley joins Solotech with 30 years’ experience in the live productions Industry. Reporting to UK MD Bryce Jewell, Rowley will oversee operations supporting the live productions, sales and systems integration business for Solotech’s UK companies, including SSE Audio, Wigwam, Capital Sound and BCS Audio.
Rowley previously held roles as director at XL Video and as chief sales officer for PRG in the UK. Most recently, he has been general manager at Adlib, where he helped oversee the company’s transition from an audio supplier to a full 360 audio, lighting and video service provider.
Rich is no stranger to the Solotech family, having been hire manager in Redditch for SSE Audio between 2004 and 2006. During his time at SSE, he worked on many projects

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Germany - Lighting designer and DP Ben Díaz has joined ARRI Lighting as senior product manager. Based in Stephanskirchen. He will focus on the development of high-quality LED lighting fixtures and accessories.
Together with Florian Bloch, head of product management at ARRI Lighting, and the team, Ben Díaz will play an integral role in the planning, development, introduction, and life cycle management of new ARRI lighting products. Ben Díaz is a senior executive specialised in LED lighting technology. He is also a lighting designer, director of photography, and educator with more than 15 years of experience in the industry.
After several seasons directing lighting for television shows and designing tours for international artists, Ben Díaz joined the Danish manufacturer SGM Light in 2014, where he first worked as area manager and later as business development direc

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Japan - German audio technology and solutions company d&b audiotechnik has appointed Ayumi Hanano as Soundscape business development manager for Japan.
In this role, Hanano will be supporting Japanese users on both the technical and commercial aspects of d&b’s Soundscape System, with additional regional support. Hanano, who will be based in the d&b office in Yokohama, will report to both Hideki Yajima, managing director, d&b Japan, and Anand Narayanan, d&b president, APAC.
“We have seen success with both Soundscape and SL-Series throughout Japan, and Ayumi joins us at a great time to help build on this momentum and develop the markets further,” says Yajima. “Ayumi has a wealth of knowledge and experience throughout Japan and the APAC region. She will be working closely with end customers, system integrators and content creators to help demon

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UK - Sound Technology, exclusive distributor of Martin Professional in the UK, has appointed Joshua Wakley as area sales manager in its professional lighting division.
Wakley has been working in the theatre & live events industry for 13 years starting out as a lighting technician for regional venues in the south west. As the technical manager with The Redgrave Theatre, he oversaw investment and development into the venue, producing multiple in-house shows and attracting a range of commercial hires.
Wakley joined the customer service team at SLX in 2018 before becoming business development manager where he supplied and supported national venues, production companies and touring shows as well as event production companies & the corporate sector. Most recently, Wakley has added tools to his portfolio as a health & safety inspector & fire risk assessor. <

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Germany - Riedel Communications has welcomed Craig Thompson as executive director of the company's new customer success department. In his new role, Thompson will oversee operations for the department, which was created to deliver a frictionless experience for customers - from the initial demo and system design to training, delivery, and post-sales support - while expanding the company's services portfolio and associated revenue streams.
“With the creation of our customer success department, we're realising our vision of customer-centric operations, while preparing a solid foundation to support a product portfolio of hardware and software products,” comments Rik Hoerée, CEO product division at Riedel Communications. “With an impressive record of improving customer satisfaction, exceeding sales targets, and managing world-class services teams, Craig is a natural fit to

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Singapore - Ayrton has announced the further expansion of its international team with the appointment of Vijay Thaygarajoo as regional sales manager for Asia Pacific. The appointment takes effect from 1 February 2022.
Vijay brings over 10 years of industry experience in the region, working with Ayrton’s local distributor and as regional sales manager for a number of industry manufacturers.
“I am very excited to be joining the amazing team at Ayrton,” says Vijay. “As the RSM of Ayrton, I will be responsible for maintaining and building relationships with current distributors as well as appointing new distributors around the APAC region, with the aim of progressing and further strengthening the Ayrton brand and image in this part of the world.
“I’ve seen the quality of Ayrton lighting over the years and am very impressed with the full range of lighting

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Singapore - Pixotope has announced two new hires in their Asia Pacific leadership team.
Matthew Ma, former employee of Amazon Web Services and Avid, joins the company as general manager for North Asia. Matthew will be directly responsible for driving regional sales and advising on the regional functions of marketing operations, including developing distribution channels and building strategic relationships. The key locations for North Asia include China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.
Matthew states, “I am delighted to start a new chapter with Pixotope in this exciting period for Virtual Production. Having worked with the North Asia market for media and web technologies for many years, a key focus for this role will be building relationships with partners and ensuring consistent growth as Pixotope expands further across the region.”
With more tha

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Europe - K-array has announced the promotion of Francesco Maffei to area sales manager for EMEA. In his new position, Francesco will oversee the company’s sales and marketing activities and initiatives throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Francesco Maffei has been a long standing member of the K-array family with an extensive knowledge of the products, brand and has been an integral part of the growth of K-array over the last 20 years.
President of K-array Alessandro Tatini says: “We’re delighted that Francesco is taking the reins on EMEA. His deep understanding of the brand which he has helped to build over the years, our products, business know-how and leadership skills, will further strengthen K-array in EMEA with our story of passion, innovation and performance, in the exciting era ahead.”
Francesco Maffei comments: “I am really excited to ta

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The Netherlands - Follow-Me has announced two new members of its team - Victor Petitjean and Sander van der Meij.
Victor Petitjean is a French software developer, living in the Netherlands for five years. “I’m excited to finally discover the secrets behind the scene and to do my best to make show lighting even better,” he says.
Follow-Me founder and lead product developer, Erik Berends states: “Victor’s strong background in computer graphics matches perfectly with Follow-Me's ambition for upcoming product releases, we are excited to have him onboard.”
Based in the Netherlands, Sander van der Meij has been in the entertainment industry for almost 20 years as a lighting technician, rigger, dimmer tech, system tech and more recently as crew chief and project manager.
Product manager Tim van Dijk, who will be working closely with Sander in the Foll

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USA - Fulcrum Acoustic has announced Scott Pizzo will join as the U.S national sales manager. In this role, Pizzo will be responsible for overseeing the US sales rep network and coordinating the activities of Fulcrum’s rep force.
“Scott and I first worked together at EAW back in the early 2000s,” says Fulcrum Acoustic director of sales Todd Foster. “When we decided we were ready to expand the team, Scott was the first call that I made. He brings an impressive knowledge of the industry with him, and we are excited for his expertise as we look ahead.”
Scott is joining us at the perfect time,” says Fulcrum Acoustic president Stephen Siegel. “Todd Foster has done a tremendous job single-handedly managing our North American sales effort since 2013. Now, the growing interest in our products presents us with more opportunities than he can manage alone. Todd and

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Austria - AV Stumpfl has announced the creation of a new management position inside their screens sales department. On 1 January, Jan Walter joined the team as global business development manager, screens.
Walter began his AV industry career as a field application engineer and recently worked as a senior regional sales manager for an internationally known technology manufacturer. The focus of his new role will be expanding AV Stumpfl‘s international projection screens distribution network.
Walter comments: "Ever since I started working in the wider area of projection technology, AV Stumpfl screens have been a household name. I always associated their products with the highest quality possible and a great drive towards innovation. I see great potential for expanding the existing distribution network further and am looking forward to tackling this exciting challenge."<

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UK - Production services company Full Production has appointed a new director of live events and touring. Marc Thornton steps into the role after several years as lighting director and programmer for artists including Foals, Charli XCX and Goldfrapp. He will be overseeing the live events and music arm of the business.
Marc is a BRIT school graduate who began working alongside Full Production MD Steve Richardson early on in his career, whilst they were both working at White Light. Marc worked with Full Production as part of a successful freelance career for the past eight years, before joining the company on a temporary contract in February 2021. He played an integral part in some of Full Production’s biggest projects of 2021, including the Warwick Castle Sundown Spectacular.
“I’m delighted to be coming on board full time with the team at Full Production,” adds

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UK - Solotech has announced two significant appointments to its UK management team. Ryan Thomas and Phil Goldsworthy have taken over UK sales and systems integration leadership for SSE Audio, Wigwam Acoustics, Capital Sound and BCS Audio.
Both will report to Solotech UK MD Bryce Jewell and work in close collaboration with Solotech Live Productions leaders as well as overseeing corporate functions. They take over after the departure of Alex Penn, who served as sales and systems integration managing director at SSE Audio before leaving to pursue other professional interests.
Goldsworthy brings over 17 years of experience at Wigwam Acoustics and two years as the UK Group’s systems integration manager to his new role as head of systems integration.
Thomas will serve as head of sales for Solotech’s UK companies. With over 20 years of experience in various pro aud

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Europe - zactrack International has welcomed Alistair Smyth, a long-time veteran of the industry, as the company’s new brand manager.
After earning a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Kingston University London, he has worked for Vari-Lite, High End Systems, Christie Lites, A.C. Entertainment Technologies and Flashlight. Most recently, he was a technical sales advisor at Elation, where he was responsible for product demonstrations, sales support and technical communication.
Reflecting on his new role, Smyth says: “I am proud to join the Lightpower family of companies and be a member of the zactrack International team. I look forward to meeting our valued distributors, customers and users. The zactrack products are amazing and we believe they will revolutionize tracking in many areas of our industry. As part of the team here, we can work together to h

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Germany - HOF is expanding its company management team with immediate effect. Dennis Klostermann and Isabel Inclan, two experienced employees are joining the management. Together with Björn Heinzmann, managing director and shareholder at HOF since 2003, they will lead the company as a trio.
Björn Heinzmann will continue to manage the areas of technology and finance. Dennis Klostermann, who has been with HOF since 2006 and was previously key account manager, will be responsible for sales and product development. Isabel Inclan was previously in charge of marketing and will now represent the marketing and human resources departments.
Hans-Wilhelm Flegel, who founded HOF 25 years ago, is retiring from management and operations, but will remain with the company in an advisory role. "I am pleased that a new generation is now taking over the company management at HOF. I a

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UK - Tributes have been pouring in after the death of TMB’s Nuri Waheishi, who passed away unexpectedly after a short illness in December. An enduringly popular figure amongst the global entertainment technology community, Waheishi started out as dimmer technician at Avolites in the 1990s, progressing to production director before joining TMB. He spent the remainder of his career at the lighting specialist, first as an inside sales account executive and later transitioning to his most recent role in customer development.
In a Face

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Sweden - Power distribution specialists StageSmarts has added Pierre Nyström and Jakob Aronson to the team at their manufacturing facility in Arboga.
Nyström has extensive manufacturing and testing experience from the electrical power industry, most recently from Alstom. Aronson is an experienced field service engineer who joins the company from Kone lifts.
“Guys of this calibre are very hard to find, and we’re super excited to have them join our growing team of craftsmen. Their extensive expertise will strengthen our company and help us innovate and build even better products,” says Mats Karlsson, CEO of StageSmarts. “We’ve seen steady growth over the past nine months, and with Pierre and Jakob onboard, we can increase our capacity while at the same time maintaining the highest build quality.”

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USA - Bluesound Professional has appointed Craig Cooper as its North American sales manager.
Reporting to Graeme Harrison, vice president and general manager of Bluesound Professional, Cooper’s primary responsibility will be to facilitate sales growth in the North American market, working with reps, system integrators, consultants and end customers.
Cooper previously held executive positions at companies like Analog Way (AV manufacturer), Bormann Marketing (pro audio manufacturer) and Pinnacle Entertainment (end user). During his most recent role as regional sales manager for Analog Way, Cooper established a strong presence for the AV manufacturing company in the Midwest Region through initiating and expanding relationships with key stakeholders and influencers.
Graeme Harrison comments: “I’m very pleased to welcome Cooper to our Bluesound Professional tea
  1. Area Four Industries promotes Will Todd
  2. Nettlefold joins Audiologic as business manager
  3. Adrian Skelton joins Rigging Team
  4. Solotech names UK managing director
  5. Patrick Bellino joins Main Light East
  6. Powersoft appoints CRO for China
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