There was quite a bit of people on the move last week. Here's your weekly trip around Pro AV with the people and partnership news you may have missed.
[Startling Numbers on Hybrid Suggest More Work to Be Done]
People News
Bose Professional Appoints New VP of Global Marketing
Bose Professional has appointed Adam Castillo as VP of global marketing. Castillo brings over 20 years of experience, having held senior marketing positions at companies including Logitech, Avid, and Blue Microphones, where he has led global marketing strategy and execution, brand strategy and development, and product marketing among other functions. At Bose Professional he lends his skills to help position the company for growth in its new era as a standalone organization.
After being taken private in April 2023, Bose Professional has been building and expanding its autonomous operations and infrastructure at a rapid pace over the last four quarters, most recently announcing the launch of their new hybrid US sales organization. In addition to filling key positions, Bose Professional has opened ten new offices and Experience Centers in cities around the world this year, including Tokyo, London and Shanghai, empowering local teams to deliver sales and service to their customers.
DPA Microphones Adds to Wireless Systems Sales Teams
DPA Microphones appointed industry veterans Adinaldo “Adi” Neves as director of business development, wireless, and Marcos Nieves as area sales manager, D.C. Metro. Geoff Baynard also joins the team as business development manager, wireless.
A seasoned product management executive with extensive experience in the technology sector, Neves will spearhead DPA Microphones/Wisycom wireless business development. Prior to joining DPA, Neves was with Shure, where he held a variety of product management, market development and technical training positions for over a decade. Neves also held sales or business development roles with Sennheiser, JBL Pro/Harman and AVID/Digidesign.
Nieves comes to DPA via the Wisycom partnership. With a wireless systems career that spans more than two decades, Nieves got his start in the industry at Systems Wireless/Bexel, where he gained ground-up knowledge of the inner workings of broadcast and production wireless.
Baynard also joins DPA as part of the alliance with Wisycom, where he served for five years as product marketing manager and previously product specialist.
Alex Keighley Joins Grass Valley as SVP of Sales for North America
Grass Valley appointed Alex Keighley as the new SVP of sales for North America. In this role, Alex plays a key part in driving growth and strengthening relationships with customers across the region.
With a wealth of experience spanning both the media and technology sectors, Keighley brings a unique blend of industry knowledge and sales leadership to Grass Valley. As Keighley steps into his new role, his focus will be on building a market-leading organization.
Keighley’s professional journey is marked by two distinct careers. In the first half, he led sales teams for major media organizations, including Reuters during the dot-com era and the Associated Press' EMEA commercial organization during the initial wave of multimedia transformation. This experience deepened his interest in the technology behind news gathering, leading him to join Bitcentral, where he supported numerous local station groups in the United States.
In recent years, Keighley held leadership roles at Avid and Telestream, most recently serving as CRO of Backlight. He also led Grass Valley’s U.S. West Sales team for five years prior to these roles, and now returns to lead the North America team as the industry enters another phase of unprecedented change.
L-Acoustics Restructures and Expands EMEA Sales Team
L-Acoustics announced a strategic restructuring and significant expansion of its Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) sales team. This move, led by recently appointed director of sales EMEA, Tim Völker, introduces a new head of sales management position and key hires designed to meet the increasing sophistication and scale of projects in the region.
The cornerstone of this restructuring is the promotion of four long-standing team members to newly created head of sales positions, forming a leadership team crucial for meeting customer needs and service demand: Chris Mead (Middle East, India, Africa and Eurasia), Paul McMullan (Northern Europe), Tim McCall (South-Western Europe), and Steffen Luuk (Central & Eastern Europe). With a total of 28 years of experience at L-Acoustics and a proven track record in the professional audio industry, this sales management team is positioned to lead the company in the future. These promotions ensure strong leadership across the company’s diverse markets and will collaborate closely with Völker to drive the company's growth strategy in the EMEA region.
Complementing the new leadership structure, L-Acoustics welcomes three new sales managers: Cyril Matar (Middle East), Thomas Williams, and Tom Macklin (U.K. and Ireland). This strategic combination of internal promotions, new talent acquisition, and the continued dedication of long-standing team members creates a dynamic and comprehensive sales force poised to capitalize on emerging opportunities while maintaining customer support.
Lightware Appoints Director of Live Event & Entertainment Technology at Lightware Americas
Lightware welcomed Mike Ellsworth as the new director of live event and entertainment technology at Lightware Americas. Ellsworth, a dedicated and experienced professional within the Lightware team, steps into this role after a successful tenure as director of sales operations for the Americas. Prior to that, Ellsworth served as a senior sales engineer, where he played a pivotal role in driving sales strategies and supporting key client engagements.
In his new role, Ellsworth works directly with live event customers, focusing on large-scale productions with over 2,500 attendees. Additionally, he will collaborate closely with clients involved in major LED installations in stadiums and arenas, further solidifying Lightware's position as the established standard in the industry.
PPDS Strengthens Senior Leadership Team in North America
PPDS recently appointed highly experienced Pro AV experts Robert Luther and Brandon Wilkinson to its thriving leadership team in North America, adding over 50 years of combined expertise. Joining PPDS in a new, dedicated role, Robert Luther has been named as director of dvLED sales and support. For the last five years, Luther’s career has been devoted almost exclusively to dvLED, recently holding the position of product manager for LED at Ross Video, and prior to that as business development manager dvLED at PPDS’ distribution partner, Exertis. Wilkinson has been named as the company’s new field application engineer. He brings a wealth of knowledge to PPDS, having begun his AV career back in 1993 with SCN Top 50 integrator, Ford AV.
USSI Global Promotes Anthony Morelli to President
USSI Global has promoted Anthony Morelli to president following a successful four-year run as COO. Morelli oversees daily operations across USSI Global’s three business units (broadcast and networking solutions, digital signage solutions, and electronic business and consumer solutions) with all departmental leaders across operations, finance, revenue, administration, and other company functions reporting to him.
Morelli joined USSI Global in 2020 following a 25-year rise up the ladder, leading to key VP and C-Level service and sales positions at Harris Corporation, Artel Video Systems, and Avid Technology. His career began in finance before taking on customer-facing and executive leadership roles that ultimately provided him with a well-rounded background to successfully oversee business operations at USSI Global.
As COO, Morelli has played a significant role in more than doubling USSI Global’s growth in revenue and earnings over the past four years as he managed the planning, implementation and execution of several multi-year, multi-million-dollar projects and initiatives. Morelli was also instrumental in launching USSI Global’s managed service layer, a lucrative business model that established recurring revenue generation with key customers through extended service level agreements. USSI Global has developed a large team of field technicians and expanded its NOC to deliver an array of managed services for customers including preventative maintenance and remote 24/7 monitoring.
Videosys Broadcast Expands Its Management Team With Two Key Appointments
Videosys Broadcast recently made two new appointments to its team. Joining the company as general manager is Ian O’Connor who has over 34 years’ experience in the broadcast industry. During this time, he has held key sales and management positions at companies such as Fujifilm UK Optical Division, Ikegami U.K., EMEA, and Canon Broadcast U.K. His expertise includes setting up dealer networks, recruiting sales and service personnel, devising sales and marketing strategies and developing new markets in Africa and the Middle East.
At Videosys Broadcast he takes over the day to day running of the business, liaise with key customers and establish effective sales and marketing strategies for the company’s product portfolio.
Videosys Broadcast’s second appointment is Stephen Ratcliff who is now sales director defense with particular responsibility for Videosys Broadcast’s growing VB Antenna division. Ratcliff has worked in the broadcast industry for over 25 years primarily in senior roles within the equipment rental sector, and also from the production side managing the core equipment for one of Europe’s largest OB facilities providers.
Comp
AIMS Welcomes KMH Integration as a New Member
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) added its newest member: KMH Integration, a full-service systems integration and technology solutions provider to the digital media, broadcast, and AV markets.
Founded in 2005, KMH Integration designs, builds, and manages AV, IT, and media systems; video networks; remote production workflows; and new media distribution systems and IP encoding platforms—configuring each to their customers' unique requirements and budgets. With headquarters in Brooklyn, NY, the company serves a national client base in the media and entertainment, sports, corporate, education, broadcast, and professional AV sectors.
Riedel Invests in APEX Stabilizations
The Riedel Group invested in APEX Stabilizations, an Austrian manufacturer of camera stabilization solutions (gimbals). As part of the partnership, APEX Stabilizations will become part of the Riedel Group, but will remain an independent company. Together, the partners intend to leverage their respective strengths to remain at the forefront of technology and innovation.
Established in Vienna in 2019, APEX's systems are primarily used for shots from helicopters, cars, boats, or cranes for the production of live TV, commercials, and films. As a global player in the international market, Riedel provides APEX with the opportunity to utilize its global sales and service network, in turn gaining an experienced team and excellent know-how as well as access to new, promising markets. The partnership will also create synergies at the development hubs in Vienna, benefiting partners and customers alike.
Both companies can draw on many years of experience in the media and entertainment industry. By sharing ideas and technologies, Riedel and APEX aim to continuously improve their products and jointly develop innovative solutions that are uniquely suited to the specific requirements of this industry.
VuWall Expands Presence in New Atlanta Facility
VuWall has relocated its U.S. subsidiary, VuWall USA, to a larger and more modern office in Atlanta. The new 11,000-square-foot facility, strategically located to support the increasing demand for VuWall’s innovative solutions, serves multiple purposes. It features an innovative experience center where partners can bring their clients to demonstrate the latest VuWall and complementary third-party solutions. The facility will also serve as the new hub for VuWall USA’s certification training courses, offering comprehensive training programs. Additionally, the expanded office will enhance VuWall’s production capabilities, ensuring faster delivery and improved service for its clients across the region. And finally, the new office will house our highly skilled technical support team.
The modern office is designed to accommodate an increased volume of training and production activities, featuring advanced facilities that reflect VuWall’s commitment to excellence. With this move, VuWall USA aims to provide an improved experience for its partners and clients, reinforcing its position as a key player in the video wall and control room solutions market.
