Moving light technical specialist Scot Townsend has joined Clay Paky America as Technical Services Manager, replacing Giovanni Zucchinali who has returned to Clay Paky in Italy.
"Scot is a great addition to the team," says CEO of Clay Paky America PJ Turpin. "We are very pleased that Scott has decided to join us. He is a great guy who knows the industry and knows moving lights." Townsend joins Clay Paky America after working for a major lighting rental company in the Los Angeles area.
"I wanted to get in with a good company on the ground floor," says Townsend of his new job. "Clay Paky makes some fantastic lights, and I was looking for a change of pace from the rental and production world."
Hailing from Fort Worth, TX, Townsend studied history at Texas Christian University (TCU). Not wanting to become a teacher, Townsend initially worked in the automotive industry upon leaving TCU. "It just was not for me," says Townsend of his initial career choice. "As a kid, I had never wanted to be the rock star but always the guy who traveled with the band and made it all happen. It was just something I had always wanted to do, so I decided to give it a try."
In 1999, Townsend moved to Los Angeles to further his new career and worked on some of the largest productions of the past six years. "I did not travel the traditional routes into the industry," notes Townsend. "History was my thing at university rather than theatre or electrical engineering."
Although in recent years Townsend has had little free time, he still embraces his first passion–history, as well as gaining a new passion more related to his chosen profession–music.