Martin Professional has created a dedicated controller team, appointing Christian Krause as business development manager — controllers; and Gerald Heise as product manager — controllers for the stage, studio, and event segment. Thomas Fibaek Jensen, product manager — controllers for the DJ/Club segment, is also a part of the new controller team. (www.martin.com)
MDG Fog Generators has been appointed the exclusive Canadian distributor for Belgian company ArKaos, makers of the video jockeying software ArKaos VJ that integrates and synchronizes video, music, and live visual performances. In addition, ArKaos signed an alliance with Spotlight for the distribution of ArKaos VJ DMX and the integration of ArKaos real-time video processing technology in Spotlight's Video Performer XT Digital Media Server. (www.mdgfog.com; www.arkaos.net; www.spotlight.it)
Visual Terrain has expanded its corporate and live events design team with the addition of senior designer Edward S. Marks. (www.visualterrain.net)
OptiLED has partnered with Philips-Construlita, a division of Philips Lighting in Mexico, to allow OptiLED to supply LED lights to 55 major stores in Mexico and hundreds of distributors. In addition, Philips-Construlita will incorporate OptiLED lamps in their new Terrane product line of in-ground and submersible fixtures. (www.optiled.tv; www.philips.com/newscenter)
All formerly separate operations of ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls) in Europe now use the ETC name. Transtechnik Lichtsysteme in Germany and IES in the Netherlands join the company's current locations in London, Copenhagen, and Rome under the common banner name. The company now offers an extended portfolio, including Transtechnik™ lighting systems, Avab™ control desks, and IES™ sine wave dimming, and products are now manufactured and assembled in multiple locations — Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US. In addition, ETC has named Mark Veldey vice president of finance. Veldey, who has been involved with many of the company's acquisitions, will direct the financial strategy of the international corporation. (www.etcconnect.com)
John Fuller has left his position as vice president sales and marketing for Wybron and formed a new company, Performance Technology, Inc., based in Colorado Springs, CO, to provide product, marketing, and business strategy consulting to the entertainment lighting industry. Prior to his position at Wybron, he was division vice president and general manager of the Lee Filters division of Panavision, Inc. ([email protected])
Compulite Systems has recently renewed presence in the US, opening Compulite USA in Connecticut as a wholly owned subsidiary. The new office is located at 48 Capital Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492. (www.compulite.com)
Stephen Tan returned to High End Systems Singapore as the regional sales manager for Southeast and Northeast Asia. He was previously business development manager at HES Singapore during from 1995 to 1998. (www.highend.com)
Michael Lindauer, an associate consultant with Nautilus Entertainment Design (NED), has been promoted to vice president. An associate with NED since 1999, he has worked on live production and entertainment systems design, serving as project manager for numerous cruise ship and land-based projects. (www.n-e-d.com)
Permlight Products has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against GELcore, LLC in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, asserting that certain GELcore LED lighting systems infringe Permlight's patents, including US Patent No. 6,712,486, “Mounting Arrangement for Light Emitting Diodes,” US Patent No. 6,578,986, “Modular Mounting Arrangement and Method for Light Emitting Diodes,” and US Patent No. 6,846,093, also entitled “Modular Mounting Arrangement and Method for Light Emitting Diodes.” In addition, Permlight and ElectraLED, Inc. have reached a settlement in the patent infringement lawsuit filed in February, asserting infringement of Permlight's US Patent Nos. 6,712,486 and 6,846,093. ElectraLED received a license under Permlight's patented LED thermal management technology. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. (www.permlight.com; www.gelcore.com; www.electraled.com)
Color Kinetics Inc. and James Thomas Engineering announced that James Thomas will license Color Kinetics' intellectual property in connection with the marketing of James Thomas' Pixel Range line of LED-based products in North America. (www.colorkinetics.com; www.jthomaseng.com)
KTRP, Inc. of Los Angeles, CA and BITCC Trade Development Group of Beijing, China have announced a formal cooperation agreement to create a joint-venture company to develop and market lighting and entertainment venue products for marketing and sale in multiple world markets. The new company will initially be engaged in the development of specific xenon products for sale and marketing in China and all world markets. Additional products and projects are under development. (www.ktrp.com; www.bitcc-orientsun.com)
Super Vision International, Inc. has signed two additional licensees to its Variable Color Lighting System patent and its Laidman technology portfolio: James Thomas Engineering, Inc. of Knoxville, TN and Worcester UK and Xilver, B.V. of Gronsveld, The Netherlands. (www.svision; www.jthomaseng.com; www.xilver.nl)
Vista Systems has hired Bob Enright as general manager. In this new role, he will over see the day-to-day administrative operations of the company as well as create new growth opportunities for Vista Systems. (www.vistasystems.net)
Digital Projection International (DPI) has retained Bill LeCompte to develop its staging and special project opportunities in the Pacific Northwest region. LeCompte will also work with manufacturer's representatives to further cultivate commercial AV and home cinema dealer channels. (www.digitalprojection.com)
Lighthouse Technologies has announced two new additions, appointing Tony Turiello as vice president of sales, marketing, and operations for the Americas and Jaye Playter as central regional sales manager based in Indiana. (www.lighthouse-tech.com)
Catalyst Semiconductor, Inc. and Texas Advanced Optoelectronic Solutions®, Inc. (TAOS) have signed a non-exclusive agreement to jointly promote each others' products in the systems solutions they offer to global solid-state illumination (SSI) customers. (www.catsemi.com; www.taosinc.com)
Stage Tech has moved to a new location just northeast of Indianapolis at 299 Business Park Drive, Fortville, IN 46040. (www.stagetechinc.com)
LED Screen Hire Ireland Ltd., led by Hamlet Sweeney, is a new, Dublin-based sister company to LED Screen Hire UK. Both UK and Irish companies now have access to LED screens for all types of applications. The company has also added Nick Pask and Dion Strydom to the UK headquarters in Alton, Hampshire. (www.screenhire.com)