Industry veterans Randy Wade and Michael Carattini have joined the staff of Robe America. Wade's job title is special projects manager; Carattini will be responsible for working with Robe America dealers east of the Mississippi, as well as in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Canada.
Wade is a veteran of the intelligent lighting and pro audio industries, with nearly 20 years' experience. During that time he has been responsible for negotiating deals and supervising equipment on numerous major shows and live productions, including Woodstock ‘94, The Academy Awards, The Grammys, The Ebony Awards, the Miss America beauty pageant, Rock the Rockies, and the annual Camp Jeep event. He has also overseen the provision of touring packages for top international recording starts including Gloria Estefan, Black Sabbath, Stevie Nicks, Kenny Loggins, Pantera, Genesis, The Grateful Dead, Madonna, and Cher.
A well-known and highly regarded industry figure, Carattini has held key sales and marketing positions with lighting companies in Italy and North America; he was most recently with Coemar's US operation.
Formed in late 2002, Robe America is the exclusive North American distributor of Robe lighting products. The "new" company is backed by the extensive experience its founders have acquired over the years in lighting design, development, service, and marketing. Based in a new Los Angeles facility, Robe America offers the professional market a variety of intelligent stage and club lighting products, including the AT series of rotating-head fixtures, as well as special effects and DMX controllers.
Speaking of his new appointment, Wade says, "I am very excited about joining the Robe team. Having seen their steady growth in other markets, I know the only direction they are headed is up! Our LA-based Robe America team collaborates closely with the Czech Republic manufacturing facility, which is vital to the smooth running of the import-product market. Everyone’s done their homework thoroughly.”
For his part, Carattini says, "I'm very impressed with Robe management in the US and the Czech Republic. They have an in-depth understanding of the lighting industry, and I believe in what they're doing to position the Robe line as a market leader. Like many people in the lighting industry, I've been very impressed with Robe America's products, and how they've performed in the field and in different 'road tests.' Robe products like the soon-to-be-released Color Spot 1200 AT are setting a high standard for performance and value, so I'm eager to represent them to dealers."
Robe Show Lighting’s MD Josef Valchar states, “We’re delighted to have someone of Randy’s caliber onboard. His expertise and knowledge in the live arena will help develop the Robe brand in this vital area of performance.” He adds, "Michael has an excellent reputation in the industry, and we share the same vision of building Robe America by providing innovative products at a great value through a loyal network of select dealers."