Tag Archive: Leo Humphrey

1. White Light Enrols at Mountview with New Lighting Investment

   17 December 2019 15:41 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light has supplied a range of new lighting fixtures to Mountview, following the drama school’s move to its new premises in South London.

   Mountview is one of the UK’s leading drama schools, offering vocational training at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate level in performance and production arts. Last year, after a 17 month build, it opened the doors to a new building in its new Peckham home. This included the creation of a brand-new 200 seater auditorium, which required a range of lighting fixtures. As an organisation that has worked closely with Mountview for several years now, WL was approached to provide the equipment.

   Mountview’s Senior Lighting Tutor Alex Cann comments: “Moving into a new space opened up the opportunity to have the very latest technology match these state-of-the-art facilities. Whilst the new building was still under construction, we’d already started to think about the type of fixtures we’d need to invest in. We were keen to draw on LED products as we knew these would dramatically reduce our energy consumption as well as lower operating costs; mainly due to their longevity. The equipment also had to be industry-standard as it would be used by our students who need to familiarise themselves with this technology prior to them graduating.”

   

   To decide which fixtures to invest in, Alex and his team attended various tradeshows across the country as well as product demonstrations. He explains: “Having seen a whole range of products, we made a shortlist of our desired kit and approached WL to supply this; knowing of their strong relationship with the leading manufacturers”.

   Alex approached WL with his equipment list, which included ETC IonXE and Gio desks, Chauvet Ovation E-910FC Profiles, F-915FC Fresnels, B-2805 and B-1965 Cyc battens, VL 2600 Profiles and GLP Impression S350s. Alex explains:‘Our new theatre spaces needed to be able to operate across a wide range of  production styles including musical theatre, plays and actor/musician showcases, along with a range of external hires. It was important for us to make sure that the equipment chosen was able to operate in all these situations.

   He continues: “The Chauvet products produce good rich colours and have an ability to generate the subtle pastel colours required; all combined with a good price! The Vari*Lite 2600 has already become an industry standard piece of equipment that has an exceptionally wide zoom range, along with a extensive range of attributes such as gobos, framing shutters and an iris. The GLPs have nice clean optics with rich colour ability, again with a wide range of additional attributes all housed in a neat compact unit. It is important for us to make sure that students train on industry standard equipment, so the choice of ETC desks was simple as they are so dominant in the market”.

   

   The new Mountview building opened in September 2018 and has already welcomed the next generation of students to start their training. Alex explains: “The lighting fixtures have now arrived and are already being used to teach our students about lighting technology. They will also be utilised on at least 26 productions across our two theatres over the next year. The team at WL have been exceptionally supportive of our students in providing access to the latest equipment, along with hands-on support for the productions with their hire stock”.

   The purchase is another example of how WL work closely with educational organisations providing them with the exact technical solutions that they require.

   Alex concludes: “From all of my team here, we’d like to say a massive thanks to everyone at WL for their brilliant support, in particular Ally DeCourcy and Leo Humphrey. It’s a fantastic company to work with and we appreciated their guidance and advice in helping us get the most out of our investment”.

   Photos courtesy of Mountview/Robert Workman.

2. Lee Dennison – Five Years at WL…

   7 November 2019 13:31 Leave a Comment

   

   Our Head of Business Development Lee Dennison recently celebrated five years at WL. As such, we thought we’d sit down with him to discuss his time here, his current role and how the company has evolved since he started.

   When Lee first joined WL back in 2014, it wasn’t in response to a specific job advertisement. Rather, the move was a natural progression. He explains: “I’ve always had a very close affinity to WL. When I worked with my previous companies, I knew of their reputation and had often come in contact with its team, particularly Bryan Raven and Richard Wilson. My joining them came after a chance conversation with Bryan who told me that they were keen to expand their audio offering and provide a credible, competitive service for the clients. It sounded like a great opportunity and one I was delighted to take”.

   When Lee joined WL, the company was keen to begin offering audio services in-house as opposed to outsourcing through others. He comments: “What was so exciting about the role was that it presented an opportunity for me to oversee a fresh audio offering, in which I was able to create a structure, assemble a team and work closely with manufacturers to ensure we were making the right level of investment. What really drew me to the role though was WL’s ethos. It is a company with morals and ethics and wanted to offer customers the correct level of support that would be suited for them – something I’ve always been an advocate of”.

   For the next two years, Lee oversaw WL’s audio department, which quickly grew a strong reputation of supplying bespoke audio solutions; particularly in the corporate event, production and installations market. Yet, for Lee, the growth of team remains one of his proudest achievement: “One of the joys of my role is seeing those who work for the company develop their skills and knowledge. These are people like Leo Humphrey, who joined the company in a junior role and is now a Key Account Manager, as well as Kieran Edmonds who’s now a Project Support Engineer in the Installations team. It’s been fantastic to see them progress and grow as individuals, as well as valuable members of the WL team”.

   With the audio department quickly establishing a formidable reputation, Lee’s next role at WL was to oversee the entire Business Development team. He comments: “Similar to when I initially joined WL, my role as Head of Business Development was another natural step. I’ve always enjoyed what I call ‘front-facing’ work in which I listen to what clients want and work closely with them in order to build long-term relationships. I’m often the first point of contact for a lot of them and relish providing the service they expect from WL. Ultimately, people invest in people and, as a company, WL’s greatest strength has always been its staff and this is a mantra we want to hold onto”.

   Having worked on a range of exciting projects, we asked Lee which was his most memorable during his time at WL. Unsurprisingly, there isn’t just one. He recalls: “I’m particularly proud of our work on the Active Team Training EPIC project; which was an experimental and immersive training programme designed for those working on the Thames Tideway Tunnel. It was pioneering at the time and nobody really knew what it was ‘all about’ but it has since proven itself to be an incredible form of health and safety training. It was also fantastic working with Discovery Eurosport on last year’s Winter Olympic Games coverage and showcasing our SmartStage technology; which is now creating a huge buzz in the education, corporate and events sectors”.

   Whilst Lee is happy to reflect on his time at WL so far, he’s mainly excited about the future and the next steps for the company. He concludes: “A large part of my role now at WL is looking forward and asking where we are going and what type of work we want to take on. As a company, we’re always changing, constantly evolving and that’s really exciting to be a part of. We continue to invest in the latest technology, strengthening our expert teams and ensuring we continue offering our clients the highest level of service possible. Here’s to the next five years!”.

3. WL Roundup – PLASA 2019

   20 September 2019 14:51 Leave a Comment

   

   A few of our team attended this year’s PLASA Show at Olympia London. Over the course of three days, it was fantastic to catch up with old friends, make new contacts and see a range of brilliant products launched. For those who couldn’t attend, our Key Account Manager Leo Humphrey has put together a list of products which were on display and which he feels will be making a big impact over the upcoming months.

   

   Look Solutions Cryo-Gate

   The Cryo-Gate is a compact device that mates up to any professional fogger, enabling users to temporarily transform their existing fogger into a low fog generator. The Cryo-Gate sits in front of the fogger’s nozzle which allows the user to add a variable amount of CO2 and air to the fog‘s output. From what I saw at PLASA, the result is a cold fog that stays low.

   A tube can also be connected to the front of the Cryo-Gate to guide the fog into the requested direction. With the length of this tube extending up to ten meters long, it allows users to place the machine away from the stage to avoid disturbing noise.

   

   EM Acoustics EMS 101X

   A new product which was unveiled at PLASA , the EMX-101X incorporates a brand new low frequency driver, designed in large part by EM Acoustics’ director of R&D, Ed Kinsella. Ed didn’t want to build anything around any of the 10-inch drivers previously available. He felt that existing units would not deliver the outstanding results that EM were pursuing – hence he designed one himself.

   The EMS 101X expands on the already successful EMS Range, offering customers the perfect middle ground in output and size between the popular EMS-81X and it’s bigger brother the EMS-121X. For customers looking for large speaker output in a small speaker frame, the EMS-101X offers just this. Similarly, its newly developed 3-step polyurethane paint finish is exceptionally tough, inherently weather-resistant, and offers a sleeker, more modern look.

   

   HighEnd Systems SolaWash 1000

   SolaWash 1000 is an essential wash light fixture for lighting designers who are looking for a simple and elegant lighting solution. The 20,000 lumen output is complimented by a full-curtain four-blade framing system and dual linear diffusion systems, giving designers the ability to do beautiful blended colour washes and punchy, even key lighting without losing control of the edges of their light.

   Whether using the redesigned CMY and CTO colour mixing system, made popular by SolaFrame 1000, or the standard replaceable colour system, the SolaWash 1000 looks to provide a key toolset to give maximum impact.

   

   ETC Augment3d

   Integrated into EOS 3.0, with plans to implement into other ETC consoles, Augment3d looks to more than another Visualization tool. It is in fact a 3D Programming engine that enables both designers and programmers to virtually access the physical space, the lights within it and to, without having to learn a complex new system, begin to build 3D environments and simply begin programming the show.

   Highlights include a huge range of importable 3D Models from existing visualizers, design tools and Rig planning software alongside a mobile app which allows for a bridge between the physical and virtual world via the “focus wand” feature.

   With its wide range of innovative features, there is no wonder Augment3d was awarded with a PLASA innovation award at this year’s show.

   

   VL800 EVENTPAR

   The VL800 EVENTPAR is an LED retro-style event PAR perfect for a modern replacement of classic tungsten PAR fixtures. Designed to bring back the vintage stylings of the original lamps and PAR cans but built with the DNA of Vari-Lite, the VL800 EVENTPAR will be available in both RGBA and warm white (WW) varieties, with output and colour reminiscent of tungsten PAR 64 lamps.

   The Move to LED has typically seen manufacturers create completely new look fixtures to a standard PAR. However, the VL800 EVENTPAR is a contemporary throwback to traditional Fixtures and will be a welcome addition to Lighting rigs for theatre, concert Touring, Dance and Television.

   If you want to know more about the above products, or would like to speak to a member of the Customer Service team, then please email them or call on +44(0)20 8254 4820.

4. UKSV Calls Upon WL to Expand EM Acoustics Inventory

   3 July 2017 11:05 Comments Off on UKSV Calls Upon WL to Expand EM Acoustics Inventory

   

   UKSV’s Senior Operations Manager Nick Dean.

   Hampshire-based UKSV has been in business for more than 30 years and originally specialised in general AV support of local hotels and businesses. Over the last 15 years or so the business emphasis has evolved from more of a production company into a creative communications agency solution. UKSV now has separate departments covering many different activities, such as communications, and digital media, while still majoring on live events. To offer clients the best technical support possible, the company recently decided to expand its audio inventory by investing in a range of EM Acoustic speakers. As an approved supplier of EM Acoustic products, they approached White Light to make the purchase.

   UKSV’s Senior Operations Manager Nick Dean comments: “We have some major blue chip clients for whom we provide bespoke production services, and we take a lot of pride in using only the best equipment. However, as the company grew over the last few years, I began to feel that, from an operations point of view, our sound solution was probably our weakest link.” UKSV had been hiring speaker systems from WL in order to meet demand. However, due to their volume of work, this was far from the ideal situation.

   Nick states: “We searched the market very thoroughly for 18 months or so looking specifically for loudspeaker systems that we could purchase. One of our freelance sound engineers and strategic partners, Gary Dixon, suggested that we look at EM Acoustics as he had been particularly impressed with the clarity of the HALO-C system.”

   The company approached WL in order to initially demo the equipment. Leo Humphrey, WL’s Hire and Sales Co-Ordinator, comments: “Nick contacted us saying he wanted to hire an EMS system on a particular job in order to test the equipment and see how well it adapted within an events space. He immediately came back and told us how successful it went and that he wanted to use it on another show to ensure it could be utilised in a range of environments. After it performed above and beyond their expectations once again, they put together a specification list and asked us to quote on it.”

   

   The equipment arrives at UKSV’s headquarters.

   As a result, just before Christmas last year, UKSV took delivery of an EMS system from White Light which was designed to cater for their customers’ needs in a very flexible way, both now and with a view to the future. The speaker system is made up of six EMS-121X 12-inch two-way full range models and four EMS-115 single 15-inch quasi-bandpass subwoofers for the majority of front of house duties, plus six EMS-81X compact 8-inch two-way full range and six EMS-51 ultra-compact two-way speakers which are used mainly as fills depending on the event requirements. Everything is powered by three DQ10 switchmode four-channel advanced system amplifiers with full DSP onboard. WL even supplied custom panels complete with the UKSV logo.

   Nick comments: “We knew we had a big event coming up in Dublin in January, so we opted for a system that would do everything we needed straight away, as opposed to a smaller system that we would need to add to on a dry hire basis. We wanted it to be as flexible as possible, and to work in different environments from venues such as the Heathrow Sofitel Terminal 5 to much smaller rooms, but with the same level of quality throughout”.

   

   The equipment has already been used on a range of events.

   The system supplied by WL would ensure that all of the company’s various events would receive the coverage they required. Nick states: “For some large shows, like Grosvenor House which is around 1,100 seats, we may be supplementing a house rig or doing the whole thing ourselves without needing to sub-hire anything in. Another job where we’ll use the whole system is at the Hilton in Park Lane, where we usually work on a conference during the day, followed by a turn-around for an awards show and gala dinner in the evening. At the other end of the scale we may be doing intimate events for as few as 50 people. For these, we’ve found that a pair of EMS-81 or EMS-121X plus some fills are more than enough for good coverage and clarity of speech, and if there is music playback we’ll also put some EMS-115 subs in. The speaker system we have now gives us a lot of flexibility to be able to do break-out workshop environments as well”.

   Leo adds: “With UKSV, we have been able to provide a solution for their various requirements over the past year or so. From initialling hiring out the EM Speakers to helping oversee their eventual purchase of an EM System, we have been able to work closely with them and EM Acoustics to offer the exact equipment UKSV need to fulfil their varying client’s needs”.

   Nick adds: “We are delighted with the guidance and professionalism from WL regarding our recent purchase. They were extremely helpful during every stage and made the entire process run very smooth. What’s also great is, while we now have our own system, we know that if we need to sub-hire in extra EM Acoustics equipment then we can always approach WL to do so”.

   Photos courtesy of UKSV.