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Tag Archives: 60 Seconds

60 Seconds: Kim Franklin, Vice President of Marketing, Listen Technologies

Kim Franklin, Vice President of Marketing, Listen Technologies
Kim Franklin, Vice President of Marketing, Listen Technologies

Q: What is your new position, and what does it entail?

A: As the vice president of marketing at Listen Technologies, I lead the marketing team in implementing and executing campaigns to support the Listen brand and relevance in the global marketplace. I also oversee internal and external communications and public relations to ensure a consistent brand persona and work closely with sales and other stakeholders to develop and implement strategic marketing plans to support revenue and business goals.

Q: How has your background prepared you for your new role?

A: I’ve held several marketing positions and learned firsthand the many skills needed for a successful marketing team. I’ve also had the privilege of working on both small and large teams, which has given me the opportunity to challenge myself to grow as a leader.

Q: What new marketing initiatives are we likely to see from the company?

A: One important initiative is to share our vision for creating better experiences. At Listen Technologies, we firmly believe that everyone deserves the same great listening experience, and our products help people connect in a variety of environments, including classrooms, medical settings, courtrooms, manufacturing facilities, entertainment venues, on tours and in houses of worship.

Q: What are your short- and long-term goals?

A: One of my short-term goals includes supporting our partners as they rebuild their businesses and look for new ways to use technology to foster safer and better communication. It’s also important to me to share the Listen story of creating better experiences to foster engagement and inclusion. Being included is essential to human connection, and our technology makes it possible for everyone to hear and engage—regardless of whether they have hearing loss, speak a different language, or are having a hard time hearing because of distance, background noise, poor acoustics or face coverings.

Q: What is the greatest challenge that you face?

A: One of the biggest challenges we face is the uncertainty of business as we know it. Finding unique ways to connect and engage with our partners will be instrumental in our success and theirs. We have a great team with great partners and I am sure we will continue to innovate not only our products but the way we do business. We also will continue to deliver outstanding customer experiences.

60 Seconds Interview: Danny Olesh

Danny Olesh, chief technical officer at Mackie.
Danny Olesh, chief technical officer at Mackie.

Q: What is your new position, and what does it entail?

A: I’ve assumed the role of CTO (Chief Technical Officer). This position is defined in a variety of ways across industries and organizations. At Mackie, this is a new role and my charge here is to develop a technology roadmap, to help the teams interpret that roadmap in ways to drive innovative and exciting products for our customers, and in the process, to work across the product development teams to assess, specify and deploy design platforms which will allow us to get to market faster and more efficiently.

Q: How has your background prepared you for your new role?

A: It’s the experience I have had over the past 40 years that enables me to fit into a position such as this. From using and selling audio equipment in a professional environment to designing successful products and managing teams of R&D in past roles, along with the passion I have for technology, it has always made shaping of future needs feel natural. For the past 12 months (during our lockdown in Australia), I spent a significant amount of time with content-creation hardware and software. The shift in consumer demands in both the pro audio and prosumer markets meant technologies that very few users were previously concerned about were front and center. Understanding these and future technologies in this space was a very important part of my role.

Q: What new marketing initiatives are we likely to see from the company?

A: I can’t be specific here for obvious reasons, but what I can say is that you will see some great new products from Mackie later in this year and next, spanning from the creator space to the professional space.

So many new technologies are becoming available in this space, while at the same time the power of processing continues to increase; the intelligence that can be added to new products is a very exciting aspect to me.

Q: What are your short- and long-term goals?

A: Within Mackie, the short-term goals are to implement advanced new technologies as fast as we can in new products, so that users can get the most benefit from them.

From a personal point of view, and as a long-term goal, I just love to see the gear we create here in users’ hands as they smile and comment how much they love using the products that we spent the time and effort to create so they could enjoy the result. Bringing the technologies to the table to achieve these results is the short and long-term goal.

Q: What is the greatest challenge that you face?

A: Time to learn more is one of the main challenges I can think of. We never stop to learn and I am very motivated to enhance my knowledge constantly. Keeping up with the ever-growing shift in the way products are used and creating workflows that both enhance and simplify are always a challenge and a balance that’s not easy to achieve. It often means you need to let go and remove yourself from the normal ways you’ve been controlling or using a specific project, and try to view it from a different perspective.

60 Seconds with Dudley McLaughlin of Renkus-Heinz

Dudley McLaughlin of Renkus-Heinz
Dudley McLaughlin OANA FOTO

What is your new position, and what does it entail?

I am the national sales manager at Renkus-Heinz. The role oversees the North American and Canadian markets, and the position’s day-to-day duties include all things sales: rolling out sales initiatives, developing demo and event opportunities, and ensuring we see growth across the region. That said, the Renkus-Heinz sales team aims to be collaborative in the success of our customers. Thus, this role also includes a lot of outreach to our representatives, work with end users who rely on our solutions, and product development input to ensure we bring the right solutions to market. We want to do everything we can to ensure that our customers are happy.

How has your background prepared you for your new role?

I’ve been with Renkus-Heinz for three years, overseeing the western territory of the United States and Canada, and I have come to feel very much at home here. Renkus-Heinz is a family-run company, and that approach fosters commitment to the work we do. In my time here, I have worked directly on projects with our various partners—our reps, consultants, dealers, integrators and end users. That has included working on system design, custom product manufacturing, commissioning and support.

The asset that I leverage most often is my 40 years of experience providing a professional audio solution to someone else. I’ve worked in sales management, as a rep, as a salesperson in a music store and, of course, as a musician. Also, I have worked with some extraordinarily talented and prolific people through my journey in this industry, and I use what I’ve learned from others all the time to be successful today.

What new initiatives are we likely to see from the company?

Renkus-Heinz has continued to engineer new products over the past year. We recently announced the latest products in our C Series line and our S Series line, and we expanded the range of the new Iconyx Compact Series. We were very strategic with our supply chain last year, which meant chip and component shortages did not impact our ability to develop, manufacture or ship new solutions.

That same momentum can be expected for the year ahead. We will continue to bring new solutions to market as planned. We still have the ability to custom-fabricate solutions with custom paint and weatherization at our manufacturing facility in California. My moving into the national sales manager role is a strategic change that will allow us to work more closely with those who use our solutions. We recently hired Karan Kathuria to the position of director operating across Asia, Oceania and SAARC, giving us an increased presence in the region. We plan to continue to innovate, ship product and hire for positions that will support our partners.

[ Innovations: Renkus-Heinz ICLive X Series, by Ralph Heinz

What are your short- and long-term goals?

There are two key objectives in play here. The first is to maintain the current sales as we bob and weave through a not-so-normal time. The second is to be prepared and ready for a return to normal. Renkus-Heinz expects 2021 will see a normalization as vaccine rollouts continue, and we will be prepared to transition into a faster growth mentality.

What is the greatest challenge you face?

I know many will expect me to talk about the pandemic, but I have always said that the most significant challenge today is tomorrow. How do we predict it? How do we prepare for it? How do we march into it? A company must be agile. What we do today is plan, but we always must recognize that tomorrow may change.

[ Harro Heinz, Renkus-Heinz Co-Founder, Looks Ahead at 90

I believe Renkus-Heinz is incredibly agile. We’ve been strategic, we’re poised for growth, and we are responsive. We are focused on delivering the right product and solution, and we do it by ensuring we work collaboratively with our partners for their long-term success.

Renkus-Heinz • www.renkus-heinz.com

60 Seconds with Michael Palmer of Eastern Acoustic Works

Michael Palmer, Eastern Acoustic Works
Michael Palmer

What is your new position, and what does it entail?

I am director of U.S. sales for Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) and also oversee the distribution of dB Technologies in the United States. This includes overseeing all aspects of sales throughout the United States and managing the day-to-day sales operations. I also work closely with our manufacturer’s sales reps and regional sales managers.

How has your background prepared you for your new role?

I’ve been in the industry for over 25 years, and my background includes previous positions at Allen & Heath and L-Acoustics. I have established many long-term relationships and have a great understanding of not only the distribution model, but also the live sound, production and integration markets.

What new marketing initiatives are we likely to see from the company?

We are going to expand and focus on online education and training with the launch of EAW University, which is our online training channel, www.education.eaw.com. We’re also looking at further expansion of our product offerings in order to adhere to the changes that venues are facing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Our ADAPTive line can cater to a range of situations, from large-scale events all the way down to small spaces. It features steerable technology that allows on-site personnel to change and adjust parameters on the fly. This is especially useful in adjusting the coverage area to match the size and location of the audience.

Brooklyn Tabernacle Updates Audio System

What are your short- and long-term goals?

My short-term goals are to continue to strengthen our sales network, as well as to leverage our relationships with our partner companies at the AEB group, including our distribution partnership with dB Technologies. Long-term goals would be to continue to grow market share within the midlevel production market as well as pursuing large-scale integration projects. We’ve always been entrenched in this segment of the market, and we have been deployed in several stadiums and arenas throughout the years. We look forward to going back to our roots to make sure we are catering to this market in 2021.

What is the greatest challenge you face?

The greatest challenge we face is navigating the industry during and after COVID. Based on the state of the market, how do we pivot our thinking and strategy for today and the future? From the audio perspective, how do we scale the P.A. system and design to accommodate the coverage needed now, but also have the ability to cater to full attendance and coverage down the road? For us, the most important thing right now is to stay connected with our customers and make sure we are meeting their changing needs during this transitional period.

EAW MKD1200 Series Loudspeakers Debut

60 Seconds with Dana Ruzicka of Avid Technology

Photo of Dana Ruzicka
Dana Ruzicka

What is your new position and what does it entail?

Everything Avid makes for creatives in music production, audio post, music notation and live sound is now run from our new audio business unit, and I’m responsible for it all as general manager. Every day I get to lead one of media tech’s most accomplished workforces through every aspect of this business, from ideation and strategy to getting our products into the hands of music and audio creators everywhere. The best part is that Avid’s people are also musicians, producers, DJs and composers, so we’re running on inexhaustible passion for what we’re making.

How has your background prepared you for your new role?

I’ve scored a gig that comes second only to living out the rock star dreams I had as a kid. I wrote, recorded and performed my own music starting when I was 14 (on an old reel-to-reel 4-track in the basement!), went to school for audio engineering and played in bands. I’ve recorded, mixed and produced everything from albums to film scores and jingles, and I still do today in my home studio. Through all of this, I learned firsthand how quickly technology is removing the limits of creativity, and now I get to drive Avid forward in accelerating that pace.

Does this role expand on what you did in your previous post as chief product officer or is it a whole new ballgame?

Exciting new ballgame! My role certainly capitalizes on everything I learned as CPO when I was driving product strategy and development for every market segment we serve at Avid—from TV and film post-production to newsgathering and, of course, music creation. This broader experience has given me a unique perspective on how our different customer segments want and need to work together. In this new role, I get to focus more sharply on audio, and go much deeper into all aspects of the business, from product strategy and development to manufacturing, marketing, sales and customer experience. The idea behind this new organization is to bring even more focus on audio customers, innovate faster and bring more cool new products to market more quickly. Just think about some of the product innovation that hit the market in the last year alone: Pro Tools Carbon for recording, Avid Play for music distribution to consumers, and S1 for mixing in a powerful compact form factor, to name a few. We get a big kick out of surprising and delighting customers, and we’re just getting started.

What are your short- and long-term goals?

I’m doubling down on ramping up the innovation our customers need to be successful in every aspect of their creativity and business. Top of the short-term list is helping users stay productive and collaborative wherever they are. For the longer term, you’ll see us going much deeper into music creation, and making our tools and solutions more accessible to the next generation of music creators, who definitely have different needs than the established pros. Across all the customer segments we serve, we have a lot of really exciting projects underway—I think about it like planes lined up on the runway, ready to take off—that we’re excited to bring to market.

[ Real-World Review: Avid Pro Tools Ultimate, Jan. 7, 2020

[ Avid Builds Out venue S6L Family with New Surfaces, Engines, April 9, 2018

What is the greatest challenge you face?

It’s been stunning to witness how our industry has overturned the pandemic’s roadblocks to build new routes to productivity. More than anything, we’ve all learned that we like remote working and collaboration, and that we want a lot more from it—even after the dust settles and music creators return to normal ways of working. At Avid, we’ve taken up the challenge to ensure that our workflows deliver all their power and capabilities to users wherever they are. I have to point out that Avid’s customer community wields a big influence on where we focus and what we deliver, which has been invaluable throughout the unprecedented change of the past year.

60 Second Interview: Tylene “Ty” Robinson

Tylene “Ty” Robinson
Tylene “Ty” Robinson, Director of Sales and Marketing, Symetrix

What is your new position, and what does it entail?

My new position as director of sales and marketing puts me in a position to be a catalyst for our marketing and global sales teams, allowing Symetrix to be nimbler and more effective in cohesive sales and marketing efforts. I oversee and partner directly with our regional sales managers across the globe as well as leading our internal marketing and inside sales teams. These teams enable a smooth process for order entry through fulfillment, sales enablement, sales operations and marketing with a high-performance mentality.

How has your background prepared you for your new role?

My background is a varied evolution of skills that I lovingly refer to as my “mixed bag,” which, when hybridized, come together to uniquely prepare me for success in this role. I started my career as a graphics and web designer and went pretty far down a digital marketing path. Through the eventual leadership of various projects, I pivoted to a period of developing an interest in project management and operations management via Lean Six Sigma. The combination of creativity and understanding of design, plus operational excellence mixed with inherent clubhouse leadership abilities, have aided my natural evolution into this role.

What new marketing initiatives are we likely to see from the company?

We are really excited about some of the barriers we are breaking down with our marketing initiatives. We have aligned and activated our partners globally in amplifying a unified message across the world. Our marketing focus in the coming months will center on what we are referring to as the “Show Me How” initiative. Our goal is to break down the barriers to entry for integrators and end users in utilizing our products, and show them how Symetrix can assist them in providing lucrative value-added solutions.

What are your short- and long-term goals?

My short-term goals are to really empower our teams on the vision and get them running at even higher performance levels. I want to enable and empower the talent we have internally and across the globe. Part of that goal is to get everyone aligned on the Symetrix message. We have a lot to offer and we want the world to know it. As we move from short-term to long-term vision, our teams will be ready to tackle the next big things coming from Symetrix.

What is the greatest challenge you face?

I’m pleased to say that facing great challenges is what keeps me jumping out of bed and excited to come to work every day! My greatest challenge is that there are so many exciting things to tackle and we have so many great ideas—there just isn’t enough time in the day. Every day, we come to work hopping busy and we leave feeling a great sense of accomplishment as we see our efforts growing. In a way, it feels a bit like we are in startup mode.

60 Seconds: Preston Gray, Yamaha Corp. of America

Preston Gray, the new director of marketing for Pro Audio, Yamaha Corp. of America.
Preston Gray is the new director of marketing for Pro Audio, Yamaha Corp. of America.

Q: What is your new position, and what does it entail?

I am excited to take on the role of director of marketing for Pro Audio at Yamaha Corp. of America. We are responsible for developing strategies to reach and engage new customers for Yamaha, Nexo and Steinberg products. At a deeper, more human level, I believe a simple melody, or even a few notes, can trigger an emotional bond with another person, and that sound and music have a transformational impact on individuals and the world around us. Our job in Yamaha’s Pro Audio team is to make sure those notes are heard, and to facilitate that connection between people.

Q: How has your background prepared you for your new role?

I am fortunate that I have been able to follow my passion for music and technology from day one of my career. I spent time touring with national artists in arenas and stadiums, where I gained firsthand experience with how the Yamaha, Nexo and Steinberg products perform cohesively as integrated systems in the real world. I experienced daily how Yamaha’s unique and intimate connection with music and musical instruments shines through in the sound quality of our pro audio systems.

While most pro audio systems are designed to amplify music, Yamaha uniquely knows exactly what that music should sound like, as we empower artists to create music by developing musical instruments. My role in the field, touring and tuning our systems, confirmed this confidence and excellence in sonic performance, and I can’t wait to share that experience with the world.

60 Seconds with Robert Trebus of d&b audiotechnik

60 Seconds with Zack Salpeter of Mackie

Q: What new marketing initiatives are we likely to see from the company?

Yamaha empowers artists to make waves with sound and music. We will focus on initiatives that provide the systems and solutions to amplify art and voices that inspire connection to make waves.

Q: What are your short- and long-term goals?

In the short-term, we want to continue to be a solid and trusted partner to our customers, building on our strong brand image and reputation. As we look further into the future, we will continue to share our expertise in music and sonic quality across every aspect of our pro audio systems, from recording and creation with Steinberg, to processing, mixing and performance with Yamaha, and powerful, linear sound reinforcement from Nexo.

Q: What is the greatest challenge you face?

As the world faces changes and uncertainty, we know that music has the ability to unite and connect us. We must not lose sight of the fact that, as professionals in the pro audio industry, we have the power to amplify the voices of those around us to make an impact, progress personally and come together with others. At the same time, we will continue to support our customers in every way as the live event and commercial sound industries embrace new opportunities.

60 Seconds with Robert Trebus of d&b audiotechnik

Robert Trebus, d&b audiotechnik
Robert Trebus

What is your new position, and what does it entail?

My new position is director of Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) and Remanufacturing at d&b audiotechnik. The position entails operationalizing, communicating and drawing awareness to d&b’s new CPO initiative. As part of the program, customers are given the chance to purchase pre-owned, remanufactured d&b systems. CPO systems come with new energy-saving amplification and electronics, accessories, service, finance options and the same support advantages as when purchasing a new system. This new program is a small but powerful way of delivering premium audio while helping to reduce consumption of raw materials.

How has your background prepared you for your new role?

I have over 30 years of experience in senior management roles in the AV industry. Since the beginning of my career, I have accompanied and designed the commercial market launch of new media technologies and products. This wealth of experience was extremely valuable when developing this new sustainable business model for d&b.

What new marketing initiatives are we likely to see from the company?

As with every product that is manufactured by d&b, all CPO products go through a rigorous quality-control process including a through exterior, mechanical and acoustic check. The exterior check includes a full system inspection to confirm there is no damage, then all foam and seals are replaced and the exterior is repainted with the original d&b top coat. In the mechanical inspection, we check pins, rigging, links, wheels, latches, frames and chains for any damage, with everything tested and replaced where necessary. Finally, the CPO program product goes through the same rigorous frequency and impedance checks as new systems, and is subject to a listening test for performance qualities. CPO systems also come with a two-year warranty, and a five-year factory warranty to all new parts.

What are your short- and long-term goals?

Our short-term goal is to make our partners and customers aware of our CPO initiative and its benefits. Not only can these systems significantly reduce our carbon footprint and the consumption of raw materials, but they can also save customers money and extend the product’s life even further.

Our long-term goal is, of course, to make a lasting, positive impact on our environment. At d&b, we’re really conscious of the impact that the entertainment industry in particular has on the environment. Our customers, partners and artists alike recognize just how important is it that we protect the planet and operate in a sustainable way. Everyone has a part to play in “greening” the entertainment industry, and while the industry as a whole has a long way to go to be more sustainable, it is reassuring to see leaders in the entertainment industry beginning to voice their concerns.

What is the greatest challenge you face?

When you look at the overall ecological impact of our industry, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the huge task that lies ahead. We cannot let the enormity of the challenge deter us. While the challenge can seem difficult, it is important that we continue to find ways and take the necessary steps to reduce our carbon footprint. We still have a long way to go to ensure that touring and festivals are more environmentally friendly, but we should remember that small steps can have a big impact.

There is a misconception from the organizational and the customer side that sustainability means expense, but our studies concluded that remanufacturing not only significantly reduces ecological footprint, but it also makes products economically very attractive!

d&b audiotechnik • www.dbaudio.com

60 Seconds with Zack Saltpeter of Mackie

Zack Saltpeter
Zack Saltpeter

What is your new position, and what does it entail?

My new position is national sales manager, which oversees Mackie’s independent dealer and distributor partners within North America. I work directly with our sales team, which is structured with regional sales managers and account managers. Our shared goal is to drive sales and expand into new markets using best practices.

How has your background prepared you for your new role?

Being a guitar player since age 13, I studied audio recording as a major in college, earning a B.A. degree. This provided me an understanding of studio gear and signal flow. After playing in bands and teaching guitar lessons, that path led me to start in pro audio sales at a major MI retail chain, where I became audio department manager. Deciding to expand my horizons, I entered the manufacturers’ rep world, holding sales positions for several major industry brands and independent rep firms over a span of two decades. Being located between the NYC metro and Mid-Atlantic regions, high-revenue responsibilities have always been a staple of my career. Most recently, I was Eastern regional sales manager for Mackie, with responsibility for half the United States and Canada. I was always mentored along the way by great sales managers, and I bring that experience with me.

What new marketing initiatives are we likely to see from the company?

Our marketing efforts moved swiftly to create content covering our new product lines, tech support and live webinars. We also began a podcast series, The Ins & Outs with Mackie, which brings us closer to our users. Another great tool we created specifically for our dealer base is Mackie U, where a salesperson can watch a video presentation of a product category and complete questions to become Mackie-certified.

What are your short- and long-term goals?

I’m used to being in fast-paced business environments, so short- and long-term goals are almost the same for me. I have a lot of ideas ready to go and constantly implement company initiatives, one of which is entering the consumer electronics market with our new in-demand home/recording products such as multimedia monitors, USB mics, interfaces and headphones.

Real-World Review: Mackie FreePlay Series, by Clive Young, March 25, 2019

What is the greatest challenge you face?

The greatest challenge our sales team currently faces, not uncommon during COVID-19, is connecting with our dealer partners and consumers in new virtual ways—our team members are accustomed to conducting meetings and product demos/trainings in person. Mackie was well-positioned to supply the market with our new releases from NAMM 2020, where we released recording and podcasting products that professionals, novices, hobbyist, students, schools (and even us Mackoids) use every day to meet virtually. I tell the team, “Every virtual call we make using Mackie gear is a demo!”

Mackiemackie.com

60 Seconds with Marc DeGeorge of SSL

Marc DeGeorge
Marc DeGeorge Marc DeGeorge

What is your new position, and what does it entail?

I have just been named national sales manager of Solid State Logic’s audio creation products for the United States. My area of responsibility has now increased to oversee our relationships with the major MI retail chains, as well as most of our independent MI and pro audio dealers. In addition to that, I’ll be assisting the wider team with the studio consoles side of the business, and marketing of all of these, too. This includes building new relationships and strategic alliances within the industry.

How has your background prepared you for your new role?

I come from a varied employment background, and I think that is to my benefit. I’m a musician and audio engineer, I’ve run successful stores for a major MI retail chain, and I’ve been in sales for over 22 years. All of this experience enables me to really get the bottom line on the business side, and to speak directly to clients and end users from my own personal experience.

What new marketing initiatives are we likely to see from the company?

There has been significant ecommerce development in the past few months that we’ve already seen. For instance, I recently hosted a Meet the Producers program for SSL with producer/engineer JC Losada. This is an interview-based program in which we talk with some of the world’s most recognized producers. It was a great experience. By collaborating with our regional offices and our headquarters in Oxford [England], we’re able to make a significant impact as a brand that is engaging with the next generation of creatives. We will also continue to do what has always been successful for us. For instance, our educational initiatives in all the markets where we play will continue to be a major focus—the only question being what delivery medium we favor. Ideally, that would be as much face-to-face interaction as makes sense.

SSL Meet the Producer JC Losada
Click to watch on Facebook

What are your short- and long-term goals?

In the short term, I will be looking to further streamline our fulfillment to better serve our rapidly increasing number of dealers, and getting to know some of the dealers that have just come under my supervision. It’s important for me to understand what they’re really about so we can enable them to be as successful with our product line as possible. Long term, I’d like to find new markets in which our products are a solid fit, as well as find new problems we can solve with our current and future offerings.

Related:
60 Seconds with Phil Wagner of Solid State Logic, Dec. 5, 2019
SSL Broadcast Tech Wins Queen’s Award, April 22, 2020
Innovations: Solid State Logic System T Broadcast Console, by Thomas Jensen, April 9, 2020

What is the greatest challenge you face?

The greatest challenge I face is the same that all manufacturers of audio equipment for music production face. What will the studio of the future look like? How do we continue to educate our new end users—some of whom have never touched an analog console before—about best workflow practices, and why a storied company like Solid State Logic, which has been on the cutting edge of audio design for nearly 50 years, is still as important now as it was many years ago.

Solid State Logic • www.solidstatelogic.com

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