Happy New Year. While we were off celebrating the holidays, companies like ACT Entertainment, PSNI Global Appliance, and Nureva made strategic moves. Plus, SCN announced its 2025 Hall of Fame Class.
You can see all the Hall of Famers here.
Now, get caught up with this Pro AV news.
People News
ACT Entertainment Announces Strategic Partnership Posts
ACT Entertainment has announced that Philip Norfolk, sales director of Ambersphere, and Brian Dowd, designer relationship manager of Ayrton, will step into new strategic partnership roles as director and VP of strategic partnerships for ACT Entertainment, respectively.
“The goal of these newly created positions is to ensure legendary service when a partner interacts with any segment of ACT Entertainment and to bring knowledge of our brands and our company to the people who matter to us,” said Ben Saltzman, CEO of ACT Entertainment. “ACT is unique and the industries we serve are exceptional. They’re populated by key individuals and companies who influence and drive our success. Our partners include manufacturers, suppliers, specifiers and end users whose technologies and creative visions drive our passion. Our aim is to make all our clients feel comfortable and well cared for in every interaction they have with us.”
Cablecast Community Media Announce New Executive Leadership
Cablecast Community Media has formed a new executive team to lead the business following president Steve Israelsky’s retirement on December 31. Tightrope co-founder and CEO JJ Parker wis taking a more active role as CEO of Cablecast Community Media. He will continue in his capacity as Tightrope CEO, where he oversees the company’s Cablecast Community Media and Carousel Digital Signage businesses.
Dana Healy and Ray Tiley will join the Cablecast Community Media leadership team to manage Cablecast’s business and technology functions as COO and CTO, respectively.
Healy was named Cablecast’s VP in January 2022, bringing 23 years of community media experience across multiple disciplines to the company. These experiences included leadership roles for community media operations in Massachusetts and Minnesota, serving as executive director for both organizations. Healy oversees all Cablecast sales and operations while bringing the Cablecast brand to a broader customer base, including an increased emphasis on serving local municipalities.
Tiley transitions into the CTO role with 15 years of engineering experience at Cablecast, including seven years as VP of engineering. Tiley’s vision inspired the evolution of Cablecast’s product portfolio beyond cable playout automation and into new areas such as live streaming, video-on-demand, and content delivery to Cablecast apps.
L-Acoustics Marks 40th Anniversary Year with Major Growth Milestone, Welcoming 1,000th Team Member
Capping off a year of marking the company’s 40th anniversary, L-Acoustics added its 1,000th team member. Kevin Gouriou joins the company as a prototypist in research and development.
This milestone comes during a remarkable period of growth for L-Acoustics, which has seen a 40% increase in its workforce over the past two years. With global hubs in Paris, Los Angeles, London, and Singapore, the company has strategically expanded to support its worldwide network of partners and clients while maintaining its commitment to innovation, with 20% of its workforce dedicated to design and R&D.
OWC Names Matt Dargis as Chief Revenue Officer
Other World Computing has appointed Matt Dargis as chief revenue officer. Dargis leverages his extensive experience in sales leadership and global market strategy to spearhead OWC’s continued growth and market expansion.
As CRO, Dargis is responsible for driving OWC’s global revenue growth and expanding its market presence across both commercial and consumer channels. He oversees the company’s sales and channel strategies, ensuring alignment with OWC’s mission to deliver the highest performance and most trusted technology solutions that provide the greatest value and ROI. Additionally, Dargis focuses on building and scaling high-performing teams, optimizing go-to-market initiatives, and enhancing customer experiences to meet and exceed evolving market demands.
Dargis is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of building and scaling tech businesses through his superior market knowledge, and exemplary team building and servant leadership style. Prior to joining OWC, Dargis served as SVP, U.S. sales at ACCO Brands and VP of North America sales at Kensington where he rebuilt the North America sales team and created a new go-to-market strategy and three-year plan to double sales while improving the bottom line. Before that, he led Buffalo Americas as EVP, COO, where he was responsible for building new sales and marketing teams and expanding internationally. Dargis has also served as VP, worldwide sales and marketing at ioSafe, and held senior sales and marketing positions with NETGEAR and D-Link Systems.
Kent Cawthorne Appointed as Vendor Program Manager at PSNI Global Alliance
PSNI Global Alliance appointed Kent Cawthorne as vendor program manager. With nearly 40 years of experience in the audiovisual industry, Cawthorne brings a wealth of expertise in sales, marketing, and business development, having worked with Sony, Kramer, and Legrand AV.
In his new role, Cawthorne works closely with PSNI’s director of vendor programs, Tom Roberts, to oversee and enhance the Preferred Vendor Partner (PVP) program. He will focus on building and strengthening relationships between technology manufacturers and PSNI’s global network of Certified Solution Providers (CSPs). His leadership will ensure that the program continues to provide value to integrators, equipping them with top-tier solutions and support across more than 65 countries.
Scott Srolis Named Salamander President
Salamander Designs announced Scott Srolis, previously senior VP of sales and marketing, has been promoted to company president. While making the announcement, Salvatore Carrabba, who founded the firm more than 30 years ago, shared he will be taking the role of CEO and remain actively involved in the business as Srolis takes the daily reins.
Srolis is a long-time, recognized leader in the CI industry and has been vital in Salamander Designs’ entry into the commercial arena and international markets. For more than eight years he has been involved in the decision making that guides company product direction, promotional campaigns, and overall strategy.
Sphere Names Marcus Ellington EVP, Ad Sales & Sponsorships
Sphere Entertainment welcomed Marcus Ellington, a strategic leader with extensive experience creating innovative and impactful partnership programs for premier brands, as EVP, ad sales and sponsorships for Sphere.
In this new role, Mr. Ellington develops and leads an ad sales and sponsorships organization focused on maximizing revenue, creating growth opportunities, and managing client relations across Sphere’s marquee assets, including the Exosphere. As part of his role, Ellington drives new brand-centric opportunities for the Exosphere, including those that extend the platform’s reach across experiential activations such as drone shows. He will also be responsible for developing broader Sphere-wide marketing partnerships.
Ellington is a seasoned sales and business development executive who has 20 years of experience working in media and technology. He joins Sphere from Google, where he held sales and partnership roles of increasing responsibility over more than a decade with the company. In his most recent role as director of Americas partnerships solutions, Ellington was responsible for strategic partnerships across Google product areas including Ads, YouTube, Cloud, and Android.
Jason Jon Anderson Joins ACP Team as GM for Eau Claire Audio Visual Division
SCN Top 50 Systems Integrator ACP CreativIT welcomed Jason Jon Anderson to the ACP family of technology solutions providers as general manager for its Eau Claire audiovisual division. Anderson brings a wealth of experience in the AV and event production industry to his new role, having served as the production manager for double Grammy-winning indie band Bon Iver and production director for the Eaux Claires Festival and the Boston Calling Music Festival.
Anderson most recently served as the executive director of the Pablo Center at the Confluence from 2017 to 2024. In this role, he oversaw the final year of construction for the Pablo Center, navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped secure new market tax credits for the organization. Prior to his time at the Pablo Center, Anderson spent 11 years at UW-Eau Claire, where he served as the assistant director of conferences and event services.
EMG/Gravity Media Makes New Team Appointments
EMG/Gravity Media appointed Nathan Spencer as managing director and Chris Martin as commercial director to its U.S. leadership team.
Spencer brings over 30 years of experience in the media and broadcast industry, with a proven track record of delivering successful business transformations, driving operational excellence, and fostering innovative solutions. He will continue to play a pivotal role in overseeing all aspects of EMG/Gravity Media’s business in America, including strategic planning, business development, and operational management.
Martin joins the team with an extensive background in live sports and entertainment, having previously worked at Lagardere Sports, SFX Sports Group and ProServ. He will be responsible for overseeing the development and execution of commercial strategies to drive EMG/Gravity Media’s growth, fostering key client relationships, and ensuring the company’s overall profitability and market expansion.
In conjunction with these key hires, EMG/Gravity Media opened its new office in Nashville, TN. The new Nashville office is located in the heart of the city and serves as a hub for EMG/Gravity Media’s operations in the Southeast region.
Company News
Nureva Signs U.S. Distribution Agreement with Ingram Micro
Nureva announced a new distribution agreement with Ingram Micro, an IT distributor. The agreement will broaden the availability of Nureva’s HDL pro series—including the HDL310 and HDL410 audio systems—across the United States as part of Ingram Micro’s Meeting Room Management Services offering.
Nureva’s plug-and-play large-room audio solutions deliver the combination of performance and simplicity that is essential for today’s meeting and educational environments. This agreement will enable Nureva to expand its reseller network to deliver the company’s powerful yet easy-to-use audio solutions to more businesses and educational institutions across the U.S. Nureva’s HDL310 and HDL410 systems are certified for larger Microsoft Teams Rooms and Zoom Rooms up to 35x55 feet (10.7x16.8 m), with TAA-compliant options available for customers with specific requirements. Powered by patented Microphone Mist technology, Nureva’s full line of audio conferencing systems provide full-room microphone coverage, ensuring clear and consistent communication for both in-room and remote participants. The systems offer a simple, scalable solution without the common costs and complexities of traditional Pro AV systems, making them easy to deploy and manage at scale.
