cover story
GEARHOUSE BITTEN BY VIPERS
A
bout eighteen months ago Gearhouse South Africa’s Ofer Lapid (Founder and
Managing Director) and Tim Dunn (Design and Concept) accompanied Bruce
Schwartz (Entertainment Lighting Manager of Electrosonic SA) on a trip to Arhus,
Denmark.
Arhus is Denmark’s second biggest city and
home to 1.25 million people; it’s also home to
one of the world’s top automated lighting and
control manufacturers - Martin Professional.
Their mission was to check out Martin’s new
range of automated fixtures. After eight years of
faithful service Gearhouse’s ever-reliable Martin
MAC 2000s were starting to take strain.
The intrepid three were fortified against the
Scandinavian winter chill with plenty of tasty
food and good wine. But merrymaking was not
the main purpose of the trip: there was serious
work to be done. Peter Skytte and Peter Dahlin
from Martin Professional treated Ofer, Tim and
Bruce to a sneak preview of the Viper series. Back
then there were only two early prototypes and
these units were still some way from completion;
the two Peters had to be careful not to damage
the fragile mockup on the bench. The preview
was a success and Ofer and Tim were delighted
that they’d found a worthy replacement for their
treasured ‘2ks’.
Many automated lighting manufacturers make
the mistake of trying to over-stuff fixtures with
too many options. Martin stuck to the basics:
a solid, compact, very bright light that offers
superb optics and a range of compatible fixtures.
Like its legendary predecessor - a real touring
workhorse. Martin has unveiled a viper worthy of
the name: a supreme competitor with bite and
venom.
run the Vipers in sunny South Africa – and so they
invested in twelve Martin MAC Viper Profiles and
some Martin M-Series Desks. Like its venomous
namesake, the Vipers showed that they are as
comfortable in Africa as they are in other parts
of the world. Many South African LDs (Lighting
Designers) got the chance to work with the
Vipers, and they were mightily impressed. The
comments followed a familiar theme: “Vipers are
a winner”. LDs consistently praised them; using
terms like: ‘bright’, ‘compact’, ‘versatile’, ‘amazingly
simple workhorses’.
In March 2013 the range of Viper Fixtures was
up to 6 variations (Profile, Wash, Wash with
Internal Barndoors, Air FX, Air FX with Quad
array) and it was clear that Martin Vipers were
fast establishing themselves as the fixture of
choice for many international riders. The Prolight
+ Sound International Trade Fair in Frankfurt in
April 2013 proved a good time for the South
Africans to lock down some deals with Martin
Professional. The audio and infotainment group,
Harman, had acquired Martin Professional in
late 2012. But this was no obstacle to some
fruitful negotiations a few months later where
Electrosonic SA and Gearhouse (represented by
joint Managing Directors, Ofer Lapid and Nasser
Abbas) met with the Martin team. A deal was
struck and the Vipers started to make their way
to South Africa.
The only problem for Ofer and Tim was that
they would have to wait out the field tests, and
the spec’ing of the units on international riders,
before the Vipers could go into commercial
production. So they used the trip as an
opportunity to get a bit of TLC for the 2ks. A
spreadsheet was compiled in which each and
every MAC 2k in Gearhouse’s inventory was
recorded and the necessary spares applied. The
Danes also helped out by hastily assembling
some emergency spare parts.
Martin Professional welcoming the South Africans, Ofer
Lapid, Tim Dunn (Gearhouse) and Bruce Schwartz
Gearhouse now has 72 Viper Profiles in its
inventory with plans for more units. Gearhouse
is currently the sole member in Africa of the
growing MGAP (Martin Global Alliance Partner).
This partnership has many benefits for both
members and non-members who are looking
for a trusted, accredited and up-to-date rental
house to supply fixtures and staff on world
tours. By networking with other MGAP members
Gearhouse is in a unique position to leverage
knowledge and also share its vast knowledge
gained over the years.
By the time January 2013 rolled around
Gearhouse’s Durban branch was in dire need of
larger format fixtures. Ofer, and Branch Manager
Ashley Singh, took this as an opportunity to trial
Bruce Schwartz (Electrosonic SA) with Ofer Lapid
(Gearhouse) at Skagen (also known as The Scaw), the
northernmost point in Denmark
The new Gearhouse Vipers barely touched the
ground before they were checked and deployed
on their first job, The Bidvest Annual Chairman’s
Awards at the Sandton Convention Centre.
Stuart Andrew HOD Lighting, Gearhouse
12 PROMAG – fourth quarter 2013