Never taking things too seriously, Gordon Anderson has been involved in the AV System Integration industry since leaving school in 1990. These days he looks after the Canberra office of Hills SVL, but still gets his hands dirty because he really does love the job, whether it's behind a desk or stuffed into an equipment rack. A passionate advocate of education, Gordon manages to keep up to date on all things AV, volunteering for InfoComm [and reading AV – Ed].

For the past five years Matt Caton has been the Marketing Coordinator for Lightmoves, which has exposed him to some of the most high-profile technology projects in Victoria. He is also a strong contributor to Melbourne’s Independent Theatre scene, having worked as a Producer, Director, Actor, Stage Manager and more recently as a Lighting Designer. He is a produced playwright and budding screenwriter (although Hollywood doesn’t think so... yet) and also freelances his reviewing skills to a number of online and print organisations. .

Paul Collison is a freelance lighting designer based in Sydney. Struggling to find work in his homeland, Paul spends much of the year in far flung places in perpetual search for the perfect breakfast and good coffee. With a love of lights, gadgets and a good story, Paul makes an admirable effort to bring to AV reviews of products and events from around our small and wondrous globe.

After finishing a Computer Science degree at the University of WA, Blake Garner decided stage lighting was much more fun and threw away financial security and the previous four years of his life to study lighting at the WA Academy of Performing Arts. Keen to apply computer technologies to improve the flexibility of lighting systems,

Blake spent several years at Jands as its Lighting Applications Engineer, before moving back into production.

Starting out in life training as a dentist, Stuart Gregg soon saw the error of his ways. Instead he started up an AV company in London in 1984, and has been in AV ever since. His expertise is vision for live events, from 35mm slide to videowalls, projection, and more recently, blending and multi-projector systems. He has worked as technical director for touring television shows and corporate events of all sizes, and has spent the past 10 years as General Manager at Haycom.

Graeme Hague worked for the last 20 years in regional theatre venues as an audio, lighting and AV technician.

Graeme is a regular contributor to Audio Technology magazine and was the principal writer for the new Guerrilla Guide to Recording and Production (www.guerrillaguide.com.au).

He owns a Maglite, a Leatherman and a wardrobe of only black clothing which proves he is overwhelmingly qualified to write on any technical subject.

Mandy Jones is Events Producer for Museum Victoria, responsible for producing media launches and special events across the organisation’s four sites (Melbourne Museum, Immigration Museum, Scienceworks and the Royal Exhibition Building).

Previously she worked in venue hire sales, and in all aspects of indoor and outdoor theatre including production and stage management, lighting design and operation.

For many years Mandy was the Melbourne correspondent and photographer for Connections/CX magazine, and also served on the ALIA committee as a board member and honorary secretary.

Nick Macfie is a live event production manager and technical director, who during 2010 orchestrated the production elements of events such as Movie Extra Tropfest, the official launch of AAMI Stadium and the Australian Hair Expo, along with the 10th Birthday celebration of airline Virgin Blue.

Nick is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Music. Whilst still a student there in 2003, he co-founded Production Technologies which operates out of Sydney serving the production needs  for event, marketing and experiential agencies, both locally and internationally.

Luis Miranda joined Auditoria Pty Ltd after completing his Masters in Design Science at the University of Sydney in mid 2008 and deciding that after studying for the previous ten years it was about time to get a real job. His tasks at Auditoria include audio visual design and documentation, electro-acoustic modelling, attending trade shows and picking up the mail.

He has a keen interest in most things related to audio and acoustics (though finds underwater and environmental acoustics pretty boring).

Paul Newton is technical producer/director and co-owner at The Events Activation Resource (The EAR), a company specialising in large scale corporate and entertainment technical event management, and has worked in video projection and multimedia since 1992. He has been involved in video production management for events in the corporate, broadcast, exhibition, fashion and entertainment industries, and has toured extensively. He has expert knowledge of multimedia, content creation and complex live video systems..

Bruce Ramus has extensive experience in creating and producing advanced media experiences for theatrical and architectural environments. He has designed and directed international live shows and events for 28 years, including rock bands U2, R.E.M., David Bowie, Bryan Adams, David Byrne, and Savage Garden.

Through his work, Ramus Illumination seeks to involve and engage a contemporary culture in the ancient ritual of theatre, and to provide an opening in the digital media landscape to present the soul of the community.

Lucie Robson is a fresh-faced young journalist, soon to leave all this wild weather for the grey streets of Berlin. She recently spent a year editing Vertigo magazine at the University of Technology in Sydney and her name can usually be seen in the pages of AV's beloved sibling, Venue. For her debut with AV, she reported on the recent floods up north.

Zac Shenker is a computer science/digital media student at UNSW. He has been obsessed with all things AV since volunteering as a lighting operator at age 14. An ALIA board member for the past two years, Zac is gaining experience in the lighting industry as technical crew on numerous productions.

His interests in photography, software development and AV keep him in regular freelancing gigs and help to finance his gadget obsession.

Rod Sommerich is the Asian and USA Channel Manager for SpinetiX, a Swiss manufacturer of Digital Signage Appliances. Rod has worked for a number of Australian Pro AV, Consumer and Broadcast distribution companies for the last 25 years.

Prior to that he worked in editing and telecine for broadcasters and post production facilities in both Australia and the United Kingdom.

Rod holds InfoComm CTS certification.

Tim Stackpool is a broadcast technical director, most recently completing the design and construction of a three-studio TV facility for IP Studios in Sydney.

After spending 10 years at Channel Nine, Tim founded and remains co-owner of production company Sonic Sight.

Tim also supplements the income he receives from AV Magazine by assuming the role of Australian correspondent for Global Radio News in London and the Canadian Economic Press.

Andrew Steel’s ‘special subject’ is scientific testing and measurement. He has a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and is a member of the Audio Engineering Society and the Australian Acoustical Society.

In 2003 he established Ultrafonic P/L, an acoustics consulting firm, to marry his experience and passion for acoustics in a way that made them available to a much wider audience.

Pete Swanson recently joined AMX as NSW/ACT Business Manager, prior to which he has spent over a dozen years in the world of AV integration including time as Director of WSP Lincolne Scott’s AV consultancy division, working as a contractor with Electrosonic and as an AV designer in the UK. He is almost uncontrollably passionate about improving the AV industry and has found an outlet for this passion in his work with InfoComm, where he is involved with promoting the organisation and developing industry standards.