The Backstage Centre Ltd are delighted to announce White Light Ltd joining SFL as strategic partners with d&b solutions .
The team at the Backstage Centre want to wish our non-executive director, and White Light Ltd managing director, Bryan Raven, every success following the recent partnership with the newly-formed d&b solutions.
Having recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, White Light have described the move as a natural step to strengthen production and secure solutions for venues.
Founded in 1971, White Light has supplied technical solutions including lighting, audio, video and rigging for projects across the UK, Europe and worldwide.
Their first job was to transfer ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ from the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs to the Kings Road Theatre, which saw the start of a fifty-year journey supplying shows that would go on to become international successes. Top West End hits include Pretty Woman, Tina – The Musical, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and White Light currently employ 170 people.
For d&b, their journey began in 1981 in Korb, a small village not far from Stuttgart in Germany. From a securely ‘locked garage two casual young men, Jürgen Daubert being one and Rolf Belz being the other, set out for the nearby town of Waiblingen. There they resolutely strode into the town office where they succeeded in registering their ‘trade’ which they aptly named d & b Audiotechnik.’
Since the early 80’s, d&b solutions now employ more than five hundred co-workers, who sit at the cutting edge of audio production with their Soundscape audio platform for immersive audio-visual, lighting and media solutions; a system already linked with White Light’s SmartStage® technology.
SmartStage® is an immersive video environment which uses XR technology to replace the traditional green screen element of a virtual studio. The potential for XR technology, in combination with d&b’s Soundscape immersive audio platform and White Lights expertise, will open new market potential for immersive AVLM solutions, that will benefit all partners and customers of the d&b Group.
Initially, WL and SFL will continue to operate independently as the organisations explore the best way of working together within d&b solutions. Bryan Raven will continue as White Light managing director, alongside the existing management team, whilst Tom Jeffery will continue to head up the SFL leadership team. Both will join the Bord of d&b solutions along with Amnon Harman (CEO) and Michael Aldinger (CFO).
Bryan Raven, comments: “Joining d&b solutions is a natural next step for White Light. Whilst we marked a hugely significant landmark last month with the celebration of our 50th anniversary, the main reason we’ve not only lasted but thrived for so long is that we’ve constantly been able to transform and reinvent ourselves by adapting to the sector’s ever-changing needs and ensuring we remain industry pioneers. For us, this new venture is simply the latest example of that and the combination of our 50-year history, with the 40 years of d&b and the 30 years of SFL will be a game-changer. The combination of our experience, expertise, ideas and people will allow us to create a system that is primed to serve the modern-day live entertainment industry”.
He continues: “We wholeheartedly share the belief in the strategic direction of d&b and we are convinced that WL will contribute immensely to its implementation. When I first spoke to d&b Group CEO Amnon Harman, he said that the Group was created to provide transformational life experiences to their customers. This is something that has always been at the heart of our work, whether that’s supplying the lights to the Rocky Horror Show at the Royal Court back in 1973 or providing SmartStage technology for major broadcasting channels earlier this year. We genuinely cannot wait to start collaborating with the team and bringing together our people, technology and expertise to help meet the needs of all our customers and help deliver this shared vision.
“Initially, our customers won’t see any difference in the services we deliver. The only gradual change will be the development of our offering within production and venues, as we draw on SFL’s expertise as an audio, AV and scenic supplier.”
Amnon Harman, d&b Group CEO, adds: “WL is the perfect strategic addition to the d&b Group. Their technology and expertise significantly increase d&b solutions’ capabilities to offer complete and flexible audio, video, lighting and XR solutions. Driven by accelerated market trends set during the pandemic, we want to create a premium one stop shop for the AVLM needs of our customers in the UK; and we firmly believe that this step will help us achieve just that”.
Raven concludes: “Whilst this move is about growing and developing the business, it’s mainly been driven by what our focus has always been: our customers. As most of our clients will know, WL is a friendly, family company that goes out of its way to offer a personal service – something that we will ensure remains constant as we enter this new chapter. Ultimately, this venture means we can truly offer a full range of industry services and, whilst we have just celebrated our previous fifty years, we can now look forward to the next”.
The Backstage Centre Ltd wish everyone at White Light and d&b solutions the very best of luck for a new working relationship, and a prosperous and Happy New Year!
