Meyer Sound Forms Cinema Group
Meyer Sound has announced a new dedicated cinema team to lead the development, sales, marketing, and technical support efforts for the EXP line of cinema products (formerly known as Cinema Experience).
Meyer Sound has announced a new dedicated cinema team to lead the development, sales, marketing, and technical support efforts for the EXP line of cinema products (formerly known as Cinema Experience). The strategic taskforce includes Steve Shurtz as technology director; Mauricio Saint Martin as global sales director; and Brian Long as senior cinema and live sound design manager. Jim Sides, who was formerly the CEO of Meyer Sound Germany, will become business development director for EXP.
“As we continue to grow in the cinema market, it’s important that we provide the same level of support to our partners in the field,” said Helen Meyer, cofounder and vice president at Meyer Sound, in a statement. “These personnel changes will enable us to work more closely and effectively with the cinema industry and also allow Steve, Jim, Mauricio, and Brian to focus on their core strengths which combine to form a well-rounded strategic team. Each of them has been exceptional in their work at Meyer Sound and is well-qualified to manage and drive our expansion in the cinema market.”
In his position as technology director for EXP, Shurtz will collaborate with Meyer Sound’s R&D department on new product development and application. With his years of experience in film audio technology and having led the 2009 launch of Meyer Sound’s cinema line, Shurtz will continue to work closely with industry partners that include sound designers, mixers, studios, and post-production houses on identifying new opportunities, according to the company. Shurtz and Long will represent Meyer Sound in industrywide efforts to advance cinema technology research and partnerships through organizations like the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and CineGrid.
As senior cinema and live sound design manager, Long will support clients in cinema system design and implementation and lead technical training programs. Long has played an instrumental role in a number of Meyer Sound’s cinema projects around the world. They include top post-production facilities such as De Lane Lea and Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope, as well as movie theatres at the Solaris Centre in Tallinn, Estonia and Cinetopia in Portland, Ore.
Saint Martin is appointed as global sales director for EXP, charged with developing a worldwide sales and distribution strategy and keeping track of business progress. He will work closely with company sales managers and cinema team members to establish a worldwide EXP distribution network. Meanwhile, Saint Martin will maintain his current role as director of sales for Middle East, India, and North Africa.
Sides has been named business development director for EXP to drive strategic sales activities for Meyer Sound’s cinema products in the US. With his new appointment, Sides will soon return to the US from Germany, where he was the former CEO of Meyer Sound Germany and played a critical role in the upgrade of CinemaxX multiplexes in Copenhagen and Hamburg to Meyer Sound’s cinema products.
In the past four years, Sides has more than doubled company sales revenue in Germany and Scandinavia and has fostered a solid foundation for further expansion, company officials said.
