Martin Honors Russian Lighting Designer Contest Participants

	Photo: Paul Pelletier

Martin Professional's representative office in Russia and the CIS, in cooperation with Messe Frankfurt RUS, held a lighting designer contest as part of the Prolight + Sound NAMM Russia exhibition in Moscow.

"As Martin Professional is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, we wanted to share the occasion with our friends, partners, and all who work in the amazing world of dynamic lighting," commented Anton Anufriev, product manager at Martin's Russian office.

A special area was constructed in a lighting pavilion at the exhibition and outfitted with MAC Auras, MAC 101s, MAC 700 Profiles, and MAC 2000 Washes. Contest participants prepared and demonstrated a four-minute light show with music in real time using a Martin M1 lighting console.

Performances were evaluated by a jury composed of Eric Leroy, lighting designer, Lumieres Utiles; Paul Pelletier, controllers product manager, Martin Professional; Peter Skytte, moving heads product manager, Martin Professional; Peter Dahlin, area sales manager, Martin Professional; and Anton Anufriev, product manager, Martin Russia office.

The first place winner receives a visit to the Martin headquarter facilities in Denmark, with the second place winner getting an M2GO controller, and third place Martin M-PC software. Fourth through sixth place received a Martin One-Key with 45-day test period. Furthermore, the magazine Show-Master gave all participants an annual subscription.

Six lighting designers from different cities in Russia met in the contest finals, held during the exhibition. The final results were as follows:

1st place -- Artem Tsuranov, lighting designer, Novosibirsk
"It was a very good idea to arrange a lighting designer contest. Here you can see how the other guys work, assess your level and opportunities, share experience, and simply talk with colleagues. I liked the M1 controller -- great software and intuitive interface. It is convenient for programming and working with scenes. I think this controller is worth paying attention to by rental companies and theatres."

2nd place -- Valery Baranchikov, lighting designer, Nizhny Novgorod
"Often people who are engaged in lighting control communicate only in forums. But here we were able to talk and watch the work of others. In our work we have a lot of things to do and have little time. The M1 proved to be a perfect solution."

3rd place -- Anatoly Gevik, lighting designer, Moscow
"The competition was a remarkable idea for realizing yourself and your abilities. It was both an opportunity to get acquainted with a new controller and to feel such excitement. Working with the M1 is quite an easy thing and seems very familiar. Once I started to work with it, I understood a lot of things just on a hunch."

4th place -- Paul Turutin, lighting designer, Ekaterinburg
"The contest was a good way to study, an opportunity to test yourself. I came here to learn new fixtures and consoles and wanted to see how the other people worked. It was very interesting to work with the M1."

5th place -- Sergey Martyanov, lightmaster, St. Petersburg
"I am grateful to Martin and especially the Russian representative office for organizing the contest. It was a great experience. I had used the M1 'live' only two days before the performance but when I got used to it, it became much easier."

6th place -- Ivan Pishev, lighting designer, Kirov
"The idea of a lighting designer contest is wonderful because usually it is difficult for people who are not from Moscow to show their abilities. But here you have a place where you can show what you can do as a lighting designer."

"We want to thank all participants for supporting our idea and accepting our invitation. We also want to thank them for their enthusiasm, passion, and of course for the excellent lighting performances," Anton Anufriev said after the event was finished. "All participants demonstrated a serious approach to the contest and a good level of quality and creation. They did an excellent job showing their creative thinking and of course they gave a lot of good impressions to the audience."

Martin Professional's representative office in Russia and the CIS noted thanks to Messe Frankfurt RUS, Paul Pelletier, and Eric Leroy for their support in organizing and holding the competition.