INNOVATOR PROFILES: SPECIAL RECOGNITION
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DAVE CRUMP
Dave Crump sits at his temporary desk in Paris reflecting on the last few months, as he prepares to retire following a career of innovation
L ater this year, Dave Crump, SVP of sports and entertainment for the Creative Technology Group, will be stepping away from the world he knows and loves, having left his thumbprint on the global AV industry every step of the way. LIVE sat down with him to discuss his career in live events and the developments and changes along the way. First of all, Dave, how does it feel to be retiring? In a word: bittersweet. I have been immersed in this industry for around 45 years and in many ways it is my life. I will miss every element of it, but I also have so many other dreams and things I want to do while I am still young enough to do them. The business we have built is in great hands and there are so many talented people that support me and will now have greater opportunities to grow and develop themselves. You started your career in London in the eighties. What made this time so interesting for live events? The early and mid-eighties really saw the birth of events as we know them today, especially in the corporate space. Prior to this period, there was obviously theatrical production – and concerts happened – but in a rudimentary and basic fashion. I was lucky to join an industry experiencing a revolution in technology, in production values and in the scale and frequency of shows. That revolution was happening in every sector we operate in today: corporate events, entertainment and sports. Creative Technology (CT) started around this time. Who, how and why did CT come about? A great question with a somewhat complex answer. I had been working very closely with Graham Andrews (now global president of NEP Live Events, the parent company of CT – more on that later). We both worked for different companies but often on the same shows; Graham doing the video
We had always been an international business. From the very beginning, we had partners or distributors throughout most European countries and regularly shipped equipment to the United States, Australia and even post-apartheid (and pre-Gearhouse) South Africa for the major events. Both businesses had investments in the US, and once we came fully together in 2002 these were also restructured and consolidated under the single Creative Technology brand. Graham moved permanently to the US around this time to lead the US business and I moved into running the European operations and our developing Middle Eastern business. As you moved into the 21st century, the pace of consolidation quickened for suppliers. What opportunities did you see and how did CT capitalise? The big driver in the first decade of this century was the development of the US business. We effectively consolidated four US businesses into one CT, and at the same time divested ourselves of a fifth business (Screenworks), who are now ironically a key part of our NEP Live Events business. The growth opportunities in the US were immense and we quickly became the leading high-end AV staging supplier. Elsewhere, as the technology evolved and the demand increased, we saw increasing challenges in our regional For me, the real highlight was working on Queen’s final shows with Freddie Mercury. We have continued to tour with them ever since”
production systems and me specialising in video projection. Graham introduced me to an amazing entrepreneur who wanted to start a business renting giant outdoor screens. ‘Starvisions’ were a quantum leap forward in technology compared to the ‘Diamond Visions’ installed in stadiums across the US. I got hired (as a 23 year-old) to start a company called Screenco. In our first year of existence we did a Ryder Cup, a Commonwealth Games, British Grand Prix and, for me, the real highlight was Queen’s final shows with Freddie Mercury at Wembley and Knebworth. We have continued to tour with them ever since. A year later in 1986, Graham wanted to make a similar move, so he started a second company for the same entrepreneur and Creative Technology was born. We grew our respective businesses in parallel for 15 years. Screenco focused on giant screens, Starvisions being replaced by Jumbotron and eventually LED screens, with Creative Technology focusing on AV with camera/graphic systems and specialist video projection. We continually worked together, but as technology evolved further and further, we saw the lines of differentiation become increasingly blurred. We were working together across every sector, including major touring work for numerous international artists. Then the 9/11 attacks happened, which was arguably the first global event to really impact our industry. By that point, both CT and Screenco had international offices, and saw the work evaporate overnight. The decision was taken to rationalise, and we put the two businesses together into one site. While we traded for a while as CT/Screenco, we always knew we needed to be one brand. Creative Technology perfectly describes what we do. That was in 2002, and we have been one CT ever since.
What made you focus on global expansion and delivery?
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