Our staff are our biggest asset. Find out more about the people that make Hawthorn tick.
PRODUCTION & EXHIBITION TEAM
Martin opened his garage doors for business 25 years ago. He recognised that there was a gap in the market for a professionally run hire company staffed by people who knew their stuff. He is now the proud owner of a warehouse the size of 6 football pitches, a hire inventory which lists 2987 individual lines of stock and employs a staff of around 90 (today!)
Early in his working life Simon dealt with the public, which means that nothing you can ask him will seem strange or bizarre. Many years spent as a touring technician, Lighting Designer and then a Company Manager has taught him there is always a solution.
Our clients enjoy a rare combination of talents in Matt; he is both creative and organised! In pre-production he will design, budget, schedule and crew. On-site he will organise, manage and bring to life the atmosphere and effect you were hoping to create.
Peter joined Hawthorn in 2004 with vast experience of providing lighting, AV and semi-permanent & permanent installation services across the whole range of large scale events, including sports, TV, theatre and live events, not to mention the Olympics. Peter heads up our Venue Partnership Team and is the Account Manager for our in-house venues and partnerships, liaising between the client, venue and any other suppliers and also scheduling and managing works. He also specialises in road shows and exhibitions for our corporate clients. He has a strong interest in LED lighting and other emerging technologies and offers a calm and efficient solution for any event.
Prior to joining Hawthorns, having trained in lighting and sound design, Olly worked in a variety of areas of the industry, from theatre, to rock and roll tours to corporate conferences. Hawthorn’s projects have challenged Olly to incorporate his creative vision and technical ability.
Mark worked as a freelance Lighting Designer for over 18 years before joining Hawthorns. He has produced two award winning shows so far and is looking for a hat trick! He is always good at keeping crew moral high at 4am after working straight through for 4 days! Not to mention owning the biggest bunch of keys in the world!
Robert started work at Hawthorns after graduating from the University of Derby in 2002. He has gained broad experience in lighting and event design. If you are after someone who isn’t fazed by anything on your event, then Robert is your man!
Chris comes to Hawthorns after working as a freelance lighting designer and production manager for a range of events and companies in the UK. Having started out in theatre land, in recent years more and more work has taken him into the corporate arena, and joining Hawthorns was the natural next step to take.
After graduating from The Central School of Speech and Drama with a degree in lighting design, Richard went to work for various companies as a Lighting Designer and Project Manager. He now finds himself at Hawthorn London managing all sorts of projects. In his spare time he is an aspiring photographer and likes to watch films, read books and barbeque.
After spending many years working as a project manager, a LD for Butlins and even a stint in the fire service, Chris has worked on many varied projects and productions from lighting a cathedral pink through to producing a fashion show with the catwalk in a swimming pool just under the surface. Since joining Hawthorn he's maintained a varied career, producing an external Concert for 5,000 Girl Guides and Brownies and turning two Ralph Lauren stores in Paris pink to name but 2 of the events he's managed for us. Chris brings his varied experience, practicality and creativity to your event, transforming your initial plans into reality with calm efficiency.
HIRE & SALES
With 18 years experience as Chief Electrician at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham under his belt, you are in safe hands with Richard. He loves the regular hours and the variety of his work here. We asked him for an example of a typical day - "it can be anything from the village hall enquiring about a light on a stick to sorting out two 'artics' for The Chemical Brothers".
A former Lighting Manager at Leicester Haymarket, with 12 years of fringe theatre experience, we were lucky to secure Dave's services in summer 2000. An effervescent character with a wealth of experience and empathy with what you are trying to achieve, if there is a solution, Dave will find it for you - just ask.
Neil is our former Stores Supervisor. He knows exactly where to find each of the 2612 lines of stock - invaluable in a building the size of 6 football pitches! Neil has been promoting live events in the area for years.
Jamie is part of the busy hire department having previously worked in our stores department where he gained valuable knowledge of the equipment we stock. Jamie is responsible for fielding general hire enquiries, maintaining stock levels in our shop and managing the purchasing of all our lamp stock.
Sam looks after our Drapes customers and has recently returned to our Head Office after a couple of years in our London office, he remains the umbilical cord between the two bases. He started off working in our warehouse before joining the hire department, so like the rest of the team he has a good working knowledge of our equipment. His main responsibilities are dealing with our TV & Film clients, however his knowledge of our extensive inventory of drapes and fabrics sadly does not transfer to his personal wardrobe!
INSTALLATIONS
With over twenty years experience ranging from Repertory and Touring Theatre, Concert Halls, Arena Venues and Rock Touring, Alan is the ideal on-the-road representative for the Installations and ServiceSafe teams.
Lydia formally joined the company in 2005 after many years of helping out and spending time at the warehouse as a child at weekends with her dad, our MD! After a brief spell in our workshop gaining vital hands on equipment knowledge, Lydia joined the installations team as a support assistant. In this role she liaises with suppliers and customers, prepares quotations, arranges ServiceSafe visits and oversees the logistics of our installation projects.Practical and unflappable, out of work Lydia is equally as busy with her horses and dogs and says she wishes she had more time to travel!
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Karen joins Hawthorn with over 8 years experience in the live events industry, specialising in account management and new business development. Karen likes variety and has clients who specialise in conferences, product launches, awards ….. in fact any live event. She doesn’t like to say “no” and will always aim to achieve the ultimate result for your event’s budget.
Jeff started his theatre life in a local amateur group touring schools managing the sound and lighting. This took him to working as a Stage Technician at Derby Playhouse before studying Stage Management at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama. Jeff went on to work as an ASM and touring SM for Derby Playhouse before joining Stage Systems on the technical installs and production events team. He then settled for 2 years as House Technician at the Assembly Rooms in Derby. Jeff is also a professional musician, has freelanced as an LD with rock bands in Europe and the USA and also taught Technical Theatre at BTEC level. With all that experience behind him Jeff now aims to provide excellent technical and creative advice to customers, understanding their complete event needs, whether it is on, off or indeed backstage!
Duncan graduated with a Stage Management degree from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 1996. Following a number of years working for a major player in the industry he established himself as a production manager working on exhibitions and conferences throughout Europe. In 2000 Duncan joined the financial road shows division of Jack Morton Worldwide and was responsible for the technical specification and delivery of global events. Looking for a change of scene, he was part of a management team that created a new radio station in the East Midlands, after which he was hired to re-brand a local magazine title. He feels his new role at Hawthorns allows him to combine client facing skills and technical knowledge, which is perfect for customers who require support on their event.