The last time TPi sat down with the team from ER Productions was back in March 2022, following the announcement that it had acquired Pyrojunkies. Since then, the company has had an incredibly busy year, having been involved in some of 2023’s biggest productions including The King’s Coronation Concert and The Eurovision Song Contest, not to mention working with the likes of Yungblud, Muse and Bring Me The Horizon. It’s also been a key period in the company’s development, with ER opening its Ibiza warehouse in April to support clients on the island while also continuing to expand its presence in Saudi Arabia with the continued growth of its Riyadh warehouse. Then later in the year, news broke that the company had officially laid down roots in Australia.
Speaking about the latest development was ER Productions Commercial Director, Chris Harrison. He began by explaining that the Australian office had been in the pipeline for some time. “Australia has always been a special place for ER Productions,” he began.
“The Australian Pink Floyd Show was one of our very first clients when we formed the company in 2007. We have always seen Australia as an important and exciting market for ER and have been looking for the right time to make the investment into the country.”
As well as The Australian Pink Floyd Show, ER has supplied services for numerous acts including Rufus du Sol and Kylie Minogue, and this year the company took the plunge and invested in a warehouse in Sydney. It has also shipped a wide range of lasers and special effects equipment to Australia, in preparation for launch.
“This investment will enable us to better support both new and existing clients in Australia and New Zealand by offering our award-winning design and rental services locally,” stated Harrison. Historically the region has been a difficult one to supply equipment to due to high shipping costs, which often results in shows being scaled down or productions being passed between service providers as they enter Australia.
“For our international clients, we will now be able to offer a seamless global service with offices in North America, Europe, The Middle East and now Australasia,” stated Harrison. “Our local clients will now have better and more cost-effective access to ER Productions’ award-winning laser and special effects products and services including our Kinekt laser range and liquid-flame units.”
The new base will also stock ER Production’s Atolla range of laser heads, its new range of CO2-free cryo-jets – the EcoJet – and its range of paper confetti and streamers, which are now certified biodegradable.
The new Australian base will be led on the ground by Ron Spizak with support from the ER Group, globally. “Ron is one of our project managers with many years of Tech experience on some of our major tours and shows and he has successfully project managed our biggest Ibiza Season this year, looking after Ushuaïa Ibiza Beach Hotel and Hï Ibiza nightclub,” stated Harrison. “In 2024, we plan to grow our Australia team – both in terms of permanent staff and our local freelancer network. We are always looking for enthusiastic and talented crew to join us, so get in touch!”
As well as expanding its base, Harrison was excited to share that the Australian branch will be supporting Robbie Williams tour in the region in November, coinciding nicely with the official launch of the new operation.
“This year, ER Productions has continued to go from strength to strength with some major developments and investments made in our multiple global locations and services provided,” he said, expressing his excitement for the rest of the year and beyond.
Words: Stew Hume
Photos: ER Productions
