ETC announces new Eastern European technical sales specialist

ETC is pleased to announce that Vladimir Kraynov will now provide technical sales support for the lighting and rigging markets in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus. Based out of St. Petersburg, Russia, Kraynov will assist ETC GmbH in Germany with on-site customer visits, conduct product training, and provide technical assistance to dealers, distributors, rental houses, consultants, project planners, engineers and end users. 

Kraynov joins ETC Eastern European Sales Manager Armin Kloss, Field Project Coordinator Florian Maier and Marketing Communications Specialist Allison Suchon in supporting customers in the vast Eurasian market. "We have been dedicated to the arts in this region for decades," says Kloss, "and have built strong relationships with lighting and stage-technology professionals. We continue to expand our services, increase the Russian-language materials we offer, and grow educational resources. Now Vladimir's assistance will give us, our local dealers and our Moscow-based service center the opportunity to do even more."

Kraynov's love for the technical aspect of the entertainment industry began while attending performances at a puppet theater with his parents, when he would pay more attention to the lighting rig than the action on stage. At that time, his hometown of Samara, Russia, had few opportunities for learning the craft of lighting. He got his first experience working on a lighting console as an exchange student at Lincoln High School in Nebraska. 

While studying at Samara State University, Kraynov and his friends founded a rental company where they built up an arsenal of lighting equipment. He did concert lighting on the fly and participated in round-the-clock setup and strike, film shoots, broadcasts, tours and road shows. He then moved into systems installation and integration, developing close ties with project-design and installation companies as a freelance consulting engineer. "My degrees in telecommunications and IT come in handy here. These days, it's rare to come across a theater, concert hall or broadcast studio that doesn't make use of networking and programming in some way," explains Kraynov. 

In 2008, he began working as a regional sales representative for Germany-based manufacturer MENNEKES Elektrotechnik GmbH. In 2011, Kraynov was promoted to product manager and technical expert for rental, theatrical, broadcast and sporting-event installations, working with project-management companies, dealers and end users. In 2013, he continued working with lighting companies as a tech writer, translator, beta tester, and product trainer. And in 2014, he did an internship with ETC dealer White Light Ltd., where he became well versed in the specification of theatrical rental equipment. From 2014 to 2015, Kraynov served as a production manager for Cirque Éloize and Cirque du Soleil touring shows. For the last year and half, he has assisted ETC as a freelance trainer and technical translator, and has led seminars on networking systems. 

Kraynov says of his new role with ETC: "It's no secret that ETC has a long history and an expansive portfolio of the most advanced innovations. I'm thrilled to join such a great team to help advance their support of Russian-speaking end users from many different industries."