ETC introduces two new employees and a job transfer

In 2016, ETC hired a record number of new employees and had more internal job transfers than any year before. This year has started out the same, with many new employees joining the ETC team and employees moving into new jobs within the company. Erin Giblin and Jacob Coakley are two of those new faces, while David Hilton transitions into a new role at ETC.

David Hilton

After spending nearly a decade working out of ETC’s Hollywood office, Hilton is transferring to the company’s headquarters in Middleton, Wisconsin, to serve as the product marketing manager. In this role, he will coordinate with product managers to determine marketing strategies and messaging for entertainment-lighting products, and work to expand ETC’s marketing efforts into new markets. 

“As a member of ETC’s sales team for 10 years, I saw firsthand the tremendous impact ETC products have on our clients,” describes Hilton. “During this current age of abounding technological possibilities, I am humbled to join one of the strongest product-management teams in the industry. It is exciting being a part of ETC’s ever evolving story, and I look forward to being able to contribute to this in my new role.”

Hilton received a bachelor’s degree in theatre from the University of Southern California with an emphasis in lighting design and production. He worked as a freelance lighting designer, director, and technician in the Los Angeles area for companies such as LA Ballet and LA Opera, and designed for Festival Theatre USA, which performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2007, David joined ETC as a field project coordinator for the western sales region, training end users, conducting product demonstrations, and supporting customers, representatives, and dealers. In 2015, he became the associate regional manager for the western United States, where he assisted Randy Pybas, ETC’s West Coast regional manager, in forming and executing sales strategies and providing customer support to one of ETC’s largest regions.

Erin Giblin

Giblin is joining ETC as a field project coordinator for the West Coast. She will work closely with customers to train them on ETC equipment, and will attend events and tradeshows to give product demonstrations. Giblin will also be a contact for the ETC representatives and dealers in the region.

“Erin is a great addition to our team, and brings with her a wealth of sales experience and a strong background in customer support,” says Pybas. “She’ll do a tremendous job as our new FPC.”

Giblin previously worked as a sales specialist for City Theatrical, providing support for the West Coast market, and creating educational programs for dealers, architectural design groups, and end users. Before that, she was based in New York, where she completed permanent wireless-control projects at City Theatrical for clients such as the Metropolitan Opera, Citi Field, and Plasa 33. Previously she was the sales manager for Hollywood Lights, Inc. in Portland, Oregon. One of the lighting projects she completed there was the impressive Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People. While in Portland, she also served as a lighting designer and programmer for the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s Time-Based Art Festival and the Oregon Children’s Theatre, and was on the board at Action/Adventure Theatre.

Jacob Coakley

Coakley is also new to ETC, stepping into the Marketing department as a marketing communications specialist. In this role, he will be responsible for writing content for ETC’s website, blog, printed materials, digital marketing platforms, and more. He will also handle promotions of the architectural, networking, and power-control product lines, and provide marketing support for the Hollywood office, where he will soon be based.

Coakley started his career at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City, before joining Berkeley Repertory Theatre. After studying sound at San Francisco State University, he worked as a sound designer for independent theaters and films throughout the Bay Area. This led to work in Las Vegas, where he became a member of IATSE Local 720. In 2006, Jacob joined Timeless Communications, and in 2007, was named editor-in-chief of Stage Directions magazine, where he stayed for the next 10 years, doubling its readership and broadening its influence in the technical theater community.  

To learn about current employment opportunities at ETC, visit www.etcconnect.com/careers.