P3 DECEMBER 2019 www.psneurope.com • Twitter.com/PSNEurope • Facebook.com/ProSoundNewsEurope • Instagram.com/PSNEurope EDITORIAL Editor: Daniel Gumble daniel.gumble@futurenet.com • +44 (0)203 871 7371 Staff Writer: Fiona Hope McDowall fiona.hopemcdowall@futurenet.com • +44 (0)798 3168221
Welcome
Group Content Director, B2B: James McKeown james.mckeown@futurenet.com • +44 (0)207 354 6015 Designer: Sam Richwood sam.richwood@futurenet.com • +44 (0)207 354 6030 Managing Design Director: Nicole Cobban nicole.cobban@futurenet.com Production Executive: Matthew Eglinton matthew.eglinton@futurenet.com • +44 (0)1225 687525
DANIEL GUMBLE
@PSNEurope
ADVERTISING SALES Account director: Steven Pyatt steven.pyatt@futurenet.com • +44 (0)1225 687713 MANAGEMENT Senior Vice President, Content Chris Convey Brand Director Simon Lodge UK CRO Zack Sullivan Commercial Director Clare Dove Head of Production US & UK Mark Constance Head of Design Rodney Dive SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE To subscribe, change your address, or check on your current account status, go to www.psneurope.com/subscribe-to-newsletters-digital-editions faqs or email subs@psneurope.com ARCHIVES Digital editions of the magazine are available to view on ISSUU.com. Recent back issues of the printed edition may be available please contact Rachel Shaw licensing@futurenet.com for more information. LICENSING/REPRINTS/PERMISSIONS PSNE is available for licensing. Contact the Licensing team to discuss partnership opportunities. Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw licensing@futurenet.com Printed by Buxton Press Ltd ISSN number 0269-4735 (print) © 2019
Future PLC, 1-10 Praed Mews, Paddington, London, W2 1QY
D
uring my interview with our December cover star, award-winning engineer and producer Lauren Deakin Davies, we talked at length about some of the defining features of the past 12 months, both on a personal level and with regard to the industry in general. A major point of discussion was mental health and the sector’s understanding of how to deal with those in need of support. It’s a subject that has featured prominently in the mainstream and music media this year - and rightly so - but doesn’t appear to have been given the same level of attention within the world of pro audio. For every artist or performer speaking out on the subject, there are numerous people behind the scenes, from engineers and touring crew through to business owners and executives - who do not necessarily have the same platform upon which to air their concerns on the matter. In the case of Davies, as she details in our interview on p17, she still feels her mental health has, and continues, to pay a high price on account of the intense pressure to say yes to every job that comes her way. It’s not an uncommon story. I, and no
doubt most of our readers, have experienced these pressures on some level. And if not, then we certainly know of others who have. Sadly, it’s still an issue that not just this industry but society in general continues to brush under the carpet. As Davies rightly points out, awareness of a subject is one thing, acceptance is something else. No matter how positive the messages are, very few will feel they can turn down a job or take a day off in order to manage their mental health - the stigma that suggests weakness or an inability to deal with the job will almost always dictate that people are forced to put on a brave face and suffer alone. There are positive signs of change, though. Music Support, a mental health charity for the music industry, has been doing great work not only in raising awareness but also helping train professionals in mental health first aid. It’s vital we are able to talk with our peers and employers without fear of this harmful and outdated stigma. If 2019 was the year in which awareness of the subject was taken to a new level, let’s hope 2020 is the year when attitudes and positive action really start to change the conversation. n
Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244
dns2 anywhere
the dialogue noise suppressor that anyone can use CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY
WINNER 2017
www.psneurope.com
location studio live
www.cedaraudio.com