Gearhouse Broadcast has announced that it has sold a minority stake in its business and also plans to launch a 4K ‘super truck’ for use throughout the USA. Gearhouse also used IBC to announce its completion of the HD upgrade of the London Stock Exchange.
Gravity Media Group, tthe owner of Gearhouse as well as Hyperactive Broadcast sold the minority stake in its business to investment management firm Towerbrook Capital Partners.
The deal is aimed at funding ‘aggressive expansion’ of GMG’s global business, with a particular focus on the USA in the short term. Under the terms of the deal GMG founder and CEO John Newton and his existing management team will remain in position and retain majority control of the Group. Two additional non-executive directors will be Gordon Holmes of TowerBrook and Dave Checketts, former President and CEO of Madison Square Garden.
“The investment by TowerBrook Capital Partners will enable Gravity Media Group to grow and innovate to realise our ambition of becoming the global leader in supplying equipment, services and consultancy for the live broadcast sector,” said John Newton, founder and CEO of GMG. “It brings industry and operational experience, as well as capital, and has a strong track record for being a patient and added-value investor.”
He added: “As far as our customers and employees are concerned, nothing changes – other than we will be able to support more customers and events in more locations around the world. The management team remains the same, and we’ll still focus on staying true to our core values of quality, reliability, technical innovation and outstanding service.”
The new 4K supertruck will be available for use throughout the USA and will be based in Los Angeles. It is being built by Gearhouse Broadcast’s UK-based systems integration team and specialist coachbuilder A Smith Great Bentley and will be available for 4K and HD productions in early 2017. It will feature 16 Sony HDC-4300 4K/HD cameras with six additional inputs for RF cameras and can deal with another ten remote inputs. The truck has a main control room and an ancillary control room for second language or webcast subswitch. The monitor wall will consist of 24 Boland 4K monitors driven either as Quad splits or single input 4K monitors from the main router giving total flexibility in HD or 4K. It will be the first truck in the US with an entirely 4K monitor wall. The vision switcher will be a Grass Valley Karrera K-Frame S-series 4ME switcher, and there are four 12 channel EVS XT3 ChannelMAX live production servers, the router is an Imagine Communications Platinum IP3 28RU supported by a Lawo VSM control and monitoring platform. The audio mixer is a Calrec Artemis 56 fader and communications is through the new RTS Adam modular matrix intercom.
“This new 4K supertruck will be designed, built, integrated and finished to the highest standards, specifically for the US live production market, of which we have an excellent understanding” said Marc Genin, managing director of Gearhouse Broadcast USA. “The flexible lay out means that it can be used for both sports and entertainment and the integrated wireless capability is a real bonus.”
The HD upgrade of the studio complex at the London Stock Exchange (LSE) included the design, supply, installation, test and commissioning of all the broadcast equipment and interconnections required to upgrade the studios to a fully HD production facility. It includes the first UK installation of a Ross Ultrix routing system which has been combined with a Ross Carbonite production switcher.
Located in the the City of London, the broadcast facilities include four studios, all of which are available to hire. They are primarily used for the reporting of live financial and business news for television and radio, the production of video content, as well as media training.
Jon Creamer
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