Sarah Rushton-Read
Profile
Sarah has worked in and around the entertainment technology sector for many years, both as a practitioner and observer.
Beginning her career as a technical stage manager she did an HND in Electronic Engineering and moved into the world of lighting, both as a designer and as a technician. A fruitful career followed starting at the Royal Opera House, ultimately becoming deputy lighting manger for Glyndebourne Opera House. On leaving Glyndebourne Sarah launched her own lighting design and production company and delivered lighting design services to film premier and product launches across the South East.
In 2003 Sarah changed direction and became deputy editor for Lighting and Sound International. Here she applied her comprehensive understanding of the industry and associated technology to a career in writing and publishing. During her time at L&SI she plugged the gaps in her product and sector knowledge and on leaving the magazine launched The Fifth Estate Ltd. Since then she has written articles and features on all aspects of the industry for publications world wide across all sectors; provided successful PR and marketing services to a variety of companies and supplied technical copy and report writing services to a plethora of companies, individuals and PRs throughout the industry.
Sarah is currently undertaking an MSc in Architecture: Advanced Energy and Environment Studies, with the University of East London – studying off site at the Centre For Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, Wales. The course explores the relationship between people, technology and the environment, with particular focus on the environmental impact of buildings. Course material covers technical, social, political and economic aspects of environmental and energy issues at both global and local levels.
Sarah has developed a particular interest in energy efficiency and conservation in entertainment venues, entertainment technology manufacturing processes and application on events and performance.
Sarah believes all sectors of the entertainment industry, from Opera to Rock and Roll, is in a prime position and has the responsibility to trail blaze sustainable organizational and individual practice and share its knowledge with the public at large in an engaging and fun way.
Experience
Creative Director, The Fifth Estate LTD – Sept 2005 – present day
Founder of The Fifth Estate, which specializes in delivering Public Relations, sustainability and strategy advice to the entertainment technology sector.
Sarah established the company in order to offer entertainment technology manufacturers, service providers, venues, trade press, PRs and marketing specialists her comprehensive technical knowledge and experience, combined with her writing skills and vast contact list.
Clients include: entertainment technology industry leaders, manufacturers, venues, consultants, other PRs, service providers and end-users.
Sarah writes features and news articles that cover a diversity of subjects including: business and people profiles, product reviews, in depth venue reports and event and festival reviews. All have been published in a range of industry journals and trade publications worldwide.
Sarah specializes in company and venue profiles, which over the years has given her an in depth, solid understanding of the entertainment technology sector as a whole.
She has also written and compiled numerous brochures, tender documents and reports such as the Theatre’s Trust report on its conference Building Sustainable Theatres, Procon’s brochure on LED products and company Newsletters – internal and external.
More recently she has been working with a number of companies and organizations to help develop realistic corporate social responsibility and environmental statements and policies, specifically relevant to the specialist activities of the entertainment industry, incorporating all relevant laws and standards (ISO, EU and BS) that pertain to it.
Software used: Aperture, Photoshop, MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), InDesign.
Deputy editor, Lighting and Sound International – April 2003 – Sept 2005
Responsible for assisting in the compilation of a monthly trade magazine – L&SI, along with an annual trade show catalogue and a trade association membership directory for PLASA. She was responsible for the daily update of news website – (www.lsionline.co.uk) – which focuses on entertainment technology manufacture, design and utilization. Responsibilities included: writing and editing feature article and news sourcing, commissioning freelance writers, generating stories, research, managing PR aspirations of advertisers, sub-editing, layout and production, photography, attending and documenting industry trade shows worldwide, website maintenance, magazine PR and marketing.
Software used: MS Office suite, Quark, In Design, Photoshop. Acrobat
Studio 23 LTD, Lighting designer / project manager – Sept 1998 – April 2003
Lighting designer and project manager on a variety of architectural, music and corporate events, theatre productions and architectural projects. Highlights include: lighting design and project management for Harmony, Tottenham Court Rd – 1998, Merrill Lynch Garden, Chelsea Flower Show 2001, Somerset House Ice Rink – 2000 – 2006, Somerset House Pop Gigs – 2000 – 2006, De Beers Diamonds private party, In and Out Club, 100th Birthday of Perrier Jouet at In and Out Club, Birmingham Rep tour of two Shakespeare plays relighting for Tim Mitchell, Hats Off charity exhibition at Riverside Studios plus numerous others.
Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Deputy Lighting Manager, 1994 – 1998
Managing the schedule for a department of ten staff – both on site during the opera season and on tour- to service a rolling rep of three concurrently running operas. Responsibilities included: Relighting revivals during the festival and season productions on tour; overseeing equipment purchase and maintenance, liaising with artistic team to deliver best solutions to design, relaying information to the technical team, keeping show paperwork up to date, programming and operating lighting console.
Pimlico Opera, Lighting designer 1994 – 1998
Lighting designer for UK tour of Riggoletto.
Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Deputy Lighting Manager 1994 – 1998
Responsible for servicing and overseeing lighting degree and masters level college productions. Also supervising and mentoring students on the stage management and technical theatre degree on best practice and approach to various production and back stage tasks. Developing teaching notes and aids and lecturing on theatre lighting and sound.
Royal Opera House, charge-hand, 1991 – 1994
Responsible for on stage day-to-day servicing of busy opera rep including show and rehearsals as part of a large team of production electricians. Highlights include setting up the first PAT testing system to monitor all the Royal Opera House’s loose stock; being the first female electrician to tour outside the UK with the ROH; being appointed as chief electrician for the Royal Opera House ‘Opera Venture’ Festival at the Riverside Studios.
Cheltenham Everyman, Stage Manager – 1990
Stage manager for devised piece for local schools tour.
The Wrestling School Theatre Co Tour, ASM / Head of Sound, 1989 / 1990
Responsible for set up and playback of complex soundscape for UK national tour of Golgo and Seven Lears. Also responsible for ASM duties and set up of show in each venue.
Holland Park Theatre, Technical Manager, 1987 – 1989
Responsible for the specification, design and build of temporary venue Holland Park Theatre; ensuring all technical needs of visiting performers were fully met prior to and during the season; liaison between freelance service providers and visiting theatre company management, lighting design for companies without a designer.
Education
9 X GCSEs: English Language and Literature, Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Classical Studies, Economics, Sociology.
4 X A Levels: English Literature, Theatre Studies, Maths, Human Biology.
BA Hons Degree: 2:1 in English and Drama, Middlesex Polytechnic – 1986
HND Electronic Engineering: Theatre Lighting and Sound, Oldham College of Technology – 1991.
RHS certificate in Horticulture, Brighton City College – June 2002
RHS certificate in Garden Design, Brighton City College – June 2002
CIPR postgraduate Certificate in Public Relations – Birkbeck College, London – Sept 2004
MSc Architecture: Advanced Energy and Environment Studies, University of East London – 2008 – Present day
Skills
Sarah’s skill base includes feature, news and brochure writing, Public Relations, photography and video.
She is entertainment venue and technology literate with an extensive general knowledge of lighting, sound, video and staging technology and the issues the entertainment technology industry faces today.
Sarah is computer literate in MS Office and most Apple Mac Software and also a competent digital and film photographer with skills in PhotoShop and In Design. In more recent times she has been working with Video to develop product demonstration films, end user reviews and virtual tours of venues. Editing with iMovie and Final Cut.
In addition Sarah is developing a comprehensive knowledge of alternative energy generation methods and how to evaluate suitable application thereof. She has a growing understanding of the energy requirements, use and inefficiencies of the built environment and what action can be taken to improve it’s efficiency. She also has a expanding understanding of the policy and law in relation to environment, nationally, within the EU and internationally and specifically the standards that govern the entertainment and event industry in the UK and Europe including BS 8901, 14001 and 9001.
