The Magnetic Storm team: Lizanett du Preez (front), Andrew Gibson, Sibabalwe Sineke, David Stoltz and Raymond Sibem.
The Magnetic Storm brand was established 38 years ago. Magnetic Storm, an audio visual and events company, must be doing it right! Creating connected experiences for clients and audiences is their mission.
Step into their Cape Town office, headed by Andrew Gibson, for an interview on their latest equipment investment, and the warehouse is set up and ready for the photo shoot – a team excited about what they do.
“I couldn’t sleep the night before the gear arrived,” says Andrew. “I had to get up for a show at 4am and at 2:30am, I was still awake thinking about the new lights!”
The new equipment, purchased from DWR Distribution, includes a dot2 core, 6 Claypaky Axcor Beam 300 and 8 Robe LEDBeam 150 fixtures. The real advantage is that this entire rig can run off of one plug.
“MA is fairly new to us,” said Andrew. “I had a conversation with Duncan Riley and Brad Bruchhausen from DWR a while ago about purchasing a dot2. As we had to rent dot2s in fairly often this year, it just made sense to buy our own console.” Andrew will confess that although he is no lighting guru, when the new equipment arrived, and all techs were out on shows, he could not resist unpacking it and finding his way around the dot2 core. “Within ten minutes I had the lights on, beams moving about. It was very easy to use,” he says.
The crew received dot2 training prior to the sale.
Magnetic Storm Cape Town’s first introduction to the Robe LEDBeam 150s happened whilst providing technical services for a Johannesburg staging company. “We supplied all the gear except for the Robe LEDBeam 150s which were sent down to Cape Town,” Andrew recalls. “Once we played with them, we decided it was a fixture our clients could definitely benefit from; they were amazing. The tiny Robe LEDBeam 150 is quick, easy and versatile. While the fixtures are great for small events, they can as easily be placed on stage for a big show and not look out of place.” Another selling point was the cross rentability – the LEDBeam150 is a popular fixture in the South African rental market.
Being a power-conscious company, the features of the Claypaky Axcor Beam 300 LED fixture made it the right fit for Magnetic Storm. “The Axcors are great,” said Andrew. “A major advantage is that you can put them into Sharpy mode and they could complement or replace Sharpys on a rig. Assuming the light output would be slightly different as Axcor is LED technology, but essentially it’s the same light.”
About the team
Magnetic Storm was established in Port Elizabeth in 1991. Andrew, originally from PE, worked for the company for 13 years before moving to Cape Town, and has headed the Cape Town office since its establishment. “We have grown over the past six years,” he says. “When we first opened our doors, we had enough gear to fit into a Bantam bakkie (mini truck) and still have space!” The company specializes in corporate events, some outdoor shows and festivals, and are willing to assist as a technical supplier to other staging companies whenever needed. “I think it really has been about creating relationships with clients. It’s great owning some cool gear, but to us what comes first is integrity, knowledge and experience, so that when you say you can deliver on something, your client can trust you completely to follow though on that promise. Having the right people on the team is vital to client relationships, which is the core of our business.”
The Magnetic Storm crew includes Sibabalwe Sineke who focusses on audio but is as competent in lighting and AV. Raymond Sibem is a junior technician with industry experience and a great attitude. The newest member to the team is David Stoltz and while his main focus will be on lighting he is a proficient AV and Audio engineer. Making everyone feel at home is Lizanett du Preez who takes care of the admin.
Magnetic Storm like to push the boundaries and come up with creative solutions for their clients. Look out for them at the Ronan Keating fundraising event in November, featuring Prime Circle. The first night will be held in the Ballroom at Val de Vie, following a day of golf, the second performance will take place in the garden outside the restaurant at Pearl Valley.
Did you know?
Magnetic Storm invested in a CNC router for custom cutouts and to create their own stands, totems and whatever else might be necessary for an event. Previously outsourcing, there was often a two-week delay, and with the events industry being time-dependent and often ‘last-minute’, this proved problematic. Now at any stage, if a client requires custom work, Magnetic Storm are able to create it themselves in a time-sensitive manner. They also supply this service to other companies in the industry.
