40 AT 40: Stuart Christie
Job Title: UK Technical Support and Training Manager

The people are what sets Bandit Lites apart from the rest of the industry. Once a week, for 40 weeks, Bandit will showcase an employee that has made a substantial contribution to the company, whether it be in an office, on the road or somewhere in between. Bandit would not be celebrating its 40th Anniversary without the hard work and dedication of every one these employees.*

*Employee Spotlights are released in no particular order.

Stuart Christie’s introduction into the entertainment business started with friends. After a lighting director from a local lighting company approached him, Christie quickly learned he had a knack for technical operations and soon he was doing freelance work for a variety of companies. In 2000, he took a full time position at Bandit UK’s office and he has been there ever since. Here are a few questions we asked to get to know him a little better.

Q. How has your job changed or evolved over the years?
A. When Bandit set up a shop in the UK, the director at that time asked me if I wanted to help out. The company, in its early days, had very few staff so we all had to do whatever was required of us - from general show preps to looking after rigging & motors, training, site work, maintenance & repairs, etc. When I went full-time in 2000, I had the official role of Technical Services Manager. I held that position until earlier this year when I became the Technical Support & Training Manager.

Q. From your point of view, what are the biggest changes facing the entertainment technology industry at the moment?
A. The biggest changes facing the industry now, are the stringent health and safety regulations and European legislation concerning all of this. Also, I think as we go on, our responsibility to the environment will mean lower power consumption. LED technology will be much more of a part of what we do in the future. Besides better power conservation, because of LED technology, the boundary in lighting and video is getting smaller every day.

Q. What is the best part of working for Bandit Lites?
A. The job satisfaction and knowing you are an integral part of a team that pulls off some truly amazing feats all so that the show can go on! The only downside to working in this industry is that I can no longer go to a show as a punter without gazing up at the lighting rig, or being overcritical about the production - it still feels like work to me!

Q. What is something most people do not know about you?
A. On March 26, 2008 I became a father for the first time, so my life is now changing for the better! In 2000, I became the owner of an artificial heart valve and Dacron artery as doctors discovered a massive aneurism and had to operate almost immediately. There were huge complications during surgery and I suffered a stroke in the process so I feel very lucky to be here in one piece. In turn, this has given me a totally different outlook on life and made me reevaluate the important things in life.