At the first meeting of the newly elected Technical Production and Services Association
(TPSA) Council, Mark Malherbe was elected as council chair and will lead the technical
production and live events industry for the next two-year period.

Mark is the technical director at Prosound and has been involved with the technical
aspects of the live eventing, concert and theatre industry since the late 70’s. Although
Prosound’s emphasis has shifted from operational and rental space to supply and
installation, Mark has remained active as an audio engineer and theatrical sound
designer. His work as a systems designer for both permanent and touring
environments has included extensive international projects. This has provided a
unique insight into methods and techniques employed by industry practitioners
worldwide as positive and negative comparisons to our own in South Africa.

Mark served as a member of the founding committee of the TPSA when it was
established in 1998. In addition, he was a long-serving member of the South African
Institute of Theatre Technicians (SAITT), that was absorbed into the TPSA.

Mark has been a member of the TPSA Council since the organisation was merged into
SACIA two years ago, and played an active role in SACIA’s engagement with ICASA
during early 2017.

Mark believes that the TPSA Council needs to remain focused on the development of
standards, training and industry certification. “While we have achieved much over the
last two years, there is still serious work and intervention that needs to be done if we
are going to deliver full value to our members,’ he says.

In handing over the reins, outgoing chairman Bruce Schwartz congratulated Mark and
confirmed his continued support for the organisation. “Over the last two years I have
worked closely with Malcolm Finlay of Penmac and Mark Malherbe to transition the
TPSA from a stand-alone association to an integral Council within SACIA,’ says Bruce.
“It’s been a radical shift that has seen us build a community that is fundamentally
different to the old TPSA structure – one in which there is a legitimate home for all
stakeholders within our industry.’

Visit
http://www.sacia.org.za/pages/tpsa.html for more information about TPSA.