Professional Sound - February 2019 | Page 15

Former Harman Professional President Blake Augs- burger officially launched his new company, LEA Professional, at The 2019 NAMM Show. The compa- ny will introduce its Connect Series of IOT-enabled, professional-grade amplifi- ers in the coming months. “LEA Professional is inspired by many conver- sations with members of the professional audio and integrator communities,” says Augsburger, now the founder and CEO at LEA. “We listened closely and looked carefully at amplifier BLAKE AUGSBURGER performance, networking, UX, and built a range of products and a new com- pany that respects the way things get done today but offers a bold new approach capitalizing on new technologies from outside the AV domain.” Joining Augsburger are Jeremy Bules as VP of engineering and operations and Scott Robbins as VP of sales and marketing. Like Augsburger, Bules and Robbins each have over 20 years of experience in professional audio. For more information, go to www.leaprofessional.com. LEA Professional Launches at NAMM Show NAB Show to Examine Future of Entertainment Technology The NAB Show, the world’s largest convention encompassing the convergence of media, entertain- ment, and technology, will return to the Las Vegas Convention Centre from April 6-11, 2019. Organizers are expecting nearly 100,000 attendees from around 165 countries and 1,700-plus exhibitors. In the educational program, the Future of Cinema Conference will examine the challenges and priorities that come with movies expanding beyond a theatrical set- ting. The NXT Tech Symposium will spotlight cutting-edge developments reshaping the creation, distribution, and consumption of entertainment content. The Creative Masters Series will go behind the scenes with the creatives and crew responsible for some of today’s most innovative and popular feature films, TV series, and OTT experiences. New this year, the NAB Show will debut a new Product of the Year awards pro- gram for exhibitors. The awards will recognize the most significant and promising new products and technologies on the show floor. Among the 15 award categories are: AI/machine learning; audio production, pro- cessing, and networking; radio; IT networking/infrastructure and security; and more. For more information, go to www.nabshow.com. PROFESSIONAL SOUND 15