PORT DOUGLAS, Australia — Eric Robinson, longtime CEO of JPJ Audio and co-owner of Jands in Australia, died Nov. 11 after a bout with cancer. He was 67. Credited as both a risk-taking innovator and tough but shrewd and determined dealmaker, he retired earlier this year.
Over the span of 45 years, Robinson and his companies delved into multiple facets of live event and theatre production, from sound to lighting, staging, rigging, special effects and video production. Along with equipment rentals, he and his companies got involved in manufacturing to bypass high taxes placed on imported goods made outside Australia.
Honored earlier this year with the Sue Nattrass Award from Live Performance Australia (LPA), which also inducted him into the LPA Hall of Fame, Robinson was lauded for his “technical excellence, reliability, safety, business acumen, and endeavour for perfection.”
The LPA also noted that Robinson, “responsible for the technical production management and staging of some of Australia’s most admired events and festivals,” personally considered his own company’s in-house training program to be among his greatest achievements.
Robinson is survived by wife Patti, daughter Tara and two brothers, Edward and Peter. A private family funeral is planned.
More details at http://plsn.me/1Lcn2Yq
