Julius Grafton
Julius Grafton[edit]
Julius Grafton (b 1957) is an Australian audio engineer, lighting designer, educator and publisher.
Grafton is the founder of CX Media which focuses upon issues related to the Australian and New Zealand entertainment technology industry.[1] CX Media publishes CX Magazine that provides news, advice and articles for professionals working in the 'entech'[2] sector, beginning with its first issue in 1990.[3] CX Media also conducts industry seminars and trade exhibitions in Australia, New Zealand and the United States under the name ENTECH Roadshow. Grafton has 45 years experience in the Australian technical entertainment industry.
Zapco Lighting[edit]
Julius Grafton began his professional career in 1973 working in the lighting department of Strand Electric in Sydney. Soon after Grafton formed his first company Zapco Lighting,[4] one of a handful of lighting companies in Sydney in the early 1970s that applied theatrical production technologies and techniques to non-theatre events. Some early Zapco productions included events for the Art Gallery of New South Wales,[5] Johnny O’Keefe, AC/DC[6] and ‘counter-culture’ events at The Arthouse and other alternative theatres in Sydney.[7] Accessed Aug 2018.
Barratt Lighting[edit]
In 1976 Opera Australia lighting designer Roger Barratt purchased Zapco Lighting and employed Grafton as Manager of a new entity called Barratt Lighting. Grafton worked closely with Barrett on a number of large public events in Sydney. One of these was the Festival of Sydney’s inaugural launch party in 1978 on the forecourt of The Sydney Opera House, and directed by Stephen Hall. The event was attended by nearly 200,000 people[8] and featured Air Supply and peak Opera Australia artists of the time.[9]
Grafton's Sound and Lighting[edit]
From 1980 Grafton worked independently forming a touring production business called Grafton’s Lighting and Sound. In 1983 the company expanded into a factory in Surry Hills (where Wazza Lighting formerly traded), opposite Kinsela's nightclub . At its peak in 1988-89 Grafton’s Lighting and Sound employed 40 people (plus freelance technicians) and had added audio visual installation, equipment sales, service and repair to its core activities of PA, lighting hire and production. The company continues to trade under different ownership in Waterloo, Sydney.[10]
Equipment Manufacture[edit]
While Director of Grafton’s Lighting and Sound, Grafton expanded into the design and manufacture of professional audio equipment, launching the company Australian Monitor in 1984. Its first product was the AM1600, a high-powered audio amplifier designed to withstand the rigours of music and performance touring in Australia. The AM1600 amplifier made inroads in the Australian professional audio market and overseas with the first batch selling to Radio Tuku Oy in Helsinki and later models acquired by professional studios such as The Record Plant (Los Angeles), EMI 301 (Sydney), Sound Interchange (Toronto) and Sony CD Mastering (Sydney).[11] Australian Monitor also manufactured a range of professional loudspeakers such as the F500 and S600. Australian Monitor is now owned by Hills Audio.
Journalism and Publishing[edit]
Grafton ceased professional audio manufacturing and live technical production in 1988 with the sale of Grafton's Lighting and Sound and Australian Monitor. A new company was formed in 1990 called Grafton Services which produced and published Channels Magazine for Jands a large Australian audio, lighting and staging firm.[12] Intended as a company newsletter/circular, the publication gained a broader readership from the Australian technical entertainment industry and was re-launched in 1993 as an independent publication called Connections Magazine. A total of 105 editions of Connections were produced between 1993-2003.[13] The current iteration of Channels/Connections is CX Magazine (2003 - ) of which 140 editions have been published to date in print and online.
Event Management and Training[edit]
Through 1994 to 2006 Grafton established and directed two related companies: ENTECH tradeshows and seminars (1994 - 2004; 2010 - ); and Julius Events College (2003-2006), a registered training organisation.[14] Both initiatives ran in parallel to his publishing and journalism activities. ENTECH initially began in 1994 as a large trade-show for the entertainment technology sector, and was purchased by PBL. In 2010 Grafton re-established the brand as the Entech Roadshow has has since expanded the concept into variants such as SECTECH (for the security technology sector), and ENTECH NZ. Julius Events College was established in 2003 to meet a perceived gap in skills training for the industry. The College designed and delivered accredited Certificate III, Certificate IV, and Diploma courses in live production, technical theatre and events.
Issues-based Advocacy and Action[edit]
Grafton has advocated for and supported issues of importance for the Australian technical entertainment industry. He was a member of the Commonwealth appointed reference group for the ‘Live Performance and Entertainment Training Package’ which sought to improve the delivery of technical training in entertainment in Australia.[15] As a Board Member of the Australian Road Crew Association Grafton has advocated for greater awareness and improvement of the rights, welfare and mental health of technical crew workers.[16] In 2017 Grafton established with Roderick van Gelder the Australian Entertainment Safety Resource Guide which provides up-to-date information on national and state-based legislations and policies relevant entertainment oriented workplaces and activities. Grafton also pursues these interests as an active member of Live Performance Australia, the Australian Commercial and Entertainment Technologies Association, and Entertainment Technology New Zealand.
References[edit]
- ↑ Some of areas by this industry include theatre, stage management, lighting and sound design, corporate business theatre, events and product launches, music production, live sound for touring bands and artists, audio-visual installation, staging and rigging of festivals or other events, safety and training, and the sale and service of specialised equipment such as professional loudspeaker systems, lighting and associated equipment.
- ↑ 'Entech' is a blend of the words 'entertainment' and 'technology' coined in 1994 by Grafton when establishing the ENTECH exhibition and trade-show.
- ↑ "Channels Magazine, December 1990". http://www.cxnetwork.com.au/cx-magazine/channels-1/. Retrieved February 2018. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help); External link in|website=(help) - ↑ "Finding Satisfaction in Self employment". The Sydney Morning Herald. April 24, 1978. p. 17. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved September 2017 – via http://archives.smh.com.au. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Walford, Leslie (December 19, 1976). "The Party of the Purple Toga". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved September 2017 – via Newspapers.com. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Masino, Susan (2015). AC/DC FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's True Rock 'n' Roll Band. Backbeat Books, an imprint of Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. [60]. Search this book on
- ↑ Harrison, Grahame; Baldwin, Colin; Grafton, Julius (2002). "30 Years Of Rock Lighting and Sound - A Retrospective"
- ↑ "Sydney Festival - 1978". Sydney Festival. January 2018. Retrieved February 2018. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Grafton, Julius (December 31, 2012). "Summer of 1977 – my first massive outdoor gig". CX Blog. Retrieved September 2017. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ "Graftons Sound and Lighting Hire". Graftons Sound and Lighting Hire. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
- ↑ Australian Monitor AM Series Brochure (AM1200, AM1600, AM2100) circa 1995, p.3.[1]
- ↑ Jands was co-founded by Australian Bruce Jackson, former sound engineer for Elvis Presley and Barbara Streisand.
- ↑ All editions are accessible from http://www.cxnetwork.com.au/magazine-page/
- ↑ Training.gov.au, Commonwealth Department of Education, Australia http://training.gov.au/Organisation/Details/90888 Accessed October 2017.
- ↑ "Appendix C - National Project Reference Group members". [Report] Case for Endorsement: CUA Live Performance and Entertainment Training Package (PDF). Melbourne: Innovation and Business Skills Australia. 2013-08-10. p. 114. Search this book on
- ↑ Elliot, Tim (2015-12-11). "Rock 'n' roll roadies finally on centre stage". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
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