Anne Valentino announces retirement; Nick Gonsman steps into role

Anne Valentino, Senior Product Manager for Entertainment Controls at ETC announced her plans for retirement effective mid-October of this year. Anne has been associated with ETC for nearly 30 years and in her current role since development began on the Eos console platform. In the early 90s, Anne was the manager of ETC’s Research and Development group where she co-designed the Obsession control desk. She’s worked on other groundbreaking products including the Virtuoso console for Vari-Lite and Light Palette 90 for Strand Lighting. 

Anne holds a Master of Fine Arts in technical theatre from the University of Wyoming and has received numerous awards throughout her career including an Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Engineering Award (Emmy 2001), the Gottelier Lifetime Achievement Award (PLASA 2016), and Distinguished Achievement Award in Lighting Design and Technology (USITT 2018).

“Anne has been more than a product manager or developer, she has been a force, constantly pushing lighting control forward since its infancy. We are all proud to have her call ETC her main home over these years and wish her well as she takes more time for herself in retirement,” says David Lincecum, Vice President of Marketing at ETC.

Over the next several months, Nick Gonsman will transition into the role that Anne is vacating. For the last 13 years, Nick Gonsman has worked for ETC in New York City, where as a Field Project Coordinator, he has developed infrastructures for some of the most notable venues in the world. He has also been a specialist in entertainment control, for which he has directly supported users, created and conducted training and outreach programs, and served on development and steering teams.

Nick is excited to be entering this new phase of his career. “To be tasked with helming such a prolific control family is a true honor, and a privilege. Eos has one of the most diverse and committed user groups in our industry, thanks to Anne and the team’s tireless work. In my new role, I look forward to building on that trust, and rising to our users’ needs each day.”