BUSINESS
Who: Brian Friborg, President, Martin Professional, Inc. (U.S. division)
What: Manufactures automated lighting, effects lighting, LEDs, fog machines and controllers which are used in all aspects of the entertainment industry. Martin also has a line of architectural luminaires for architectural lighting applications.
Where: Aarhus, Denmark. U.S. headquarters is located in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Subsidiaries are in Germany, England, France, Italy and Singapore. “Partners span the globe, from Algeria to Yemen.”
When: Martin Professional (DK) was founded in 1986. Martin US opened up in 1996.
The perks: “I knew I wanted to be in this business when they told me I’d get free admission to a bunch of venues!”
Career low point: “I really don’t focus on these. ‘Low points’ are learning opportunities. We should be grateful for them.”
Career high point: “I could never narrow these peaks down to one. In addition to our team making strides everyday, the strong relationships that we have formed throughout the years, the ones we’ve created today, and the ones we look forward to generating, contribute to the high points I experience in my career.”
Current tours/big events/big clients include: “Too many to list — but they are all terrific!”
Coolest “toy” lately: “We’ve got two especially cool products out there. One is the LC Series, a semi-transparent, modular system of LED panels. A lighting designer or programmer can create the most dynamic set designs with them.
“The other really cool product just released is the SmartMAC. It’s an extremely bright profile light, but it’s also an image projector. It’s the brightest luminaire in its class; it’s also completely silent because it works without fans. Because it has no fans, it doesn’t collect dust or other pollutants and offers a lower power bill.
“Our LED products are also pretty cool. We’ve got Stagebar 54 and just released the Exterior 200 LED, an architectural product.”
Matchbox Twenty performs
PERSONAL
Home front: Wife Charlotte, kids Mathias, Rebekka and Nikolai.
My first job: Delivering newspapers as a young boy in Denmark.
Least cool thing about this job: “Out-of-
service coffee machine.”
Most cool thing about this job: “Traveling, meeting some of the most amazing and dedicated people in the industry and seeing first-hand the results of both of our visions (and when the coffee machine is working).”
What recording artist I’m listening to right now: Matchbox Twenty’s Exile on Mainstreet
Last good movie I’ve seen:
Bourne Ultimatum.
The ride: A BMW 550.
My greatest fear is… “running out of gas on the I-75!”
If I could go back in time and tell my younger self one thing, it would be: “Trust your gut feelings.”
People might be surprised to know: “That I ride a motorcycle on the weekends and that I have a pretty good sense of humor.”
If and when I go on vacation, you’ll find me … “relaxing at home, by the pool with friends and family.”
In the kitchen I make a great … “caperers and tiramisu.”
Yam what I yam: “If I was a cartoon character, I’d be Popeye.”
We won’t tell: “My biggest guilty pleasure is Danish candy (and sneaking it when my wife and kids aren’t looking).”
Words to live by: “Always look on the bright side of life.” — Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
