The Company

  • PRG - United Kingdom
  • Management United Kingdom
  • Mission Statement
  • History of the UK company
  • Our Values
  • History of the PRG Group

PRG - United Kingdom

PRG is a multi-award-winning supplier of lighting, video and rigging systems to the events and entertainment industry in the UK. Our clients include music touring companies, event producers, theatre designers, television production designers, and the producers of special events.

The range of services offered by PRG covers everything from support at the conception, planning, and implementation stages, to technical equipment and follow-up for all kinds of events. Our comprehensive consulting and support services guarantee clients a creative and professional implementation of their events. PRG's extensive inventory of event technology is the largest in the world.

Depending on the customer's wishes, we can provide custom solutions or standard rental packages. An overview of our service portfolio for the different lines of business is available under "Our Services."

In the UK, PRG has two branches located in and around London and Birmingham, and has operated in the market for over 35 years. The company has many years of international experience and excellent credentials and references in all event segments. In the UK alone, PRG has more than 200 skilled employees from various areas of the event industry, and can draw upon the experience and expertise of a network of over 500 freelancers.

Internationally, Production Resource Group has 62 branches around the world. Production Resource Group UK Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Production Resource Group, LLC based in New York.

Management United Kingdom

Mark Burn, CFO PRG UK Mark Burn
Regional Finance Director UK

Mark has over 30 years of experience across several industries including: brewing, vehicle manufacturing, house building, financial services and most recently truck rental and contract hire. Mark has overseen the successful growth of various businesses. As Group CFO he grew the Henry Howard Finance Group by building a brand-new finance function and establishing a £120m revolving finance facility with British Business Bank leading to the IoD Finance Director of the Year Award for Wales. As UK CFO at Fraikin, Mark built new relationships while maintaining existing ones with all stakeholders and returned the business from a loss to a profit over a two-year period, leading to him being nominated in the West Midlands Finance Director of the Year Awards +£100m turnover category.

“Having worked across a number of different industries, for a range of different business alongside and for various leaders, I have gained a lot of experience both financially, commercially and operationally, Mark says, “I draw on this experience as CFO to support and work alongside all employees within PRG. I operate in an open, honest and transparent manner achieving results through effective communication and collaboration.”


Richard Williams, CEO PRG UK Richard Williams
Managing Director UK

Richard has wealth of knowledge and experience gained over 28 years of working in the Entertainment Industry and being part of the local UK and European PRG Management teams holding numerous critical roles since joining the group in 1999. Qualified as a Certified and Chartered Accountant Richard was the Financial Director and co-founder of The Spot Company that was acquired along with Midnight Design by PRG in 1999. In this time Richard has successfully led a number of international mergers, acquisitions, and integration projects for PRG, as well as overseeing the sustained growth and financial health of the UK & European companies during that period.

Richard’s primary focus in his new role as CEO for PRG UK will be re-establishing the Company’s customer focus and further developing our core offerings across all markets. He enjoys spending time with his family, playing guitar and Moto-crossing.


Mission Statement

Our Mission Statement: To deliver world-class lighting, rigging and video solutions for live entertainment and events both in the UK and abroad.

PRG is a leading supplier of technology and solutions for live events and entertainment. We work with producers and designers to bring their creative ideas to life. With our roots in theatre production, our expertise has developed across a range of markets, and clients the world over seek our help to solve the unique production challenges in live music tours and festivals, corporate events, film and television, theatre and the arts, sports, conferences, and exhibitions.

You can read about our strengths in the individual market sectors by visiting "Our Services" in the menu above.

As your production partner, we aim to provide you with a personalised service via a dedicated acccount manager, but each production is also supported by an incredible behind-the-scenes network of highly skilled project managers, technicians, and product specialists. Come to us for a reliable production—every time.

History of the UK company

Production Resource Group has grown from the addition of a number of companies over the years. In the UK these include:

Light & Sound Design (LSD) logo

Light & Sound Design, popularly known in the industry as LSD, was a professional lighting rental specialist with its origins in the concert touring industry. With locations in the US and in London and Birmingham in the UK, the company was at the forefront of supplying lighting, rigging and automation to the touring industry. Light & Sound Design was merged into Production Resource Group in 1998, and some of the team remain with the company to this day.


Midnight Design logo

Midnight Design was a specialist theatre lighting company. Having established itself as a major theatre supplier in the US, Production Resource Group acquired Midnight Design in 1999, in effort to expand that success into Europe.


The Spot Co logo

The Spot Company, a London based supplier of lighting services and equipment to the Special Events market, was acquired in 1999 to become part of the PRG Lighting Group.


VLPS Lighting logo

VLPS Lighting Services was a lighting rental company born out of the VARI*LITE company. VLPS was established in 1997 following VARI*LITE's flotation on the Nasdaq. It acted as the rental division for both the lighting and the Virtuoso console product line, as well as offering lighting from other selected manufacturers. When VARI*LITE's sales and manufacturing was sold to Genlyte Group in 2002, VLPS continued with the rental business as well as developing the console line. VLPS became part of Production Resource Group in 2004.


Essential Lighting logo

With the aim of growing its UK lighting business, PRG acquired Essential Lighting from the Staging Connections Group in 2008. Essential Lighting was maintained under a separate brand, delivering high quality lighting services and equipment to the live event industry and dry hire service to industry specialists. In 2011 it became part of PRG's main brand and many of the Essential Lighting team have remained with Production Resource Group's UK operation.


Summit Steel logo

With rigging and automation vital to event lighting, PRG took the decision to expand its UK business with the acquisition of Summit Steel in 2009. The company was maintained as a separate brand under the Production Resource Group umbrella, with the management and staff staying on after the deal. Many of Summit Steel's rigging experts are still part of PRG's UK operation today.


XL Video logo

To strengthen its expertise in video technology and services for the events and entertainment industry, Production Resource Group acquired XL Video in 2015.


Our Values

Passion for Results: Enthusiasm for the outcome of our actions…

Our enthusiasm for our work informs everything that we do. We aim to ensure that our clients get the technology they need to deliver successful shows and events for their audiences!

Intrepid: Resolutely fearless; dauntless...

We embrace challenge and complexity with a sense of adventure and enthusiasm. If you have an idea, no matter how complex, we will work to provide the best technical solution for your project.

Accountability: The obligation to be responsible for something…

We act with integrity, and take personal responsibility for our actions and results, expecting others to do the same.

Commitment: Pledge or promise…

We are personally committed to the success of our clients, our teammates and the company. We promise to do our utmost to deliver excellent customer service and the highest quality event technology!

Teamwork: Coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team, in the interests of a common cause or goal…

We will work together to exceed expectations through competence, collaboration, creativity, and communication.



History of the PRG Group

PRG’s growth as a company has paralleled the development of modern technology in the live entertainment industry. Founded in 1982 by Jere Harris as Jeremiah J. Harris Associates, and later renamed Harris Production Services, the company was joined two years later by Scenic Technologies, founded to develop new scenic fabrication and automation techniques for the live entertainment market. Landmarks of those early years include the long-running musical production The Phantom of the Opera (1988), which featured the debut of the patented Stage Command® motion control system, and EFX (1995) at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, which was produced by Harris, and with a budget of $45 million, remains one of the largest theatrical shows ever.

Responding to growing customer requests for a one-stop production solution, Production Resource Group, L.L.C., (PRG) was established in 1995. PRG increased its capabilities over the next several years through a number of strategic acquisitions, including lighting and audio companies such as Vanco and Cinema Services (1996); Bash (1997); and Promix (1998). The acquisitions of Light & Sound Design (1998) and VLPS® Lighting Services (2004) brought the teams responsible for many of the pioneering innovations in our industry, setting the stage for a series of industry-leading proprietary products that continue to set PRG apart today.

With the acquisition of the Chicago based company High Performance Images (HPI) in 2007 as well as the Hi-Tech Rentals and Essential Lighting Great Britain (both 2008) it was possible for PRG to increase its share in the corproate event industry considerably.

In 2009, PRG took a giant step forward into the global marketplace with the acquisition of PROCON MultiMedia AG. This move has solidified PRG’s position as the premier resource in the entertainment and event technology industry, with a unique global brand and a strong presence and customer base in major markets and geographic locations worldwide. With the integration of Showtec in 2010 this position in central Europe was increased even further.

Jere Harris PRG Staff New York Jeremiah “Jere” Harris
Executive Chairman, Chief Creative Officer & Founder

Jere is widely recognized as a transformative figure in entertainment and event production, having led PRG to become a global company serving the theatre, film, television, broadcast, concert touring, events and staging and hotels markets. Today PRG has 72 locations spanning five continents and holds over 350 patents and trademarks for its proprietary technology. Jere founded Production Resource Group, L.L.C., in 1995, and guided its growth through strategic acquisitions in lighting, audio, video, automation, scenic and labor solutions.

He is part of the fourth generation of a family of theatre pioneers and took his first job in a scenic shop at age 16. Among his many professional accomplishments, he presented EFX, an entertainment landmark which opened at the MGM Las Vegas and ran for nearly eight years. He also produced Broadway’s Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, the most technically complex production ever mounted on a Broadway stage. Jere has earned top honors across market segments, including four Tony Awards, multiple Drama Desk Awards, and an Engineering Emmy Award for PRG’s GroundControl Followspot system. He is also the recipient of the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest recognition in the live event industry.

Stephan Paridaen - President & Chief Operating Officer, PRG Group Stephan Paridaen
Chief Executive Officer

Stephan Paridaen is a Belgian born entrepreneur who has been involved in the entertainment technology industry for over 25 years. He studied economics at the University of Antwerp and received an MBA at the Vrije University of Brussels, all while founding a software company for the construction industry. He then continued his education and earned a degree from Harvard University.

In 1993, Stephan was hired as laureate of the Prince Albert Fund by Barco, an industry leader in digital projection and imaging technology. He was sent to Prague to develop the emerging Eastern European markets and shortly after transferred to Singapore as the company’s Asia sales and marketing lead.

Upon returning to Belgium, Stephan founded Barco’s LED display division which led to the development of projection systems that transformed digital cinema globally and formed the basis for Barco’s Media & Entertainment division, which he led from 2001 to 2009.

In 2010, Stephan joined PRG out of Belgium, where he’s played a key role overseeing the acquisitions, development and continual growth of the EMEA and APAC markets, improving operational results and expanding offerings as President and COO of the company.

Now in 2022, Stephan begins his next chapter at PRG as CEO based out of New York City.

Gary Boyd, Executive Vice President and COO, PRG EMEA. Gary Boyd
EVP & COO UK & EMEA

As Chief Operations Officer, Europe, Gary Boyd is responsible for all aspects of PRG operations in Europe and the UK. He also oversees asset management in Europe, Asia and Australia.

Gary began his entertainment technology career in 1985 when he joined Score Systems Ltd., a theatrical lighting company based in Kitchener, Ontario, as the company’s equipment rental manager. Following Score Systems’ acquisition by Christie Lites in 1995, Gary served as general manager of the Kitchener facility. In 1996, Gary left Christie Lites to establish an office for Westsun in Toronto.

In 1999, Gary became vice president of operations for Westsun’s offices in the United States and Canada. In 2002, he joined PRG as general manager of the company’s Toronto office.

He initially spent time in the UK during PRG’s acquisition of VLPS in 2004. He became VP Operations for PRG in North America in 2007. In 2008 Gary was once again asked to oversee acquisitions in the UK – integrating Essential Lighting and Summit Steel into the group. He subsequently looked after the consolidation of Birmingham and London facilities into the current Longbridge location.

In 2009 Gary was asked to relocate to the UK becoming Chief Operations Officer, and his family joined him in 2010. Two years later his role was expanded to additionally oversee operations for all of Europe.

Outside of PRG his interests include Skeet Shooting, which he does with his daughter Maddy; flying – Gary has his private flying license; travel; and tinkering with a small collection of cars.


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