Stepping in where magazines and manufacturers’ own channels of communication have failed, Technicians Crew Pass is a new social website expressly aimed at Australian audio and A/V technicians.
‘The aim is to help better the industry by having the most up-to-date information about what is happening in the industry right now, and by working with technicians from all over Australia,’ says Chris D’bais.
The man behind Technicians Crew Pass, D’bais hopes the site will eventiually become the main source of technical information for the arts and entertainment sector. Imagining an online ‘place where anyone can feel that no question is too big or too small’, he is building a database of essential information to advance the Australian arts and entertainment industry.
‘It was after many years of being unable to store a central database of technical information that Technicians Crew Pass was born,’ D’bais explains. ‘Having somewhere technicians working in the arts and entertainment industry can access updated information and be able to submit their own information for future use has been the main focus of the website.
‘It’s my hope that Technicians Crew Pass can bring information to the men and women that work behind the scenes,’ he continues. ‘Both technicians and industry companies have been putting their support behind the site, and I have had many people asking how they can help and get involved,’ he reports. ‘I have also had people from the UK and the US ask when they will have a local version, and I have started work on UK Crew Pass. I hope that within 24 months I can link Crew Pass Australia with UK and US versions of the site.’
It’s easy to see where both his authority and enthusiam are grounded: D’bais started work as a lighting technician in the arts and entertainment industry when he was 15 years, and at 16 he worked full-time in a professional arts theatre. After finishing school, he went on to work on large arts and music festivals around Australia, and later for Arts Queensland at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts. He then became Head of Lighting at The Events Centre Sunshine Coast, and was subsequently promoted to beTechnical Manager, then Operations Manager.
He then worked at The Arts Centre Gold Coast as Technical Manager, and 18 months later was promoted to the position of Venue Operations Manager. In 2010 he moved to London to become Head of Audiovisual at the Kings Place, where he was later promoted to the role of Technical Director. He held this position until returning to Australia in 2012.
From a technical point of view, the site is built on an open platform so that members are able to add groups, join forums and upload links to useful sites ‘and much more’.
‘In the future, I hope that the website can become an industry body with a core group of members who can work together to drive change to better the industry for the future,’ he says. ‘I want it to be a place where site visitors can find all the tools and resources they need to ensure that they can complete their job in a more informed way.’
More: www.crewpass.com.au
