ES Broadcast Hire opens Rome facility

ES Broadcast Hire has expanded its European operation with the opening of an office in Rome.

The addition of the Rome branch follows the opening of premises in Madrid and Belgium in the last 18 months and brings the total number of offices the company operates in the UK and Europe to six. The office is to open with immediate effect, headed up by Mario Sperelli who has joined the company as hire manager for Italy.

Warren Taggart, the managing director of ES Broadcast Hire, said: “Having a presence in Rome will allow us to build on our existing portfolio of clients and to service what is a fast-growing market for us in Italy. Our extensive fleet of both Grass Valley and Sony camera channels is perfectly suited to the needs of Italian broadcasters, whether their production is in HD or 4K.”

The company has already provided equipment for several high-profile sports events in Italy, including coverage of a football match in Verona that used the new EVS XT4K and cross-country skiing in the Dolomites.

Sperelli has worked in live production in Italy for the last decade. As sales manager for DBW Communication, he worked on a project financed by the European Space Agency for the satellite transmission of more than 1,500 sports events each year in Ka band.

He also managed 3D and 4K productions on Serie A and Champions League football, tennis tournaments and basketball matches.

Most recently, he worked as sales and production manager for 4K and HD broadcast services and rental provider Mediacam.