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Aurras Group invests in GrandMA3

Aurras Group is a technical production company based in Cape Town, South Africa, embracing lighting, audio, video and AV, power, staging and rigging, and event supply. It is owned and headed by Justin Heyman and Gareth Aitken, who merged their respective companies, TechX and Output AV, to form Aurras Group in 2023.

Last year, Aurras purchased its first MA Lighting GrandMA3 consoles - initially a GrandMA3 onPC Command Wing - and at the same time ordered a GrandMA3 light which arrived a couple of months later. These were added to their existing GrandMA2 onPC Command Wing and onPC setups, but going full GrandMA3 represented a commitment to having larger and more technically advanced lighting control systems available for clients.

Heyman also worked as a lighting programmer and operator, and before starting Aurras Group, he had been using GrandMA2 since 2018/19. The GrandMA3 investment was also based on Aurras’ immediate success as a business after their launch, as well as GrandMA3 being specified repeatedly on many of the technical riders they were seeing. “All the touring LDs know the system”, says Heyman. “It was a natural step on every level to get onboard with GrandMA3.”

When their GrandMA3 light arrived, it was the first such console to be permanently based in Cape Town. While other major SA rental companies do have GrandMA3 available, their consoles will tend to move around the country to where they are needed, but the Aurras ones are staying there to serve the plethora of local shows and events.

Aurras’ lighting department is headed by Julian Schouw, who, together with all their LDs, programmers and techs, was consulted by Heyman and Aitken before making the purchase and was an integral part of the decision-making process. Support from the local distributor was also important when considering the purchase, they say, adding that they have “a great partner” in DWR, MA Lighting’s distributor for southern Africa, as well.

The company will typically service up to twenty shows and events a week of varying sizes including DJs, Afrikaans festivals and music shows. Aurras currently has 25 full-time staff plus a pool of regular freelancers. When not in use on their own shows, the GrandMA3 consoles will often be out on cross rentals.

(Photo: Aurras Group)

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