Christie, the global visual and audio technology company, has announced the appointment of Ernest (Ernie) Bakenie as the firm’s new senior director of entertainment.
Effective immediately, Bakenie will report to Christie’s executive director of Americas enterprise sales and global business development, Bryan Boehme. The new recruit will work closely with the themed entertainment market and be based in Orlando, Florida.
Bringing experience
Bakenie has an extensive career in the industry, having worked with amusement parks, museums, and other attractions internationally for two and a half decades. As well as leadership roles at Kraftwerk Living Technologies and Showscan Entertainment, Bakenie was also previously director of entertainment sales for APAC at Christie.
With Bakenie moving to Orlando, he will be better placed to meet the demands of the leisure sector. The executive says: “I am thrilled to be back at Christie. This opportunity allows me to use my unique background working in the themed entertainment industry to deliver solutions that create awe-inspiring experiences.
“There is no better industry to work with than themed entertainment, and I am excited to help Christie’s clients create the thrills and excitement that audiences love.”
Boehme adds: “We are excited to have Ernie back with Christie. Ernie’s passion for the themed entertainment market has taken him around the world, and his experience working closely with major theme parks and attractions will make him a major asset to our team.”
Other developments
The announcement coincides with Christie’s announcement of a new production facility in Kitchener, allowing the firm to speed up the production line for popular products including MicroTiles LED.
Shawn Mills, director of display engineering, commented: “This gives the company a huge advantage because we can control much more of the value chain, and we can be innovative not only in the design of the product but also in the process of creating that product. It is as important how we make our products as what we are making.”
Christie recently displayed a range of products at ISE 2022, including two stacked M4K25 RGB pure laser projectors utilised for projection mapping, as well as Pandoras Box Version 8.5 which managed content for the display.