JACKSON, MISSOURI ― As the new year begins, ACT Entertainment is marking two promotions and a retirement in the company’s technical service department. CTO Mario Collazo retires from the firm while Ryan Kanarek has been promoted to Director of Technical Services and Dustin Barnes has been elevated to the role of Software Support Manager.
Ryan Kanarek, Director of Technical Services, ACT Entertainment and Dustin Barnes, Software Support Manager, ACT Entertainment.
Mario Collazo retired after 29 years of service at ACT Entertainment; he joined ACT in 1996 and became CTO three years ago. One of the company’s longest tenured employees, Collazo leaves in place a roster of experienced technical personnel who ensure that ACT’s service and support will continue to be best in class.
“The technical service and support at ACT Entertainment is not only critical to our customers but vital to our culture as a company,” says ACT CEO Ben Saltzman. “We have been lucky to have leadership like Mario’s nurturing that culture of service, and luckier still to have people like Ryan and Dustin who have grown with ACT and will carry our mission forward.”
“After nearly 30 years of service with ACT, Mario’s role has been unique and will be difficult to replicate, but personally and as a team we’re up for the challenge,” says Kanarek, who celebrates his own 10-year anniversary with the company in 2025. Kanarek joined ACT in software technical support and moved up to Software Support Manager in 2017; he is well known in the industry for his expertise with MA Lighting software platforms.
“The stellar growth of grandMA3, new product offerings and the pandemic have brought us to a place of new challenges and opportunities. We’re excited to provide fresh perspectives and potentially new solutions to our users and customers who hold our support to a very high standard,” he says.
Barnes, who joined ACT in August 2021 to bolster the team’s grandMA3 software support and has more recently become a zactrack product specialist, steps into the Software Support Manager post previously held by Kanarek. “It’s very exciting to lead a support team for an ever-expanding user base of professionals who are pushing the boundaries creatively — and often technically as well,” says Barnes. “We have great manufacturer partners and a great crew here in North America, so this is an exciting new chapter for all of us.”
“Dustin has shown himself to have a great head for troubleshooting and technical detail and he’ll do an excellent job leading the Software Support Team,” notes Kanarek. “It’s a huge boost to know we’ll have each other’s backs as we step into these new roles together.”