In Memoriam: Bob Schacherl

	Bob Schacherl

Lighting&Sound America has learned of the passing of Bob Schacherl, a major figure in the lighting industry for several decades. He was 70 and for years had suffered from frontotemporal dementia.

As Schacherl told Lighting&Sound America in 2013, his introduction to the industry came with a position at Austin, Texas-based Blackstone Productions, the forerunner of High End Systems: "I had just graduated from the University of Texas with a communications degree in radio, television, and film. My wife, Carol, was going to graduate in December. We were biding our time before moving to New York or LA. The university had a job placement service and would send out fliers, and there was this ad for a production assistant job. It had enormous requirements to get in the door and offered three bucks an hour. I called the number, and the guy who answered said, 'Bill's Liquor Store.' I said I was responding to the Blackstone ad. He said, 'You want Lowell [Fowler, High End's founder]. He's in the back.' I went down there, and Lowell said, 'I'm a partner with the owner of the store, and we're building a club called Stars. But I have this business called Blackstone, and we do turnkey film and projection installations for clubs and hotels. I can't offer you a full-time position because I'm working on this club space.' I said, 'My dad was a carpenter, and I grew up building houses with him.' He said, 'You have a radio, television, and film degree and can use a hammer? You're hired.'

"My first job was at the club, ripping out the bar and putting in the new one, and building the DJ booth. The first DJ that was hired was Richard Belliveau [High End's CTO]. That's how we all came together. Then we had a technician we lost to cancer, so Richard stepped into that role, and that's how we started working at Blackstone." Schacherl eventually became the company's vice-president.

In 1986, Blackstone morphed into High End Systems, the first major US manufacturer of moving lights. As president and co-founder, Schacherl was with High End until 2000. During those years, the company launched many major products such as the Intellabeam moving light. Taking on the British company Flying Pig Systems, High End released the Wholehog, one of the most popular lighting consoles of its day.

In 2001, Schacherl joined Vari-Lite, serving as vice president of worldwide sales and marketing until 2013. During these years, the company released one successful product after another.

Schacherl left Vari-Lite in 2013, joining the Czech lighting manufacturer Robe as CEO of the company's North American operation, having been recruited by international sales director Harry Von Den Stemmen. "They remind me a lot of the early years of High End Systems," he told LSA. "It's in the company culture and their style of business, coupled with Harry's guiding hand and his masterful skills at setting up distribution. Also, the bending-over-backward style of customer service, which is obviously critical for success in this industry. Their emphasis on marketing communications is incredible and refreshing. They are well-known for their product innovation and speed to market. And while they are a very large company, they believe in having fun, both with customers and their employees. All that was very attractive to me." It's fair to say that Schacherl played a key role in the wider dissemination of Robe gear in the US.

Schacherl stepped down from Robe in June 2018, essentially retiring to deal with his health problems. He eventually moved to a memory care facility in Austin. Full details about his survivors were not immediately available, but they include his wife Carol and son David. Another son, Erich, died in 2005.

LSA will update this report as further information comes in. A GoFundMe page has been established for Carol Schacherl, whose home and person were damaged in an explosion on April 13: www.gofundme.com/f/help-carol-schacherl-rebuild-after-explosion.

Looking back at this successful career in 2013, Schacherl said, with characteristic understatement and humor, "It took my parents a long time to wrap their heads around it. I think it wasn't until I was 40 and High End was successful that I stopped hearing my mother, who worked for the Texas Highway Department, say, 'Bob, I hear the state is hiring'."