Date & place of birth:
December 21 1961; Upminster, Essex, UK.

Profession:
Managing Director of Chelmsford-based sound rental company Villa Audio.

What was your first professional job?:
Media Technician for the Inner London Education Authority. I'd always been a musician - it runs in my family - but I also couldn't resist fiddling with the PA, and my interest in the techie side was a logical progression, so I started to buy and make kit. Eventually I got a van and threw together Martin bins and horns, and struggled around the circuit.

How did Villa Audio get off the ground?
It started in 1987 as Villa Audio Sales, an offshoot of Villa Studios which was run by Pete Banks of After The Fire, and I was selling studio packages. It was just a vehicle to get a business going and there was no intention of becoming a rental company. That happened after I bought some Deltamax speakers and word got around. I soon outgrew that shed at the end of my garden!

What'll be the next big thing in live audio?
Hopefully the time when people start to realign themselves to applying product correctly. We have far too many 'one size fits all' situations. To use large format line arrays in small venues is a ridiculous idea and yet it happens all the time. Scalability is the key but very few systems allow that.

If you could change one aspect of this industry, what would it be?
To make people more aware of the value of skilled technical people, because there are so many gifted people out there who are criminally undervalued. Part of the problem is that these people do not fully appreciate their worth in what is a service industry. I'm very encouraged that a new breed of professionals is emerging and their standards are outstanding.

Your biggest influences?
Mick Anderson kept me going at a time when I thought there wasn't room for another rental company, and Tim Boyle taught me everything I know about gain structure - and that a loudspeaker is only a pump at the end of the day. He's an incredible source of vital knowledge and part of the old school. I'm more influenced by the people I meet than the actual kit that impresses me, even though I'm an out and out tech head!

Any ambitions left?
My initial goals have all been realised but I now want to become a real MD for Villa, so I can develop strategies and have time to be pro-active rather than reactive. If you own a business in which you have a job, you're not really running it properly. I want Villa to remain small and be perfectly formed. I've learned that no matter the size of the rental company, we all share the same problems. There are too many rental firms looking for the glory of the big, high profile jobs, and whilst it looks good on the CV, the financial rewards of those are slim. We've stayed in business because we believe in diversification.

What were the last additions to your record collection?
James Taylor's October Road. A god amongst singer-songwriters.

The last live show you attended as a punter?
The Naughty Rhythms Tour, starring the Feelgoods, John Otway and Eddie & The Hot Rods.

Any hobbies away from the job?
My wife Sandra and my 1930s pilot cutter boat, which is moored at Leigh-on-Sea. Sandra is encouraging me to play guitar, sing and write songs again, although I never really stopped.

If you were to meet up with the teenage Gareth Jones, what advice would you give him?
Get a business plan together and think before you jump. Wait until you can afford to buy what you really want, rather than scrape together the cash to buy something that will just 'make do'. And if you're still in the office after 7pm, you've got a major problem!