Whether you use a camera for stills photography or vlogging, quality lighting can make a big difference – so it’s good to hear that UK lighting specialist Rotolight lives to fight another day (albeit in a different guise).
Back in September, UK-based photography and video lighting specialist Rotolight went into administration, which basically means that insolvency practitioners are appointed to try and rescue a viable business with cashflow problems.
The news came as a shock, as Rotolight had built a good reputation, with its lighting equipment also used in Bond movies and high-profile TV shows.
We’re pleased to announce that the Rotolight brand is now back, but run by a different company – headed up by former Tiffen executive, Daniel Waite.
‘I am no stranger to Rotolight as my other company, Brand Monkey used to run the digital side, including advertising,’ Daniel tells AP. ‘Rotolight is now owned and operated under a different entity, with a different management team, and is being run ‘lean’ at the moment. So we’ve streamlined operations and cut costs – as Rotolight always had a strong digital presence, it’s a good fit for our team at Brand Monkey, who play an integral role in growing the brand.’
Rotolight price cuts
As well as digital expertise, Daniel stresses his background in manufacturing via Tiffen, along with a good understanding of Rotolight products. ‘The Neo 3 Pro, the AEOS 2 Pro and the Anova Pro 3 (which launched last year) haven’t had their full life cycle yet.
So in the short term, it’s been about keeping these products in the marketplace so the research and development budget that was injected into them comes to fruition.
The Anova Pro 3 didn’t even get its full lift-off before the old company went into administration. So we’re currently focussing on these existing lights rather than launching new ones.’
The new, streamlined Rotolight can also reduce the price of some of these existing lights, says Daniel. ‘We can cut prices as we’ve cut costs, and can now focus on core markets. Now we can offer a light that used to sell for £600 for £300 or £400, for example. Our new-to-brand customer base has already increased by 250% as a result.’
As an example of the price cutting, the Rotolight Anova PRO 3 Ultimate Bundle has fallen in price from £3,925 to £1489.99, a reduction of 62%.
What if you bought a light from the ‘old’ Rotolight?
Processes for shipping and customer care have also been overhauled. ‘We have to draw a line somewhere on honouring guarantees from the ‘old’ Rotolight, but anyone who comes to us with problems will get an unbelievably discounted rate to fix them – so long as the product is not too old,’ Daniel adds. ‘It’s a testament to Rotolight’s products that I can count on one hand the number of people who’ve come back to us with faulty issues.’
See rotolight.com, where you can still enjoy the relaunch pricing, which ends soon. Check out our guide to the best lighting for video, too.
