Premier Sound and Lighting’s Justin Myers

From hanging out with sound guys learning the ropes, to owner/operator of a successful production company; passion, persistence and progression are a recurring theme in this showcase of local tech legend Justin Myers, from Toowoomba, Queensland’s Premier Sound and Lighting. Nestled in the Darling Downs region of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba may not be boasting the largest of populations with 179,000 people, but it is home to a beloved production company that has serviced the audio visual needs of its community for over 20 years.

Every story has its humble beginnings and Justin’s journey is no exception. From playing in bands at school, setting up school PAs and the progression to working for production companies as the proverbial ‘shitkicker’, Justin’s passion for all things audio culminated into one simple life changing epiphany; “I want to do that.” Over 20 years later, ‘that’ has morphed into a full production company, one piece of gear at a time.

Justin recounts the evolution of his love of audio, paying his dues with local sound guys, before eventually picking up his own gigs with bands and promoters. Like many aspiring beginnings, there was no personal inventory to utilise, so hiring out gear from production companies and keeping a regular job on the side laid the foundation for what was to become. And become it did!

Despite not intentionally setting out to start a production company, the slow accumulation of gear organically led to an inventory that required less outside hiring. “I would buy an old clapped-out PA, then get money and buy more sound desks, to now owning top-tier equipment,” Justin recalls. Premier Sound and Lighting is now the fully grown offspring from these embryonic beginnings, with many feathers in its progressive bow.

With Justin at the helm wearing a myriad of hats, alongside a dozen contractors, Premier Sound and Lighting offers AV and party hire, full event production, sales, and Toowoomba’s only rehearsal studio. The many years of accumulating gear has paid off with the top-tier audio equipment now being the only calibre of its type in Toowoomba. When pressed for what this top-tier equipment entails, the resounding theme is all things Adamson. After a distributor’s loan of an Adamson PA for a month-long test drive, Justin was sold. His inventory now boasts a plethora of Adamson PA; line arrays, point source boxes, subs and Lab Gruppen amps, along with mid-level JBL and Turbosound speakers. Being a distributor himself now through CMI, Australis, Eventec, Showtools and NAS, Justin is always keen to direct the buyer towards his love for Adamson, noting its amazing sound quality and ability to hold its sales value.

A top-tier sound desk is also on the cards for the future after selling his Midas Pro 2, while it was still possible to get money for it. His inventory currently includes plenty of mid-level Allen and Heath SQ range of consoles, along with mid-level lighting and vision equipment which nicely round out his full production services.

So where are these services provided? Being the premier choice in name and reputation for this regional city, it’s inevitable that the repertoire of events are many and varied. Alongside concerts, music festivals, community and corporate events, Justin notes interesting standouts like Chinchilla’s Melon Festival, The Birdsville Races, rodeos, B&S balls and Motorfest, a recent car burnout event where all the AV bells and whistles were employed. Among the most memorable and biggest to date however is Woodford Folk Festival where he began six years ago with one stage, to now doing production for three stages.

As anyone in this industry can also relate, a certain pandemic five years ago threw a giant destructive spanner in the works, requiring a lot of pivoting and recalibrating. Justin’s recollection of this grim period however was more fortuitous than doomsday. “Since the hiring out of equipment came to a screeching halt, it was all used to deck out the rehearsal studio with vision mixers and cameras to broadcast live concerts every weekend.” Whilst not a financial goldmine, he notes it kept everyone relatively sane. Coming out of lockdowns, Woodford Folk Festival then came back as a scaled down event over a three-month period, renamed Bushtime Festival.

Being the sole provider for these weeklong events for three months ensured Premier’s financial survival, servicing the two stages.

Coming out of the last few turbulent years has clearly not deterred Justin’s passion for what he does. When questioned about what drives him, his love of mixing bands, setting up PAs and optimising the sound to the room and situation are quickly noted. Working for himself alongside other people passionate about the industry is also a highlight. Every job has its downsides, however. Just don’t mention big load outs! Apparently three hours into load outs often triggers an existential crisis in this sound guy. Troubleshooting AV disasters, the possible other downside. Especially those that include sound desks deciding “I’m not going to sound desk anymore.”

Alongside having the only top-tier audio in Toowoomba, Premier also offers the only rehearsal studio frequented regularly by the many local musicians. Forget four white walls with fluorescent lights, this is one space that “looks good and sounds good,” according to Justin. A space that nearly ceased to exist after the ceiling collapsed in 2022 due to torrential rain.

Thanks to the local music community however, a Go Fund Me to save the studio was successful in keeping Toowoomba’s only rehearsal studio running, much to the delight of local musicians and home garages everywhere.

With over 20 years now under his belt and a business that appears to be thriving, Justin is very candid about what lies ahead, and it doesn’t include expanding. Go better, not bigger would be the most succinct way to summarise his future plans. “Going up to the next level is a lot more money. Every bit of gear has to be top-tier,” he explains. The goal instead is to replace older speakers, get more top-tier foldback speakers, a new top-tier sound desk and improve the light show. He also hesitantly acknowledges the astronomical amount he’s spent on Adamson over the years unconvincingly declaring, “I don’t need more speakers.” Apparently, there’s a home driveway still patiently waiting to be built…

www.premiersoundandlighting.com.au