SOUND ADVICE - MARK MCLEOD

With a career in sound that spans decades, continents, and some genuinely unforgettable moments, Mark McLeod is also the man behind the music at some of the region's most beloved venues.

There are few people who can claim to have taken Neil Young windsurfing, played guitar in their garage with Sir Richie Richardson and members of the West Indies cricket team, or slipped Cocaine by JJ Cale onto the stadium PA the moment Wendell Sailor stepped onto the field following his drugs ban. Mark McLeod can claim all three – and those are just the stories he's willing to tell.

Originally from Wellington, Mark spent twenty years in radio, principally on breakfast at ZM FM, before his career took a turn toward live sport that would define his next two decades. As ground announcer and music producer for the All Blacks and New Zealand Cricket, Mark became the voice and sound behind some of New Zealand's most significant sporting occasions – Rugby World Cups, Cricket World Cups, two Lions tours, and 21 years of Sevens rugby both here and around the world.  It was a role that demanded precision, quick thinking, and an ear for the moment. The Brett Lee guitar story – where Mark recorded the two of them playing together and dropped the track into an Australia vs New Zealand test match – suggests he also had a healthy appetite for pushing the boundaries.

In 2013, Mark made the move to Matakana, arriving with his truck loaded – four trips' worth of accumulated, high-quality sound gear – and helped establish Lot9 FM, bringing a genuine radio presence to the region. What followed was less a business plan and more a natural evolution. A system installed at Bramble Café for a friend, then one at Matakana Oysters, then a conversation with Mike Petre that led to Sawmill Brewery – a relationship that has weathered the devastating brewery fire and continued through to today, now spanning 17 speakers and counting.

"Having heard Mark had spent decades working in the sound game, I thought he may just be the right guy to help with our latest design project," says Mike Petre. "Mark came in, looked around, nodded his approval, left, and within 24 hours had fully designed and sourced all the equipment for a very large, multi-roomed venue/factory. Legend."

From there, the list grew quietly: Fired Pizza, Matakana Marine, Keep Fit Matakana, the Omaha Golf Club – two systems, one to draw players to the tee, another in the main clubhouse. Private sheds, home gyms, a shearing shed or two. Sound systems for parties, tennis tournaments across Matakana, Warkworth and Whangārei, and speakers dotted around the Village for Matariki celebrations.

Mark's philosophy is straightforward: if you're going to spend your day listening to music, it might as well sound extraordinary. With decades of experience and a considerable inventory of quality gear, he is available for installs or hire for smaller events – sound advice, quite literally, from someone who has spent a lifetime getting it right.

Mark-It Promotions Ltd | 021 242 6969