Post-Shepperd,Melzig fills in technical director’s shoes

Melzig’s career had particularly humble beginnings. He started off by working in a fishing store at 18 years of age, followed by a Saab car factory and a window manufacturing unit in Stockholm. It was there that he took up a supplementary job as a stage hand for Swedish concert promoter EMA Tellstar.

Melzig’s big break came in 2000,when he landed a job as a technical production manager for the Eurovision Song Contest at Stockholm’s Globe Arena.

Besides his production skills,Melzig is also famous for his blog — http://www.eurovisiondiary.com — for which he writes in the run-up to the Eurovision production. It,in fact,generated so much interest that the European Broadcasting Unit had to restrain him from using expletives.

If you call up Melzig’s mobile phone,it declares in an incomprehensible accent that he will be working in India “for the next month or so”.

Mum’s the word,as far as the man’s concerned. “I cannot talk about this event or give any interview on it,” Ola Melzig said,when Newsline asked him for a comment.

The sad news does not end there. “I will not be blogging during the Commonwealth Games either,” he added.

While the earlier technical director was paid $ 91,000 for the three months he worked in Delhi,Melzig will receive Rs 41,000 a day.

Shepperd had cited several reasons,including delay in getting the aerostat,for quitting. Sources said that he has moved on to another assignment,probably the London Olympics.