Growing up around a family business already closely connected with Blackpool’s entertainment industry, Sam Barnett was introduced to the world of professional sound, lighting and effects from an early age. His father John Barnett had established Stardream in 1977, but rather than simply continuing what had gone before, Sam developed his own specialist area within an industry increasingly embracing wireless technology.
Samuel Marc Barnett became a director of Stardream in 2010. A significant step came in 2015 when the Blackpool company became the exclusive UK distributor for German manufacturer Astera, whose battery powered, wirelessly controlled LED lighting was becoming increasingly popular within the events industry. The development had echoes of Stardream’s beginnings, something Sam himself recognised when he noted that almost 39 years after his father had discovered a European product and secured sole distribution rights, the company had done the same with Astera.
Wireless lighting offered considerable advantages for events. Battery powered fixtures could be installed in locations where running cables would be difficult or intrusive, while remote control allowed numerous lights to be coordinated to transform buildings and event spaces. The technology became a particular area of interest for Sam and ultimately helped provide the foundations for his own specialist operation.
In 2017, Sam established SBFX, its name incorporating his initials. Although closely connected with the long established Stardream business and described as its wireless lighting division, SBFX developed an identity of its own, specialising in wireless event lighting and visual effects. The business subsequently expanded its offering to include effects such as confetti and pyrotechnics alongside dynamic lighting.
The company began appearing at events and exhibitions within the professional entertainment industry. In 2019, SBFX was involved with the Knight of Illumination Awards at London’s Eventim Apollo, where wireless Astera lighting was used as part of the presentation of the venue and event. It was a long way from the Blackpool roots of the Barnett family business, but demonstrated how the specialist knowledge developed on the Fylde Coast was finding a place within the wider British events industry.
The importance of that industry became particularly apparent in 2020. When the Covid pandemic brought concerts, theatres, festivals and events to a sudden halt, many of the businesses and technicians working behind the scenes faced an uncertain future. SBFX joined other local production companies in supporting the national #WeMakeEvents campaign, which saw Blackpool venues illuminated in red to highlight the plight of the live entertainment sector. Buildings involved across the Fylde Coast included the Winter Gardens, Grand Theatre, Viva, Marine Hall and Lowther Pavilion, with more than 80 battery powered LED fixtures used during the campaign.
SBFX also put its lighting technology to use during other significant moments of the pandemic, participating in Light It Blue in recognition of NHS and key workers and producing lighting connected with the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
Sam’s work has continued to have a visible presence in Blackpool. When Stanley Park celebrated its centenary in October 2026, SBFX was involved in the lighting surrounding the boating lake for the spectacular evening drone display. Sam was responsible for the uplighters positioned around the area where spectators gathered to watch the show, adding colour and atmosphere at ground level while hundreds of illuminated drones created images in the sky above the park. The event formed part of the celebrations marking 100 years since Stanley Park officially opened on 2 October 1926.
For Sam Barnett, SBFX represented a new chapter in a much longer Blackpool entertainment story. While its origins can be traced back through Stardream and the business established by his father four decades earlier, Sam found his own direction in wireless lighting and visual effects. From a Blackpool based family business to illuminating venues and providing effects for events further afield, SBFX continued that connection with entertainment while bringing it firmly into a new technological generation.
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