If you haven’t heard of easescreen, you might want to take a look. Easescreen has a totally cloud-based creative content platform for digital signage that is compatible with any media player AND is OS-agnostic. joins Gary Kayye on today’s videocast to not only talk about the easescreen platform but also about what it was like to finally […]
Control systems — they’re such a mystery to me. What are they about? What can they do? What do they want? Steve Greenblatt of Control Concepts, Inc. sits down with me to discuss just that. So — if you need help studying: commands versus functions, how a CPU communicates, types of control systems, etc. this is […]
In this episode, I speak with Don Merritt of the University of Central Florida. Don talks about what he is expecting in the year ahead — he is thinking not only about the changes we will see based on what faculty have learned over the past year but also how we need to prepare to have faculty and students in […]
Mark sits down to talk with Carlos Carrasquillo about his journey into design and architecture, how space can inspire behavior and how we use it to build community.
It’s time to talk about the way we connect. No, not with one another. I’m talking cables and the things at each end you use to plug them into stuff. If you’ve ever wondered what a Phoenix connector is, why wires and cables are NOT interchangeable terms and why building an AV rack the proper […]
In today’s episode of Rants & rAVes, Gary Kayye sits down with TJ Trojan, senior vice president of product management for SYNNEX, to talk about SYNNEX’s collaboration business and how it’s helping partners in today’s evolving market. This past year highlighted the crucial role connectivity plays for customers in all verticals, a trend that is […]
On Thursday, rAVe will use the LAVNCH platform to debut a totally new company and a totally new product to the AV industry: Valarea. You haven’t heard of it yet, but YOU WILL. Its AR technology will soon be coming to a collaboration board near you! The company also has a simple way to standardize UI […]
If you’re in sales, you’ve heard plenty of advice on how to close, get the sale, get the PO, win. Today, I ask you to consider switching your perspective to adding value instead. Listen to find out how changing your thinking can change your outcome. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
In this episode, I speak with Erin Maher-Moran of Johns Hopkins University. Erin gives some great insight into how Johns Hopkins has a hybrid approach to design and installation; she also offers advice about how strong relationships with integrators can be extremely valuable. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
When going in for a big presentation, salespeople often spend quite some time creating what they believe is the perfect deck of slides to best promote their company and its products and services. However, overdependence on the “sales presentation” may just be blocking your chances of success. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
AVer used the Rants & rAVes videocast today to release details of its newest 4K USB cameras — the CAM130 and the VB130. But these are not just simple webcams designed for working from home. The CAM130 includes dynamic professional lighting (aka built-in lighting) that allows you to add and adjust, or auto-adjust, the amount of […]
This just in #AVtweeps: TEC 2021 will be held LIVE at the Sheraton Downtown Denver in Denver, Colorado, May 3-5, 2021, and virtually May 3-6, 2021. Gary and the rAVe team will cover the show, recording product videos and interviews just like always! TEC 2021 will be one of the first industry shows to take place in […]
SYNNEX Vice President of Product Management Sandi Stambaugh catches up with Gary Kayye to share the latest highlights and updates for the SYNNEX VISUALSolv business unit, as well as AV trends they’re seeing in 2021 and beyond. Hear how SYNNEX is expanding its team and ramping up training and enablement to best support partners in the […]
In this episode, I talk with Jimmie Singleton from the University of Southern California. USC has a student enrollment of over 40,000 students, and Jimmie’s department supports about 280-300 spaces. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
In today’s episode of Study With Steph, I catch up with my pal, Justin Kennington, to help me with networks. We answer the following questions: What is a network? Why does topology matter? What the heck is up with Ethernet (I previously thought it was just a cable. It is not just a cable.) For clarification […]
Introducing the newest podcast on the rAVe [RADIO] network: #DearVendor. For over a year I have been following the #DearVendor hashtag on Twitter. People often use the hashtag to make jokes or express frustration at vendors. Typically, the jokes are about cold calls or relentless emails. As I watched the communication on this over several […]
I took a few weeks to rearrange my episode structure, and now I am back here with all of you — and I am ready to learn! If you’re still following the CTS Exam Guide, I’m so sorry that the chapters no longer match the episode numbers. I will let you know we are still on […]
On today’s episode of Rants & rAVes, Avocor’s Dana Corey joined Gary to discuss Almo Pro A/V‘s upcoming State of the Collaboration Market webinar on Wednesday, March 24, at 2 p.m. EDT. Check out this video and then register for the free webinar here. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
On this week’s Alexis AV Talk, Alexis and guest co-host Alesia Hendley are joined by Rachael Harris. Rachael shared her experiences as a production manager, which led to a conversation about the Harlem Renaissance and the historic theaters that traditionally serve people of color in cities all over the country. She’s worked at several theaters in Harlem, including the Apollo […]
I sit and talk to Jay Myers about his book “Rounding Third and Heading Home: The Emotional Journey of Selling My Business and the Lessons I Learned Along the Way.” Jay shares lessons he learned over the 22 years he spent building his AV business, eventually resulting in a sale to the world’s largest integrator. […]
What does a plastic shovel have to do with selling technology? Great Question! Tune in to find out! Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS
If there were a “University of Audio Technology,” it would be called SynAudCon; why reinvent the wheel? Synergetic Audio Concepts, known fondly as SynAudCon by the thousands of AV professionals who’ve taken its courses over the past 48 years, offers the ultimate audio “degree” program through a college-like track of classes. Pat and Brenda Brown, who run […]
When Len Dozier entered the AV market, Lyndon B. Johnson was the president, pro video was still black and white and Sony wasn’t a player yet. But, that was before Len sold Sony into every Nissan dealer in the U.S. Len went on to eventually create what is, arguably, the first mount company in AV — […]
The past year has been and continues to be a challenge for those in the AV industry, and it is even harder on those in the live events AV community. We are used to being behind the scenes, but being in the background proves to be more problematic — we are not at the forefront […]
Now that I have some extra time to study for the CTS exam, I decided to take my time with this next section. Instead of hopping right into understanding video systems, I invited Sony Electronics Professional’s Chrissy Sara to discuss some concepts of light with me. As it happens, light works similarly to sound! Chrissy […]
If you failed the AVIXA CTS test the first time you took it, you’re not alone. In fact, the guy who now heads the AVIXA CTS Certification Steering Committee, Luke Jordan, did too. It’s almost predictable, as Luke, vice president and co-steward at Electro Acoustics explains in this candid interview with rAVe’s Gary Kayye, if you plan to pass your CTS […]
Gary caught up with Almo’s VP of marketing, Melody Craigmyle, today to talk E4v — the E4 Evolution show, a virtual version of the E4 Experience. If you attended either of the 2020 E4vs, you know that it wasn’t like any other virtual event as it exclusively used the LAVNCH VTS platform. Now with the 2021 event, Almo […]
In case you live under a rock and didn’t know, AVIXA has postponed InfoComm 2021 to Oct. 27-29. This news was a big sigh of relief for many in our industry because there is no way that Integrated Systems Europe and InfoComm in the same month was going to be easy for anyone. This week […]
NSCA’s membership is at an all-time high, as is engagement. Why? Well, according to this videocast with NSCA’s executive director, Chuck Wilson, and rAVe founder, Gary Kayye, when the economy is tough, communication, collaboration and transparent dialogue from within the industry community is critical. NSCA has built its reputation on providing systems integrators with business […]
Gary talked to AVIXA’s CEO, Dave Labuskes, today so Dave could explain — in great detail — the move of InfoComm from June to October. Remaining in Orlando, the show will now take place Oct. 27-29. This decision was very strategic and, in Gary’s opinion, a phenomenal move. Why? Hint: It’s not all about COVID-19! […]
Happy New Year, everybody! I’m back with a brand-new podcast episode — this time about the live events industry and how that market is fairing during COVID-19. It’s no secret that this area of AV has taken a hit this past year. But that has led to a crazy amount of creativity from a […]
“Value engineering” are two of the most dreaded words in AV — they typically mean compromising system designs to meet the client’s budget. Most of the time, integrators use a shotgun to evenly distribute the discount across the project. In this episode of Selling AV, I suggest that may be a really bad idea, and […]
