Av With Jb

David is the CEO of LightWerks, a Pro AV Integrator out of LA.  Not so long ago he was also my boss. But he’s also a fantastic human being who genuinely cares about his people, and THAT’S why I wanted to share him with you. David explains the CCS franchise model and how he came to run CCS California. How “success rearing its ugly head.” lead to improved business processes. The backstory behind the name change to Lightwerks and departure from the CCS franchise. The 2 biggest time sucks for his Engineers (and how to solve it). Advice he’d give to his younger self just starting out in AV Contact David via: Email - david.riberi@lightwerks.com LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/daveriberi/ If you're curious about the software I'm building for Pro AV Integrators, check out the video here: www.jeremybirch.com The original video interview can be found on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/1GkcCSuvfRE

As an Engineer w/ AVI-SPL, Matt cares a great deal about designing projects to succeed. Matt is an AV Design Engineer with AVI-SPL out of Cleveland, Ohio.  He’s been with them since 2011 as both a Project and now Design Engineer. FREE RESOURCE - For this episode only, Matt is providing “AV with JB” listeners with his Engineering Checklist that he’s developed over the past 10 years.  It makes sure no design step falls through the cracks, despite the daily interruptions and delays that so often break up your train of thought.  You can find it in the blog post for this episode on my website. TOPICS How building speakers in high school led to a career in AV The big-name mfg. that helped him launch his career, and where he is now Design potholes in Pro AV systems and  I make up the word “tangentialized” How Matt cheated death in his younger years How he deals with recruiters What 1 piece of advice he’d give to his younger self just starting out in AV. His favorite underrated

Nate designs AV systems for surgery rooms.  He also runs a podcast. Nate leads a team that designs AV systems for surgical rooms, but since 2014 he’s also the host of his own podcast...AV Shop Talk.  He shares how his love for music (and a “by hand” drafting class in high school) led him into the Pro AV industry.  I also get his take on the mission of “AV Shop Talk”, and what 1 piece of advice he’d give to his younger self just starting out in AV. FREE RESOURCE - For this episode only, Nate is providing “AV with JB” listeners with the list of AV gear he uses in his own podcast.  He sounded better than me, so I’d say it works.  ;-)  You can find it in the blog post for this episode on my website. Contact Nate via: Email - nate@avshoptalk.com Website - avshoptalk.com YouTube - BigNate84 LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/nathanjschneider If you're curious about the software I'm building for Pro AV Integrators, check out the video here: www.jeremybirch.com The original video interv

Jay is the founder of Interactive Solutions, a Pro AV Integrator in the Memphis area. Started in 1996, he built it into a $25 million company w/ over 50 employees in 7 cities. But his entrepreneurial journey didn’t start out so rosey...from being fired as a top-producing employee to embezzlement in his 1st year of starting ISI.  Then in 2018 AVI-SPL approached him about selling his “baby”.  Jay and his leadership team eventually agreed, but he wasn’t prepared for the emotional rollercoaster he was stepping into. Contact Jay via: Email - jay.myers@avispl.com Website - JayMyersCEO.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/jbmyers LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamyers/ If you're curious about the software I'm building for Pro AV Integrators, check out the video here: www.jeremybirch.com The original video interview can be found on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/Z3vNu26sPak

Alan Geer is the Owner and President of one of the most competent and professional AV Manufacturer Rep firms in our business.  As an AV Engineer in his backyard of SoCal for many years, Audio Geer is one of the few rep firms I’d actually trust for technical guidance.  Shure and QSC are (2) of their biggest brands, and I would routinely call Audio Geer for design (or even commissioning) help because I knew they had the best blend of technical chops and real-world experience.  Listen in on our conversation to get a peek into the personality and mindset behind such a great company. 01:19 - The road that led Alan to create his rep firm, Audio Geer 03:05 - Why a rep firm vs. integrator or distributor? 03:43 - What most people don’t know about rep firm contracts w/ their mfgs. 05:17 - Alan reveals what % of his business comes from just Shure and QSC together. 08:22 - What’s the difference between a mfg. rep, and Audio Geer in particular, vs. a distributor? 13:34 - Alan lists the brands that they rep.

If you’re a Pro AV Integrator still using the old 4:6:8 Rule for calculating screen sizes in your projects, this is for you.  After hearing me complain on LinkedIn about trying to make sense of AVIXA’s “new” (as of 2016) DISCAS Standard, Chuck Espinoza offered to answer all my questions over a Zoom call.  Since he’s a Sr. Trainer w/ AVIXA, I decided to hit “Record” and share this informal training with you.  This is Part 2 of the 2 part call that ensued.  Hope you find it useful. 00:22 - How to use the online DISCAS calculator for Basic Decision Making (BDM) applications (Word, Excel, Websites, etc.) 13:36 - Why font size ≠ %Element Height 21:55 - Draper’s “Distance Legibility Eye Chart” (read about it here or order one for free here) 22:22 - How you can use the “AV Buddy” app to show customers the legibility of different font sizes right on their own display 26:00 - Typical %Element Heights for PowerPoint vs. Word 28:55 - Using the Analytical Decision Making (ADM) part of the calculator f

 If you’re a Pro AV Integrator still using the old 4:6:8 Rule for calculating screen sizes in your projects, this is for you.  After hearing me complain on LinkedIn about trying to make sense of AVIXA’s “new” (as of 2016) DISCAS Standard, Chuck Espinoza offered to answer all my questions over a Zoom call.  Since he’s a Sr. Trainer w/ AVIXA, I decided to hit “Record” and share this informal training with you.  This is Part 1 of the 2 part call that ensued.  Hope you find it useful. 01:15 - Why DISCAS? 03:23 - When did 4:6:8 start, where does it break down, and how did AVIXA reinvent it 06:24 - What does DISCAS address, and what is visual acuity?  09:56 - Determining Closest and Furthest Viewer, and Element Height 18:48 - %Element Height defined 25:53 - Chuck stumps me! 33:37 - Chuck’s airplane story 38:52 - Analytical Decision Making  Get the DISCAS Calculator here: https://www.avixa.org/standards/discas-calculators/discas Contact Chuck via Email - cespinoza@avixa.org Twit

 Brad Malone helps AV companies take a good, hard look at their processes so they can fix what’s broken. [04:47] Brad explains the “Four P’s” business principles, including the losing battle most PMs have to deal with. [07:01] Heroes & Martyrs [11:51] How “special people” in a company can get in the way of growth [13:39] Brad shares a huge disappointment early in his career...and how it forged his resolve to go from employee to business owner. [20:00] Brad’s surprising adventurist hobby. [21:16] How much does 5 minutes cost? [25:24] The 3 compounding costs of quality (or lack thereof) [28:42] Why integrators struggle w/ designing systems accurately and reliably. [35:49] Why Engineers tend to develop ADD [36:21] Which products get most overlooked during design, and what’s the cost in labor hours for your install crew to fix? [39:13] The cost of forgotten parts that your installers CAN’T pick up at Home Depot/Fry’s. [40:07] Done vs. “Done-Done” [43:42] Need a better site survey form?  Brad offers

 Listen in as I interview the indomitable Mark Coxon (@AVPhenom on Twitter).  We talk about everything from: a.) How AV investment within a company can be sold as an extension of their brand. b.) How Mark overcame shyness and learned to deal with confrontation early in his career. c.)  The “magic” but simple formula for resolving conflict with your customers. d.) Why, “Just do the demo.” is a mantra that works. e.) Mark’s tips for social media engagement w/ your customers...including how NOT to do it. The original video interview can be found on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/kHBaQHv0V6Q

 Are you in Pro AV?  Have you been dying for more practical business, marketing, and mindset advice?  So have I.  Join me as I interview amazing people who have out-of-the-box thinking, practical solutions, and hard-won lessons that anyone in Pro AV can learn from. In this episode I introduce myself, explain why I started this podcast, and do a lame impersonation of the Fresh Prince.  :-o The original video version can be found on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/AiZqj23U1ug