Editor’s Note: How the next generation of AV professionals find their way into the AV industry is a hot topic and a prime concern for integrators, manufacturers and distributors alike. Here, Chris Kopin, Kramer’s executive vice president, technology — a true industry veteran — tells his unique story of how he found his way into AV and shares his thoughts on what can be done to find the next crop of AV professionals.
Everyone’s route into the industry is somewhat bespoke, but, for Chris Kopin, it quite literally happened by word of mouth. He was always a tinkerer. To use his own words, “That guy that got things done.” He adds, “My neighbors always joked that you never see a contractor truck at my house.”
Like many who forge their career in AV, Kopin has always been a guy with a practical eye who liked to get hands on. “I could always kind of do things,” he says. “Plumbing, woodworking, electrical — whatever I need, for the most part.”
The interest in AV, or rather, the audio in the AV equation, began back in the 1970s, when Kopin had a high-end audio repair business. From here he would hone his skills with electronics, signal management, and a dedication to excellence. “It was for audiophiles – the people who put way more money into their audio system than they would admit to anybody!” he adds.
How Chris Kopin Fell Into the AV Sphere
Earning a reputation for fixing things and the high quality of his workmanship brought Kopin an opportunity that would change his career path and, to a large degree, his life. “Through my audio business, I did repairs and installations for my dentist,” he explains. “On one particular visit, he said, ‘I’d love for you come and see this new gadget I have in my office.’ He had an inter-oral camera that was being introduced into the dental field. The camera was on a large cart with a CRT 13-inch television on top. It also had the inter-oral camera — which was a box with an eight-foot cord to a lens and it could take an image of inside the patients’ mouth.”
Little did Kopin know how this new technology would change the path of his career and his livelihood, as well as that of dentistry in the late ’80s and ’90s.
Kopin could immediately see the benefits of this “new” technology. He says, “When you show somebody a magnified view of the inside their mouth, blown up 60x, even healthy tissue looks concerning. Getting patients agree to recommended work before the toothaches came, became easy.”
Overcoming Challenges
But, being Kopin, he could also see the challenges of its use, but also how to overcome them. The problem the dentist endured came from mobility and flexibility. Rolling the heavy cart around from room to room — between operatories was a problem. It took time and, for patients, seeing a large machine rolled into the room could bring unnecessary stress. There was also the issue of a single display, meaning limited use across the busy dentists’ practice.
Kopin thus suggested mounting a monitor in each operatory. He could centralize the printer and use a wall jack so the dentist could just carry the camera and cable. In an instant, the concept was approved and soon after, the new solution was up and running.
Working at Kramer
The concept proved popular, and Kopin soon found himself very much in demand. “I did his office and with dentists being a closely knitted bunch, he told a friend of his, who told a friend of his, who told a friend… and I soon had dentists calling me from across the States asking if I could do the same thing for them. I needed TVs, monitor mounts and I needed switchers — to switch from the wall plate in each room back to the central printer,” he says.
It is here, in 1998, that Kopin’s journey into pro AV began with his early experience of the AV channel. “I found this company — Kramer — through a distributor and started buying their switchers,” Kopin reveals. Around the same time, Dave Bright — started the Kramer US organization. Kopin adds, “He called me and said, ‘Hey, you’re our biggest switcher customer! What are you doing with them?’ I was buying 100 units at a time to satisfy the dentist business demand. People all across the US wanted to do the same thing and were asking me to send them parts, wiring diagrams and schematics.”
Meeting Dave Bright
Based in New Jersey, Dave Bright was appointed to launch Kramer US at the same time as Kopin’s dental solution was at its peak. The phone call and following business lunch proved to be a beneficial junction for both parties. Kopin continues, “From that meeting, I began helping Dave on the side, repairing technical issues on Kramer equipment. We did that for a couple of years. Then, one day, Dave said, ‘One day, you’re going to come and work for me.’”
For Kopin, the opportunity was too good to turn down, particularly as he had enjoyed the boomtime of his dentistry solution. Video technology was changing, and, for Kopin, it was a chance to be part of that technological change and to welcome another challenge. He explains, “It was the late ’90s and I could see the writing was on the wall for ‘my’ solution. Workplace computers and digital cameras were always going to take the place of composite video. Dave and I struck a deal — that was about 25 years ago, and it continues to be an amazing journey.”
Nurturing the Next Generation of Talent
Kopin is acutely aware of the need to bring awareness of AV as a career path, as he has seen many colleagues “fall into” their AV career almost my accident, rather than a structured entry process. He says, “I was originally in the audio business, not necessarily having much to do with video, but I had no idea that this industry (pro AV) even existed — and that is part of the problem.”
A common trend, particularly across the US over past decades, has seen electrical engineers and even audiophiles and musicians falling into the AV industry by chance. “People do tend to end up in this industry by accident,” Kopin says. “They don’t start out saying ‘I want to be in pro audiovisual.’ Primarily, it’s word of mouth or someone knows someone.”
So, what can be done to help? The concern for where the new generation is coming from is a concern that is affecting the industry worldwide. Of course, a career in AV can come in many forms, from the most technical to marketing, sales and back-office support. But, for Kopin, a basic technical understanding is key to success. “There are companies like AVIXA that have their training and certification which help”, he says. “I do think that the advanced CTS qualifications can make individuals more valuable. There’s a lot of integrators out there who are searching for technical knowledge and these certifications prove technical competence.”
Kopin further says, “Salespeople in this industry also need to show that they can talk to people on different levels and, in my opinion, need at least a basic technical understanding. There’s a lot of ‘propeller heads’ out there whose strengths lie behind the scenes, deeply focused on the technology.”
Raising Awareness
It’s clear that the overarching issue of finding and bringing fresh talent to the AV industry begins with awareness, and Kopin has the view that it is a joint responsibility of manufacturers and distributors, along with higher education, to amplify the awareness of AV as a career option.
The internet and the digital age make it easier to discover a career in AV than ever before. “The crossover between IT and pro AV has never been closer,” Kopin adds. “As networked solutions become the default technology for AV systems, we can expect many more will come into AV from that space — at least a lot more than from dentistry!”
