It was another active week in Pro AV. QSC, Vizrt, ZTransform, and AlarMax had people on the move, and AV Pro celebrates 10 years. Get caught up on the week that was below.
The big news of course was that Acuity is acquiring QSC. SCN confirmed the entire QSC business—both the Q-SYS and the QSC Audio brands— will become a part of Acuity’s Intelligent Spaces Group business unit. You can read our full coverage here.
SCN's Top 3 Storylines from last week
People News
AlarMax Expands Leadership, Appoints VP Sales, East Coast
AlarMax has appointed Jay Heffernan as VP of sales, East Coast. With over 30 years of security business expertise and a proven leadership record, Heffernan will bolster AlarMax’s growth initiatives as the company continues to expand its portfolio and service offerings for customers nationwide.
Heffernan began his career as a manufacturer's representative, managing key territories in New England and upstate New York, where his efforts significantly contributed to company growth ahead of its acquisition. In a later role, he was instrumental in driving the expansion of a security distributor’s eastern U.S. presence, growing from three to 15 locations. His leadership was crucial in recruiting top talent, overseeing site selection, and maintaining strong growth momentum through multiple acquisitions. These achievements led to his most recent position as VP of security at a multinational distribution and services company.
QSC Makes Strategic C-Suite Moves
QSC has promoted Christopher Jaynes to chief technology officer (CTO) of its cloud-manageable audio, video and control platform, Q-SYS, and also appointed Jason Shangkuan as chief digital officer (CDO).
As CTO, Jaynes leads all aspects of research and development (R&D), overseeing software, hardware, mechanical, test, and systems engineering to ensure cohesive product outcomes for customers. Since joining Q-SYS in 2023 as SVP of software technologies, Jaynes has driven improvements in software quality, AI research, and technology delivery, positioning the company for continued growth.
Shangkuan joins QSC as CDO, bringing over a decade of experience at McKinsey & Company as a leader in its digital and AI practice. He led digital transformations for leading technology companies to deliver business growth. In his new role, he will drive the company’s digital transformation efforts, modernize its data infrastructure, and unlock growth with AI.
Sonance Adds New VP of Professional Audio
Sonance has added Morten Jorgensen as VP of professional audio. Jorgensen brings over three decades of experience in the professional audio industry, including extensive global business leadership, to his new role at Sonance. During his impressive 30-year career at Bose Professional, Jorgensen developed deep expertise in research, product development, marketing, and engineering, and helped establish Bose Professional as a premier supplier of professionally installed audio solutions globally. Most recently, he led global sales for the professional division. His diverse background positions him well to drive growth and enhance Sonance's professional offerings.
"I am excited to join Sonance and work with a talented team dedicated to shaping the future of professional audio," said Jorgensen. "Together, we will push boundaries to continue to deliver outstanding audio solutions."
Vanessa Walmsley Named Chief Commercial Officer for Vizrt
Vizrt appointed Vanessa Walmsley as its chief commercial officer to bring together its commercial teams in one unified organization—enhancing Vizrt’s customer-centric approach.
Walmsley’s extensive background in leading commercial organizations across her over two decades of experience in media and technology, combined with her deep understanding of Vizrt’s user ecosystem, makes her the ideal candidate.
Walmsley, who has been with Vizrt for six years, most recently serving as the Global Head of Customer Success, has played a crucial role in driving customer success initiatives, improving customer engagement and ensuring strong alignment between the commercial teams to shift to a customer-first focus.
ZTransform Hires Senior Design Engineer
ZTransform welcomed Andre Ferrer as senior design engineer. With an extensive project portfolio spanning more than 25 years, Ferrer has accumulated a deep understanding of music and video production, live broadcasting, and postproduction workflows across a range of market sectors.
At ZTransform, Ferrer brings his systems expertise to every phase of a project, from initial consultation to final acceptance to ensure the commercial, operational, and creative aspects of a client’s vision are realized.
Prior to joining ZTransform, Ferrer recently held senior positions at NEP Integrated Solutions, Diversified Systems Group, and Venue Services Group. He accumulated understanding of the production process enabled a seamless transition to designing systems that support creative and engineering requirements. Over the course of his career, Ferrer has developed expertise in ST-2110, NDI, 4K, SDI, MADI, Dante, AES67, AES, and analog audio signal formats, conversion, processing, and routing.
Company News
LEA Professional Partners with Canadian Distributor SFM
LEA Professional entered a partnership with Quebec, Canada-based AV distributor SFM. This partnership will bring LEA’s rich technology catalog, featuring advancements in intelligent IT solutions, DSP, and smart power management, to customers up north.
For more than 45 years, SFM has been dedicated to achieving one goal: helping its customers meet and achieve their own. This new partnership will significantly contribute to this goal, as SFM will now offer customers LEA Professional’s award-winning Network Connect series of professional amplifiers and companion Dante Connect series featuring Dante and AES67 connectivity. These series enable integrators to utilize cloud-based remote control, monitoring, notifications, and more from any internet-enabled device, allowing them to stay connected anywhere in the world.
AVPro Global Celebrates Ten Years
AVPro Global, parent company of AVPro Edge, AudioControl Pro, Bullet Train, ThenAudio, and Murideo audio/video distribution products, is celebrating 10 years of delivering audio/video solutions and support services that empower technology integrators. AVPro was founded in October 2014, under the vision of founder Jeff Murray.
Today, AVPro Global brands are developing advanced, high-performance audio/video products, backed by training and service, to support residential and commercial integrators worldwide.
Product Introductions and Acquisitions Include:
- 2016: The AVPro AC-MX88-AUHD 18 Gbps 8x8 HDMI Matrix Switcher is released.
- 2017: An 18 Gbps HDMI extension set featuring ICT- Invisible Compression. Technology is released.
- 2019: Bullet Train introduces 10K-compatible Active Optical Cables.
- 2020: Murideo launches the SEVEN Generator, an HDMI 2.1 reference-grade test instrument co-developed with Dolby Laboratories, designed to give manufacturers a single device for product development and HDMI 2.1 video/ Dolby audio codec performance verification.
- 2021: AVPro Edge introduces the AC-MX-42X, an 8K 4x2 HDMI Matrix Switcher.
- 2023: AVPro announces acquisition of the home components division of Seattle-based AudioControl.
- 2023: AVPro completes the acquisition of ThenAudio.
Biamp Expands Microsoft Teams Rooms Solutions
Shortly after announcing 13 new Zoom Rooms certifications, Biamp's complete line of medium and large-room conferencing bundles has received Microsoft Teams Room certification. Featuring the advanced TesiraFORTÉ and Devio audio processors, these bundles offer businesses a comprehensive solution for high-quality audio in their medium and large conferencing spaces, including industry-leading AI noise reduction to suppress distracting background noises and Biamp Launch, which automatically deploys and optimizes conference room audio at the touch of a button.
In addition, all five models of Biamp TesiraFORTÉ X and Devio SCX audio processors—the TesiraFORTÉ X 400, 800, or 1600 and the Devio SCX 400 and 800—are now certified for Microsoft Teams using either Parlé Beamtracking ceiling or tabletop microphones, offering multiple channels of AEC for further flexibility and customization in medium and large conference spaces.
Xyte to Host AV Cloud Summit 2024
Xyte will host its AV Cloud Summit, an event designed specifically for AV professionals eager to explore the influence of cloud technology in the audiovisual industry. Taking place on November 13, 2024, the AV Cloud Summit is a virtual event, offering a focused opportunity for attendees to stay ahead of emerging trends, learn from real-world case studies and gain practical insights into how cloud-based solutions are reshaping audiovisual systems.
The AV Cloud Summit will unite industry leaders from the entire value chain—manufacturers, system integrators, consultants, and end users—to share insights into the latest cloud-based innovations that are driving the future of audiovisual technology. Featured speakers at the AV Cloud Summit include Gary Kayye, founder of rAVe [PUBS]; Pam Hoppel, president of LegrandAV; Scott Walker, president of Waveguide LLC; Ron Sklaver, global lead for in-office meeting experience at EY; and Eric Snider, CTO of conference technologies, Inc. (CTI).
