Earlier this week, at Pace University’s campus in Pleasantville, N.Y., Day 1 of the second annual AV Talent Summit took place. The event, supported by NextLVL Learning, seeks to create a more intentional pipeline to attract young people to careers in the AV industry.

Last year’s inaugural event saw more than 100 local high schoolers descend on Pace’s foresty campus in Westchester County, N.Y., for a keynote speech, panel discussions and one-to-one vendor access. This year’s event — split between Day 1 in Pleasantville and Day 2 in NYC tomorrow — is an even grander affair, larger and more ambitious in every way.

Indeed, nearly 150 students attended the AV Talent Summit today, filling some 20 tables at Pace’s Kessel Student Center. Numerous local high schools participated this year, including those from neighboring cities and villages like White Plains, N.Y.; Ossining, N.Y.; and Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. Vendor sponsors contributing to the effort to cultivate the next generation of #avtweeps included Sennheiser, Legrand | AV, Daktronics, Q-SYS and WolfVision.

NextLVL Learning Creates Remarkable AV Talent Summit

Much of the credit for the event, which continues tomorrow afternoon at 4pm at Pace University’s 15 Beekman Street location in NYC, goes to NextLVL Learning. George Chacko and Rich Miller III founded the organization to build relationships with schools, educators and industry professionals across the nation, foster partnerships and collaborations, and harness the power of experiential learning. And the mission especially involves empowering students and educators alike and facilitating both personal and professional growth in the AV industry.

Notable #avtweeps luminaries like Steve Greenblatt, Kristin Bidwell, Adaline Tatum and Gary Albaugh were in attendance for Day 1 as Board Members, as were Advisors to the Board Gina Sansivero and Jennifer Weaver.

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This year’s keynote speaker, Brandon Beck, Ed.D., delivered a rousing address in which he candidly shared his own life’s journey, which included plenty of adversity. Those challenges included academic struggles as well as a gasp-inducing story about the time when, while recklessly playing with gasoline with friends, he ended up on fire, with his life flashing before his eyes.

He ended up with second- and third-degree burns, but that moment catalyzed a change in Beck, setting him on a much more productive course. Today, he’s a beloved educator and coach, as well as a published author and speaker. The nearly 150 students packed into the room listened with rapt attention as he discussed cultivating leadership skills even in the face of obstacles.

Beck asked the 16-, 17- and 18-year-old students why and how they exhibit leadership, while also asking them to grade their leadership skills on a numerical scale. The message was clear: Developing yourself as a leader is an ongoing process.

“Someone is not a great leader today and every day,” Beck reflected. “Leadership is a journey.” However, he said, every single student in that room should consider themselves a leader to some degree. After all, Beck said, after each student graduates from high school, “…you have to lead yourself toward your next step.”

By organizing the second annual AV Talent Summit, the passionate mentors and difference-makers hope that, for some, that next step will involve technology — and perhaps AV specifically.

Highlighting Multiple Perspectives in the AV Industry

As the morning progressed, panelists took the stage to address the subject of AV talent cultivation from multiple perspectives. Highly accomplished industry figures came out first, sharing stories about how they’ve ascended to heights of professional success.

This panel included moderator Alesia Hendley, a multimedia content creator and Sennheiser associate; Kristin Bidwell of Audiovisual Consulting Team; Erica Carroll of CharBett Strategies; and Bradford Terry of Pace University. Each one highlighted their own winding road into the AV field, emphasizing that they’d like to be shepherds that guide the next generation to a more direct, intentional path.

The panelists also underscored the criticality of networking, encouraging the students in attendance to link with them or others if they’d like a mentor or an advisor as they pursue a career in technology.

“Find someone who sees your potential and whom you’d like to mimic,” Carroll advised. She underscored that many in our industry are willing to freely share their knowledge — and their networks — with you.

Meanwhile, Hendley highlighted the importance of nurturing your personal brand and developing the confidence to step out from the shadows and let your talents shine.

“If you can sell yourself, you can sell anything,” she declared. “If you can do something really well, share it with the world.” In an age in which everyone is on social media and aspires to be an influencer, it’s a good reminder that branding takes many forms — and can reap real professional rewards.

Summit Adds Student Perspectives, Esports Opportunities

Successive panels featured Pace University students who are already enmeshing themselves in the world of technology as well as representatives from West Point and Full Sail University, who discussed burgeoning esports opportunities.

Brittany DiCesare of Control Concepts emceed the student panel, leading the students through a fascinating discussion about how they developed an interest in AV and how they’ve sought to develop their skills. The students were remarkably eloquent in making clear that they’re not simply after “a job” but, rather, desirous of a thoughtfully considered career path. “We’re ready to learn,” one young man said, “and we’re ready to adapt to meaningful work.”

The students were remarkably eloquent in making clear that they’re not simply after “a job” but, rather, a thoughtfully considered career path. Photo by Dan Ferrisi.

That earnestness shone through all morning, with students asking probing questions and showing real enthusiasm, especially when the Full Sail representative talked about esports leagues and related career opportunities. The discussion flowed from where racing sims fit into the picture to how Full Sail can support students wishing to enroll in an audio engineering program. By lunchtime, a propitious conclusion seemed inescapable: There were future #avtweeps in that room at Pace University.

There are those who wring their hands about the talent shortage in our industry (and related industries), and there are those who seek to seed our next generation of remarkable AV professionals. George Chacko and the entire NextLVL Learning organization are clearly doers, staging a bustling AV Talent Summit whose positive contribution will continue tomorrow afternoon — and will likely redound to our industry’s benefit for many decades to come.

This article was originally published on our sister site Commercial Integrator.

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