System Integrator Spotlight: ISF

Tell me about your company and career?

[IS] I’m currently the President of ISF, having started in the AV industry in 2006. I initially started with another company called Agency Entertainment Solutions before taking the leap to go out on my own.

At the moment at ISF we employee just under twenty people, all of which have really strong skills in automation and system integration. I’m really proud of what we have achieved together over the past few years but there is always room for improvement and we have big plans for the future of ISF.

How did you get started in the industry?

[IS] Since I was a child, I loved taking things apart and putting them back together. I guess I was always really interested in what made a system tick. When I was growing up my parents owned a restaurant and I put together their audio system. It was particularly useful for after parties that we used to throw in the restaurant. Once I started working within the AV industry in 2006, I fell in love with system integration and that is still where my passion lies today.

What is the most challenging project you have worked on?

[IS] When I first started in the industry some of the commercial high-rise projects in Miami were really challenging. There was one project in particular that involved a structural re-wiring in one of these buildings. At the time I was in my mid-twenties had ten people on my payroll and was project managing the entire job. I remember it was tough and it was a huge amount of responsibility at a very young age. Looking back, I learned a lot from that experience and it got me to where I am today.

If I’m looking at more recent challenging projects, Chef Adrianne’s restaurant is definitely up there.

Don’t get me wrong I have worked on a lot of small restaurants but nothing of this size with this level of detail. The owner, Chef Adrienne is amazing and wanted high-quality systems that would deliver perfect audio, more high-caliber then a typical restaurant. She challenged us to take this system to a whole new level and think outside the box. It challenged us as a team but the end result was definitely worth it. The restaurant is now booked out for the next 6 months and while that is definitely down to the food, I would also like to think that the audio and the atmosphere plays a huge role.

What is the hardest part of your job? What can manufacturers do to make it easier?

[IS] Programming new systems for me is difficult, I can install a system no problem but getting used to new programs is tricky and can require some training and hand holding by the manufacturer. The easier they can make this for my team, the better.

How do you measure success?

[IS] To tell you the truth, it’s all about feedback for me. I love when friends and family go to one of the venues I’ve worked on. A lot of the time they will reach out to me, take pictures, and say, “Hey, this came out amazing.” That is the best thing I can hear and motivates me to keep improving with every project.

Can you recall your best day on the job?

[IS] My best day was when I signed my first big contract after years of working on small projects here and there. It was a massive relief…like everybody says, hard work pays off!

Do you have a favorite song for system testing?

[IS] Oh, that’s a hard question, I don’t think I have one song but I like to test a system with hip-hop music for sure. I like to hear how hip-hop sounds on the whole system, the subwoofers, everything. If hip-hop sounds good on a system everything else will sound good too.