Commercial Integrator is proud to continue the #AVLivingLegends series, this week inducting Burt Feldman of Inogeni as #70. Feldman has enjoyed a remarkably successful career in AV, making significant contributions to VBrick Systems, Mersive Technologies and Inogeni, among other industry leaders. Thus, he fits right in among this group of legends, influencers and industry-changers.
Feldman begins the conversation by reminiscing on his dreams of being a broadcaster, working in and around various productions. However, he reflects, he eventually came to a fork in the road that made him choose between the uncertain path of broadcasting or a steady opportunity in AV. He’s not looked back since.
Later in the interview, Feldman shares lessons from his father, whom he describes as a seminal influence in his life. Plus, he thinks back on the “rough encounters, bruised knees and head-slapping moments” through which he persevered on the way to transforming a dormant region into his company’s number one territory. Clearly, there’s much insight to glean here!
Read on to learn more about our Burt Feldman of Inogeni, Commercial Integrator’s latest inductee in the #AVLivingLegends series! You can also check out our hub page to see all of our past honorees.
Commercial Integrator: What motivated you to join the commercial AV industry?
Burt Feldman: First off, I’m truly honored to be considered for AV Living Legends.
Like many in this industry, I didn’t exactly plan to end up here, I backed into it. As a kid, I was always drawn to technology, which eventually led me to study Radio, Film & Broadcasting. At the time, I imagined myself as a Top 40 radio personality or a sportscaster on a major network. What was I thinking? [Laughs.]
While the radio dream faded, I pivoted toward broadcast television. I took on freelance gigs, some paid, many not, just to gain experience. In the early days, I was pulling cables and operating studio cameras for a local show called “The Soap Factory Disco Show.” (Yes, disco!) I also worked as a gaffer on various productions. One of the most memorable opportunities came when I was asked to be the associate director (AD) for a company broadcasting New York Cosmos games at the Meadowlands. I had no idea what I was doing as an AD, but there I was, sitting in the production booth, cueing play-by-play announcers for game starts and commercial breaks. It was an incredible experience!
Those gigs were short term and paid just enough to cover gas, but they kept me going. Eventually, I landed a summer internship at ABC Television and thought that might be the start of my long-term career until I learned I’d have to wait another year to be considered for a full-time position, with no guarantees.
Around that same time, a college friend asked if I’d help him set up AV gear at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel for a company called Modern Mass Media. I figured, “Why not?” I knew nothing about AV, but I gave it a shot. A few months later, they offered me a full-time role.
That was the fork in the road: Chase the uncertain path in broadcasting or step into something new with a steady opportunity in AV. Well, I think you know which one I chose.
Commercial Integrator: What has kept you motivated and engaged in the decades that followed?
Feldman: What has kept me motivated and engaged is the relationships I’ve formed, the evolution of technology and the constant stream of new challenges. I’ve had the privilege of working with incredible people, clients, colleagues and partners, many of whom have become lifelong friends.
Commercial Integrator: Reflect on your role as both a mentee early in your career and as a mentor later in your career. Who helped shape the trajectory of your professional life? How have you tried to help shape others’ careers?
Feldman: Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to learn from so many talented professionals, far too many to list here. But there’s one person I must mention: It’s someone who most likely never realized they were mentoring me but who taught me, by example, what it truly means to go the extra mile. That person was my dad.
My father ran a small corner grocery store, and it was open 12 hours a day, seven days a week. It was demanding work, but you’d never know it. He greeted every customer with a smile (and often a corny joke). He always did his best to create a welcoming experience, even as he competed with a big-box supermarket just blocks away.
One day, a customer came in asking for a can of corn. We were out of stock, and I knew we wouldn’t be restocking for days as he wasn’t due to visit the wholesaler until the following week. But without missing a beat, he told her, “We’ll have it this afternoon, please come back.”
I was stunned. As soon as she left, he asked me to watch the store and headed out. Thirty minutes later, he returned with a few cans of corn. Turns out, he’d gone to the competing supermarket and bought them himself just so that one customer wouldn’t leave disappointed.
At the time, I didn’t fully grasp the significance. But that moment became a defining one in my life. It shaped my outlook on service, leadership and what it means to truly care about people. My father led with quiet integrity, a tireless work ethic and a commitment to doing right by others, even when no one was watching.
Today, as I lead teams and mentor others, I often reflect on his example. One of my go-to mottos is “Keep your foot on the gas pedal.” It’s about building momentum, staying committed, staying fast and never giving up.
That simple gesture with a can of corn still fuels the way I approach every challenge and every customer.
Commercial Integrator: What’s the most memorable story/anecdote of your career in commercial AV?
Feldman: Several experiences come to mind, but one that stands out is early in my career when I was offered my first sales position in the industry. A sales region had recently been vacated and, instead of choosing the safer or more obvious path, I decided to take the road less traveled. I requested to cover a region that had been dormant for years, viewing it as a challenge rather than a setback. I was determined to prove myself. Whether I would succeed in sales or I wouldn’t, I needed to find out. After some rough encounters, bruised knees and head-slapping moments of ‘What the hell was I thinking?’, I eventually turned that region into the company’s number one territory.
Commercial Integrator: What has been your greatest professional accomplishment to date?
Feldman: The fact that I have spent my entire professional career in this industry is my greatest accomplishment. When I started in this industry many years ago, little did I know that it would lead me to where I am today.
Commercial Integrator: What has been your biggest professional regret to date?
Feldman: I truly don’t have any regrets. It’s been a tremendous career in an industry that has treated me well. So, I’m not announcing Met games, who cares? (Well, maybe a little….)
Commercial Integrator: What’s the best advice or pearl of wisdom you either received during your career or came to realize on your own?
Feldman: I’ve been a firm believer in treating other people the way I would want to be treated. I know it sounds a bit cliché, but it is so true. As my wife always says, “You reap what you sow.”
Also, I’ve been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Though we may not understand why, I believe the most valuable lesson behind it is to make us all stronger. Live in the moment because that is all there is…. Hang on to the good and let go of the rest.
Would you like to nominate a peer or colleague — or perhaps yourself! — to be featured in this #AVLivingLegends series? If so, just email Dan Ferrisi, [email protected].
