As Commercial Integrator’s #AVLivingLegends series continues, we’re pleased to honor Keith Kennedy, managing director at ProITAV USA, as our 90th inductee.
Kennedy’s path into commercial AV started with music. A lifelong musician, he was “the AV guy” in school and attended one of the few high schools at the time with a full television production studio and recording facility. When a professional music career didn’t pan out, he followed a related passion: the technology behind it all.
His career began in the mid-1980s with rental and staging companies. From there, he moved through systems integration, sales, product management and leadership before founding ProITAV USA about 12 years ago. The company helps AV brands worldwide navigate product development, commercialization and the practical challenges of bringing an innovation to market.
In our #AVLivingLegends interview, Kennedy explains why founding ProITAV USA stands as his greatest accomplishment, reflects on a career setback that shaped his thinking and shares his hard-won conviction that time is the one resource no one can replace.
Read on to learn more about Keith Kennedy, our latest inductee. You can also visit our hub page to explore all past #AVLivingLegends honorees.
Interview with Keith Kennedy
Commercial Integrator: What motivated you to join the commercial AV industry?
Keith Kennedy: As a lifelong musician and music lover, I was naturally drawn to the technology behind sound and video. I was also “the AV guy” in school—the person who was always eager to work with the equipment.
I was fortunate to attend one of the few high schools at the time with a three-camera television production studio, an A/B-roll ¾-inch tape-editing system, an eight-channel recording studio and a polyphonic electronic music lab. Being exposed to those technologies at such a young age completely captivated me and provided the foundation for my career.
As I continued my studies, I realized that I might not have the talent required to pursue music professionally. Instead, I chose to follow a related passion: working with the technology that makes music, entertainment and communication possible.
Early in my career, I worked for rental and staging companies, setting up equipment for shows, presentations and corporate meetings. Between those assignments, I took on freelance video-production work, installed AV systems and pursued nearly any opportunity that allowed me to apply and expand my technical knowledge. What began as a personal fascination gradually became a lifelong profession.
CI: What kept you motivated and engaged in the decades that followed?
Kennedy: My career began in the mid-1980s, so I have witnessed an extraordinary transformation in AV technology. The tools we used then would seem primitive today: three-gun CRT projectors, three-tube video cameras and presentations built with 35mm slides running through multiple projectors connected to early automation systems. PowerPoint, laptops and many of the technologies we now take for granted simply did not exist.
The industry never stopped evolving. Each new generation of technology introduced capabilities, challenges and business opportunities that had previously seemed impossible. As an AV and technology enthusiast, I found that constant change energizing. There was always something new to understand, solve or help bring to market.
My responsibilities also continued to grow. I progressed from hands-on technical roles into systems integration, sales, product management, leadership and ultimately business ownership. Each position allowed me to see the industry from a different perspective.
The other great source of motivation has been the people. I have had the privilege of working with and learning from remarkable individuals throughout the industry. Those relationships — and the opportunity to visit, work in and experience places around the world — have been among the greatest rewards of my career.
CI: 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?
Kennedy: I have been truly fortunate to have many mentors throughout my career. The first was my high school teacher, Danny Sell, who gave me the foundation of my broadcast and professional AV knowledge.
Without his encouragement and instruction, I am not sure where my career would have taken me. One of the most meaningful parts of that relationship is that we remain in touch today and that he is still involved in the AV industry.
Many others — including Marko Evans, Eric Bodley, Frank Sterns, Fred Bargetzi and Randy Klein — have influenced my professional development. They generously shared lessons about sales, customer relationships, organizational processes, product management, leadership, business and the importance of taking calculated risks.
Each helped shape not only what I know, but also how I approach people and opportunities.
I have tried to honor their influence by sharing my own knowledge whenever possible. Early in my career, that mentoring was primarily technical. As my experience expanded, so did the areas in which I could help others.
Today, I mentor people on technology, sales, product development and business, but increasingly I also find myself sharing lessons about judgment, resilience, relationships and life. My goal is not to tell others which path to take, but to help them recognize possibilities and make better-informed decisions.
CI: What’s the most memorable story/anecdote of your career in commercial AV?
Kennedy: There have been so many memorable moments that narrowing them down to one is nearly impossible. I have often joked that I could write a book titled You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!
Over the course of my career, I have interacted with celebrities, contributed to remarkable projects, worked alongside industry luminaries and participated in exciting product launches.
I have helped close significant deals, traveled to extraordinary destinations and found myself in situations that were sometimes inspiring, sometimes challenging and often genuinely unbelievable.
What makes those stories especially meaningful is not simply where I went or what I accomplished, but the people I met and the experiences we shared. Commercial AV has given me a front-row seat to decades of technological change, creativity and human connection.
After more than 40 years, I can honestly say that the book is already full — and new chapters are still being written.
CI: What has been your greatest professional accomplishment?
Kennedy: Creating ProITAV USA has been my greatest professional accomplishment. After 30 years working across systems integration, sales, product management and leadership, I used what I had learned — and the relationships I had built — to create the kind of product-development partner I believed the AV industry needed.
Over the past 12 years, our team has helped AV brands around the world turn ideas into market-ready products. We contribute far more than manufacturing: We help customers navigate technical requirements, product design, commercialization and the practical challenges of bringing an innovation to market.
ProITAV represents the culmination of my career, but it is not mine alone. My greatest satisfaction comes from the team we have built, the trust our customers place in us and the knowledge that our work has helped other companies succeed.
CI: What has been your biggest professional regret?
Kennedy: At one point in my career, I became lost professionally. I felt like a small fish in a very large pond and found myself in an unrewarding role that underutilized my skills. The company offered almost limitless opportunities, but I became stuck in a rut and could not find a way to reinvent myself within the organization. Ultimately, I chose to move on.
I have often wondered what might have happened had I pushed myself harder, sought different opportunities internally or found a way to reach the next level there. In that sense, it remains a regret.
At the same time, the experience taught me important lessons about personal responsibility, adaptability and recognizing when change is necessary.
Had I succeeded in building a different future at that company, I might never have followed the path that led me to where I am today. I therefore view it as both a regret and one of the most valuable lessons I have learned from failure.
CI: What’s the best advice or pearl of wisdom you either received during your career or came to realize on your own?
Kennedy: The most important resource any of us has is time. Regardless of our position, wealth or circumstances, we each receive essentially the same 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. The most successful person in any profession has no more hours available than anyone else.
What distinguishes people is how intentionally they use that time: what they prioritize, what they pursue, whom they invest in and what they choose to leave behind.
Time cannot be stored, replaced or recovered. Use it thoughtfully. Spend it with people who matter. Apply it to work that has meaning. Continue learning, take worthwhile risks and do not postpone the things that are truly important. Make the most of it, because every second counts.
Would you like to nominate a peer or colleague — or perhaps even yourself! — to be featured in the ongoing AV Living Legends list? If so, just email Dan Ferrisi, group editor, commercial and security, Emerald.
