Azione Unlimited Executive Director Patrick McCarthy is just about half-a-year into his new role, but the messages he's imparting onto the members of the group sound like someone who's been at the helm for half-a-decade. Having served in the shadows on an industry legend, it's fair to assume he's picked up a thing or two, and now with the reigns in his hands, he's continuing to steer the group and its members in a very positive direction. During their recent event in Indy, Patrick sat down with us to talk about his message of "controling what you can control" and blocking out the negative noise that's out there.

CEO Alex Capecelatro has steered the ship for Josh.ai since the company launched 10 years ago this year. In that time, Josh has evolved from a piece of forward-thinking software into a full-blown home automation platform. We sat down with Alex to reflect on the past decade, discuss how far AI has come—and how far is still has to go—and how custom integrators have leveraged the platform to help their clients build the ideal smart home.

Fresh off the news that his family-run company had agreed to acquire RTI Control, AVPro Global Holdings Founder and CEO Jeff Murray sat down with us to talk about the deal and so much more. We get into the company's 10-year history, how they've grown so fast and so quick, lessons learned from their AudioControl acquisition, and what the future could hold for this newly combined entity. With InfoComm upon us, we might not see what a true mashup looks like, but those plans could start to come to fruition by the time the industry gathers in Denver for CEDIA 2025.

Every integrator has a unique backstory for how they got into the business. But once they've made the decision to jump into this industry, they tend to face the same challenges and obstacles as their peers. That's why it's always enlightening to sit down with someone like Ann Johnson, co-owner and principal of Premiere SAV, and talk shop. Ann's background and path into the business is unique, but her passion for growing and evolving her company might be unmatched – as is her knowledge and expertise. It was impressive to tap into that and get a glimpse of her approach to the technology, design, and operational aspects of the business.

It had only been a few weeks since Kathleen Thomas took over as the head of custom integration for Sony when we sat down for this interview, but having spent many years preparing for this moment, and with the support of the team around her, she's clearly more than up for the challenge. We dive into her plans and expectations in the role, explore Sony's lens to livingroom approach to entertainment, and look back on the influence of the industry icon she's replacing.

Shortly after the association's second-annual Smart Home on Capitol Hill Day – and on the heels of the "Liberation Day" announcements – we sat down with CEDIA to talk about the issues that are impacting the custom integration channel. Daryl Friedman, global president and CEO, and Darren Reaman, director of government relations, recap the event, talk tariffs, and much more on this week's episode.

Awareness around energy storage and energy management has been something like a wave, as Bryce Judd, Chief Revenue Officer at Savant, put it. The California kid explains in this episode how our industry is right at the point where the wave begins to swell. The challenge for integrators, then, is whether they can spot that wave coming, and whether they plan to ride it when it starts to crest or let it pass them by.

Ever since fully investing themselves in the CEDIA channel, Lighthouse Design Studio has had a series of lightbulb moments – pun absolutely intended – in how they can help with integrators become more effective and efficient in their outdoor lighting efforts. Tim Ryan, Executive Director and Principal Designer at Lighthouse, joins the podcast to talk about the many similarities between outdoor lighting design and the work of a CI, and how he hopes to elevate the professionals in both industries through education.

Had you told Scott Stephenson at the start of his career that he’d someday know the know and understand the lighting qualities of different shade fabrics, he’d have told you to go pound sand. Today, as Senior Director of Product for Hunter Douglas, it’s his job to help custom integrators – and the team at Hunter Douglas – make sense of how the worlds of home automation and custom window treatments not only need to coexist, but work together to improve the lives of homeowners.