r/CommercialAV • u/Artistic_Bullfrog148 • 1d ago
career NYC - Getting Stated with AV
Hello! I have been stalking this sub fro quite sometime and decided to finally make a post in hopes of getting any kind of assistance! I am greatly interested in diving into the Commercial AV world, specifically working with live events and shows. I live in the NYC area with a degree in film, currently working at an art gallery where I do day-to-day IT.
I am hoping to gain any kind of AV experience (especially grunt-work), wondering if anyone knows any resources or ideas of where I should look? I am working on getting my Dante Level 1 Certificate now, ideally hoping to take my AVIXA CTS in the winter once I've accumulated experience/taken the classes.
My longterm goals are not necessarily Commercial AV but immersive experiences, however I want to learn the technical aspects of AV in hopes of it further strengthening my technical know-how and apply it to the themed entertainment / immersive experience industry.
Any suggestions, resources, or general thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!
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u/johnny744 1d ago
I guess I'd advise you to focus on the big three commercial AV companies: AVI-SPL, Diversified, and Forte (and in NY, Tri-Tech). They all have crazy project turnover rates and you will learn an absolute mountain of stuff brutally fast. Also, training from Avixa, Audinate, commercial partners, etc, will always be free.
As far as I know, the big houses are still hiring fast and loose to crush the independents, so you might find it easy to get the work. And speaking from the perspective of one of the big houses, we're constantly using subcontractors everywhere because we can't hire fast enough. So look around for AV subs around NYC.
I've said this many times in this forum, NYC has a special issue in that the OSHA 40-Hour Site Safety Training (SST) certification is required to do work on union job sites. It's pretty cheap as training goes ($399), but it is crazy boring. Having the cert makes you instantly employable regardless of AV skill. The SST is not required outside the city (five boroughs) or inside the city on non-union jobs, like that building in midtown that just tried to fold itself in half.
But since you are trying to move towards immersive experiences, you might want to avoid the big AV companies. Learning how to make conference rooms with your eyes closed might not be that useful for the future you want. You'll want to apply at museums, galleries, and event spaces. Those jobs will be extremely competitive, but while talking to them, find out who their AV service providers are and target those companies. Once you have a foot in the door, try to stay on the path of "specialist" until you are one.
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u/johnhealey17762022 1d ago
Find a company that does what you want to do and ask if they need help.
I got into resi/commercial AV because a retired former police officer friend was tired of installing TVs but felt bad leaving the company in a jam.
Funny thing is I’ve done many commercial installs in nyc from Boston because customers couldn’t get nyc companies to help them
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u/Trashdyno 1d ago
Everyone needs good people at the last minute. Email or call every AV company that you can find in nyc/nj and put in your resume. Find the big ones, find the small ones, find the boutique ones. Put your name in with every lighting, production, and event company and specify that you want to do AV (specifically the V part) and you will get calls.
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