A New Leader at Starlite: Welcome Dan McKay VP of Integration

Starlite welcomed Dan onboard in October of 2023 and since then he’s hit the ground running. Dan comes with many years of experience in the Audiovisual world and is ready to blaze the trail for Starlite’s Integration team to expand in 2024 and the many years to come. Check out our Q&A with Dan and the inside scoop on his plans for the future!

Q&A:

What is your background in the Audiovisual and Lighting industry, specifically Integration? How did you get into the industry? What do you love about the AV and Lighting world?

I have always been a person attracted to technology. In High School I joined the AV Club and Stage Crafter and took electronic courses. After attending college for Electronic Engineering and Communications I worked as a sound engineer while playing in a band. A friend asked if I had any interest in working for an AV company that had openings for technicians. I had not really been aware that this industry existed and took that opportunity and quickly progressed from audio technician to managing small production jobs and eventually climbed the corporate ladder from warehouse manager, Rental Manager, Operations and then Regional Management. Later I made a jump from the AV Meeting and Events Industry to Integrated Audio Visual Systems Installation and Service. This path ultimately led me to Starlite. At every step in my career there have always been new things to learn about technology, processes, business management and people that have kept me both engaged and motivated to learn and grow.

How has the Audiovisual and Lighting world changed since you first started working in this industry? What trends do you predict for 2024?

Well, I’ve been doing this a long time, so it has changed a lot! When I first started out we were using slide and overhead projectors. Video and computer projection was a difficult and expensive proposition. I recall stacking Barco 5000 projectors for shows and needing 220V to power them. The things were huge, weighed a ton and cost as much as a car! As technology progressed LED projectors became commonplace and now we use Laser projectors for high brightness applications. The biggest change really has been the AV industry’s slow but steady adoption of network technologies as a backbone in many products and communication systems. I recall many years ago seeing an NEC LCD projector with a LAN port and thinking “What could this possibly do?” Now, practically every piece of technology we buy can be wirelessly connected to a network and your smartphone. I expect this trend to continue to grow and will bring about new devices, applications and means of control that we have not yet envisioned, but will someday need. AI technologies will continue to evolve and will work their way into the AV world. Who knows exactly what that will look like, but it will sure be interesting.

?

What brought you to Starlite? What does Starlite do? Or what did they do to draw you to want to work here?

I’ve been aware of Starlite since my time in the meetings and event industry. I had heard great things about them and even spoke with Dean Danowitz about a position here 25 years ago but the time was not right for me as I had young children and was looking to stay closer to home. Time has flown by, my kids have moved out and I was ready for a new opportunity when I received a call from a previous coworker that they were in need of someone to manage the AV Integration team. After a very quick interview process I accepted the job and am very happy to be here.

What excites you about your new position as VP of Systems Integration at Starlite?

I really enjoy being in an organization that has a lot of passion for what they do and is open to growing and improving their processes. I have accumulated a lot of knowledge and experience over the years and am very pleased to be able to put them to good use with a great group of people.

What outlooks or goals do you have for the Integration department at Starlite in the upcoming year or years? Any particular projects you want to work on? Any specific gear/tech you want to see used in these projects?

I want to take a good foundation and make it better. I would like to grow the size of the business and scope of the work we do by expanding our capabilities to meet our customer’s needs. There are a lot of opportunities to do this both in the Lighting and AV integration projects we do as well as the Support Services we can provide. Our customers invest a lot of money in technology and we can provide more services to ensure they know how to use it, keep it maintained and have a valued partner they can rely on when they need support.

?

Can you tell us a little more about yourself? Any fun facts, what do you like to do in your spare time?

When not working I spend time with my wife and dog. We like hiking and kayaking and make frequent trips to Vermont, the Chesapeake Bay and vacation in Cape May. I am still an active musician and spend a lot of time practicing guitar, playing the occasional gig and looking for new technology for my home studio.

Any other info you want to share?

The AV industry is a unique amalgam of technical and creative people. There are so many interesting people who come from varied backgrounds like being in bands, music composition, audio and video production, lighting design, theater management, computer programming to name only a few. One common theme is that we love applying technology to creative solutions to meet the needs of our customers. It really is fun and rewarding to be in this industry.

?