About this podcast
Higher education institutions rely on audio-visual (AV) and information technology (IT) solutions as a key backbone for modern teaching and learning. The AV/IT industry plays a critical role in providing these solutions, and it is important to highlight the latest trends, innovations, and perspectives in this sector. The podcast “The AV/IT Amplifier” aims to fill this gap by featuring interviews with people from Higher Education Institutions and the AV/IT Industry who have an idea, concept, perspective, event or product that would be helpful or interesting to the target audience of higher education technology managers. The host of the podcast is Ryan Gray, Assistant Director of IT at Yavapai College.
“The AV/IT Amplifier” podcast will have a bi-monthly schedule with two recordings per month, each being split in half to provide for weekly episodes. Each episode will be targeted for 30 minutes to be about the length of an average commute. The first half of each recording will focus on the primary topic for that guest, while the second half will be a profile of the person.
The podcast will not only focus on technical topics but also on non-technical ones such as effective people management, pedagogy, community building, building a personal brand, career planning, professional development and other similar topics for our audience. The split episode format allows for a dive into the topic and the opportunity to get to know the person and perhaps draw the connections between why that topic is so important to that guest.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 143 episodes
- 141: Average Size Zach with Zach Moss · 24 min · Episode 141Ryan Gray is back for week two with Zach Moss of Yavapai College, this time leaving project management mostly behind for the questions that really matter. Zach establishes his…
- 140: I'll Get There On Thursday with Zach Moss · 33 min · Episode 140In this episode of The AV/IT Amplifier Podcast, Ryan Gray sits down with Zach Moss, Project Manager in the IT department at Yavapai College, during a live recording at the…
- 139: The Igloo Takeover with Laura Mills and Rebecca Wade · 30 min · Episode 139In this one off InfoComm 2026 episode, the tables turn as Laura and Rebecca from Igloo Vision take over the microphones and interview Ryan Gray for a change. What starts as a…
- 138: I Don't Wanna Be The Cheesey Boy with Philipp Gude · 35 min · Episode 138This week on the AV/IT Amplifier, Ryan continues the conversation with Philipp Gude of GUDE Systems, moving beyond the product conversation and into the people, personality, and…
- 137: Reliable as F*** with Philipp Gude · 30 min · Episode 137In this episode of The AV/IT Amplifier Podcast, Ryan Gray sits down with Philipp Gude of GUDE Systems during the final run up to InfoComm 2026. Philipp shares the story of GUDE…
- 136: You Never Go Full Bald with Chris Kelly · 34 min · Episode 136Chris Kelly returns to The AV/IT Amplifier Podcast for week two with Ryan Gray, and the conversation picks up right where the first one left off: part Higher Ed AV Media…
- 135: The Managing Editor with Chris Kelly · 35 min · Episode 135Chris Kelly returns to The AV/IT Amplifier Podcast for a conversation about media, volunteerism, accessibility, and what it means to help amplify voices across the higher…
- 134: They Don't Sit in the Classroom Like I Do with Mike McHugh · 32 min · Episode 134Mike McHugh is back for Part 2, and this half of the conversation opens up into something bigger than a technical discussion. Ryan and Mike talk about what it really takes to…
- 133: It Might Just Be Future Mike with Mike McHugh · 31 min · Episode 133In Episode 133 of AV/IT Amplifier, Ryan Gray talks with Mike McHugh of Goshen College about what it means to build a career, and a legacy, at a small institution where everybody…
- Special: HETMA Presents... Live Keynote from the HETMA Virtual Conference · 58 minRecorded live as the Friday keynote on Day 3 of the HETMA Virtual Conference, this AV/IT Amplifier crosspost pulls a fast moving hybrid conversation from sister show HETMA…
- 132: The AV Nerd with Tom Segers · 29 min · Episode 132Ryan is back on the ISE 2026 show floor for Part 2 with Tom Segers, an AV professional supporting Thomas More University of Applied Sciences in Belgium across multiple campuses…
- 131: Work Together To Make Some Difference with Tom Segers · 29 min · Episode 131Recorded live at the HETMA booth on the show floor of ISE 2026, Ryan sits down with Belgium based higher ed AV leader Tom Segers from Thomas More University of Applied Sciences…
- 130: Catch You On The Flipside with Issac Abbs · 28 min · Episode 130Isaac Abbs returns for week two and the conversation leans hard into the human side of senior leadership: how an introvert survives a job that demands constant presence, how you…
- 129: Trust Drips In and Pours Out with Isaac Abbs · 31 min · Episode 129Ryan Gray is joined by Isaac Abbs, Chief Information Officer at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona. Isaac walks through what the CIO role really demands in higher…
- 128: If You Think Nobody Cares, You're Wrong with Thomas Eastlack · 31 min · Episode 128Week two with Thomas goes deeper into the inner mechanics of growth: how confidence gets built (and rebuilt) in real time, how “needing people” can be both a strength and a…
- 127: Don't Lose Yourself with Thomas Eastlack · 34 min · Episode 127After a stretch of inconsistency, Ryan kicks off 2026 with a simple promise: the show is back, and the conversations are the fuel. In this in-person episode, he sits down with…
- 126: Wish You Were Asked? 2025 · 35 min · Episode 126We close out 2025 with a listen back to some of our favorite guests this year and their answers to the questions they wish to be asked. Stay tuned for new episodes of The AV/IT…
- 125: RTM Higher Education Fall 2025 · 38 min · Episode 125Recorded on-site in Austin, this cross-conversation episode (in partnership with RTM Business Group’s Inside Innovation) brings together fast takes from the Fall Higher Education…
- 124: Gray Matter Moment: Leadership Odyssey · 23 min · Episode 124Sometimes leadership doesn’t begin with a grand vision—it begins with a text. In this introspective Gray Matter Moment, Ryan Gray records from the shores of Puerto Peñasco during…
- 123: The Dude with BC Hatchett · 28 min · Episode 123BC Hatchett returns for week two with a laid-back, life-and-leadership conversation that ranges from higher-ed purpose to… blacksmithing. We kick off with Halloween costumes (the…
