As part of our series of people profiles, meet one of our fantastic Audio Visual Technician’s, Jamie Kettleborough. Read on to find out more about what’s involved in the day-to-day life of an AV technician here at Hamilton Robson. 

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to becoming an AV engineer?

I’m Jamie, an AV technician currently based in Dublin City. So far, my journey into the AV engineering sector has seen me uproot from my position in London to the lovely Irish capital and it’s been a great step up in terms of growth opportunities and responsibilities.

My initial pathway to my current role at Hamilton Robson began with being a keen musician, prompting me to pursue a degree in Music Technology & Audio Systems. I initially planned to progress and enhance my musical abilities but found myself becoming more drawn to the technical and engineering aspects.

After gaining my degree, I was able to expand my skills in roles based around live sound production but I dabbled in freelance recording and post-production for short films and music projects. I then decided I wanted a new challenge and applied for an AV engineer, a decision that has been nothing short of fantastic. Since joining the team, I’ve been challenged daily in this role and haven’t looked back!

What does a typical day or week look like for you as an AV engineer and what is a brief overview of your role?

During a typical workweek, you’ll find me stationed at one of our clients’ larger offices as a dedicated onsite Support Technician. This would involve conducting daily checks of meeting rooms to ensure that they’re ready for use. In the event of any issues found, they are troubleshooted swiftly to prevent any potential disruptions and to ensure the best user experience for the client.

I’m also on hand to facilitate and support client events and presentations throughout the day, operating all AV equipment. Many client offices become extremely busy so I will patch up any damage caused by general wear and tear and to keep the rooms looking presentable. Through gaining more experience in this role, I now have the privilege of training the Junior Technicians. It’s rewarding to play a part in their development and becoming part of the team.

Can you share recent project that you were involved in where you played a crucial role?

I am currently working on a project in which we support a client’s offices around various cities in Europe. It is a relatively new project, so it will often be my first-time setting foot in these offices, where the equipment has been installed by a different vendor. This means there is an element of planning to figure out exactly what the issue is, and to make sure I take the equipment required to be able to fix it. I get a lot of satisfaction from going out alone and solving problems for clients. Not to mention my ‘travel bucket list’ is a lot shorter than it was at the start of the year.

What do you enjoy most about being an AV engineer?

There is a lot of variety in this role, and every week is usually different to the next. Our clients have different needs and different equipment installed which keeps the days interesting. At times there have been opportunities to work with our Installation & Programming Teams. This experience has been invaluable to me, as when I go back to my support role, I can consider problems from a different perspective. My colleagues at Hamilton Robson have been great at taking the time out to train me in subjects that I was previously unfamiliar with. I would say the people I work with are a big part of the enjoyment for me.

When I first graduated, I was doing a lot of work in live events. Whilst I learnt a lot, I found that the hours were often unsociable. Now that I am in a corporate environment I have benefitted from more of a work-life balance. My current role is customer facing, so you get to meet a lot of new people. I enjoy the social element of being in the offices day-to-day, and being staying physically active on the job is a bonus for me. I am grateful that I get to work in a subject that I am passionate about, whilst having all these added bonuses.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering a career as an AV engineer? 

My advice would be to absorb as much information as you can and keep learning. There is so many resources already out there available online for free, so there’s nothing holding you back from gaining a good understanding of this industry. The technology is in the AV sector is changing and expanding year on year, so even the most experienced engineers are always learning new skills to keep up. This puts you in a great position to familiarise yourself with the new systems that are coming along as some of the older ones are phased out. A great example of this is the emergence and evolution of Q-SYS. If you are just starting out, I would also advise you to join a company that invests in your growth and has a good support network in place.