Electrosonic's Philip Courtney recognized in 40 Influencers Under 40 list

Electrosonic is proud to announce that Philip Courtney, Engineering Manager, has been included in Commercial Integrator’s 40 Influencers under 40 Class of 2024. The 40 under 40 list recognizes ‘young, up-and-coming rockstars whose massive contributions to the audiovisual industry belie their years’. 

According to Commercial Integrator, “In his relatively short tenure, he has identified hurdles within the team and spearheaded the implementation of streamlined systems and processes. Collaborating company-wide, Electrosonic has elevated its engineering capabilities. And, he has been fortunate to work on some top-secret, mind-blowing projects.”

As Commercial Integrator indicated, Philip’s rise has been relatively short, so we asked him how he came into the audiovisual industry and how he adapted to the leadership role that he now holds. 

Q: Can you share a bit about your background and what initially drew you to the audiovisual industry? 

A: I’ve been in the audiovisual (AV) industry in some capacity for about 18 years. I’ve been a musician for even longer and that was the catalyst that got me started. Apart from performing in bands and musical theater, I’ve been involved in AV as an audio recorder, stage hand, lighting designer, broadcast engineer and even a DJ.  

I think that being on both sides of the curtain as a performer and technician gives me a balance of left brain/right brain and that has definitely influenced my career in AV.

Q: What were the biggest challenges you faced when starting your AV career and how did you overcome them?

A: Getting out of my comfort zone! Most of my early career, I focused on audio. Like many of my peers, I initially stayed away from the visual side. Then I decided to dive in head first. Although I made early mistakes, I was able to quickly learn and perfect my craft. Then I worked in a variety of roles as an audiovisual technician, audiovisual integrator and design engineer. 

Q: You quickly made the transition to a very different role as Engineering Manager. Did you find that a challenge, and how did you overcome that? 

A: When I was given the opportunity to lead, I was essentially given the keys and told: “It’s your team – do what you think is best.” That’s quite a challenge! 

While I had the technical knowledge, I had a struggle with putting those ideas on paper. I spent a lot of late nights in my free time constantly learning to get up to the calibre of quality the Electrosonic is known for - accurate, detailed, yet also clear and concise on the most complicated of systems.

Q: Once you took up that role, how did you set about ‘doing what you think is best’?

A: That phrase certainly gave me responsibility, but I think that empowerment has not only made me thrive, but everyone around me as well. I feel supported and heard and happy to lead and drive a number of initiatives to keep improving! 

I’ve found that to lead my team successfully, there are three definite requirements - clear, concise and effective communication; a regular cadence of temperature checks and ensuring a ‘quality at the source’ mentality. That means getting things right and taking the extra time up front to ensure deployment is as smooth as possible. 

Q: Now you’ve been in the leadership role, what’s the best part about it? 

A: It’s the people and the projects. I feel incredibly lucky to work with some of the brightest minds in the industry. Every day I learn something new from our people, whether they directly report to me or not. Even better, I get to help them be empowered in their roles and responsibilities. That’s very satisfying.

As for the projects, Electrosonic works on the coolest, biggest, and most impactful projects while leveraging our partners, and elevating our employees. Two projects really appeal to me personally. COSM Hollywood Park is an incredible venue and a great team to work with.  The other one is Meow Wolf in Houston, Texas.  I have a Meow Wolf near my home and absolutely love the weird, interactive experience.

Q: You’ve clearly made great progress in your AV career already. Do you see your role evolving? 

A: That’s certainly my aim. Audiovisual technology is continuing to evolve and I believe that we should evolve with it. So, looking ahead, I want to push Electrosonic and our teams to be the driver of technology innovation.

That means not only vetting and using emerging technology, but also leveraging Electrosonic’s skillsets and developing them further with in collaboration with our technology and manufacturing partners.

Q: Finally, you’ve got a lot be proud of in your work achievements. How do you feel about this further recognition by the industry? 

A: I was really surprised to be included in the list of influencers. I wasn’t expecting it, nor was I even striving to go after it.  I feel incredibly honored to be chosen, and even more so it happened during my time with Electrosonic.”

I want to leverage the recognition to elevate Electrosonic to our customers, partners and manufacturers.  It’s something I will never forget and also something that I hope will inspire future generations of AV engineers.