Higher Ed AV Podcast with Joe Way

The Higher Ed AV Podcast went on the road to #EDUCAUSE26 in Denver, Colorado, with three special “Live from #EDUCAUSE26” episodes and "Best of #EDUCAUSE26" recorded directly on the show floor at the HETMA booth. Joe capturing the conversations, ideas, and energy happening in real time through commentary and attendee quick-hit interviews. Each episode brings together voices from across higher education to explore the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping our campuses right now, including those who work in AV, cybersecurity, organizational partnerships, enterprise, and more.

369: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 1
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV M...

The Higher Ed AV Podcast went on the road to #EDUCAUSE26 in Denver, Colorado, with three special “Live from #EDUCAUSE26” episodes and "Best of #EDUCAUSE26" recorded directly on the show floor at the HETMA booth. Joe capturing the conversations, ideas, and energy happening in real time through commentary and attendee quick-hit interviews. Each episode brings together voices from across higher education to explore the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping our campuses right now, including those who work in AV, cybersecurity, organizational partnerships, enterprise, and more.

369: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 1
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV M...

The Higher Ed AV Podcast went on the road to #EDUCAUSE26 in Denver, Colorado, with three special “Live from #EDUCAUSE26” episodes and "Best of #EDUCAUSE26" recorded directly on the show floor at the HETMA booth. Joe capturing the conversations, ideas, and energy happening in real time through commentary and attendee quick-hit interviews. Each episode brings together voices from across higher education to explore the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping our campuses right now, including those who work in AV, cybersecurity, organizational partnerships, enterprise, and more.

369: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 1
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV M...

The Higher Ed AV Podcast went on the road to #EDUCAUSE26 in Denver, Colorado, with three special “Live from #EDUCAUSE26” episodes and "Best of #EDUCAUSE26" recorded directly on the show floor at the HETMA booth. Joe capturing the conversations, ideas, and energy happening in real time through commentary and attendee quick-hit interviews. Each episode brings together voices from across higher education to explore the trends, challenges, and innovations shaping our campuses right now, including those who work in AV, cybersecurity, organizational partnerships, enterprise, and more.

369: Live from #EDUCAUSE26 - Part 1
Host: Joe Way, UCLA, HETMA, & Higher Ed AV M...

Higher Ed AV Podcast
Episode 368
Being the Resource with Chris Harshfield

What does good classroom support look like when your team is responsible for hundreds of spaces, faculty need help before class starts, and every department has its own priorities? In this episode, Joe Way talks with Chris Harshfield, classroom technology support manager at The Ohio State University, about the work that makes a classroom feel simple to the person teaching in it.

Chris began at Ohio State as a student technician and has spent more than fifteen years helping its classroom support program...

After a run of roadshows, live recordings, InfoComm episodes, and special series, the Higher Ed AV Podcast gets back to its roots with a great one-on-one conversation. Joe is joined by Calvin Thorbourne III, AV Specialist at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, for a conversation that moves naturally between higher education AV, live production, house of worship, career transitions, and the relationships that hold all of it together. Calvin shares his journey from the music industry and Universal Music Group into church production and eventually higher education, showing how staying open to opportunities can lead somewhere you never ex...

Live from the HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo
Part 4
Higher Ed AV Podcast

Live from the HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo Part 4 Higher Ed AV Podcast The HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo may have officially been a three-part series, but there was too much good content to leave behind. In this bonus Part Four of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way heads off campus and into the Roadshow happy hour for one final round of conversations from Buffalo. 

Recorded from a local Buffalo brewery, the episode captures t...

Live from the HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo
Part 3
Higher Ed AV Podcast

The HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo wraps up with Part Three of this special Higher Ed AV Podcast series, bringing together even more voices from across the higher education technology community. As the day moves through lunch, the vendor showcase, education sessions, an esports tour, and toward the closing happy hour, Joe Way continues capturing candid conversations with HETMA leaders, longtime members, industry partners, integrators, and higher ed professionals. The result is a final look at what makes the...

Live from the HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo
Part 2
Higher Ed AV Podcast 

The HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo continues in Part Two of this special Higher Ed AV Podcast series, with more conversations from the show floor about the technology, partnerships, and people shaping today’s higher education AV environment. As attendees move between vendor exhibits, education sessions, campus tours, and lunch, Joe Way sits down with manufacturers, HETMA partners, and the University at Buffalo team to hear what they are learning from the event and the challenges institutions are working to...

Live from the HETMA Roadshow at the University at Buffalo
Part 1
Higher Ed AV Podcast

The HETMA Roadshow rolls into the University at Buffalo for a special live edition of the Higher Ed AV Podcast. In Part One of this three-part series, Joe Way captures the energy of the event as attendees, HETMA leaders, and industry partners come together for campus tours, education, technology demonstrations, and the kind of relationship-building that makes the Roadshow experience unique. With nearly 100 registrations and an impressive host campus, Buffalo provides the perfect setting to showcase what happens when the higher...

Higher Ed AV Podcast
Episode 362
Practical AI for AV with Dan Litvin

AI may be the biggest buzzword in technology, but what does it actually mean for audiovisual professionals and the spaces they support? In this episode of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way welcomes Dan Litvin, co-founder and president of PureTek Group and co-founder of unRAVL, for a practical conversation about moving AI beyond the hype and into real-world AV workflows.

Dan explains how AI-powered control can make technology feel more human by allowing systems to adapt to the people using them...

Higher Ed AV Podcast with Joe Way
Episode 361
The AV Life Crossover Episode with Nancy Blanchard

What happens when the scheduled host does not show up? Joe Way and Nancy Blanchard take over the show, turn it into an unexpected crossover episode, and have the kind of honest AV conversation that could never have been planned.

Nancy, Territory Sales Manager for ScreenBeam, joins Joe to discuss her long-standing connection to the higher education AV community and why supporting HETMA has remained important throughout her career. She explains why successful manufacturer relationships must be built...

After taking his now-usual post-InfoComm break, Joe Way returns to the Higher Ed AV Podcast with a major announcement... His second book, "Producing Leaders: 9 Principles for Developing High-Performing Teams," is on the way.

In this solo episode, Joe explains why the hardest part of leading an AV organization is rarely the technology. The real work happens behind the scenes in setting the vision, designing the organization, aligning people to purpose, creating trust, navigating conflict, and building an environment where talented people can do their best work.

The book grew out of more than 30 years of leadership...

In this episode of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way welcomes longtime friend, industry leader, AVNation President, and now author Tim Albright for a deeply honest conversation about failure, resilience, and what it takes to build again. Tim’s new book, Building on Ashes, is not a technology manual or another AV industry playbook. It is a practical and personal framework for understanding failure, walking through the emotions that come with it, and finding what remains strong enough to become the foundation for the next chapter.

Joe and Tim explore the vulnerability behind writing a book, the di...

InfoComm 2026 is here, and there is more happening for the higher education technology community than ever before. In this special live episode of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way joins the HETMA community to break down the events, conversations, networking opportunities, education sessions, and industry moments that higher ed professionals need to have on their radar throughout the week.

From the HETMA Education Summit and Higher Ed AV Awards to booth activities, meetups, receptions, and can't-miss show floor highlights, this episode serves as your guide to navigating #InfoComm26 through a higher ed lens. Whether you are attending...

In this special live episode from the HETMA Roadshow in Mechelen, Belgium, Joe Way wraps up HETMA’s first European Roadshow with conversations from the show floor at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences. The episode captures the energy, lessons, and excitement of a milestone event that brought higher education AV professionals, university leaders, and manufacturer partners together to build community, share challenges, and explore the future of learning spaces in Europe.Joe opens the episode by reflecting on the success of the two-day Roadshow and the clear desire across the European higher ed AV community for more opportunities like th...

This week on the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way tries something brand new: the first-ever No Context Flash Pitch. The concept is simple, chaotic, and exactly what makes the higher ed AV community so special. Guests jump on live, get two minutes, and can pitch anything they want. A product. A booth. A project. A tip. A warning. A reason to get excited for InfoComm. No prep. No polish. No sponsor package. Just real people, real energy, and real reasons to show up. What follows is a fast-paced, community-powered preview of InfoComm 2026, featuring manufacturers, HETMA partners, higher ed professionals, and...

Overview

In this annual InfoComm preview episode, Joe Way welcomes back David Labuskes, CEO of AVIXA, for what may be Dave’s final Higher Ed AV Podcast appearance before his retirement at the end of the year. Together, they discuss why InfoComm is more than a trade show, how end users and higher education continue to shape the future of AV, and why community-centered organizations like HETMA have become essential to the industry’s growth. The conversation also reflects on Dave’s leadership, the importance of intentional networking, and the legacy of leaving the industry better than he found...

In this special Higher Ed AV Podcast live stream, Joe Way is joined by Shure’s Yuri and Ryan for an in-depth look at the new SLXD+ wireless platform and what it means for higher education AV teams. Broadcasting with HETMA and packed with live audience questions, this episode explores how Shure has expanded SLXD+ into a more powerful, enterprise-ready option for classrooms, lecture halls, event spaces, and campus-wide deployments.

Yuri breaks down the biggest upgrades to SLXD+, including wideband tuning, ShowLink Ease transmitter control, Dante-enabled quad receivers, digital feedback reduction, encryption, audio summing, and expanded cascading capabilities. Th...

353: From Grassroots to Gravity with BC Hatchett
Higher Ed AV Podcast with Joe Way

In episode two of this six-part series, Joe Way welcomes back HETMA cofounder BC Hatchett for an honest conversation about what happens when a grassroots movement grows into something much bigger. What started as a bold idea to advocate for higher education in the AV industry has become a real business with real responsibility, real expectations, and real consequences. Together, Joe and BC reflect on the successes, the missteps, the personal and professional weight of leadership, and the reality that building something meaningful...

In this episode of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way launches the first installment of a six-part series focused on failure, reinvention, leadership, and personal brand building. Joined by longtime friend Raul Cabrera, president of Miguel Studios in Fort Worth, Texas, Joe goes back to his early Texas days to reflect on a business venture that did not go as planned and the lessons that came from it. What unfolds is an honest conversation about risk, entrepreneurship, accountability, resilience, and how some of life’s hardest setbacks become the very things that shape future success.

Joe and Ra...

Joe explains that being a qualified buyer is not about exclusivity or being part of a large, well-funded institution. It is about being educated, having a clear understanding of the problem you are trying to solve, knowing your deliverables, and entering conversations with enough clarity to help solution partners actually respond in a useful way. He also shares why this mindset creates better relationships, better decisions, and better long-term success for everyone involved.

Since Higher Ed AV Awards nominations are now open (https://HigherEdAVAwards.com), Joe uses this episode to pull back the curtain on what actually makes an award nomination stand out. Drawing from his unique experience as a nominee, winner, judge, and awards organizer, he explains why strong nominations matter more than reputation, marketing language, or assumptions that an entry alone should guarantee a trophy. He breaks down the different types of industry awards, from public voting and panel-judged honors to editorial recognitions, and explains how the strongest entries consistently focus on impact, specificity, audience awareness, and meaningful proof.

...

This special double episode of the podcast brings you straight to Enterprise Connect 2026 in two parts. First, Joe goes live from the show floor, walking the event, taking in the energy of the conference, and sharing real-time conversations and insights from one of the industry’s biggest and best UC gatherings. Then the episode shifts to a featured higher ed panel session moderated by Joe Way, bringing together James King, Chi Hang Lo, Kerlin Cisneros, and Rodrigo Ceballos for a thoughtful discussion on the role of communications, collaboration, and technology in higher education. Together, the two parts capture both the ex...

In this interestingly off-the-wall and completely impromptu episode of the Higher Ed AV livestream, Joe goes live from the Sony AV Tech Expo in San Diego, bringing viewers along for a spontaneous walk through the show floor. With his signature energy and curiosity, he dives into the action in real time, jumping into conversations, catching up with attendees, and offering an unfiltered look at the people, technology, and moments that make events like this so engaging. The result is a fun, candid, and immersive experience that feels less like a formal broadcast and more like being right there with him...

In this short solo episode, Joe Way gives less of a preview and rather a reminder to log in for the HETMA Virtual Conference, emphasizing that it is free, easy to access, and built to fit into a normal work week. He explains that all you need to do is create a free account on the HETMA community site, go to the Events and Replays area, open the Virtual Conference listing, and click the Zoom link to join, with the schedule and recordings also available through the community.

From there, he reflects on why the virtual conference matters...

Integrated Systems Europe was bigger and better than ever before. Listen as Joe and the HETMA team break down the Best of #ISE2026!

HETMA hosted two simultaneous booths at #ISE2026 and the #EdTech2026 Congress in Barcelona. Joe and crew stream and record between the shows. Watch and listen to what will be one of the most entertaining shows yet!

Joe is live from the HETMA Booth on day 1 of ISE 2026!

Higher Ed AV Podcast
Episode 343

Joe Way caps off his ISE preview series with one of his annual favorite conversations, welcoming back Mike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, the organizers of Integrated Systems Europe. Mike shares why ISE 2026 is on track to be the biggest edition yet, how the team plans the show as a year round reinvention cycle, and what “Push Beyond” really means in practice, not just as a theme, but as a commitment to raising the bar for the industry and the attendee experience.

A big focus of the episode is h...

It's an annual tradition, the AVNation "Best of" Awards, and Chi Hang Lo is up for AV Professional of the Year, along with UCLA's Classroom Modernization Pilot, and HETMA for Best Technical Support! Take a listen as Joe Way sits down with Chi to discuss this honor and why you should #VoteForChi.

Joe Way drops a special Friday episode to spotlight the AV Nation Awards (Readers’ Choice “Best of 2025”) and rally the higher ed community around three finalists: Chi Hang Lo for AV Professional of the Year, UCLA’s Classroom Modernization Pilot for Project of the Year, and HETMA fo...

Higher Ed AV Podcast
Episode 341

Joe Way welcomes a packed house of HETMA leaders and volunteers to keep the pre-ISE 2026 hype rolling—this time with a full crew heading to Barcelona and a bigger presence than ever: two booths, expanded media coverage, and a brand-new stop on the itinerary, the EdTech Congress.

Together, the group breaks down what attendees (and the folks following from home) can expect from ISE’s massive show floor, how HETMA is curating a higher-ed experience overseas the same way it does at InfoComm, and why this year is a pivotal “bridge...

Higher Ed AV Podcast
Episode 340

In this special episode, Joe Way is joined by Sahil Dhingra, Cofounder & CEO of XTEN-AV, and Chris Dechter, University of Wyoming and AV SuperFriends, for a practical, higher ed focused walk-through of how teams are using XTEN-AV to design, document, standardize, and scale AV work as more institutions bring design/installation in-house. They break down “where do I even start?” for new users, share real workflows from fast departmental refreshes to integrator handoff packages, and preview what’s coming next for the product.Featured Guests
Sahil Dhingra: Cofounder & CEO, XTEN-AVChris Dechter: Manage...

This week, Joe Way kicks off another “January Push for ISE” episode with a big announcement: a brand-new education-focused collaboration happening alongside ISE 2026, EdTech Congress Barcelona (Feb 4–5). Joined by Alicia Berlanga, Cluster Manager for the Spanish EdTech Cluster, the conversation explores the event, its partnership with Integrated Systems Europe, and the ways the event supports the education vertical.Alicia Berlanga — Cluster Manager, EdTech Cluster SpainFormerly spent ~15 years at the Technical University of Catalonia working on international e-learning/education technology projects (starting in 1999)Later led professional training schools in Madrid and Barcelona for ~7 yearsNow leads the EdTech Cluster, bringing together companies, universitie...

Epsiode 338
Byron Tarry, NEXXT
NEXXT eXplore ISE '26

Joe Way kicks off the pre-ISE preview series (and debuts a new AI-made bumper) with Byron Tarry, Chief Transformation Officer of NEXXT, the industry initiative focused on AI-era transformation in pro-AV. Together they unpack why AI isn’t “a tool” so much as a toolbox and why the real opportunity isn’t slapping “AI” on products, but transforming how we run organizations, measure outcomes, and evolve the AV industry from “hanging stuff on walls” to delivering accountable, data-driven collaborative experiences.They also preview NEXXT eXplore ISE ’26, a free, two-day leadership...

Higher Ed AV Podcast
Episode 337
The Long-Awaited Special Guest Episode

In this special episode of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe welcomes a long-awaited guest, his wife, Amy, for a candid, hilarious conversation that pulls back the curtain on their life behind the scenes. Together, they reflect on the sacrifices, support, and real-world tradeoffs that shaped Joe’s career journey, balancing ambition, family, and the grind of leadership. The episode closes on a powerful note as Amy shares a message about grace and contentment, reminding listeners they don’t have to build their lives alone.

Joe Way returns to his “annual Christmas episode” roots with a personal reflection recorded during Christmas week. Using Isaiah 9:6 as the backbone, Joe walks through the four names—Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace—and connects them to a transformational year of health, leadership growth, humility, and a renewed focus on peace (both internal and relational). He also previews what’s ahead: a special episode next week, followed by four weeks of ISE prep with guests.What You’ll Hear in This EpisodeWhy Joe brought back the classic Christmas episode format: reflection, grounding, and meaning—not “Santa’s bag of stuff.”Th...

Higher Ed AV Podcast
335: Joe Way's Thanksgiving Episode

 In this special solo Thanksgiving episode of the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way steps “back to the roots” of the show with a reflective, unscripted gratitude list and a peek at what’s coming next. He explains recent changes to the podcast format including, inviting with executive and AV-adjacent guests, episodes stuck in limbo, and a refreshed bumper, while recommitting to the heart of the show… Elevating tech managers and support professionals across the higher ed AV vertical. He also teases the traditional Christmas episode and a mysterious “special” ep...

This week on the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way welcomes Peter Murphy Lewis, CEO and Fractional CMO of Strategic Pete, to the show. They discuss his role, evolving from teaching and to personal branding. Learn how to discover who your are, how to make true personal connection with others, and use that for professional growth. Watch and listen!

Connect with Peter Murphy Lewis:
Web: https://strategicpete.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermurphylewis/

Connect with Joe Way:
Web: https://www.josiahway.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiahway
X...

This week on the Higher Ed AV Podcast, Joe Way welcomes Matt Bolton, AV Design Engineer at the University of Nebraska, to the show. They discuss his role and career trajectory, and navigating across a university system, designing with intentionality, and working with external teams. Oh, and some huntin'. Watch and listen!

Connect with Matt Bolton:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-bolton-030371107/

Connect with Joe Way:
Web: https://www.josiahway.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josiahway
X (Formerly Twitter): https://www.x.com/josiahway
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com...