CE Pro September 2024 - 41

honor to serve this community.
I've really just come to
know it and love it, and so
the fact that the Board had
the confidence to extend
me is just personally something
I'm just very happy
about and excited to look
forward to those next at
least three-and-a-half years.
For CEDIA, I think it
just means continuity and
continuing on this path,
and having some leadership
that is going to be a North
Star - we've had a lot of
changes in leadership at
CEDIA over the years. And
I think this Board wanted
to try somebody who didn't
come from the industry, and
I admit that I came from a
related industry in music
but not from the smart
home industry. So they
wanted to try somebody
who had experience as an
association professional.
How do you think that
being a relative outsider
has helped shape your
influence? I know you said
that obviously music is a
tangential category to it,
but as someone new to
the custom integration
and smart home industry,
what have you found to be
most relevant from your
GRAMMY experience?
FRIEDMAN: Well, it's
interesting. I really learned
so much by talking to our
members, especially in the
first 90 days. I traveled all
over the world and talked
to members from every
market, and they taught me
a lot about this industry.
One of the things I
learned about was how
multifaceted it is, just the
various sectors of this
industry and the growth
opportunities. I also was
coming on Board toward
the end of the pandemic,
so it was very eye opening
to see how important this
industry is. It's not a luxury.
I mean, this industry is an
essential business.
The other thing that I
noticed, and it was a stark
contradiction to the music
industry, was the collegiality
of this. This is an industry
and a community. Really, I
would use the word community
more than industry
or channel, because I think
they all want to help each
other. They all want to help
the sector grow. They all will
share tips and tricks even
with their competitors. And
there's just an interest here
in elevating and leveling up
this industry, so the education
is higher and the service
is higher, and that we
just become a bigger and
better industry. It's great to
get that sense of community
among the people.
You mentioned when
you came in at kind of the
tail end of Covid, and some
integrators were really
booming because of the
networking and outdoor
entertainment upgrades
that people wanted. But
Covid aside, what have
been the biggest challenges
that you faced during
your tenure?
FRIEDMAN: I think in the
early days, it was really
trying getting the talent of
The other challenge was
the financials. Covid was a
big part of that, but it wasn't
the only factor. But I think
over the years, CEDIA has
just not really managed the
financials that well, and
there's also been a lot of
investment in it. So, coming
in on the tail end of at least
five years of fiscal years in
the red, turning that around
was key so we can grow the
organization and continue
this team working in a way
that was logical and functional,
because individually
we have this amazing staff
of people. They are talented,
they're dedicated. They
want to serve our members.
But over the years, the
organizational structure
had changed, and I think
getting that into a logical
semblance and logical
verticals was important. To
get the team working in
concert, and I think that's
happening now.
" For CEDIA, I
think... having
some leadership
that is going to
be a North Star -
we've had a lot of
changes in leadership
at CEDIA
over the years.
And I think this
Board wanted to
try somebody who
didn't come from
the industry. "
-Daryl Friedman,
CEDIA
to serve our members. I'm
happy to say 2023 was the
first break-even year in many
and '24 is expected to be
a good, profitable year for
us - and then we can turn
that and invest that money
back into our community.
Another big thing that
you've really spearheaded
since your time in this
position is the advocacy
role that CEDIA plays.
Why is the association
investing so much more
time into this?
FRIEDMAN: I've been
involved in this part of the
business for about 20 years.
I'm actually based just outside
Washington, D.C., and
it was a part of my portfolio
at the GRAMMY organization.
One saying I learned
from a congressman, and I
repeated it often: If you're
not at the table, you're on
the menu. Essentially it
means you've got to be in
Washington. You've got to
have your industry showing
its face, making its case, and
being out there, out front.
When I came on board,
I asked about advocacy
and was told, 'Oh, yeah,
you know, advocacy is so
important here, it's our best
kept secret.' And I chuckled
and cried at the same time,
because we don't want
advocacy to be a secret. We
want it to be championed
on top, [shouted] from the
mountaintop.
The first CEDIA Expo, I
enlisted my colleague Darren
Reaman, who is [CEDIA's]
director of Government
Relations, and we held a
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CE Pro September 2024

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