Ron Callis
306 episodes listed below
Business talk for custom integration insiders.
Automation Unplugged is a business-minded interview show for the custom integration industry. Its episodes move between dealer stories, product categories, marketing problems, service plans, luxury client experience, and the operational details behind sustainable growth.
PRESS PLAY
Automation Unplugged is a custom integration industry show with a steady business pulse. It spends less time chasing gadget novelty and more time asking how dealers, integrators, and technology firms actually grow. The format is mostly interview-led. That gives episodes room to linger on background, market mix, geography, partnerships, and the kinds of mistakes that change how a company is run. Recent episodes move from smart home automation in North Texas to lighting design partnerships based in Georgia, from luxury client experience to big-screen projection sales. The show is comfortable with brand and product detail. Sony projectors, Lutron luxury positioning, Crestron experience, service plans, SEO, AI tools, and turnkey lighting workflows all appear as business problems first and technical topics second. That practical framing is its center. A conversation about projectors becomes a conversation about higher-margin experiences and the components that surround them. A conversation about luxury clients becomes a conversation about branding, touchpoints, and emotional selling. A conversation about AI becomes a small-business check on which tools save time and which ones do not. The show also values origin stories. Guests describe career paths through car audio, retail installation, electrical contracting, the Army, art galleries, wine, AV ownership, and design work. Those details keep the program grounded in lived industry experience rather than broad market commentary. Webinar-style episodes can feel more structured and partner-facing, especially when built around Sony or Lutron sessions. The strongest episodes are warmer and more conversational. They let operational lessons emerge from specific incidents, such as lost Google visibility after a move or the challenges of scaling beyond the founder's capacity. Automation Unplugged suits listeners who want to hear how integration businesses sell, hire, partner, specialize, and recover from rough patches. It is a trade conversation with enough context for newcomers and enough detail for people already inside the field.
Made for: Automation Unplugged is for custom integrators, AV dealers, smart home professionals, and industry marketers who want practical context on sales, service, partnerships, and category strategy. It also suits technology business owners studying how peers grow in regional and luxury markets.
What sets it apart: The show connects product categories to day-to-day business mechanics. Instead of treating projectors, lighting, AI, or service plans as isolated trends, it asks what they mean for margins, customer experience, staffing, visibility, and long-term positioning.
Automation Unplugged is a Facebook Live show recorded weekly with our host Ron Callis, Owner and CEO of the digital marketing agency, One Firefly. In each Automation Unplugged episode, Ron speaks with leading industry personalities and technology professionals to discuss all things business development, technology trends, and more. These interviews are designed to help our clients and members of the custom integration industry keep up-to-date with the latest news as well as learn from experts in the field.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Ron Callis turns custom integration case studies into practical lessons about growth, marketing, management structure, AI adoption, and technical-product sales.
Automation Unplugged follows Ron Callis into the operating decisions behind custom technology integration. Interviews with company leaders alternate with instructional webinars, connecting AI adoption, organizational structure, online visibility, content marketing, and product…
Projector margins meet Google mishaps, so your integration business gets advice with fingerprints on it.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A practical integrator story about visibility and getting back to basics.
Corby Vickers tells a narrow, practical story about custom integration, moving from custom car audio to leading installation teams for major retailers before starting 21st Century Audio-Video in North Texas.
A dealer-focused case for projection as a profitable big-screen category.
Automation Unplugged treats Sony's webinar as a dealer pitch for projection, but the useful part is simpler: it gives a clean way to open the big-screen conversation, lean on Sony's brand credibility, and keep the focus on margin. That is what makes it work.
A practical AI leadership conversation grounded in Sonance's adoption story.
Ari Supran frames the conversation as a practical look at how a design-minded global company gets people to adopt AI tools. The episode is strongest when it follows the move from early curiosity to everyday practice: lunch-and-learns, internal newsletters, an AI specialist, and…
A grounded founder story about growth, structure, and what it takes to scale without losing momentum.
Andres Klein’s story traces how a technology integration company can grow into a more disciplined operation without losing momentum. The episode starts with a teenage school TV project and follows Maxicon’s expansion into a 60-plus-person team working across continents, which…
Practical copy tactics for turning useful content into a clearer next step.
Automation Unplugged presents conversion copy as a practical guide for writing articles, social posts, and emails that move prospects toward a next step.
Cruise news without the brochure gloss.
Wireless infrastructure news, interviewed by the editors who cover it
The travel business, questioned directly.
Google marked the business closed.
Ron Callas frames this Sony co-hosted webinar around one plain idea: projection still has profit potential for custom integrators.
This episode features Doug Duchon discussing how to sell emotion and master the luxury experience in the home technology industry, drawing from his background in wine, art, and business scaling.
The host announces that starting in June, the fourth monthly episode of Automation Unplugged will be dedicated to AI, featuring interviews with industry experts about practical applications in business.
Scott Smith discusses his journey from AV integration to founding Arc Lighting Group and how lighting partnerships can help scale businesses.
Ron Callis hosts a webinar on strategies for winning high-value luxury projects in the custom integration industry.
Ron Callis interviews the Mulligan brothers about their 35-year journey building Pacific Audio & Communications, discussing hiring, culture, and business growth in the custom integration industry.
Ron Callis interviews Adam Lewis about how small businesses can use AI to work smarter, covering practical tools and strategies.
Host Ron Callis interviews Tony Blodgett about CIRA's evolution from outdoor TVs to leadership in mirror technology for luxury projects.
A webinar on how custom integrators can shift from being seen as AV contractors to trusted design consultants to win bigger projects.
Ron Callis interviews Joe Whittaker about his transition from integrator to manufacturer, innovation in smart home technology, and the convergence of technology and design.
Host Ron Callis interviews Tom Doherty about Lightapalooza 2026, covering education tracks, exhibitors, and registration discounts for the technology conference.
Host Ron Callis and CFO Taylor Whipple reflect on One Firefly's 2025 journey, discussing growth, challenges, and the role of AI in their business as they look ahead to 2026.
Ron Callis interviews Chris Coleman, a former FBI and CIA officer, about security solutions and a nonprofit supporting veterans.
Ron Callis talks with Ari Supran, CEO of Sonance, about how AI is making its way into a global custom integration company.
Ron Callis interviews Isar Maidiz about practical AI adoption strategies for small to medium businesses in the custom integration industry.
Ron Callis interviews Chris Sturrow, CEO of Acoustic Design Systems, about his company's growth and the custom integration industry.
Ron Callis interviews Chris Doty about the evolution of Hi-Fi Buys and discusses hiring solutions for the custom integration industry.
This special co-released episode features a conversation between host Ron Callis and Chris Oram of the Elevation podcast, discussing leadership, personal growth, team building, and the impact of AI on business.
Ron Callis interviews Keith Kearney about the importance of follow-up in converting leads for AV integrators.
Andres Klein traces Maxicon back to a school TV channel he started at 14 with his future business partner.
Ron Callis interviews Jay Dubensky, founder of Beverly Hills Smart Home, about luxury home automation and the custom integration industry.
Ron Callis hosts a June 2025 webinar with Lutron on content that converts.
Ron Callis interviews Matt Bernath about hiring strategies and operational systems for custom integration businesses.
This episode discusses hiring solutions and marketing strategies for the custom integration industry, featuring a content department leader.
Ron Callis interviews Jaime Garcia about transitioning from corporate to entrepreneurship and starting a home integration business.
A panel of industry experts discusses navigating economic volatility and business challenges in the custom integration industry.
Ron Callis interviews Travis Larson about his smart home integration business on Martha's Vineyard, covering hiring, craftsmanship, and seasonal dynamics.
This episode covers SEO strategies for staying visible online, including Google business profiles and backlinks, tailored for the custom integration industry.
Host Ron Callis interviews Jesse Miller, owner of Midtown Video, about his expertise in AV integration and multi-camera live streaming, highlighting the company's industry recognition and customized solutions.
This episode features social media expert Callie Keegan discussing effective social media strategies for 2025, including the importance of storytelling over sales pitches and the dominance of video content.
Ron Callis interviews Michael Wilson, co-founder of Bethesda Systems, about building a custom integration firm and the importance of hiring.
Ron Callis discusses marketing strategies for AV integrators and the evolution of One Firefly, with a focus on hiring through Amplify People.