In my 25 plus years at Shanahan I've worked with some incredible clients, The Hanover Insurance Company being one of them. As a dynamic and growing company, The Hanover, is committed to an innovative and collaborative environment for its employees. This company principle also translates to the consistent evolution of the technologies they use every day. In 2018, a sophisticated corporate meeting room upgrade required the pairing of HD video broadcasting with professional lighting and flexible audio for daily meetings as well as larger overflow demands. The customer needed the adjacent low ceiling cafeteria be utilized as AV overflow for the quarterly company multicast.

HD multi-camera streaming broadcasts woven with the room PC video provided the content and was married with the audio from multiple presenters and sources. The dedicated control room housed the customer's Tricaster TC1 along with the upgraded video and audio paths.

The low ceiling yet wide room(s) were especially challenging. When combined, the 70 ft. by 130 ft. space demanded a unique approach to reinforcement while creating an intimate atmosphere. 

A combination of JBL Control series ceiling speakers complimented with Control boxes were installed using nine separate speaker processing zones and a Mackie Digital Axis mixing system interfaced the 10 new Shure wireless mics and numerous inputs. Independent audio zones included the multi-zone PA, streaming, audio conferencing, control room and record feeds.

The control room audio monitoring was upgraded using Yamaha HS8 monitors controlled by a Presonus Monitor Station wired to select Mackie Control Room out vs Tricaster PGM out vs post-compressor feed vs digital playback device. 

Stereo program audio feeds were brought to each camera location for recording purposes.

Video demands included independent feeds for the main projector vs overflow TVs vs the stream and archive feed. 

The customer is extremely informed and recognizes and appreciates quality in all aspects of the production. Ease of use is paramount for our client and his staff to effectively execute live broadcasts.

This was a perfect advanced technology project for one of our new technicians, Sydney, to break into the field. The project from start to finish blew him away.

Our work at PathAI, a Boston based life sciences company was my favorite project of 2018. As a new client, we were fortunate enough to work with them on several projects as they expanded into their new facility. We began with the installation of custom furniture for their conference rooms and huddle spaces. Custom furniture can be a process. From concept and design to manufacturing, to shipping through assembly. The result turned out great and worth all the effort. 

More recently, we returned to PathAI providing additional huddle space solutions and a lounge/presentation area with an AV system featuring a pair of Screen Innovations projection screens. It's been fun working with them through their expansion. It's always exciting to work with a project manager who keeps things on track. Path AI is doing great things and we look forward to working with them more in the future.

Each year, I enjoy the diversity of clients we work with at Shanahan. Each job brings its own interesting backstory and offers its own creative challenges. In 2018, one job that stands out to me is our work with Lasell Village in Newton, MA. The project involved five rooms each based around a similar architectural and audio-visual design. All the rooms feature an intuitive control panel and large display monitors with presentation and communication capabilities, including video and audio conferencing. This similar design approach eases utilization for residents as they move from room to room. Additionally, three of the rooms feature hearing loops systems furthering usage for those residents living with hearing loss. 

This project was particularly interesting to me not just for the common functionality of the rooms themselves, but also because of the Lasell Village lifestyle concept. This unique senior living community provides its residents with more than just a place to live and socialize. The pursuit of lifelong learning is central to the community's philosophy as it shares its campus with Lasell College. Lasell Village residents attend college classes with college students to create an inter-generational learning community. It's an idea that I personally find to be a compelling retirement option. And, because Shanahan also works with Lasell College it was natural for us to envision the two different spaces and how the multi generations interact thus easily creating commonality across the entire campus. 

I have traveled all over New England to install hearing loops systems. This year, we added New York and New Jersey to our looping territory. Working with our corporate client, The Bristal Assisted Living Communities we installed multiple loop systems in their new properties. In working with their general contractor, E. B. Construction, we collaborated with their numerous project managers, and their different AV subcontractors and carpet installers to complete each install. We also utilized our national network of audio-visual partners to assist us. Coordinating all these sites was involved and at times a bit tricky. We are currently working with Bristal on a training and service schedule to ensure consistency throughout their communities.

This is my first year with Shanahan and a favorite project first. I chose Lasell College as my favorite because I was involved with this job from start to finish. This work involved multiple rooms with a variety of designs and technologies. The Innovation Room refresh and modernization included three 80 inch televisions. Each television was equipped a Mustang articulating bracket. Because of the weight and the intended usage of the displays the walls had to be strongly reinforced before we could install them. 

My favorite room by far is The Arnow Campus Center, a multipurpose student center. It's wild! One side is done in white tones the other side is done in all black tones. The wiring was like completing a big puzzle among the ceiling pipes. In keeping with the color scheme, the entire ceiling was spray painted to match so it was visually hidden. During construction, it seemed odd to install white speakers on one side and black speakers on the other of the same room. It was fun to see how excited both students faculty were with the project. They kept unzipping the curtains and peeking in. When it was finished I understood why the yin and the yang of it. Separated by a staircase the white side features an eatery serving breakfast thru dinner while the other side is a student lounge and performance area. It's really a chill space!