Shows / Inside Integration
Inside Integration
Welcome to the Inside Integration Podcast, where we'll get you up to speed on what's going on in the world of Custom Integration. Sometimes we’ll have guests from the CI world, sometime it’ll just be Chris and Jayson BS'ing about this industry we love.
We’ll cover news from the world of CI, interesting trends, cool technology, upcoming events, and whatever else we get distracted by in the moment.
Join us!
Looking for merch? 👉 https://inside-integration.printify.me/
Episodes
- Inside Integration
Episode 136: Carnival Barking, Hotwheels Ramps, and Marketing
The guys launch into a deep-dive rant on tech marketing hype — from Tesla's viral Roadster stunt to the CI industry's own history of vaporware and "coming next…
- Inside Integration
Episode 135: Idiot Steve Already Pre-Ordered Three of These
Chris and Jayson are back after missing the last one (life, work, and sick kids got in the way), diving into Apple's newly announced smart display — Apple Home…
- Inside Integration
Episode 134: - The Burden of Being the Tech Guy
Chris and Jayson unpack the curse of being "the tech guy" in the family — from drywall-anchor TV mounts to milk-crate projector housings, to getting roped into…
- Inside Integration
Episode 133: Apple Announcements, Fancy Pants
Two old men make Nextel chirp sounds and wax on about the pace of technology.
- Inside Integration
Episode 132: CEDIA Expo Recap
We're back post-CEDIA to see if our predictions were right, wrong, or somewhere in the middle.
- Inside Integration
Episode 131: Pre-DIA talk.
We're two-ish weeks from CEDIA Expo and the phrase of the day is "subdued optimism". What can we expect from a CEDIA Expo of uncertainty? We'll get into it.
- Inside Integration
Episode 130: ADI Spins off Resideo and What's CEDIA EXPO going to be this year?
ADI spins off Resideo, is that a sign of more moves to come? And we talk about what CEDIA Expo is going to look like this year...Ghost town? Best show ever? We…
- Inside Integration
Episode 129: Work the System
This Inside Integration episode dives into why a real human co-host beats AI, the real-world perks and pitfalls of small business ownership, creative-yet-legal…
- Inside Integration
Episode 128: An AI Story
This week, we're keeping the streak alive by using the latest in AI technology.
- Inside Integration
Episode 127: A Nice Payday
Big news this week as Nice grabs a chunk of investment capital and we pretend to know all about them as a company. Plus, food.
- Inside Integration
Episode 126: The New Housing Bill, Guillotines, and Skyline Chili.
Housing policy plus pastrami burgers and chili wars. We break down a big bipartisan housing bill (MDUs, modular, mortgages, and code tweaks), map clear plays…
- Inside Integration
Episode 125: We're back.
Took two weeks off, all hell broke loose. We're back with all the travel nightmares, tradeshow, and bizarre food talk you can handle. This show description is…
- Inside Integration
Episode 124: The Middle Is Melting: Surviving AV’s Commoditization
The AV industry is at a crossroads as the post-COVID cash reserves dwindle and new challenges like AI-driven chip shortages loom. Chris and Jayson riff on the…
- Inside Integration
Episode 123: Another Trade Show and a Couple of Old Tools
The AV trade show landscape just got a major shake-up with the announcement of "RESIDE," a new show directly competing with CEDIA Expo. We break down what two…
- Inside Integration
Episode 122: Hot Takes on the The CEPro Top 100
We unpack the CE Pro Top 100- why ADT, Vivint, and Guardian belong in CI, retail juggernauts vs. custom craft, consolidation (GHT, Daisy), electrical…
- Inside Integration
Episode 121: Trade Association News and Old Men Yelling at Clouds
Another week, another shakeup in the world of industry associations...What the massive Apollo acquisition means for the future of the CEDIA Expo, and why the…
- Inside Integration
Episode 120: CEDIA Strikes Back (with, uh, a Battle of the Bands?)
The industry is shaking! Just days after we questioned CEDIA's future, the organization dropped a bombshell: they're leaving Denver. This week, we dive into…
- Inside Integration
Episode 119: - AVIXA Buys Lightapalooza: What It Means for Resi
AVIXA quietly bought Lightapalooza—now what? We break down the history, strategy, and fallout for CEDIA, dealers, and manufacturers. Co-location with InfoComm…
- Inside Integration
Episode 118: You Can’t Be Important to Everybody
Chris and Jayson swap Boise and SoCal road stories, break down how brands become favorites (and why you can’t be important to everyone), and get real about…
- Inside Integration
Episode 117: Amicable Splits and Messy Divorces
Hosts Chris and Jayson dive into the recent news of the "divorce" between Control4 and Josh.ai. They explore what this split means for integrators and…
- Inside Integration
Episode 116: 25 Years of Kaleidescape: The OG Media Server
It's Kaleidescape's 25th anniversary! Join us for a nostalgic trip as we explore how this iconic brand defied the trend of "cheaper and more convenient" to…
- Inside Integration
Episode 115: Barco, Consolidation, and Home Planetariums
Barco just made a serious move into audio by acquiring Focal and Naim, and Chris and Jayson break down what that actually means for the integration channel…
- Inside Integration
Episode 114: Several Tools. Real and Virtual
This week, we're talking tools. No one reads podcast descriptions, but here goes anyway: If this episode sounds like an advertisement for Plaud and Lincoln…
- Inside Integration
Episode 113: An Approximate Lightapalooza Recap
This week, we're joined again by one of our favorite stunt beards, Shawn Sorensen. We'll belatedly recap Lightapalooza, talk business philosophy, and stuff as…
- Inside Integration
Episode 112: Out of Control? Are We Moving Away from Control Systems?
Chris and Jayson go down memory lane — Philips Pronto, Niles Audio, IR blasters, and the days when you actually needed a control system just to watch a movie —…
- Inside Integration
Episode 111: After Dark: Marlon ReBrando
It was late. The filters were off. And somehow we landed on the topic every integrator eventually faces… rebranding. In this After Dark episode, we talk about…
- Inside Integration
Episode 110: All About Buying Groups
Buying groups get talked about a lot, but not everyone really understands how they work. This week, Jayson and Chris dig into what buying groups actually are…
Inside IntegrationEpisode 109: Remembering John MacDonald
This week, it’s just me and Jayson remembering our friend John MacDonald, President of Morris Tait Associates and a cornerstone of the CI industry for more…
- Inside Integration
Episode 108: Jayson's MIA, Bring in the Stunt Beard
While Jayson's off letting his day job interfere with his real passion for being grumpy on the airwaves, Chris hangs with his side piece Shawn Sorensen who…
- Inside Integration
Episode 107: A Noncontroversial Episode about ISE
ISE 2026 is underway. What is ISE? Why aren't either of us hanging in Barcelona? I'm not bitter, you're bitter. We talk ISE, have some technical challenges…
- Inside Integration
Episode 106: CES isn't our jam.
Unless you're into vacuuming robots or high tech marital aids, or some freaky combination of the two, CES was kind of a waste. That's it. That's the…
- Inside Integration
Episode 105: TCL Owns 51% of this Podcast
We get season 3 off to a good start with big news in the world of Custom Integration and AV in general as Sony and TCL team up. We also get into the aftermath…
- Inside Integration
Episode 104: Shilling for Dante after Dark
Well whaddya know, it's show number 104, which is twice as many as 52, which are the number of weeks in a year. So to celebrate our 2 year run, we decided to…
- Inside Integration
Episode 103: Resolutions and Recriminations
We're a week into the new year and, well, not much is different. I don't know what you expected. We talk resolutions, Plan B's (C's and D's), and all manner of…
- Inside Integration
Episode 102: Consolidated Greetings to You and Yours.
It’s New Year’s Day, it’s definitely 2026 when you’re listening to this, and we’re already off the rails. Chris and Jayson look back at 2025 through the only…
Inside IntegrationEpisode 101: Merry Christmas, Baby.
It is Christmas. Join us for tidings of comfort and joy, or just obscure references and red flags. Maybe listen to us while you head out for smokes, never to…
- Inside Integration
Episode 100: Still Alive.
It's episode 100, which sounds like a milestone, but isn't even a full two years. Chris and Jayson talk about what they've learned and what they're going to do…
- Inside Integration
Episode 99: Two Creeps in a Car in Mountlake Terrace
Chris and Jayson dig into how the industry’s shift toward convenience is quietly shrinking the pipeline of people who actually want to do hands-on work. When…
- Inside Integration
Episode 98: The Doldrums
Chris and Jayson slide into the year-end doldrums with a week full of dead phone lines, slow clients, and random tangents. They talk about being “LinkedIn…
- Inside Integration
Episode 97: Why Are You Listening to This? Thanksgiving Edition
Chris and Jayson check in on Thanksgiving with zero plan and holiday brain fog fully active. They talk travel, family chaos, regional road trip rituals, and…
- Inside Integration
Episode 96: Asteroids and Dinosaurs
In this episode, Chris and Jayson dive into the “dinosaurs and asteroids” of the custom-integration world — the legacy habits, outdated business models, and…
- Inside Integration
Episode 95: Custom Integration's Mount Rushmore
Chris and Jayson build on last week’s conversation with their “Mount Rushmore of Custom Integration” - the industry icons, innovators, and disruptors who…
- Inside Integration
Episode 94: Smart Home Day & New Video Formats
Chris and Jayson recover from celebrating Smart Home Day by reminiscing about CEDIA giveaways — from pocket-sized URC remotes to Control4’s first big splash…
- Inside Integration
Episode 93: Circling the Bowl
Chris and Jayson take a plunge into the weird intersection of tech, wellness, and plumbing as Kohler unveils a $600 toilet camera that analyzes your waste…
- Inside Integration
Episode 92: How Can We Sleep While the Servers are Burning?
Chris and Jayson are back, unpacking the ripple effects of a major cloud outage—and why it didn't faze them one bit. From West Coast perks to food court…
- Inside Integration
Episode 91: No Notes
Chris is back with Jayson, who's on the road in Meridian, ID, and let’s be honest, there’s zero prep involved. This off-the-cuff episode goes full…
- Inside Integration
Episode 90: The Client Isn't Always Right
Chris and Jesse dig into one of the industry’s biggest lies: that the customer is always right. From impossible expectations to micromanaged installs, they…
- Inside Integration
Episode 89: Death by Demo
Chris and Jayson dive into the world of demos: how they’ve evolved, what makes them effective, and when they fall flat. From the days of demo discs to today’s…
- Inside Integration
Episode 88: Meta Glasses and Other Dystopian Things
Chris and Jayson stare into the glitchy abyss of our tech-soaked future, starting with Meta’s latest face-huggers and spiraling quickly into AI doom, data…
- Inside Integration
Episode 87: #OpenToWork - What’s Really Happening in the CI Job Market?
This week on Inside Integration, Chris and Jayson dig into the sudden uptick in “Open to Work” posts showing up across LinkedIn. Is it just end-of-summer…
- Inside Integration
Episode 86 - CEDIA Recap
Jayson and Chris are back from Denver and diving straight into everything they saw at CEDIA 2025. From the big launches that grabbed the spotlight to the…
- Inside Integration
Episode 85: Live from the Streets of Denver
We're in Denver for CEDIA, so what better time to knock back a few margs and hit the streets of Denver with our pal Courtney from Newport Home Theaters. We get…
- Inside Integration
Episode 84: The History of Sony
Some dumbass forgot to hit "record" on the last episode of the podcast, failing to capture 40 minutes of what might have been the best podcast conversation…
- Inside Integration
Episode 83: Aging in Place in Your Face
Jayson and Chris take on the growing “aging in place” category and what it really means for CI dealers. From motion sensors and voice control to entry alerts…
- Inside Integration
Episode 82: Daniel Tonks' Corporeal Form
We start out by talking about National Smart Home day, quickly go off the rails and find ourselves trying to figure out how much revenue RemoteCentral.com has…
- Inside Integration
Episode 81: Impending Doom
LESS THAN A MONTH UNTIL CEDIA! LESS THAN A MONTH UNTIL CEDIA! LESS THAN A MONTH UNTIL CEDIA! LESS THAN A MONTH UNTIL CEDIA! LESS THAN A MONTH UNTIL CEDIA! LESS…
- Inside Integration
Episode 80: Imposters
Ever feel like you're faking it, hoping no one finds out? You're not alone. In this episode, Chris and guest host Jesse talk through imposter syndrome in the…
Inside IntegrationEpisode 79: Dog Days of Summer
It’s the middle of July, and things are getting sweaty, literally and figuratively. Chris and Jayson kick back for a classic summer ramble, touching on…
- Inside Integration
Episode 78: The Hill You'd Die On: "Custom Integrator" vs "AV Guy"
Words matter. Titles? Maybe even more. This week, Chris and Jayson wade into the semantics swamp: are you a Custom Integrator or just the AV Guy? Does it…
- Inside Integration
Episode 77: HDMI Two Point What?
HDMI 2.1 is back in the news, so naturally… we’ve got thoughts. In this episode, Chris and Jayson break down the latest headlines about HDMI 2.1—what’s new…