An interview with Imagine This MD, Guy Singleton
My company, Imagine This, came about from my love of the Star Wars movies, of all things. I am an electrical engineer by trade and home cinema and home technology have always been of great interest to me. This came from my childhood love of the Star Wars saga and from trying to recapture that cinematic experience. I also think that my father’s advice about specialising struck a particular chord with me. As a result, I decided that I would join the home integration industry. I changed the name in 2001 to Imagine This, but we were initially called Audio Visual Services. At this point, we joined CEDIA. 2018 is our 20th anniversary year – a great time to reflect on where we have been and where we plan to be in the future.
In this article:
Our biggest achievement
Over the years we have been involved with some amazing projects. Similarly, we have high profile clients and have been to many amazing properties around the world. We are highly respected for our work and we have won CEDIA awards.
For me though, it is of my team that I am most proud and from where I get my inspiration. My first team member was my wife, Karin. Over the years we have been lucky that we have had some very skilled people join us. We are a small group and we are dedicated to what we do. We are very much project orientated and we work really hard to ensure that our clients are happy.
Imagine This has an exceedingly low staff turnover, I like to think that is because of the way that we value and respect each member of our team. We try not to grow too fast or too large; Karin and I are really hands-on and that’s how we would like to stay. I can’t resist a tinker with an equipment rack or a new tool, I think it’s the engineer in me!
Always changing and evolving
Over time, the industry has evolved from being very much a niche activity and is becoming far more mainstream. We have seen technologies come and go. However, the thing that amazes and excites me the most is the way that people are embracing their home technology now. It’s not just for geeks; people from all walks of life are seeing how technology can add to their enjoyment of their homes and lifestyles.
As a company, we have evolved to adapt to the ever-changing horizon of new technology and products. We have also made a conscious effort to become particularly distinguished for our home cinema and lighting expertise.
Imagine This and our CEDIA membership
We made the decision very early on to join CEDIA. This is because we could see the tangible benefits of being part of the organisation. We wanted to access various training and networking opportunities. Additionally, we wanted to be able to shape and (hopefully) improve the perception of our industry.
I am a passionate advocate of standards and training and I have been a volunteer for CEDIA for many years. I really believe that by putting something in, the whole industry benefits.
Our success
Of course, there are many indicators of success. But, year after year, I believe our accomplishments have come from our philosophy of striving to be the very best we can. We look after our team, we strive for the highest levels of service and we work hard to evolve and adapt our business. This is in our DNA and I firmly believe that it is critical to our previous and ongoing successes.
Imagine This – The future
Recently, I have taken a little time aside to develop TCD cinema and TLD lighting design software. As a result, I have been less involved in the day-to-day workings of Imagine This. This was possible because my team are well-trained and empowered by their knowledge and experience. Karin and our team are evolving Imagine This to align with the continually changing landscape of technology and client expectations. We will continue to develop our skills and to benefit from our CEDIA membership. No one can be certain of the future, but I am pretty sure that I will still be found from time to time tinkering in our workshop!
Guy Singleton, MD Imagine This (UK) Ltd, 2018
For more information, please see our About page.
Further Reading
For further reading, here’s our article about our project Lakeside Home or here is our Clipper Wharf project. And finally, here is Guy’s article about Samsung’s The Wall.
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