JOHN CAMPANELLA

John V. Campanella, CTS-D, is a veteran technologist, educator, and game creator with more than 45 years of experience in AV/IT engineering, software development, and immersive interactive design. Throughout his career, John has combined technical innovation with a passion for teaching, building experiences that inspire creativity, curiosity, and hands-on problem-solving.

John's 45 years in the AV industry spanned all disciplines of Design/Engineering/Consulting, Programming, Integration and Manufacturing.

He is also the CEO of i-Create/Reality Expanded, a digital arts and asset company and Reality Expanded a VR/XR Technology Lab.

He is also the Vice President of Engineering at PIVIUM in Meridian, ID & Phoenix, AZ. 

John has been involved in AV product manufacturing and integration at Blonder Tongue and Smith Meeker Engineering (1981-1986); Partner and head of AV Consulting/Design with Shen Milsom & Wilke (1987-1994); a Principal at Cerami Associates (1994-1996), starting their AV Consulting/Design division, a Founding Partner and CEO of MDCI (1996-2021), leading thousands of AV Design Engineering and Programming projects and a Founding Partner/CEO at I-Create / Reality Expanded (1996-present) for IP intellectual properties, NFTs, and video games. John was the Director of Engineering, CAD, and Software Services for AVDG (2018–2021), whereas he helped and directed the Engineering, Programming, and CAD teams in the AVDG expansion in Los Angeles, Chicago, Tennessee, and New Hampshire. 

John's historical project responsibility covers over 6,500 projects spanning corporate, residential, education, government, and military environments.

John is the co-author of the InfoComm CTS-D course developed in 1996 and the sole author of the first rewrite/update in 2006, where he was awarded InfoComm Educator of the Year. 

John is a Masters Certified Crestron programmer, having programmed Crestron systems since 1988 and was the very first third-party programmer for Crestron. John is proficient in Unity, Xcode, AutoCAD, Photoshop, etc.

As a developer and creative visionary, John has directed the production of over 30 digital games and applications across platforms, including Meta Quest, Steam, iOS, and Android. His expertise spans Unity engine architecture, gameplay systems, VR/XR technologies, and cloud-connected educational tools. His work includes high-fidelity virtual reality experiences for entertainment, wellness, and professional training—most notably Brain Beats, a relaxation VR game and soundtrack that utilizes subliminal binaural beats within the audio track along with VR relaxation 3D landscapes.

John’s background extends far beyond game creation. He has spent decades leading engineering teams, growing technology departments across multiple U.S. and international locations and completing more than 6,000 large-scale projects for the corporate, education, and government sectors. As a longtime educator, he co-authored and modernized the prestigious InfoComm CTS-D course and was honored as AVIXA Educator of the Year in 2006. John has trained more than 1,500 professionals in systems design, interactive technologies, and technical standards.

His creativity also extends into children’s media. John holds a U.S. patent for an interactive children’s game and continues to design STEM-driven puzzles (creator of the CUBETORIA™ STEM Labs Series), board games, and VR experiences that challenge players to think critically while having fun. Whether building virtual worlds, engineering real-world systems, or crafting hands-on puzzles, he approaches every project with the same goal: to spark curiosity, inspire learning, and make technology accessible to everyone.

As your instructor, my excitement for this course stems from several key factors centered on your professional growth and the dynamic nature of the industry:

• Launching Careers: I am passionate about helping you launch your AV career by providing the exact foundation needed to pursue entry-level opportunities or work toward professional certification.
• Industry-Leading Standards: This curriculum is aligned with AVIXA, the global leader in AV standards. I am excited to teach you the "AVIXA way," which ensures you follow the same best practices used by top companies worldwide.
• A Growing and Essential Field: AV technology is expanding rapidly due to trends like hybrid work and advanced collaboration tools. I enjoy showing how these systems are critical in diverse sectors, from saving lives in healthcare to enhancing learning in education

What do I like to do when I am not teaching?

I have many hobbies. I play guitar, I write music for video games, I create videos and I love to go camping in our RV with my wife Dana and our dog "Mayhem".