The Nine 2021: Narin Nara

Narin Nara, SCN: The Nine 2021
(Image credit: Future)

Title: Digital Media Producer

Company: AVIXA

Location: Bristow, VA

Twitter: @Narinternet

Overtime: In his spare time, Nara is an avid gamer.

Why You Need to Know Him: While you may not recognize his face, you will definitely recognize Narin Nara’s work. As a digital media producer at AVIXA, Nara, 32, is responsible for a large portion of the association’s social media and video content.

Nara, a member of AVIXA’s content delivery team, is focused on supporting the company’s content strategy and working with its technical team to optimize delivery methods through various digital channels.

The Beginning: “I’ve always had a fascination for audiovisual tech and learned as much as I could about video production and broadcasting in high school and into college,” said Nara. While looking for a communications position after graduating from George Mason University in 2011, Nara discovered an open position at AVIXA (then InfoComm International).

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“I engrained myself in the AV world and learned as much as I could about this awesome industry—learning and working until I evolved into a video production-centric position,” he recalled.

Behind-the-Scenes Phenom: Nara enjoys his job at AVIXA, where he is part of a three-person team that develops and manages video content for AVIXA’s YouTube account, social channels, and webinars. The team also manages longer-form content such as footage captured from events.

“The best part about my job is that I get to work on some really fun projects,” he said. “Video production has always been something I’ve done for fun, and the fact that it’s something I get to do for work is super awesome. I truly enjoy collaborating with great minds that help bring our concepts to life.”

Nara, who considers himself a “100-level introvert,” is working on being better in front of the camera. “Growing up, I struggled with communicating effectively as English was my second language, and that carried into my early professional years,” he said. To overcome this challenge, Nara joined Toastmasters to build his public speaking skills. Now he isn’t afraid to take on opportunities to present at major events and conferences, including SCN’s Leveling Up: The Esports and Education Conference & Expo, which was held in December 2020.

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The Social Network: Nara says that as social media continues to dominate the cultural conversation, it has brought about a sizeable amount of grassroots change. “It’s amazing to see people of all ages and backgrounds pick up a camera and essentially become content creators themselves,” he said. “Whether it’s on YouTube or Instagram or TikTok, many are expressing themselves in very fun ways, which paves the way for professional opportunities in video and content.”

Nara believes that social media creates communities and points to #AVTweeps on Twitter as an example. “While I tend to lurk most of the time, I always feel a sense of belonging whenever I chip in to a conversation,” he said. “I love seeing the human side of AV professionals come through, and seeing all of the chats and banter within social is always great to see.”

Final Thoughts: “From a content creation standpoint, just be yourself and use your brand of creativity,” Nara advised. “There are millions of people trying to be the ‘model influencer,’ but if you’re just yourself, that’s one more unique voice among us.”

Get to know the rest of The Nine 2021.

Megan A. Dutta

Megan A. Dutta is a pro AV industry journalist, and the former content director for Systems Contractor News (SCN) and Digital Signage Magazine, both Future U.S. publications. Dutta previously served as the marketing communications manager at Peerless-AV, where she led the company’s marketing and communications department. Dutta is the recipient of AVIXA's 2017 Young AV Professional Award and Women in Consumer Technology's 2018 Woman to Watch Award. Dutta is co-founder of Women of Digital Signage, an organization designed to provide a pathway to promote networking, mentoring, and personal growth.