Taking a major step forward in its mission to simplify and systemize the hiring and
management of independent contractors, AV Junction today announced the launch of
the first global web platform for the audiovisual industry. According to company
Founder & CEO Paul Weatherhead, AV Junction significantly streamlines the hiring and
management of independent contractors for AV businesses while simultaneously
helping industry freelancers to find new employment opportunities.

“AV Junction is a fully-integrated, multi-featured web platform that enables AV
companies to search for, hire, and manage qualified freelancers on a project-to-
project basis, as needed, from anywhere in the world,’ Weatherhead explained. “AV
companies can post an unlimited number of jobs, search a vast worldwide database of
independents, create work order contracts for hiring, message freelancers directly,
and make secure payments. Meanwhile, industry freelancers can join the database
free-of-charge to easily search for and apply to relevant jobs based on skill, sector
and job type.’

AV Junction is a solution built to address all of the issues that currently plague AV
Operations Directors, Project Managers, and Resource Coordinators that are tasked to
hire and manage AV freelancers for multiple projects. As the former Vice President of
Operations at Advanced, a leading North American AV integration firm, Weatherhead
experienced how difficult securing freelancers and navigating a long-distance
employment relationship could be for everyone involved.

“I realised that there was no standard industry solution for finding and hiring AV
freelancers. It was either through an ad-hoc process or via a “middleman’ recruiting
agency,’ he emphasised. “Likewise, there is no AV-specific job platform for freelancers
to refer to when looking for work. I knew that there could be a better way to connect
hiring companies and independent freelancers all over the world, and importantly,
give both parties autonomy to find jobs and hire talent when they want, independent
of an agency or coordinator – that’s how AV Junction was born.’

AV Junction encompasses the entire spectrum of the AV company and freelancer
relationship – from the application process to the payment of the final invoice. Specific
platform features include:

•Qualified Applicant Searching: AV companies can quickly find
qualified and competent AV technicians in local or remote areas if their go-to talent is
unavailable.

•Simple Invoicing: Freelancers can enjoy simple invoicing with
easy work order creation for every hire, and the ability to set payment terms ahead of
time. All they have to do is click “invoice.’

•Milestone Payouts: AV companies and freelancers can set
customised project “milestones’ on fixed priced work orders to provide insurance of
work completion, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

•Secure Payment Processing: A payment processor by STRIPE
Connect handles payouts in multiple currencies and leverages a sophisticated
milestone completion process. The milestone process ensures that freelancers get
paid securely and on time and allows employers to approve payouts when work is
completed properly

•Ratings System: AV companies can rate freelancers after each
project, boosting attractiveness to other potential employers after a job well done.
Freelancers can also rate employers on factors like communication, use of tools, and
timeliness of payment.

AV Junction is available to commercial and residential systems integrators, rental, live
event and staging professionals, exhibit and production houses, and audiovisual
manufacturers globally, wherever Stripe is accepted. Interested customers can sign up
for a free three-month trial to begin. After 90 days, users can choose between an
“Economy’ package, with a pay-as-you-go model offering access to the site with
limited features and a flat fee per hire, or a “Professional’ package which includes a
USD 150 monthly subscription with full site access, full features, and a discounted
flat fee per hire.

AV Junction vets all applicants; once approved, they will receive a “verified’ check
mark on their profiles. All participating freelancers can showcase their skills, search
for short-term jobs, submit quotes, easily provide progress updates, and secure
efficient payments.

“For the very first time, freelancers can minimise the risk of experiencing delayed or
missing payments on a secure portal,’ Weatherhead concluded. “And, for the first time
ever, AV companies have access to a portal of freelance professionals that they can
review and work with. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.’

To celebrate the launch, AV Junction is conducting a Raffle Prize giveaway with prizes
including Sony Over-Ear Sound Isolating Wireless Headphones (with a value of $170);
a JBL Charge 3 Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker (with a value of $220); and a
Parrot Bebop 2 Quadcopter Drone with Camera (with a value of $700). All registered
users are automatically entered into the raffle. Winners will be announced on
December 31, 2017.