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Updated: September 1, 2025 2025 Fact Book: Doing Business in Maine

Headlight Audio Visual: Celebrating 50 years of service

Photo courtesy of Headlight AV

In 1975, a small audio-visual company quietly set up a shop in South Portland, Maine. At the time, the idea of combining projectors, microphones, and visual displays to enhance communication was still a novel one. Founder Bob Bruns saw the future and leveraged his lifelong interest in music and sound with his desire to venture into entrepreneurship to form Headlight Audio Visual, Inc.

From its humble beginnings in a small South Portland building with just a handful of equipment, Headlight AV has grown significantly. By 1978, Bruns had hired his brother Phil, and together they laid the groundwork for a company culture centered on integrity and client service. Bruns emphasized the importance of honesty in business, stating, “If you lack integrity, how do you expect your business to survive?”

 

Photo courtesy of Headlight AV

 

Fifty years later, Headlight AV operates out of a 16,000 square-foot facility in Portland, Maine, employing over 45 professionals. What started with film projectors and rented microphone stands has evolved into a full-service production, rental, and installation company, supporting everything from international hybrid conferences to local nonprofit galas. In 2025, the company is proudly celebrating five decades of service, a milestone not just for longevity, but for resilience, evolution, and trust.

Headlight AV’s founders were early believers in the value of professional audio-visual services — not just to dazzle, but to support clarity, engagement, and connection. “In the early days, we had people on the road for months at a time,” explains Headlight AV COO David Coffin. We would pick up overhead projectors from schools, service them and return them.” Current President and CEO Andrew Bruns remembers that task from his early days at Headlight AV. “Actually, that was my first job here. I was a pickup man. The process looks very different today, but back then, it involved a lot of travel — picking up equipment from the client, bringing it back to the shop for repairs, and then returning to reinstall it.” From that idea sprang a culture of reliability and precision. Over the years, the company became known for its behind-the-scenes mastery, assembling a team of technicians who blend technical know-how with the calm, collected presence of stage managers.

 

“Whether it’s bringing presenters from multiple locations to appear seamlessly in the same presentation or creating a hologram of someone in India presenting on stage to thousands in an auditorium in Texas, the future of how we support our clients is exciting.”
— David Coffin, Headlight AV COO

In the decades that followed its founding, Headlight AV kept pace with every wave of AV innovation. They moved from reel-to-reel to VHS, from overhead transparencies to PowerPoint, and from in-room audio to fully integrated sound, lighting, and video solutions. They build out services in AV system design and installation, media production, and ongoing service and maintenance. “It was the computer that really changed things drastically,” explained Bruns. “When computers came out and people wanted to present more, that’s when the needs changed, and we were right there offering ideas and support.”

COVID, for all its disruption, opened a new world of possibility for Headlight AV. Its skills were in high demand, and its reputation for quiet competence made the company the first call for many organizations suddenly thrust into digital spaces. “Clients came to us with that sound of panic, and we said: we’ve got you,” said Coffin. “We helped companies keep talking to their employees and clients. We helped nonprofits continue holding fundraisers. That mattered.”

Today, Headlight AV offers a broad suite of services under three main umbrellas:

  • Event Services – Providing production, equipment rental, and on-site technical support for everything from large conferences to small internal meetings. Hybrid and virtual support have become a major component of this work.
  • AV Sales, Design & Installation – Creating custom AV systems for classrooms, boardrooms, auditoriums, and more. From video conferencing to multi-screen installations, Headlight AV provides both design expertise and reliable integration.
  • Service & Repair – Ongoing support for installed systems, offering troubleshooting, upgrades, and maintenance to ensure long-term performance.

In addition, Headlight AV provides media services including video recording, editing, and duplication, as well as public videoconferencing rooms for virtual collaboration. Its clients span industries — corporate, education, nonprofit, healthcare — and geography. Its leadership have supported events all over the U.S. and internationally.

 

Photo courtesy of Headlight AV

 

Headlight AV has a deep understanding of both the technical and human aspects of AV work. Whether it is supporting a nonprofit’s annual gala, equipping a boardroom with permanent conferencing tools, or helping a university host a seamless virtual town hall, Headlight AV approaches every project with the same dedication to detail. “We just want to be reliable and trustworthy,” stated Bruns “People call us because they know it’ll be taken care of.”

As it celebrates this milestone year, the team at Headlight AV isn’t just reflecting — it’s looking forward. The next chapter includes expanding its hybrid capabilities, staying ahead of AV technology trends, and continuing to serve the organizations that keep Maine vibrant. “Whether it’s bringing presenters from multiple locations to appear seamlessly in the same presentation or creating a hologram of someone in India presenting on stage to thousands in an auditorium in Texas, the future of how we support our clients is exciting,” said Coffin.

 

Photo courtesy of Headlight AV

 

Community involvement is rooted in the foundation of Headlight AV. Whether it is donation of time or services or the ability to loan equipment when needed, the ability to help the nonprofits that support our state is important to Headlight AV. “I aim to pay it forward. To me, it’s a motto,” says Coffin. “If we can help a charity knowing that the experience we’re providing is going to grow their event year over year, that makes a difference.”

From its early days with overhead, slide, and film projection to today’s sophisticated virtual meeting production, Headlight Audio Visual has remained dedicated to a simple mission: helping people connect. In 2025, as the company toasts 50 years of service, the team reflects not just on how far its come, but on the values that got it here. “Our core hasn’t changed” explained Bruns. “Be dependable. Be professional. Make people look and sound their best. That’s what we’ve always done.” The evolution of Headlight AV is a testament to visionary leadership, a dedicated team, and unwavering commitment to integrity and client relationships. With a rich history and forward-looking approach, Headlight AV continues to illuminate the path in the audio-visual industry, delivering exceptional experiences for clients across Maine and around the world.

 

Photo courtesy of Headlight AV

Headlight Audio Visual

74 Evergreen Drive, Portland, ME 04103

Sector: Event services

Bob Bruns, Founder

Founded: 1975

Employees: 45

www.headlightav.com