Charles Speidel is the co-founder and CEO of Parallel AV, a San Diego company that designs and builds premium in-wall televisions for bathrooms, kitchens, saunas and other spaces where a standard TV won’t work. Earlier this year, Voyage LA Magazine sat down with him to talk about where the company came from and where television is headed.
Who Is Charles Speidel?
Charles spent more than 20 years at Sony, moving through leadership roles in France, the United Kingdom, Denmark and the United States, and ultimately leading Sony’s Innovation Centre in San Diego. When his family decided San Diego would be home for good, he was ready to step away from corporate life and build something of his own.
Parallel AV was his second venture, and it brought him back to what he knows best: television technology. A partner who already owned a television factory made it possible to move faster than a typical hardware startup. Instead of building everything from scratch, the team focused on adapting design, software and engineering for the North American market.
How Charles Speidel Chose to Grow Parallel AV
The interview is candid about the tradeoffs. Charles chose to grow organically and sell in smaller quantities, rather than raise outside money and answer to shareholders pushing for fast growth. It takes longer, but it let the company stay the way its founders envisioned it. He also credits his wife, Allegra, who works alongside him every day, leading the company’s sales as Vice President of Business Development.
What Parallel AV Builds
Parallel AV designs and builds in-wall, waterproof, mirror and heat-resistant televisions for bathrooms, kitchens, saunas, spas and other spaces where a standard TV doesn’t work. Every TV is built in our own factory, with local inventory and technical support in San Diego. See what we can build to your specs.
Where Television Is Headed
When Voyage LA asked where television is headed, Charles pointed to something he hears from consumers: people have been looking for an alternative to the big black rectangle on the wall. Mirror TVs are one answer. They look like a mirror when they’re off and a TV when they’re on, and they visually open up the room either way. If that sounds like what you’ve been looking for, here’s how to choose a mirror TV.
Read the Full Charles Speidel Interview
You can read the full interview with Charles Speidel on Voyage LA. To talk through a TV for your own space, give us a call or send a note.
