Cristiano Mazza, CTS
Partner, Development and Services Director, Grupo Discabos
- Xchange Members
- Brazil
About Cristiano Mazza, CTS
For the past 22 years, I have been actively involved in this dynamic Industry, witnessing its incredible evolution firsthand.
I started my career as a salesman, working to understand the intricacies of audio and video market. Through education, I climbed the ranks and am now proud to be a partner and Director of Products at Discabos Group Brasil, a leading value-added distributor that supplies products and services to audio and video integrators.
My responsibilities are relationships with manufacturers, forecasting, logistics, and product development.
In addition to my role at Discabos, I have been an active member of Avixa for the past decade, immersing myself in this vibrant community of professionals. In 2018, I earned my Certified Technology Specialist (CTS), further solidifying my expertise in the AV industry. I am very proud of it.
Four years ago, I received a humbling invitation to join the Avixa Foundation as a Director. Today, I proudly serve as its President, a position that fills me with immense pride and a deep sense of purpose.
For those unfamiliar with the Avixa Foundation, it is a non-profit organization dedicated to encourage the talent pathway and to fostering the careers within the AV industry. We are here to create the futures leaders of our industry.
To achieve this, we have assembled an extraordinary team of staff and directors who work to develop activities and programs aligned with our strategic goals.
In July 2023 I began to command the operation of DUCaaS, an AV technical services outsourcing company that is part of the Discabos Group. I am concerned about the future of the AV industry regarding two important topics: Education and Sustainability.
In November 2023 I started my role at SAVe, as Ambassador for Brazil. Today I serve in The Board of Directors and as co-chair of Sponsorships. I feel a deep sense of purpose in being part of SAVe.
I am marathon runner for pleasure, currently live in São Paulo, Brazil, with my wonderful wife Patricia and children Luca and Bianca.
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Recent Comments
What a great opportunity! It will be a success !!!
@Cristiano Mazza, CTS , definitivamente las "soft skills" son fundamentales, en mi plan de trabajo hemos incluido una serie de cursos que tienen que ver con estas habilidades, en ocasiones hay técnicos que son unos genios, pero les cuesta mucho relacionarse o escribir un reporte en un email. Hemos incluido temas como la inteligencia emocional. Tu artículo es de muchya utilidad amigo.
Hola Juan. Al final la idea es poder crear un plan de carrera. No todos los técnicos pueden liderar, no todos los vendedores podrán convertirse en técnicos experimentados o en pre-vendedores. Pero si la empresa logra tener un plan de carrera sólido, puede mostrar hasta dónde pueden llegar las personas y evolucionar en el mercado.
El plan de carrera también puede dar una idea de los contenidos en los que la empresa necesita desarrollar nuevos proveedores, ya que actualmente no hay nadie capaz de proporcionar este conocimiento.
Hola estimado @Cristiano Mazza, CTS , me gustó mucho tu artículo, cuenta conmigo y estaré atento a las siguientes publicaciones, estoy por renovar el plan de estudios y capacitación en mi empresa y creo que esto será de una ayuda invaluable.
gracias amigo.
Hi @Cristiano Mazza, CTS
I fully agree with your perspective and would like to add some points, particularly from the Brazilian context.
In Brazil, we’ve seen a few AV schools over the years—some no longer exist, and others still operate, but most offer only informal education. These are optional courses that attract people who already have an interest in AV, rather than structured paths that can bring new professionals into the field. And even among these, the vast majority are focused on the entertainment segment rather than the installation and corporate AV market.
Speaking from personal experience, I started in AV as a DJ, without any real understanding of how broad and diverse the AV industry is. I eventually found a school in São Paulo called IAV (Instituto de Áudio e Vídeo), which offered a great course that covered audio fundamentals like frequency, phase, dB, signal flow, EQs, compressors, and microphones. However, the focus was entirely on the entertainment market—live sound, studio recording, and performance systems. That’s also where most students’ aspirations were: to work in live events, recording studios, or as PA and monitor engineers. Very few knew about the opportunities in installation AV, much less saw it as a career path.
Another challenge we face in Brazil is the quality of our public education system, which directly impacts the future of our workforce. If we already see a gap in IT professionals—even with universities and technical courses available—imagine the situation in professional audio, where formal education is almost nonexistent. Most people don’t even know that this industry exists beyond music and entertainment.
There’s much more to discuss on this topic, and several structural issues contribute to the shortage of AV professionals. I continue to do my part. After being a student at IAV, I spent six years teaching there and trained over 1,000 students. Later, as a product specialist for AV manufacturers, I kept teaching, helping professionals understand how to work with new technologies. Even now, as a product manager, I remain involved in education—whether it’s training our partners or helping bridge knowledge gaps in the field.
Unfortunately, the AV knowledge gap is still massive. And while plug-and-play, all-in-one solutions (like videobars) have simplified deployments, they’ve also contributed to a growing disconnection from core AV principles. That’s another important topic to address.
Regards, and it is always good to talk to you!!
Thank you for your insights, Luis.
Every contribution is important to create a scalable solution.
This is awesome. Need more organization like that worldwide.
Awesome !!!!
Evento em linha com a nova certificação ANP Avixa - https://www.avixa.org/pt/certification/certificacao
This is a great content. Thank you for sharing @Rich Sasson .