Taking over a family AV business you never planned to lead

Executive overview

Taryn Gavagan Bozzo inherited AV Images — an audio-visual production company her father founded in 1985 — without ever expecting to run it. She joined in 2018 and formally took over leadership around the time of her second child's birth.

The live events industry was among the hardest hit by the pandemic. Taryn's challenge has been sustaining the company through near-zero trade show activity while deepening virtual capabilities and holding the team together.

Aloha culture — family loyalty, long-term relationships, and trust — is the operating principle that holds the company and its client base together.

Joining and transitioning the business

• AV Images was founded in 1985; Taryn joined in 2018 with no prior plan to work there
• Her father died in 2010; she stepped up through board involvement before formally taking over
• Most of the team had known her since childhood — gaining authority without disrupting trust was the core challenge
• She had to establish her own vision while visibly honouring what her father and the existing team had built
• She informally took over the day her second child was due — emotional and professional pressure converged

Pandemic impact and adaptation

• Live events and trade shows were essentially shut down; one of the hardest-hit industries
• AV Images had existing virtual capabilities but had never needed them at scale before
• The team doubled down on live streaming, virtual platform support, and remote production
• Executive team became more bonded than ever; weekly all-hands kept people connected
• Short-term planning horizon replaced long-range strategy — focus shifted to survival and readiness

Culture and leadership style

• Aloha culture — caring for the team as ohana, honouring commitments — was her father's legacy and her north star
• Long-tenured clients either knew her father or quickly connected with the same service ethos
• She identifies the hardest personal challenge as balancing authentic, emotionally connected leadership with firm decision-making
• Advice to her younger self: be unapologetically authentic and follow your gut

Vision and what comes next

• Goal is to build a company that takes care of the team and their families for years to come
• Recovery planning focused on being ready to staff up and deliver at full capacity when live events return
• Expects a hybrid model for some time; believes demand for face-to-face events will rebound strongly
• Intends to manage the return carefully to avoid burning people out in the rush back