Our Story

Madrona Digital came about because of the frustration experienced by our founder, Amir Majidimehr, to find a company capable of addressing all of the technology requirements for his new home. Despite interviewing multiple companies, none could properly justify the investment in an automation system, explain their specific product recommendations, or provide a convincing vision of how to seamlessly integrate all the components.

The other source of frustration was the large knowledge gap between Amir and the representatives of the companies with whom he met. It was clear that few understood the fundamentals of the technologies they were specifying. Their knowledge appeared to be primarily based on limited product training provided by vendors and some field experience as opposed to architectural understanding of how the systems were designed.

Amir was also uneasy in working with companies who subcontracted various subsystems such as security or high-voltage (used in lighting system) to others due to lack of licensing or in-house expertise. This to him represented a huge missed opportunity to bring true integration of the various components. Why not for example, turn on the outside lights as to make the surveillance camera system capture brighter, less noisy images as someone passes by them at night? How can a system integrator preach the benefits of “integration” yet turn a blind eye to such scenarios?

After spending literally months researching the area, Amir resorted to designing his own system and with the help of a friendly dealer, managed to source the components and install it. In the process, he gained a new appreciation for the immense range of knowledge that this field requires. And how difficult it was, unlike many other areas of technology, to gather useful information using online resources.

Being an entrepreneur at heart, he wondered if the market would support a new company that would fill the voids he ran into with his own project. Clearly most people do not have the time to learn everything he did, nor the broad technical background necessary to design and deploy these systems. Thus, the concept of Madrona Digital was born.

The idea clearly rested on having a very strong technical team with the necessary skills to deploy every electrical and electronic system in the home in an integrated manner. As you read the list below, we hope you see that we have not only met this goal, but also complimented it with a strong foundation of business savvy and project management skills which are just as critical to success of projects we deploy and the company we run.

What's in a Name

And oh, just in case you are wondering why we call ourselves "Madrona Digital", click here for origins of our name.

Key Employees

Amir Majidimehr: President & Founder
As Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, Amir managed the Digital Media Division, creating the entire suite of entertainment technologies in Windows. Technologies developed in his group have not only shipped in billions of PCs but nearly as many consumer electronic devices from Sony PS3 to Verizon phones. Two of the most notable are "VC-1" video compression technology (mandatory in Blu-ray Disc format) and WMA audio compression codec. The accomplishments in his team were recognized by an Emmy award (the third one in his career) for innovations in digital delivery of content on the Internet. In addition to Microsoft, Amir has held executive positions at Sony, Pinnacle systems (now Avid), Abekas Video (broadcast TV equipment maker) among others.

With over 30 years of professional experience in computers, electronics and engineering, Amir brings a level of depth to our capabilities that is rare in this industry. His passion for teaching and interacting with customers is evident from his heavy participation in various technology forums and articles he writes for Widescreen Review and Premier Builder Magazines. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and is the co-inventor on three issued US patents and two pending.

Massoud Majidimehr: Director of Operations & Business Strategy
Having grown up with electronics from a young age, Massoud went on to start and run two successful car audio companies in London, UK. His understanding of circuit design, coupled with his intuitive nature to find solutions to any problem, made him a perfect fit for figuring out how to install the equivalent of an entire living room worth of Audio/Video equipment in the cramped footprint of European cars. He also became a whiz in repairing car audio equipment, salvaging equipment that others would simply replace. Massoud’s 30+ years of experience in how one starts an electronics business and turns it into a successful venture by careful selection of products, hiring and managing people, and working with customers to fit their custom needs, makes him uniquely qualified to oversee the overall operation of Madrona Digital.

Jay Huber: Executive Director, Strategy & Planning
Jay is an experienced entrepreneur, executive, and consultant in the consumer electronics industry with a focus on high performance sound reproduction systems dating back to his early involvement in the founding of Definitive Audio in Seattle in 1975. Jay sold his interest in Definitive in 1995, partnering with a group of experts in digital media distribution and control systems to found Whitejay International, one of the first firms in the world to develop a computer based multiuser media library system with a graphical user interface. Whitejay International was acquired in 1997 by Cello Music and Film, a company originally founded by Mark Levinson. More recently, Jay was the Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Open Interface North America, a leading developer of Bluetooth Software. Under his leadership, the company expanded their business into the consumer electronics including leading companies such as Apple, Sony, and Logitech. The company was acquired by Qualcomm in 2007. Throughout his career, Jay has been actively engaged as a consultant to numerous consumer electronics companies including Sony, Klipsch, Wadia Digital, and Altec Plantronics. He has also been an active angel investor and board member of a number of technology startups in the Pacific Northwest.

Isaiah Vering: Director, Design & Engineering
Isaiah has been deeply involved in music, electronics, and sound reproduction for most of his life. He is also an accomplished musician. Isaiah’s early interest in audio is evidenced by the fact of his first loudspeaker design in the fourth grade. He went on to develop a career in professional audio, first in the design of touring systems and as a front of house manager and monitor engineer, touring with some of the leading artists of last two decades. Having founded the studio design company Delve Music in the late 90’s, and a few years later opening Delve Music Studios, Isaiah has well over a decade of experience as a designer, engineer, and producer. After joining Jim Beaumont at Paragon Technologies, Isaiah led their design and installation team through many successful residential and commercial integration projects in both the US and Europe. Isaiah is a graduate of Gonzaga University and holds degrees in music and psychology.

Chris Arrau: Systems Designer & Project Manager
Chris Arrau is a 35 year veteran of the home electronic industry. Having been raised in the home of a prominent classical pianist (Claudio Arrau), Chris was exposed to high quality audio and electronics at a very early age, driving his passion for everything he does in his work. Early on he worked with a number of the prominent custom installation companies leading to him founding his own home electronic integration firm that enjoyed many accolades with its exposure in the Seattle Street of Dreams homes over its 13 year run. Chris brings with him endless creativity, organization, experience, enthusiasm, and thorough knowledge of home electronics. He holds his BA from University of Vermont along with continual CEDIA education, a Master Specialty Electrical Administrator’s license, and construction management certificate program at the University of Washington.

Bryan Levy: Director, Retail Sales & Marketing, System Designer, Programmer & Project Manager
Bryan comes to Madrona Digital with a BS in Retail and Service Marketing from the University of Arizona and an MBA with an emphasis in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the University of Washington. Bryan’s passion for audio, video and technology started in high school in the mid 90’s first as an event and party DJ followed by selling and installing car audio systems. During and after college Bryan spent a year working at “Circuit City” followed by five years at “The Good Guys!” with job functions varying between sales, installation, operations and management. From 2004- 2011 Bryan founded an ran Eastside Audio/Video (www.eastsideav.com) with the goal of providing a better customer experience by offering easy to use high performance systems with a high level of personalized service within any budget. Bryan looks forward to meeting new clients like yourself and exceeding any expectations you may have for your current or upcoming projects. Stop by or schedule a complimentary consult today.

Bruce Stanley: Director, Systems Design & Marketing
Bruce has been actively engaged in audio video system design locally since 1974, when he founded Stanley Speakers, opening his first location in Seattle near the University of Washington. A few years later, Bruce was recruited by Bob Carver to join Phase Linear to help him develop and manufacture the company's first high end speaker system. Since that time, Bruce has worked on a wide range of audio, video, and home theater projects. He brings with him a continuing passion for this industry combined with over three decades of hands-on experience. Having worked for a number of the leading audio video retail and custom installation companies in the northwest, including Speakerlab, Magnolia Audio Video, and Definitive Audio where he was instrumental in leading the company into the custom installation business, Bruce has observed first hand the continuing evolution of the industry. Throughout his career, he has forged many long term and successful relationships with local audio video enthusiasts as well as professionals within the industry. Having successfully completed numerous projects with leading custom builders and architects during these years, his background in fine arts and electronics has enabled Bruce to create synergistic solutions blending architecture and electronics. Bruce was a student at the Cornish School of Fine Arts.

Steve Patterson: Operations Manager & Electrical Administrator
Steve has been in the electrical and systems design industry for over 25 years. As founder and Chief Administrator for numerous custom design electrical contractors he has had extensive experience designing and managing the installation of a wide array of electrical systems for an exclusive client base. Some of the projects include designing and installing the electrical and communications infrastructure for private islands in the San Juan's and Puget Sound. He has had the opportunity to design and install complete electrical and lighting control systems for numerous private estates with the residences as large as 35,000 sq. ft. He has also been involved in design of many Integrated Home Systems and has kept abreast of the evolution of this Industry since these technologies were first available. He is a licensed State of Washington Master Electrician and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Music.

Chuck Evans: Field Engineer & Project Manager
20 years experience working in the electrical and electronics fields. Charles holds both a General Journeyman Electrician and Limited Energy Administrator licenses.