Synapse Audio Visual Designs, LLC is a design/build firm headquartered in Paramus, New Jersey that specializes in technically demanding audio, video, and lighting projects across commercial, industrial, entertainment, and residential markets. Founded in 2012, the firm works where the line between traditional AV integration, entertainment lighting design, and multimedia installation blurs. Their client list includes 30 Rockefeller Plaza, The Peninsula Hotel, Unilever HQ, The Jewish Museum, and Golden Nugget Atlantic City. That range tells you something: Synapse is not a firm that fits neatly into one vertical. They were built to operate where projects require a team that can hold a full technical and artistic conversation at the same time. (synapseav.com)
Who Synapse is and what they execute
Synapse operates as a multidisciplinary firm, which means a single project scope can span audio system design, architectural and entertainment lighting, video walls, centralized control, digital signage, and the networking infrastructure those systems depend on. Their service list covers audio design, building automation, centralized control systems, digital content creation and management, digital media distribution networking, GUI and HID integration, lighting design, networking, projection, signal distribution, technology general contracting, video camera integration, video conferencing, video walls, and digital signage.
The markets they serve reflect that breadth: broadcast, corporate enterprise, cultural and event centers, education, entertainment, government, healthcare, hospitality, houses of worship, luxury transportation, residential, and retail. That list maps directly to the portfolio at synapseav.com, where projects from casino entertainment lighting to hospital technology integration sit alongside hotel facade lighting and corporate headquarters AV builds. (Synapse services)
Their HQ is at 411 Sette Drive, Suite N3, Paramus, NJ 07652. Their territory spans the greater NYC metro and tri-state region, with project work that has extended across the country. The firm was incorporated in 2012 and their website has been active since December of that year, placing their market presence at roughly 14 years in operation.
The principals: Stephen Cannella and Christopher Obssuth
Synapse was co-founded by Stephen Cannella and Christopher Obssuth, who the firm describes as longtime friends and collaborators who decided to consolidate their experience under one roof rather than watch clients get underserved by firms with narrower capabilities.
Stephen Cannella holds the LC (Lighting Certified) and CTS-D (Certified Technology Specialist - Design) credentials. His background is not a typical integrator path. He started in entertainment lighting at age 15, ran a company that was executing concert tour lighting designs by the time he turned 18, and from there moved into the motion picture industry as a chief lighting technician on commercials, television productions, and major studio films. That entertainment background is not decorative. It is the reason Synapse can take a project like the Peninsula Hotel exterior facade or the Traxon Technologies headquarters lobby and approach the artistic brief with the same rigor they bring to the technical spec. (Stephen Cannella, LEDucation)
Christopher Obssuth is the other principal, and the firm describes both men as engineers who studied tirelessly to stay current across a wide array of disciplines. Their philosophy, stated plainly on the about page: find the best solution to a problem, not the easiest or most obvious one. The firm believes the best outcome is a harmonious relationship between technology and the human experience. That framing matters when you are designing lighting for a cultural institution or audio for a hospitality venue where the guest experience is the product. (Synapse company overview)
Signature projects across the portfolio
Synapse's portfolio page at synapseav.com lists over two dozen completed projects. Several stand out for scope and complexity.
30 Rockefeller Plaza is one of their most recognizable NYC commercial engagements. 30 Rock is a working broadcast and entertainment complex, and the technology requirements that come with that context are not forgiving. Synapse's work there involved AV system integration in a building that does not stop operating to accommodate an installation. That demands precise coordination and a team that understands broadcast-grade requirements, not just commercial office AV. (Synapse 30 Rock portfolio)
The Peninsula Hotel is a fine example of what Synapse can do when the brief is entirely artistic. The hotel's exterior facade lighting system, designed and installed by Synapse, supports fully programmable color scenes. The images in their portfolio show the building illuminated in deep purple, white, green, and orange. That kind of installation requires lighting fixtures rated for exterior exposure, control infrastructure that survives New York weather and building operations, and a design sensibility that treats the hotel building as a canvas. It is the kind of project that sits at the intersection of technology and art that the principals built Synapse to pursue.
Unilever HQ is a different challenge entirely. Corporate headquarters AV for a Fortune 500 company means conference room integration, video conferencing infrastructure, digital signage, and the distributed networking that ties all of it together across a large, occupied building. Synapse completed multiple phases of work at the Unilever facility, and the portfolio images document both the scale and the finish quality expected at that level of client. (Synapse Unilever HQ portfolio)
The Jewish Museum represents Synapse's cultural and event center work. Museums require AV systems that are reliable, invisible when they need to be, and capable of supporting both permanent installations and rotating exhibitions. The balance between the permanent technical infrastructure and the flexibility to support changing programming is not easy to get right.
Golden Nugget Atlantic City is an example of Synapse's entertainment and hospitality work at casino scale. A casino environment demands systems that operate continuously, support a wide range of entertainment programming, and are maintainable by a property operations team that is not an AV shop. Designing and commissioning AV and lighting for that context is a different discipline from a corporate boardroom or a private residence. (Synapse Golden Nugget portfolio)
Other projects on the roster include The Pierre Hotel, Traxon Technologies Headquarters, FDNY Fire Zone, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, SugarHouse Casino, and the Museum of Russian Icons. That range across healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, and cultural institutions is not common. Most firms specialize in one or two verticals. Synapse's ability to operate across all of them follows directly from the principals' multidisciplinary backgrounds.
Synapse in the Restrepo Group
Synapse Audio Visual Designs is a member of the Restrepo Group. Within that structure, Synapse is the local lead voice for technically demanding AV, lighting, and entertainment technology projects in their territory. That designation matters. In the Group model, member firms own their markets. Synapse holds their client relationships, manages their own project delivery, and carries their own credentials. Restrepo Innovations functions as the engineering and standards layer, providing shared infrastructure, program development support, and a common baseline for projects where both firms are engaged.
The case for the Group relationship is straightforward: Synapse brings technical artistry across a broader set of verticals than any single-discipline firm can cover. Restrepo brings the residential control programming backbone and the shared standards that come with Elite Pro Crestron standing. A project that spans both high-end residential automation and the entertainment lighting or corporate AV scope that Synapse executes can be served through a single Group relationship. Both firms operate independently in their respective markets. The Group relationship is a peer structure, not a subcontracting arrangement. Synapse does not carry Restrepo certifications, and Restrepo does not carry Synapse's credentials. Each firm holds its own.
"Stephen and Chris built a firm that can walk into a casino, a museum, a corporate headquarters, or a luxury hotel and execute at the highest level in all of them. That range is rare. That depth is what makes a group structure genuinely useful." — Michael Restrepo, Founder, Restrepo Innovations
FAQ
What markets does Synapse Audio Visual Designs serve?
Synapse Audio Visual Designs works across commercial, corporate enterprise, entertainment, hospitality, cultural and event centers, healthcare, education, government, broadcast, houses of worship, luxury transportation, and residential markets. Their HQ is in Paramus, NJ and their project work spans the greater NYC metro and tri-state region. (synapseav.com)
What services does Synapse Audio Visual Designs provide?
Synapse provides audio design, video walls and digital signage, lighting design, centralized control systems, building automation, digital media distribution networking, projection, video conferencing, video camera integration, signal distribution, GUI and HID integration, digital content creation and management, and technology general contracting. They handle the full scope from design through commissioning. (Synapse services page)
Who are the principals of Synapse Audio Visual Designs?
Synapse was founded in 2012 by Stephen Cannella (Managing Partner and Chief Design Consultant, LC, CTS-D) and Christopher Obssuth. Stephen Cannella began in entertainment lighting at age 15, worked as chief lighting technician in the motion picture industry, and co-founded Synapse to bring multidisciplinary AV and lighting design under one roof. (Stephen Cannella at LEDucation)
What notable projects has Synapse Audio Visual Designs completed?
Synapse's portfolio includes 30 Rockefeller Plaza, The Peninsula Hotel, Unilever HQ, The Jewish Museum, Golden Nugget Atlantic City, The Pierre Hotel, Traxon Technologies Headquarters, FDNY Fire Zone, Hebrew Union College, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and SugarHouse Casino. Their work spans entertainment lighting, corporate AV, hospitality technology, cultural institutions, and healthcare. (Synapse portfolio)
How does Synapse Audio Visual Designs relate to the Restrepo Group?
Synapse Audio Visual Designs is a member of the Restrepo Group, serving as the local lead voice for technically demanding AV, lighting, and entertainment technology projects in their territory. Restrepo Innovations provides shared engineering and standards support. Synapse holds their own credentials and client relationships independently. (Restrepo Group page)
Where is Synapse Audio Visual Designs located?
Synapse Audio Visual Designs, LLC is at 411 Sette Drive, Suite N3, Paramus, NJ 07652. Phone: (201) 576-9200. Website: synapseav.com.