Titan 100 Spotlights Florida Streaming Leader Kurt Heitmann

Kurt Heitmann’s entrepreneurial journey in the entertainment sound engineering realm spans over four decades. He embarked on his career in 1981, delving into the intricacies of sound engineering within the entertainment industry, clinching four Emmy Awards. His career trajectory saw him rise to the role of an audio assistant covering major sporting events for ESPN, including the Olympics in Seoul, Korea.

Heitmann ventured into entrepreneurship by founding KZGH Audio Services, transforming the company into a thriving venture, achieving annual revenues of $250,000 before selling it to Duke City Video. He joined CP Communications in 2000 and over the course of 12 years, propelled the company’s revenue from $2 million to $18 million.

“Heitmann’s unwavering commitment to innovation and quality has positioned CP Communications as a trailblazer, with investments in emerging technologies such as MPEG4 and fiber optics, ensuring its continued relevance and prominence in the ever-evolving landscape of media production and communication,” said his staff. “As chief executive officer, Heitmann continues to chart a course for CP Communications and Red House Streaming, leveraging his wealth of experience and vision to propel both entities toward continued growth and success.”

CP Communications provides innovative engineering solutions for broadcasting and streaming live events. The firm is a leading provider of specialized technology solutions for the production of live events and premium video content for broadcast and OTT platforms. Red House Streaming, a subsidiary of CP Communications, supports, enables and simplifies the creation and delivery of broadcast-quality media content. RHStv is Tampa Bay’s premiere streaming channel providing a video marketing platform through connected TV for business and nonprofit organizations.

Within the industry, Heitmann said the most important risk he took was starting his own audio services company in 1990. “It allowed me to learn about business practices in my industry, develop the skill needed to run an organization, and most importantly, to become a great leader,” he said.

As a leader, Heitmann said he is always striving for excellence and the 10% rule. “It’s relatively easy to give a 90% effort, but the last 10% is what separates great leaders from ordinary leaders,” he said. “It’s the last 10% that separate great athletes from ordinary athletes as well.”

The ability to listen and learn from your employees is crucial to success as a leader and entrepreneur, said Heitmann. “Leaders become great not because of their power but because of the ability to empower others,” he said.