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Patrick Hand
Chief Executive Officer & Founder
Patrick Hand, Jr., CEO and founder of FirstHand Productions, created his company in the fall of 2019 with the desire to provide excellent audiovisual services and to deliver each client the personal attention they deserve. The unforeseen pandemic in early 2020 caused the company to pivot to exclusively an on-line company in order to support its clients with their meetings needs through this uncertain time.
Since the pandemic, Patrick has continued to grow the company by providing the support, leadership and the vision required to achieve the company’s goals and objectives. He is greatly involved in day-to-day activities, attending company sales missions, and managing select accounts.
Dede Walsh, CMP, DES
Chief Management Officer
Dede began her hospitality career at the Mayflower as an Assistant AV Manager for Bauer Audio Visual, Inc., and later transitioned to the Mayflower’s catering department. She worked as an Operations Assistant at the Loew’s L’Enfant Plaza Hotel. Her career journey continued as Convention Services Manager and Group Sales Manager with the Omni Shoreham Hotel and a Group Sales Manager with the Wyndham Baltimore and the Baltimore Marriott Hunt Valley Inn.
Dede returned to the audiovisual industry as National Account Manager for Projection Presentation Technology. During this time, Dede acquired her CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) and DES (Digital Event Strategist) accreditations.
Dede joined FirstHand Productions in September 2023 after working for Projection for almost 18 years.
Brian Zambotti
Chief Strategy Officer
Brian Zambotti began his career in the events industry at Digitell, where he spent more than two decades helping associations and organizations transform how they deliver education and engagement. He served in multiple leadership roles, including Vice President of Sales and Marketing, leading the company through unprecedented growth and innovation in digital event strategy. Following Digitell’s acquisition, he continued with Conexiant, expanding his leadership in digital strategy and client development while helping to shape the company’s event technology and growth initiatives.
During this time, Brian partnered with some of the largest medical and professional associations in the country to design and produce impactful content experiences — earning recognition as PCMA’s Digital Strategist of the Year for his work advancing hybrid and digital event models.
In October 2025, Brian joined FirstHand Productions as Chief Strategy Officer, where he focuses on uniting people, purpose, and production to deliver events that connect, educate, and engage.
Wes Hager
Director of Audiovisual Services
B. Murphy
Exhibit Floor Manager
B holds the Certified Exhibits Manager (CEM) designation through the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) and is a former CEM Faculty member as well as a former Chair of the CEM Commission. He has facilitated CEM training throughout the United States, as well as in Thailand and Taiwan and has been instrumental as an Instructor and Mentor to hundreds of people on their own CEM journey.
Production Office
Eldersburg, Maryland 21784