Brian Dusho, CEO of Montreal-based software developer BroadSign International, and Lyle Bunn, an industry consultant in Brighton, Ont., are among those recently listed as the most influential executives in digital signage.

The list was compiled by Digital Signage Today, known for presenting seminars relating to industry matters, and was released in late August.

Dusho (pictured, left) joined BroadSign as president in 2009 and is widely credited with maintaining the company’s success when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. in March 2012. Three months later, the company’s assets were acquired by JedFam Group—an investment team led by BroadSign chair Burr Smith—with the bankruptcy court’s approval. Dusho remained CEO.

“Today marks the start of a new chapter for BroadSign,” he said at the time. “Thanks to widespread support from our lenders, customers, partners and friends, our operations have remained robust through this process.”

Indeed, as BroadSign celebrates its 10^th anniversary this year, subscriptions to its software-as-a-service (SaaS) are up more than 20 per cent since January, which Dusho says is twice the industry average and unprecedented in the company’s history. More than 47,500 media players around the world are currently powered by its software platform.

“BroadSign was on its deathbed,” says one of the supporters whose votes earned Dusho a spot on the list. “Brian managed to raise the phoenix from the ashes in a time of tight money and an overabundance of competitors.”

Dusho is also a director-at-large for the Digital Signage Federation (DSF) and a member of the Digital Place-based Advertising Association (DPAA).

Meanwhile, Bunn (right) has earned an honorary doctorate from the Digital Signage Experts Group (DSEG) and, as Digital Signage Today puts it, is “arguably the most visible and prolific digital signage consultant and educator.” In addition to leading educational programs at high-profile trade shows, he works behind the scenes as an advisor to organizations as they plan and implement digital signage networks.

Bunn has published hundreds of articles, both in specialized magazines like Sign Media Canada and in mainstream newspapers, and is currently leading the Digital Media in Communications (DMIC) webinar series.

“Lyle is absolutely dedicated to and passionate about our industry,” says one of the advocates who voted for his spot on the list. “His education series helps to foster better insight into all facets of digital signage.”

Some of the other executives on the list include:

• Allan Brawn, principal at Brawn Consulting, director of DSEG and former chair of DSF.
• Philip M. Cohen, CEO of Care Media and current chair of DSF.
• Chris Gibbs, president and chief operating officer (COO) of Exponation, which produces the Digital Signage Expo (DSE).
• Tom Nix, CEO, and Peter Cherna, senior vice-president (SVP) of technology for Scala.
• David Levin, co-founder, president and CEO of Four Winds Interactive (FWi).
• Garry McGuire Jr., CEO of RMG Networks.
• José Avalos, head of visual retail and digital signage for Intel.