Before he was building movable mounts for Dynamic Mounting, founder Kurt Massey spent years engineering aeronautics for companies like Boeing and Airbus.
As they say, “necessity breeds invention,” and that was the case back in 2008 when Kurt Massey bought his first house and mounted a TV above over the fireplace.
“I played a lot of Halo video games back then and I had to stand up in front of the TV to get a good view of what was going on,” Massey recalls. “That experience planted the seed in my mind that there had to be a solution for this.”
By 2009 Massey was working on prototypes of a mount that allowed you to move a TV downward and swing around the mantel over a fireplace all in one motion. By 2010, he had refined his invention and made his first sale in August that year.
After years selling the mounts online, Massey turned his attention to the custom integration market, debuting at CEDIA Expo 2018 in a shared booth with Key Digital.
Today, Dynamic Mounting has a dozen SKUs of manual and motorized TV mounts designed for over the fireplace ranging from $395 to $1,745.
U.S.-Made Motorized/Manual Mounts
Dynamic Mounting
Unlike many of the other mount brands, Dynamic Mounting’s entire product is made in America, with the engineering, welding and assembly done in Mooresville, N.C., a suburb of Charlotte. The powder-coating is done in nearby Statesville, N.C.
Among the differentiating features of Dynamic Mounting’s products are an increased travel distance when lowered (up to 40 inches), and the ability to sit closer to the wall than competitive products. The fixed mount version sits just 3.9 inches from the wall, while the swivel version is only 4.6 inches off the wall.
The over-fireplace product line includes:
- Down & Out Motorized (fixed or swivel) with a 125 lb. weight capacity, 27 inches of vertical travel, 66 degrees of swivel, and the ability to clear a 16-inch-deep mantel. The motorized unit also has IR, RF and IP control options.
- Down & Out Mount (foxed of swivel) with 32 inches of vertical travel, 125 lb. weight capacity, up to 7 degrees adjustable tilt, 70 degrees of swivel and the ability to clear a 16-inch-deep mantel.
- Down & Out Motorized Recessed Mount with 27 inches of vertical travel, 125 lb. weight capacity, up to 7 degrees adjustable tilt, 60 degrees of swivel and the ability to clear a 13-inch-deep mantel.
- Down & Out Recessed Mount with 27 inches of vertical travel, 125 lb. weight capacity, up to 7 degrees adjustable tilt, 60 degrees of swivel and the ability to clear a 13-inch-deep mantel.
- Down & Out XT (Extra Travel) Motorized (fixed or swivel) with 34 inches of vertical travel, 90 lb. weight capacity, up to 10 degrees adjustable tilt, 70 degrees of swivel and the ability to clear a 20-inch-deep mantel. The motorized unit also has IR, RF and IP control options.
- Down & Out XT Mount (fixed or swivel) with 40 inches of vertical travel, 90 lb. weight capacity, up to 7 degrees adjustable tilt, 66 degrees of swivel and the ability to clear a 20-inch-deep mantel.
- Down & Out Lite Mount with 29 inches of vertical travel, 75 lb. weight capacity, up to 7 degrees adjustable tilt, 60 degrees of swivel and the ability to clear a 16-inch-deep mantel.
The company’s line also includes an Up & Over Mount for cabinets, half-walls and other unique applications. Other products include accessories for extra wall support, soundbar attachment and other applications.
Dynamic Mounting has eight independent sales reps across the country and two internal sales staff, including industry veteran Chris Wildfoerster. In Canada, sales are done through distributor SFM. Currently, half the company’s sales are via its website and other half are through the dealer channel.
Massey says his first exposure to the custom integration community at CEDIA Expo 2018 was a good experience, especially since integrators are focused on high-end solutions versus the cheapest brand.
“We sell expensive products that don’t lend themselves to being price shopped online. That is where the dealers can make our case for us in the field with customers,” says Massey. “We have worked hard to make our products easier to install over the past year. I think they are pretty good.
