Restoring Fading Memories

I have several large containers in my basement that hold not only a lifetime of precious memories, but generations of photo and movie-taking technology.

First are several carousels of 35mm slides and small boxes of old 8mm home movie reels shot by my grandfather from the 1940s to the 1970s. These included images and movies of my mom and my two aunts growing up. How nostalgic to see the old cars and vintage clothing. Amazing too, how much my mom growing up looks like my own daughters! Later, on Super-8mm film, there are movies of my brothers, my cousins, and me swimming in my grandfather's pool, playing basketball and shuffleboard at their place, and gathering for family events like birthday parties, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Next are several VHS tapes whose brown and faded labels list years of important events from the 1980s and '90s, when VHS tape was the day's popular format.

Then come stacks of cassette-style tapes from my first camcorder, which used the 8mm and Hi8 video format. Captured on them are key moments from high school and college, live events, music concerts, even some of my earliest video productions before starting a career in the video business. Filling out the containers are hundreds of small tapes in the MiniDV format, taken in recent years. These tapes include footage from my own children's lives–first days home from the hospital, shaky first steps, birthdays, soccer games, dance recitals, and Kindergarten graduation.

I'm eternally grateful that all these memories are captured on tape and film, but essentially they're all trapped inside these containers. To display them, we need to dig out a VHS player or the camcorders used to shoot the video. They can't be easily edited or shared and they're deteriorating over time.

That's why I've undertaken a project this summer (and likely into the fall) to convert all these memories into digital format and have them saved to DVDs. The conversion process "cleans up" some of the images; and once they're in digital format, I can edit the footage, share the video with anyone–and feel assured that it's all safely preserved for the next generation.

How the process works:

Home Video Studio offers slides-, photos-, and home-movies-to-DVD conversion at our convenient storefront in downtown Lee's Summit (other formats such as Blu-Ray and video conversion to hard drives and flash drives are available as well). The process is easy: just bring in the original movies or slides and we take care of the rest! We have unique themes for each DVD such as "baby" or "sports" and even apply your titling information (i.e. "The Smith Family Vacation 1995") directly on the interactive DVD menu and on the DVD label itself.

These DVDs organize your video into handy chapters for easy navigation–no more fast-forwarding through the entire tape to find a specific scene. And for movie film, the quality is improved during the conversion process, with colors brightened and film flicker reduced or eliminated.

Going through all these old videos, slides, and films has been an ambitious project. The results are very rewarding, especially considering that all those memories–from various years and technologies–used to be trapped inside several containers in my basement. Once completed, I'll have instant access to all the content and will be able to make copies and share them with my family in a new way.

Want happier customers and more market share for your business? READ ON!

Virtually every business, large and small, has a website these days, right? In this age of information overload, every business should ask the question, "What is the function of our website?" Is its purpose to provide information about products or services? Does the website provide contact information should a prospect decide to place a phone call or make a personal visit? Is the website an online ordering system? Perhaps all the above, but there's something fundamental that's missing on many business websites. Are you ready for it? The answer is video. Personal, invitational video.

Do you have video on your business website? If not, here are a few staggering statistics that will convince you to think about it more seriously:

• Online video is the fastest growing media platform in history

• 72% of U.S. web users are watching clips online, putting web video ahead of blogging and social networking, making it the leading social media platform

Think about when someone refers a business to you. Oftentimes, the first thing you do is Google the business and then go to their website (I know that's what I do).

When a prospect goes to your website, what do they see? Some words and some pictures (probably stock photos)?

Keep this in mind: People do business with PEOPLE. Give them YOU. Video does that.

Let us create some web video for you. Whether it's you talking about your business, or even better, a customer testimonial endorsing your products or services, it'll make your website much more personable. People will better understand what you do and will feel more comfortable to buy from you and refer business to you. Not only that, but you'll stand out from your competition.

Happy customers and increased market share. Isn't this why you got in business in the first place? Give us a call today. (816) 246-8888. We're ready to help.

Home Video Studio of Lee's Summit is featured in the July 2010 issue of "Small Business Opportunities" magazine

This morning Steve Dalbec put his shoes on, walked into the decked-out Home Video Studio in his suburban Denver residence and began his day’s work by firing up the rack of equipment that is part and parcel of his trade. At that moment his colleague, Chad Godfrey pulled into a parking space near his suburban Kansas City storefront, admired the Home Video Studio sign adorning the front of his business, and smiled with pride as he unlocked the door and turned on the lights.

Dalbec and Godfrey are both owners of Home Video Studio franchises - the world’s largest franchisor of video services businesses with locations across the nation as well as Canada and Sweden.

This afternoon Steve received a hearty “thank-you” from a proud dad watching his daughter’s basketball scholarship video, knowing her chances of going to college have just improved greatly. Chad will shortly get an appreciative squeeze of his hand from an eighty-four year old great-grandmother who thought her old 8mm film and the precious images it holds was lost forever.

Steve and Chad stand ready with the equipment and know-how it takes to provide twenty-seven video services for consumers and corporations, including video production, editing and graphics design, DVD and CD Duplication, Video to DVD transfers, Photo Video Keepsake montages, Greenscreen Videography, Sports Videos and Corporate/Organizational videos.

This evening Steve will sit in his home office counting his receipts and remembering his satisfied customers. Chad will lock his storefront, think of the lives he touched and take his deposits to the bank. Steve Dalbec recently had a $25,547 month. Grossing between $5,000 and $7,000 a week is not uncommon with Chad Godfrey, whose best week ever was over $15,000!

This is a tale of two successful Home Video Studio owners with the same happy ending. Steve and Chad make money in a fulfilling and much needed service by providing “Video Services for Everyone.” How do they do it?

For starters the raw material is everywhere – ready to be duplicated, changed to a more modern format, or created into something entirely new. Who doesn’t have old photos, videos, 8mm and 16mm film or DVD’s? Who doesn’t worry that their memories might fall victim to time and elements? Who doesn’t have a dream to create something touching and meaningful from these contents? “We work with our customers’ needs at any and every step of the way,” says founder and president of Home Video Studio Robert Hanley. “From something as simple as a copy of a wedding to a complex creative masterpiece we have the means to give the customer what they need. This is why we say “Video Services for Everyone.”

But even the most abundant of raw material needs to be mined. This is where the marketing experience of Robert Hanley and the support team at Home Video Studio headquarters really shine.

“Around here we say, You’re in business for yourself, but not by yourself,” says Chad. “Robert Hanley and the franchise team have a lot to do with our success. The franchise is a ‘video business system’ that’s proven and works very well, just like plugging into a conduit flowing with electricity. Their training and constant encouragement are there to always keep us focused on what’s important, the fundamentals of running the business to constantly keep it successful.”

Steve notes, “By having the equipment that I have, coupled with the unparalleled training that Home Video Studio provides throughout the year I have found a way to make money at providing video services. I have not only learned technical skills, but marketing skills through the support system of Home Video Studio.” Although Steve and Chad are both Home Video Studio franchisees they turned their passion into a profitable business in two different ways. Steve came to the Home Video Studio family after a thirty year career at UPS, where, as an industrial engineer he diagnosed data and planned for expansion. The son of a professional photographer, however, he always harbored a passion for media. This led him to shooting and editing his kids’ scouts, dance and sports events. When Dalbec spotted an ad for Home Video Studio he saw examples of people who had turned this same passion for video into a business. “That ad, coupled with certain events that demanded that we move back home to Colorado helped me decide to remake a career as well,” says Dalbec.

That decision paid off. Besides posting a record year in sales, Steve has also taken home some prizes for his video excellence at the Hanley Awards, Home Video Studio’s annual awards program. Most notably Steve garnered Rookie of the year, Rookie Video of the Year and The Rising Star Award.

Always a creative guy Chad has loved being in video production for a large part of his life. Looking for a business framework for success he found it five years ago in Home Video Studio. He started part-time but decided to go full time within five months. Chad has never looked back, garnering Rookie of the Year in 2005, Studio Owner of the Year 2006, and the President’s Award in 2007. Chad also has thirty-one Hanley Awards. On the roster of the top sales performers nearly every week, he is particularly excited about his new storefront, which opened in July of 2009. That first month saw over $19,000.00 in sales! This beautiful new location boasts many amenities including a front reception area, an edit suite, and a production/shooting area.

What does the future hold for these two Home Video Studio owners? Steve aptly sums it up: “I literally believe that everyone is my customer,” says Steve. “Unless you’re a hermit or a spinster you most likely have a need for what I do. We live in such a video age that with hard work plus the visibility, support and ongoing training I receive as a Home Video Studio owner I should stay busy for a long time to come.”

http://www.sbomag.com/articals/SBO/2010/july/fast-forward/index.html

Get Your Business Noticed and Rank #1 on Google

If you're a business owner or in marketing or sales, you desire only the best for business. When people search for your products or services on the internet, do they find you quickly or are you lost in a sea of thousands of others competing for what you do? Want Page 1 search engine result rankings? Of course you do; we all do. It's the holy grail on the web for sure.

What if I were to tell you of a little known way that profoundly increases your odds of getting a Page 1 search engine result – might that be of interest? I thought so.

The answer is video. But not just any old video. It has to be search engine optimized video. Properly post that, and according to a recent study by Forrester Research, you stand a 53 times better chance of getting a Page 1 Google ranking.

Here's how we can help:

First of all, as you know, we create national award-winning video. Our videos grab the attention of your prospect or customer. They move people and call them to action, whether it be to call you for an appointment or to donate to your non-profit right online. In fact, research indicates that if you have video on your homepage, up to 80% of your visitors will click that first. So, you know it's gotta be good!

Once the video is created, it's posted prominently on your site. We send your video to your webmaster at the highest quality, or if you need help, we post it for you.

Once posted, we help you SEO it (Search Engine Optimization) and submit it with key words, phrases, and captions that make your video standout on Google and the other search engines.

This is all part of the Home Video Studio difference, not only great video but video that gets YOU noticed.

So, what are you waiting for? Give us a call or email us today so we can help you with your 2010 sales and marketing goals. 816.246.8888. chad@homevideostudio.com

It's An Up-All-Night Sale (Three Days Only): Half-Price Gift Certificates at Home Video Studio

Greetings Home Video Studio Customers and Friends! On Friday, we had our third baby, Emerson Claire Godfrey (girl). She weighed 8 lbs. 5 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. She's definitely a bundle of joy. In light of a very special occasion, we're offering some fantastic savings for three days only (today, tomorrow, and Wednesday). We're calling it the "Up-All-Night Sale" since we're currently not getting any sleep. :) Want that perfect gift for a loved one? Today, tomorrow, and Wednesday (November 23-25) you can purchase Home Video Studio gift certificates for half price! That's $100 worth for $50! $50 worth for $25! $25 worth for $12.50! Sure, these gift certificates will be available after Thanksgiving, but at full price. Can't get into the studio these next few days? Call us or email us and we'll mail them to you at no additional cost. How easy is that? We will be closed all weekend for the Thanksgiving holiday (Emerson's got a lot of family and friends still to meet), so act now! ~Chad

Some Scary-Good Deals this October

Greetings Home Video Studio customers and friends.  We were just named Home Video Studio's October Studio of the Month!  Click here to read the article.

In celebration of this honor, we're offering some SCARY deals in October: ALL HOLIDAY GIFTS 20% OFF (October only).  It seems October is when many people begin thinking of gift-giving for the upcoming holidays.  Our production schedule creating holiday gifts (see some ideas below) starts to get hectic from this day forward until December 25th.  We'd like to offer you this reward for getting your items in early this year and for making our November and December a little less stressful.

Here are a few gift-giving ideas:

1. Create a highlight DVD of your best clips from your VHS or camcorder tape library

2. Organize, archive, and showcase your family photos, 35mm slides, and/or photo albums on CD or DVD 

3. Create a Lifestory (a mini-documentary) showcasing a family loved one complete with interviews, photos, and video clips from the past

4. Transfer your old 8mm, Super-8mm, or 16mm home movies to DVD

5. Put those old audio tapes, LPs, 8-tracks, or reel-to-reels on CD (or your favorite MP3 player)

Act now!  These are the best deals on holiday gift giving this whole year.

Where are your treasured memories?  We'd venture to say they're in boxes in the attic, basement, or closet somewhere.  Give us a call or email us today.  816.246.8888.  We're ready to create some memorable experiences and some memorable gifts.

Join us for our Re-Grand Opening on September 3rd

Come join us at our Open House and Re-Grand Opening in celebration of our new facility this coming Thursday, September 3rd from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

"A Nite at the Movies" is our theme. We'll have a number of prizes and giveaways for those in attendance. Included above is a coupon worth $25 towards a future project (offer expires September 15th). However, if you bring this coupon with you to our event and have it validated, we'll triple it's value (September 3rd only). That's a $75 discount toward a future project!

Home Video Studio franchise CEO, Robert Hanley, and his wife, Denise, will be in attendance from Indianapolis, Indiana. The Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce will be there to officiate the ribbon-cutting activities at 4:00 p.m. which will include a photo-op at our building's entrance.

If you can't make it at 4:00, we encourage you to come by as soon as you can. We've strategically chosen the date right before your extended Labor Day weekend. Come join us for great food and drinks, fabulous prizes, and help us kick start the fall season with Home Video Studio!