Videomaker Magazine Celebrates 25 Years of Helping People Make Better Video

CHICO, Calif., May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Videomaker magazine, the nation's oldest consumer magazine dedicated to independent video and videography, celebrates 25 years in print in June, 2011.

Founded in 1986, Videomaker was the first magazine to introduce video to a mass, non-industry audience.  Though the video field has exploded dramatically in recent years, Videomaker still remains dedicated to its core mission: To encourage aspiring directors and documentarians to use video technology to find their own voices and tell their own stories.  

"We had no idea that video made by ordinary citizens would be so accessible," says founder Matt York, who still serves as publisher and editor a quarter century after he first launched the magazine from a Peterborough, New Hampshire apartment. "In 1986, making video required more time and distributing or disseminating it was very limited and costly."

Matt graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in Communications and English in 1978. While working in the underground video movement of the early 80s, he realized video's potential to let ordinary people compete with Hollywood productions. At a time when most saw video as a novelty, Matt foresaw the video revolution and dreamed of a magazine that would help people join the movement.  He scraped together the capital to bring the first issue of Videomaker to newsstands in 1986.  As an indicator of how much video has changed since then, that issue featured bulky, boxy cameras retailing at an average price of $1,800.  But the years since have borne out Matt's vision, as video cameras have become more portable and less extensive and video has become an integral part of our everyday lives.  

"While we are all now accustomed to making video quickly, inexpensively and disseminating it widely, it is still a miracle to me," says York. "Anyone can make a video with their mobile phone, upload it and perhaps reach millions of people within a few days; this idea blows my mind."

Today, Videomaker is more than just a magazine. It's grown to also become a robust online community, offering a full line of training DVDs, videos-on-demand and a series of webinars and hands-on video training workshops. Every month, more than 50,000 professional videographers, independent filmmakers, and home video hobbyists turn to Videomaker to get the latest video scoops.

To mark this historic occasion, Matt York is available to speak about the history of video and Videomaker, how video has changed over the years and what the future holds.  With the rise of online video and the proliferation of cheap prosumer cameras, video is becoming more ubiquitous every day.  There's never been a better time to look at the history of video through the eyes of someone who's been there since the beginning.  For more information, visit http://www.videomaker.com/l/press or contact Marketing Coordinator Mike Rosen at (530) 981-8410 x 501.

SOURCE Videomaker