The Dates: October 17-20, 2008.

The Place: Tucson, Arizona.

The Events: Family Legacy Video's final public workshops of the 2008 season.

The Reviews: Fantastic!

Folks from Arizona, Massachusetts, New York and Texas converged on the Old Pueblo to learn video biography production tips and techniques from Family Legacy Video's president Steve Pender, as well as video producers Dan Crapsi and Ginny Temple. Most of the class stayed an extra day to receive video biography business advice from Steve and marketing expert Dan Blumenthal. The group was friendly, enthusiastic and motivated.

Over the three days of the "Create Your Own Video Biography" workshop, Steve and his team ushered the class through the video biography creation process, from planning a project, through interviewing and videotaping, scanning photos, editing and much more. Class members viewed a wide variety of video biography samples and learned creative video storytelling techniques.

During "The Business of Video Biographies" on October 20, students learned how to create a business identity and received valuable information regarding pricing and promotion.

Here's what class members had to say:

"The stuff about scanning will be lifesaving for me!"

"I found the workshop well organized, a great pace, just the right stuff covered. Exactly what I'd hoped for."

"Seeing samples of Steve's and Dan's work showed me the quality that is possible with this kind of project."

"I liked the hands-on lighting instruction and the ability to ask questions of knowledgeable professionals."

"I really enjoyed the business workshop. Dan's business identity presentation and exercise was fun. I liked hearing the presentation that you give to groups. You are an amazingly talented and generous individual."

When will the next workshops be held? There's no firm schedule yet, but tentative plans call for sessions in the Spring of 2009. When the dates are set, we'll announce them via the e-mail list.

Thanks to everyone who traveled to Tucson this year to share our passion for preserving personal history on video!

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Ajo, Arizona is a former mining town located at the end of a 2 1/2 hour drive southwest of Tucson. The town boasts a colorful past, thanks to it's mining history and the cultural interactions of the Native Americans, Mexicans and Anglos who have called Ajo home. The stories that illuminate Ajo's history reside in the memories of the town's elders, most of whom are now quite old. Thankfully, a group of dedicated citizens, calling themselves the Ajo Story Gatherers, has launched an effort to preserve the stories of the town elders on video, before they are lost forever.

The group faced two immediate challenges. One: Funding. Two: Little or no experience with video or video biographies. The Story Gatherers solved the first problem by applying for, and receiving, a grant to underwrite equipment and training. They solved the second challenge by contacting Family Legacy Video.

Story Gatherers member Cheryl Langer called Family Legacy Video's president, Steve Pender. Her request: Would Steve design a custom workshop to teach the Story Gatherers how to create a community legacy on video? Steve was only too happy to oblige. He enlisted the help of his workshop partners, Dan Crapsi and Ginny Temple, who were equally enthusiastic about helping the Ajo Story Gatherers document their town's history.

On Friday, October 24, the Family Legacy Video team packed up its gear and hit the highway to present a two-day workshop from Saturday, October 25 through Sunday, October 26. The sessions were informational, inspirational, spirited and fun for all - leaving the Ajo Story Gatherers with a firm foundation of knowledge on which to launch their project.

Family Legacy Video was honored to be a part of this spirited community video history effort and wishes the Ajo Story Gatherers the best of luck. We hope we're invited to the premiere of the completed video!

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