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The Video Factory 30 Year Anniversary 1991 ~ 2021 |
History
The Video Factory (Do-It-Yourself VIDEO) Celebrates 30 Years in Business
The Video Factory is a movie and video production company based in Fort Wayne, IN. It is the oldest Black-owned Video Production Company in Fort Wayne. The company began in July, 1991 as Do-It-Yourself VIDEO (DIYV) which provided video editing and video copying services for consumers and businesses. In 2002, DIYV began the transition from video production services to movie production, changed the name of the business to The Video Factory in 2005, and released its first movie.
DIYV/The Video Factory Timeline
July, 1991- Do-It-Yourself VIDEO (DIYV) opened its doors at 422 Southgate Plaza in Fort Wayne, Indiana on July 11th, 1991. Steve Miller, President and Owner, started DIYV to provide Video Production Services for consumers and businesses. The concept was to provide a facility where customers could edit their videos. DIYV also provided Video Copying services. The first customer was a woman who was getting divorced and needed to give her soon to be ex-husband a copy of their VHS wedding video.
Fall, 1992- started transferring 8mm film to video tape after considerable customer demand.
Summer, 1992- released Comcorder 101 training video.
June, 1995- moved from Southgate Plaza to Southtown Mall for more exposure in a retail environment.
Fall, 1996- started DIYV NewsCopy a collaboration between DIYV and WPTA-TV, Channel 21 providing copies of news stories to customers. (Service ended in 2015)
February, 1997- introduced DIYV Business Video Solutions (DIYV-BVS) a service developed to provide consulting and video production services specifically for small businesses and manufacturers.
December, 1999- released The 4C-4P© Guide to Running Your Own Business training video.
July, 2001- celebrated ten years of business survival.
Spring, 2002- began the transition from video production services to movie production in response to the changing consumer video market.
January, 2003- forced to vacate Southtown Mall by mall owners. Moved to the Worthman Office Mall at 5800 Fairfield Ave.
January, 2005- DIYV changed its name to The Video Factory.
Spring, 2005- released the movie What We Had Is What We Had on VHS and DVD.
Spring, 2007- launched website SoulVisionTV.com to distribute the movies and videos produced by The Video Factory.
Fall, 2007- released The Marriage Contract on DVD.
October 29, 2008- the world premiere of Never Going to Give Him UP! at Andorfer Commons on the campus of Indiana Tech.
September, 2011- began streaming movies On Demand on the Vimeo digital platform.
May, 2015- released PUBLIC SPEAKING? I Can Do That instructional video.
August, 2015- ceased operations at the Worthman Office Mall.
October, 2015- released The Marriage Contract, 2nd Edition.
March, 2018- launched SoulStories (soulvisiontv.com/soulstories.htm) as a publishing and distribution channel. Released Thursday April 4th, 1968.
September 22, 2019- world premiere of Love Never Was the Issue- Episode Three: The Heart of the Matter at the Allen County Public Library auditorium.
September 24, 2019- released. Behind the Scenes: The Making of Love Never Was the Issue- Episode Three: The Heart of the Matter as a companion book to the movie.
February 13, 2021- Love Never Was the Issue- Episode Three: The Heart of the Matter is broadcast on MyTV Fort Wayne, Channel 21.3.
July 11, 2021- The Video Factory celebrates 30 years in business.
Some of Our Business and Organizations Customers
Lincoln FoodService Products- production, editing, and copying training videos
MLK Montessori School- production and editing graduation videos
Wildcat Baseball League- production and editing promotional and event videos
PROMOW- editing and copying instructional videos
Fort Wayne Urban League- production and editing promotional videos
The Old Fort YMCA- production and editing event videos
Pretzels, Inc.- production and editing training videos
Robert Bowles Karate Academy- editing and copying training videos
FWPD City of Fort Wayne- copying
Minority Health Coalition of Allen County- production and editing promotional video
African African-American Museum- production and editing archive videos
GTE/Verizon- production and editing event video
Black College Club- editing and copying event videos
From the President
Early Challenges
One of the earliest challenges was educating the public about the concept of do-it-yourself. The copying part of the business was understood from day one and customers brought their videos in to have copies made, but it took a while for people to understand that they could actually use our editing equipment to work on their videos. It took a lot of promotion and advertising, but eventually more and more people began using our editing facilities. The editing service really got traction when several small businesses and organizations began using our facilities to edit their training and promotional videos.
Significant Milestones
Celebrating our 10-year anniversary was an accomplishment since we were taking on a new business concept that had not been done before in Fort Wayne. The fact that we received so much customer support put us in a position to be successful. Surviving those first 10 years was a big deal.
Another significant milestone was making the move from Southgate Plaza to Southtown Mall in June, 1995. The purpose of the move was to get more public exposure in a retail environment. The move served its purpose and the business continued to grow in our three basic services, and also allowed us to add some new services like DIYV NewsCopy.
Transforming the Business
Two things were happening in the early 2000’s that required DIYV to reconsider it’s mission. The first thing was that computer technology was rapidly developing and consumers were able to do a lot of editing on their own systems, so no more need for analog VHS editing. We were still able to do a considerable amount multiple-copy projects, but the do-it-yourself part of the business had diminished.
The other thing that happened was the conflict between the City of Fort Wayne and the owner of Southtown Mall. The owner did not maintain the facility and many tenants began vacating the premises. At the same time, the City of Fort Wayne wanted to condemn the property and use it to revitalize the southeast side of town. DIYV left Southtown in January, 2003, and moved to the Worthman Office Mall on Fairfield Ave.
With those two thing happening, it was an opportunity to change the name from Do-It-Yourself VIDEO to The Video Factory, and an opportunity to begin the transition for video production services to movie production and distribution.
Lessons Learned
The most important dynamic in business is relationships. Without the relationships that we have developed through the years, there is no way that we could be here today talking about a 30-year anniversary. We treated our clients with respect while providing professional video services, that lead to an abundance of repeat business. I always let my customers know how much I appreciated their support.
The Future
Thirty years ago, I could not have envisioned where we are today. The business is completely different than the one in the original business plan. Much of the digital technology that we use today to produce and distribute our movies was not around on July 11th, 1991. The challenge is to increase the number of viewers who stream our movies through SoulVisionTV.com We will also continue to develop, produce, distribute more movie content.
Steve Miller, President
The Video Factory
7.2021