THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 3, 1995 TAG: 9505020104
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Earning a living in Virginia Beach
SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
When Kenton Taylor, 36, produced a video on reasons to live in Virginia Beach, he had no idea the tape would go on to become a part of classroom training for franchise owners all over the nation.
But, it did.
And the president of the franchise, Stuart J. Dizak of Video Data Services headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., even issued Taylor, who named his franchise Beach Video Productions, a certificate for his efforts.
The promotional tape was part of Taylor's franchise training. The assignment was to concoct an eight-minute tape of his community and why someone would want to relocate there.
``Their future success directly depends on how well done that tape is,'' said Dizak, who has been in the production business for 15 years. ``The tape shows us or, more importantly, them their capabilities and the more effort, the greater their chance for success.''
The test tapes are sent to franchise headquarters up to eight weeks after an owner has completed training. There is no pass or fail grading, said Dizak. ``And we're not looking for something that can be sold. We're looking at what their potential is.''
Dizak said they were impressed by Taylor's tape. ``Everything - the script, the video and the narration - was very, very well done.''
Being a Maryland native, Taylor spent several days in the library researching Virginia Beach's history and then spent several more days videotaping and editing his film.
The film opens with a shot of jet skiers riding the waves of the Atlantic, then moves on to show a game of volleyball being played on the beach, and then to Kids Cove and the Mount Trashmore skateboard ramp.
In the promotional film, Taylor goes on to describe some of the area's history, including shots of the Francis Land House and the Farmers Market.
He did the voice-over, videotaping and editing himself, which is required by the franchise company.
Taylor opened his video business in January in his Rosemont Forest home.
The company specializes in weddings, commercial videos for training, and once he's certified, legal videos, such as depositions.
When Taylor isn't working at his full-time job as a sales person with a local moving and storage company, he and his wife, Tammy, who also works full time, are out on the road, videotaping weddings and reunions and even television commercials.
They also have two other videographers they can hire when they're busy.
``It's always been a hobby but when you have kids you start looking at where you want to be and what you want to do if nobody paid you,'' said Taylor, whose daughter, Lauren, is 18 months old.
They were attracted to the franchise because ``It allowed us to start at our own pace and was relatively inexpensive,'' said Taylor.
The Taylors have invested about $30,000 in the business.
They say buying the franchise made life much easier than if they had tried to start their own business.
``We can call our affiliates for help and that's an advantage we have over competitors,'' said Taylor. ``We have nationwide coverage, too.''
The franchise boasts more than 270 offices nationwide and, according to Dizak, is the largest video production company in North America. MEMO: To reach Beach Video Productions, an affiliate of Video Data Services,
call 474-6144.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH
At Beach Video Productions, Kenton and Tammy Taylor specialize in
weddings, commercial videos for training and, once he's certified,
legal videos such as depositions.
by CNB