20 Years in the Making

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The Mission of Videomaker is to empower people to make video and to democratize and enrich television. We do this by communicating information about tools, technology and techniques in a way that inspires, encourages and equips for success.

"I felt like it was a mission I received and that I was just carrying out the orders to fulfill this destiny. It was certainly the most profound moment of my life - that this assignment was given to me and I was to complete it." -- Matthew York, February 2006

20 years ago, Matt York had a vision and Videomaker was born. In 1986, the idea that anyone could make and share video with others was revolutionary. At that time only a few clunky consumer cameras were available, the editing process was cumbersome, glitchy and of extremely poor quality, and there were little training tools or manuals a budding producer could turn to for help. Matthew York, a graduate of Rutgers University in New Jersey, was a film and video student, but his vision took him along a different path into the unknown waters of publishing. Recently, we sat down with Matt to talk about how the vision began, why he created Videomaker Magazine and how Videomaker worked with and helped influence the companies that build the tools to help fulfill his mission of enriching and democratizing the video industry.

A Vision of a Better World
"After we saw the developments in consumer electronics technology, I had this vision that the world could be better and a different place. I believed that when lay-people make video, it would give people the chance to see how others lived and maybe help alleviate suffering.&qu…