Friday, October 11, 2019

🏆Just Say WOW! Visalia's Winner Of Alignable’s SmallBiz Story Search Revealed Today

Today's a big day for the great storytellers in our network!

After reviewing thousands of funny, emotional, and inspirational entries, plus heartfelt comments from our members, we’re happy to announce the local small businesspeople who've just won the first phase of our WOW-Worthy SmallBiz Story Search.

🥁Drumroll please! 🥁

Visalia’s Best Small Business Storyteller for 2019 is:

Arthur Zepeda of Home Video Studio Visalia!

And here's the winning entry:
I would have to say the most memorable experiences since I started my business are the most emotional. And they always involve a "Memorial Video." A memorial video is a beautifully constructed slide show of photographs synchronized to music normal....

Best Stories From Your Local Business Community

Criteria focused on the overall quality of the story compared to other local entries. Funny, emotional, surprising, inspirational or otherwise unforgettable stories rose to the top, via member likes, and judging panel input.

Our aim was to showcase many real stories from small business life and our impressive contest entrants truly delivered!

We were thrilled to see countless stories that reflect the resilience, dedication, and humor small businesspeople tap daily to make their dreams a reality and bolster their local economy. Many stories also included small business advice that could benefit any business owner.

Badge Enhances Business Networking on Alignable

Visalia’s winner has received a personalized badge to celebrate this major achievement.

The badge can drive more prospects, visibility and recognition on our Alignable network for the rest of 2019 and beyond.

Beyond the badge, all local winners are automatically entered into the semifinalist phase of our competition -- state or provincial winners for the U.S. and Canada. Semifinalists will be named next month.

Upcoming Vote For Top 10 Stories & $23K In Prizes

Once semifinalists are revealed, North American voting will commence to help choose the grand prize winners, one each for the U.S. and Canada, as well as eight runners-up.

Each national winner will receive a lifetime Alignable premium membership, valued at $10,800. Runners-up will each be given six months of free premium memberships, valued at $180 each. In all, over $23,000 worth of prizes will be awarded.

Here’s A Crazy Story About SmallBiz Life In Visalia.

I would have to say the most memorable experiences since I started my business are the most emotional. And they always involve a "Memorial Video." A memorial video is a beautifully constructed slide show of photographs synchronized to music normally shown at a funeral.

There was the time when a young lady named Tanya, arrived at my business to have me create a memorial video for her recently passed mother. I remember after I completed it, she loved her the video so much. Approximately a year later, Toniann, Tanya's sister, came to me to create a memorial video. It was for Tanya. She had recently passed due to an illness.

There was the time when twin sisters Becky and Callie, came to me to create a memorial video for their recently passed brother. A year later, Callie came to me to create a memorial video for Becky.

The one that I will always remember, are sisters Glenda and Gayle. They wanted a memorial video for their recently passed mother. When they walked into my studio, I noticed they had two separate stacks of printed photographs. When they sat down at my desk, I distinctly noticed the large space between them. It was then that I realized they were sisters that were not on speaking terms.
During the process I asked them, "Are we going to make two separate videos or are we going to combine your two stacks of pictures?"
They reluctantly looked at each other and quietly agreed that obviously, it made more sense to combine their photographs. So slowly and over the next thirty minutes, they sat and created a single stack of photographs. At first I could see their resistance to "work together." But eventually, they actually laughed and sometimes cried a little at each of the pictures during the process. At that moment, I realized that it took the death of their mother to finally bring these two back together.

Your Super 8 film is being threatened!

For years and years, film was considered to be an unassailable medium. It was thought that, once put on these thin strips, that those under the camera's lens would forever be secured of their place in time.

But now, it has become rapidly apparent that these promises are not to be. Film collections across the world have begun to deteriorate rapidly. Through a combination of aging, cracking, and a dreadful disease know as “Vinegar Syndrome,” cherished family memories and works of art alike are at risk. Conscientious collectors are turning to digitization services like HOME VIDEO STUDIO VISALIA, turning their amassed celluloid into neat, well organized collections of computer files.

Here's a look at some of the problems facing today's film buffs.

The Rapid Infection - If you crack open your film canisters and notice a strange smell, it's already too late. In fact, your entire film collection may now be contaminated.

Vinegar Syndrome is highly contagious, spreading rapidly through the air in and around the containers. Once this happens, you'll immediately need to charter the services of Home Video Studio Visalia!

Sometimes, this dreaded disease can take effect without even the telltale scent. If you notice curling or rippling on your film, then things may have already begun to decay. There's no reversing the process once it starts, so the need for swift action is imperative.

Causes and Treatments - Paradoxically, the more tightly a film canister is sealed, the more likely it is to contract Vinegar Syndrome. The less a strip of film has been allowed to “breathe”, to interact with its environment, the longer it stews in its own vapors. The film itself actually produces gasses, which essentially marinate the reels. This creates the perfect conditions for Vinegar Syndrome. There's simply no way to avoid it. And, in fact, there's no real treatment. There have been a few rare instances in which certain stretches of infected film have been treated with chemicals such as camphor, which will allow it to be run through a projector one final time. The images will, unfortunately, be majorly distorted as a result of the process. Due to this fact, perhaps, there are only a few places in North America which perform the service. Really, there is no other way to go than digitization.

The Fate of Super 8 For many years, Super 8 film was thought to be immune to the Vinegar Syndrome. Now, however, it's begun to show up in alarming numbers. And though the buildup to the end is slower, the downhill slide is much more rapid. Once infected, Super 8 will deteriorate at an alarming rate. Once again, digitization is the only option.

Beyond the Blight: Other Aging Factors - There's much more to worry about than just a storage disease. Film itself is made of plastic tape (known as backing) underneath an organic film strip known as the gelatin emulsion. This forms the basis of all film, both color and black and white. Because of this universal structure, all film suffers from the same inherent age failures. The gelatin can crack and flex with age. Beyond this, improper storage can cause a mold that will chew up the organic material. You'll notice this as a blue and green discoloration, or even as a smattering of black specks. Even simple scratches on the film surface can serve as a breeding ground for this fungal foe. In fact, a great deal of the film currently in existence is probably already infected, to one degree or another.

There's also the tape to consider. As this dries out, it will eventually become brittle and prone to snap. Old movie projectors aren't exactly easy on the film as it runs through, which causes even more potential for disaster. So really, there's no good news in sight for the future of classic film.

Digitization: The Saving Grace - After all this talk about digitization, film collectors and keepers of family memories will be keen to know more about the process itself. The folks at HOME VIDEO STUDIO VISALIA are here to help! They've got several options of service to choose from, each of which can be customized to suit the unique needs of the consumer. The software they use is top of the line and features many unique processes which can not only capture the images on the film, but also improve upon them. The effects of mold, scratches, and even fading can be reduced or eliminated.

So be sure to check out the offerings of HOME VIDEO STUDIO VISALIA The numerous choices allow for several different variations, any of which can save the most cherished films from the trash heap. They're cherished family memories, there's no reason to let your film collection deteriorate.