Dean,
Wishing you all the best in retirement. It has been a pleasure to work with you these many years. Randy, Good to see your name again. I hope you are doing well. Melinda Gallo Senior Account Executive [image: cid:[email protected]]*Infobase Learning* Films Media Group / Facts On File 132 West 31st Street, 17th floor New York, NY 10001 T: 800-257-5126, x4270 F: 212-313-9425 E: [email protected] W: www.films.com/dealers [image: Summer flowers] *From:* [email protected] [mailto: [email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Sarah E. McCleskey *Sent:* Tuesday, May 24, 2016 8:43 AM *To:* '[email protected]' <[email protected]> *Subject:* Re: [Videolib] Vide-O-Go Wow, Randy, I never heard of How to Bring Out the Ham in your Cat but of course I had to look … someone has 1 VHS on amazon for $19.95!! I’m sorely tempted to purchase it … I have to tell you that the images that title conjured up for me were not about teaching cats to do tricks, haha!! *From:* [email protected] [ mailto:[email protected] <[email protected]>] *On Behalf Of *Randy Pitman *Sent:* Monday, May 23, 2016 6:28 PM *To:* [email protected] *Subject:* Re: [Videolib] Vide-O-Go Congrats, Dean. You’ve been a true trailblazer in the business, responsible for placing a lot of great informational, educational, and entertainment titles in libraries, which I am sure have enriched people’s lives. YouTube has unfortunately killed much of the how-to video market (I’m sure I will never see titles like 1987’s “How to Bring Out the Ham in Your Cat” cross my desk again), and the business has changed in so many other ways. You were there for the whole evolution and survived. I raise my glass. Happy trails my friend! Best, Randy Randy Pitman Publisher/Editor Video Librarian 3435 NE Nine Boulder Dr. Poulsbo, WA 98370 Tel: (360) 626-1259 Fax (360) 626-1260 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.videolibrarian.com *From:* [email protected] *Sent:* Monday, May 23, 2016 11:24 AM *To:* [email protected] *Subject:* [Videolib] Vide-O-Go Dear videolib colleagues... is it hard to believe this day has finally come. As I wind down a 30 year career as a self employed small business owner with the past 25+ in B2B packaged media distribution, I would like to sincerely thank you for allowing me to be part of the dialogue. Together, collectively, we have seen amazing transformations within our industry, and collectively, our success is a testimony to each and everyone on this listserv. As I am most appreciative for the infotaining perspectives you've all shared, I would like to pay tribute to your dedication, commitment, and professionalism, And as always, I sign off wishing you all continued success! *Dean W. StevensVide-O-Go / That's Infotainment!* *Serving library and school media acquisitions since 1989.* 206 Winding Ridge, Cary, NC 27518-8934 Phone: 919-363-7920 Email: [email protected] *Multimedia Industry Veteran Set To Retire* *Special interest retailing pioneer places domain portfolio up** for sale* Dean Stevens, founding owner of Vide-O-Go/That's Infotainment!, raises a glass of his favorite bargain vino at the Cary, NC, family owned and operated small business surrounded by years of excess out-of-print video inventory. "It's been a good run," says Stevens, amid the announcement of his planned retirement. The multimedia company will be closing its office doors over the Summer of 2016 following the anticipated sale of its suite of video related internet domains. "It's nice to be able to walk away from a productive enterprise on my own time and of my own choosing. I feel incredibly privileged—it didn't happen that way for so many of my esteemed colleagues." Considered an early 1980's pioneer in "how-to video" retailing and special interest distribution, Stevens took the business from its small retail roots to a nationally recognized multimedia distribution service. Along the way, Stevens was the recipient of six VSDA Viddie awards honoring his advertising and marketing; he was also a two-time recipient of *Video Business Magazine*'s National Retailer of The Week. Vide-O-Go has evolved from personal corporate deliveries to retail store, with a short-lived stint as a Tape Learning Centers of America franchise. It outlasted Blockbuster while successfully settling into a distributorship of multimedia formats through on-line and mail-order operations. The company's flagship franchise storefront was first established in Princeton, NJ's Forrestal Village, building a loyal customer base of businesses and their employees along the Route One Corridor. It was free to join as a "member" customer and $5.00 to rent a VHS video or book-on-tape for three days. A nationwide mail-order clientele was soon to follow, along with national recognition in *USA Today* and *Entrepreneur* *Magazine*. Not resting on its laurels, Stevens' company commissioned a research study in conjunction with the Small Business Institute in the late '90s that helped establish a revised business plan to further ignite growth. As VHS cassettes began to disappear and rentals turned into bulk sales, Stevens shifted his focus to serve public libraries and schools, recognizing that packaged "infotainment" media was a rapidly expanding marketplace. The firm in its peak years represented over a hundred studios and publishers while serving the acquisition interests of more than 1,000 libraries and schools nationwide, and internationally in Canada, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand. Stevens has nurtured the company since the summer of 1989 and has grown the operation around his personal involvement and passion for the business. As customer eProcurement contracts are set to expire through the current fiscal year, business operations are expected to cease by July/August 2016. For Stevens, the personal decision has been years in the making, and he’s looking forward to what he describes as “semi-retirement”—the entrepreneur returned to school for graduate studies in higher education and counseling, and has concurrently spent the past nine years enjoying an encore career with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Undergraduate Admissions Office. Added Stevens, "launching and growing the company to national prominence at the onset of a burgeoning industry was a very rewarding experience. I appreciate the confidence my customers have placed in my service over the years and I've always done everything possible to merit that confidence. I hope the integrity of my business relationships with both customers and suppliers alike serve as the legacy of Vide-O-Go." *206 Winding Ridge Cary, NC 27518-8934 Phone: 919-363-7920 [email protected] <[email protected]> www.videogo.com <http://www.videogo.com>* ------------------------------ VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
