Christmas Day is two weeks away as I type this, and I’m beginning to reflect on bm audioworks’ first year of operations. The company was born in early April, after many on again, off again thoughts of starting my own business, and following a hospital admission in March, I decided to go ahead and give it a shot. Obviously, starting from scratch, much of our equipment from the start was either already in my collection, or obtained second-hand – good luck trying to find, for example, a brand new Betamax VCR or 8mm camcorder! Fortunately, after completing the Starter Company Plus program through Enterprise Renfrew County and being awarded a grant, I was able to upgrade my gear on the audio side, bringing some of the latest and greatest to the studio, including a brand new Mac mini with Adobe Audition software, a RØDECaster Pro II console, a Numark DJ controller, and the famous Electro-Voice RE20 microphone, used in thousands of radio stations worldwide.
Over the past eight months, videotape and film transfers have made up the bulk of my work; this service has been in high demand so far, with many locals bringing me their old videotapes and 8mm/Super 8 film reels to transfer to USB drives and DVDs. One woman brought me some fifty reels of 8mm film! That film content was transferred to a set of four DVDs. Transfer of audio tape to CDs has also been in demand; a former co-worker of mine, a veteran Ottawa Valley broadcaster and radio salesperson, brought in a handful of tapes containing recordings of 1970s concerts at Renfrew’s late, lamented White House on Stewart Street, where Wendy’s and Tim Hortons now stand.
One notable moment in bm audioworks’ early history was when we joined forces with the Renfrew Wing, sponsoring their Vintage Christmas Market in late October, and DJing at the event both days. Since the start, I have made it clear that our services are always available to community groups and non-profit organizations in our area. More recently, the studio has been busier than ever so far, with a bunch of locals hoping to transfer old videotape and film content to DVDs, to give as a Christmas gift for a family member.
There are several people I’d like to thank for their help and advice this year, one of them being Heather Inwood-Montrose of Enterprise Renfrew County; Dan Mellon of Algonquin College and Vista Radio, a long-time friend and mentor; and most importantly, my wife Shannon, for always being there for me and handling the ups and downs of owning and operating a small business.
Here’s hoping you had a good 2023, and all the best in 2024. Stay tuned!