New Director of Educational Development Confirmed
July 22, 2004
Sarasota, FL - WEVA International has announced that veteran videographer and longtime WEVA contributor John Zale of John Zale & Associates has been retained to direct WEVA International’s educational development initiative. Zale will be responsible for directing the educational programming at key association events such as WEVA EXPO, the WEVA Town Meeting Tour, WEVA Institute training sessions, and coordinating the ongoing development of new educational programs being tailored to meet the needs of WEVA International members.
“John’s extensive background with WEVA, and our industry at large, coupled with his singular understanding of the importance of education in today’s competitive environment will propel the development of fresh, innovative programming that will enable WEVA members to meet new challenges head on,” said WEVA International Chairman Roy Chapman.
Zale started his own videography business as a full-time venture in the Chicagoland area in 1984. He attended the first Wedding Video Expo in 1991 in Washington DC and has attended the annual EXPO ever since. By the early 90's he was sharing his knowledge and skills with other videographers around the country by contributing to “Wedding Videography Today” as the journal’s Technical Editor, and becoming a featured seminar speaker and panelist at the yearly EXPO.
By the late 90's Zale had served as an international competition judge for the annual WEVA Creative Excellence Awards Competition, and was appointed to WEVA International’s Nonlinear Editing Development Committee.
In the past five years his knowledge of digital video technology has continued to expand and grow from an industry “insider’s perspective” in his position as a regional sales manager for Applied Magic--a role that also put him on the EXPO floor as an exhibitor, and on the WEVA Town Meeting Tour in a corporate capacity.
With 2004 marking his 14th straight year attending the EXPO, Zale has a unique perspective on the long term value of education and the prominent role it has played in the development of an art form that few observers ever expected would materialize into a full-blown “industry.”
“I remember the first EXPO, in 1991, which bravely featured the first-ever low-light camera shootout using actual bridal models. It consisted of 8-10 cameras on tripods, where someone would take one cable and go back and forth from camera to camera to allow videographers to compare the picture quality of each unit on one projection screen. We’ve come a long way since then!” exclaimed Zale.
A love for education is literally in Zale’s blood as both of his parents are retired teachers with a combined 65 years of teaching experience. “Education and training are keys to attaining success in any business, especially one that is changing as rapidly as ours,” said Zale. “I’m really excited for the opportunity to continue the high standard that has been set by WEVA in the area of education and professional development for videographers. It’s been my experience that no one individual has all the answers, but by continuing to share our individual knowledge with each other collectively, we can continue to raise the bar, and the respect, for our entire industry.”
WEVA International is the largest nonprofit trade association for professional wedding and event videographers. The association is dedicated to advancing the professional interests of wedding and event videographers worldwide through continuing education, technical support, group benefits, advocacy committees and professional development training. For more information regarding professional videography and WEVA International activities and membership, visit www.weva.com, or contact the association office at 941-923-5334 or email [email protected] |
