Brent and Bruce Parrott know the importance of preserving family history.
Their father died 12 years ago, and the only way their children know about him is through memories and pictures. So the Parrotts are giving other families an opportunity to document their history on video before it’s too late.
Last summer, the brothers founded Brothers Video Production, developing a workbook and instructional video to help families record their history.
It’s a service families need and will appreciate in the long run, Brent says, but many families don’t like to consider the program today.
“It’s almost like selling life insurance or burial lots,” Brent says.
“No one likes to think about their parents dying. One of the joys of our business was getting our mom on video. It’s priceless.”
The brothers work out of Bruce’s basement. They initially planned to invest about $20,000 in start-up equipment, but instead they’ve been able to buy used equipment for about $8,000.
The Parrotts also have produced a children’s video about a visit to doll land that will be marketed in doll stores and by word of mouth, Brent says.
And they recently taped an international doll show and are marketing videos to doll collectors and stores; orders are coming in from throughout the country, they say.
“We have no competition, and we have something they want,” Brent says.
“The key to being successful in this business is not doing that one video for $1,000, but doing 1,000 videos for $20. We could go out every weekend and do weddings, but that’s not what we want to do. We want to find niches. We want to find people’s passions.”
The how-to video and workbook cost $49.95. For information about Brothers Video, call 324-4344.
