Chicago Wedding Films

Heritage Makers storybooks featured on Good Morning America (July 6, 2009)

TURN DIRECT SELL PASSION INTO CASH on ABC's Good Morning America  

Heritage Makers is featured on Good Morning America as a great to make extra cash (as a consultant for the products).   Watch the VIDEO segment here. 

As an Independent Heritage Makers consultant, I would like to add that I have many happy clients and they usually shed a tear when their book arrives.  Not sure how many people shed a tear when their make-up or kitchen utensil arrives.  The key phrase is passion.   I love helping people preserve their family memories.   I've been doing this for over 20 years with my videography, and the storybook is just another tool I use to help people  preserve their special memories.   If you are the family memory keeper and/and love taking photos, chances are you will enjoy selling (and using) these products!   If you are a videographer/photographer, this is another income stream you can add to your business.   A photo montage with a storybook goes hand-in-hand.   This isn't a get-rich-quick scheme, so if you aren't willing to put some effort into it, chances are you won't succeed. 

 I am a Heritage Makers consultant in Chicago, but I have clients and a team of consultants all across the United States.  To learn more, visit Elegant Storybooks by Kris or call me (Kris) at 630-876-9604.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE BELOW:

Turn Direct Sell Passion Into Cash

Make Cash With Direct Sales

By TORY JOHNSON
Workplace Contributor

July 6, 2009—

Direct selling is a proven moneymaker when times are tough. The numbers tell the story: During the 1990 recession, the number of direct sellers grew to more than 5 million. In the 2001 recession, that number jumped to more than 12 million. In 2007, there were 15 million direct sellers  and rising. Direct selling brought in more than $30 billion in the United States alone.

It's not easy. To succeed in direct sales, you really have to hustle. It's like running your own business; your effort (or lack of) will make your sales sink or swim. The people who are making money now in direct sales work on their business every single day; it's front and center on their minds and in their actions.

It's not get-rich-quick. The median income is about $2,500 a year, which means a couple hundred dollars a month  perhaps enough to pay down a credit card bill. For active sellers, the median jumps to $6,000 a year.

If you think it's for you, there are several details to consider.

What's in a name? When you hear Mary Kay or Avon, you know exactly what they sell. You can dream of cruising around in a slick pink Cadillac as a Mary Kay superstar or jetting off to the Bahamas for a luxurious vacation, as Avon's top sellers did recently. Everyone knows the product and there's a history of quality, which may make you feel most comfortable.

The potential challenge: Since everyone knows the product, you may have an uphill battle carving out a customer base because existing fans may already be aligned with their favorite seller.

Lesser-known companies will lack the multimillion-dollar marketing campaigns to generate awareness for their brand, so you'll have to work overtime taking on the challenge of introducing new product lines.

Clever Container, for example, is a relatively new line of organizing products with only about 100 consultants nationwide. You could be the one to introduce friends to its products by hosting Tupperware-style parties, which the company calls organizing workshops, for every part of the home.

Money, money, money. There are three financial questions you have to ask before you get involved with any direct selling company: what are the startup costs?; what's your commission or realistic earning potential, and what's the refund policy if you decide it's not for you?

Startup costs. You will have to pay some upfront costs to cover product samples, training materials, order forms, and the opportunity to sell. The amount varies widely from company to company; don't just look at the cost, be sure to examine what exactly you're getting for your money.

Cookie Lee, a moderately priced trendy jewelry company, has three different starter kits ranging from $99 to over $500.

Look at commissions. Cookie Lee and Mary Kay, for example, offer a 50 percent base commission. That means if you sell a $30 product, you'll pocket $15 on the sale.

Check out the refund policy. Let's say you buy a startup kit and find that direct selling just isn't for you. If the company is a member of the Direct Selling Association, its code of ethics requires the company to buy back unused/unopened material within a year for at least 90 percent of the purchase price.

Sell what you love. When choosing a direct sales company, passion is the key word. You should choose something you would use yourself, something that complements your lifestyle.

For example, if your family loves games, Simply Fun is a company that sells more than 85 games for all ages. These are exclusive products; customers can only buy them from you.

If you're a scrapbooker, you can sell products by Heritage Makers. They sell greeting cards, posters, scrapbooks, albums  lots of things for that hobby.

And who wouldn't come to a chocolate party? Dove Chocolate Discoveries just launched nationally last year, and as a chocolatier, as the sellers are called, you can invite friends over to indulge in -- and buy  treats  everything from candy to chocolate martinis to brownie mix.

No matter what you decide, remember that direct selling is selling. Even the best products won't sell themselves if you're not actively soliciting customers and promoting your business. To make money, you'll have to wear your sales hat.

Tory Johnson is the workplace contributor on ABC's "Good Morning America" and the CEO of Women For Hire. Connect with her at www.womenforhire.com or chat with her on Twitter.com/ToryJohnson.

 

EventDV magazine - Review of 2009 IVA Midwest Expo

EventDV magazine review:  The Untouchables - IVA Brings World-class Filmmakes to Chicago for Midwest Expo. 

The IVA Midwest held its third annual Midwest Expo on May 20, 2009.  Editor-in-Chief, Steve Nathans-Kelly, came down for the event.  Read his entire review.

I was a presenter at the IVA Midwest Expo in 2006.  This year, I was on the IIllinois Videographers Association (IVA) board that helped bring in three outside speakers along with three home-grown Chicago speakers.   Even so, I was mentioned in the opening paragraph - Thanks Steve for the nod!!  I took this group photo at Giordano's Pizza (we wanted to treat our speakers to the famous Chicago stuffed pizza).  Thanks again to our speakers (in pic):  Michael Wong, Patrick Moreau, Kevin Shahinian, Keith Kelly, Steve Zagata, Chris Chibucos

In the Press: Elegant Storybooks by Kris featured in the Daily Herald Newspaper (January 16, 2009)

 Carol Stream business specializes in professional bound storybooks - story by Kim Mikus, Daily Herald columnist

Ths story was in the Business section of the Daily Herald Chicago newspaper on January 16, 2009.

Photo credit: Bev Horne, Daily Herald photographer

Here's the link to the online story.  I'm not sure how long it will be posted online, so I'll include the print version too.

A few behind-the-scene photos of the Daily Herald photographer taking my photo.  It has been so cold in Chicago (below zero!) that the photographer didn't want to take her coat off when shooting the photos.

Making Memories by Kim Mikus:

Kris Malandruccolo's business is all about preserving memories.

For as long as she can remember, the Carol Stream resident has always been the one with a camera in her hands. Now she captures memories through video and professionally bound books.

Malandruccolo serves as a consultant for Heritage Makers storybooks, a company based in Utah. The books, a form of digital scrapbooking, are created through her Web site, ElegantStorybooksbyKris.com. Instead of buying all the materials and papers to scrapbook the traditional way, this allows the user to choose from a gallery of templates and compose the book on the computer. "It's easy and there's no mess," Malandruccolo said.

Heritage Makers storybooks were featured in the December issue of Oprah's magazine as one of her favorite gifts.

"The books bring people to tears," Malandruccolo said. Text is added to the book to tell everything from a life story to a love story. Vacations, a child's sports or school activities, a grandparent's life story and weddings are often covered in the books.

Malandruccolo, who operates Elegant Storybooks By Kris, assists with ideas in making the books and offers deals when items are bundled together. The company also offers an array of other products including greeting cards, playing cards and calendars. The customized books start at $35.

An aspect that drew Malandruccolo to Heritage Makers is that the books are professionally stitched, not glued, and made in the United States. They are comparable quality to a photo studio-produced book, she said.

"These are books to pass down from generation to generation," she said.

In addition to Heritage Makers, Malandruccolo is also a videographer; she preserves people's stories through video. For the past 20 years she has been video taping weddings, anniversaries and recording people's life history.

Right now the videographer is video taping the life story of a 92-year-old man. She video tapes him telling stories about his past and then adds pictures and music and puts it on a DVD.

"Everybody has a story they want to preserve. There is always a story behind the photo," Malandruccolo said.

Malandruccolo and her husband Bob are raising three sons, ages 15 to 21, in Carol Stream.

"It's all about preserving family history," she said.

For more information, call (630) 876-9604.

In the Press: Kris Malandruccolo wins two 2008 MarCom Creative Awards!

  Kris Malandruccolo wins two 2008 MarCom Creative Awards!

I am pleased to announced that I won a MarCom Creative Award for the wedding of Gary & Casey Kozlowski.  I filmed their wedding on .07.07.07.  This is the seventh consecutive year in a row that I have won one or more awards for my videography.  I actually won the first year I entered a competition, so it has inspired me to keep my streak alive!

I also won a MarCom Creative Award for my writing; specifically, for my column in the July 2008 issue of EventDV magazine - The Reel Deal:  What Women Want.  This is the fourth consecutive year in a row that I have won a writing award.

To learn more about my business, please visit my website at Elegant Videos by Kris or call me at 630-876-9604.

In the press: Kris Malandruccolo helps Brides with questions to ask a videographer

 

Kris Malandruccolo featured in North Shore Style Weddings magazine.

The Fall 2008 North Shore Style Weddings magazine features the article by Kris Malandruccolo, Elegant Videos by Kris, on page 24 entitled "Questions To Ask When Looking for a Professional Videographer. 

Finding a videographer can be very confusing, especially if you don't know what questions to ask or even what you should be looking for.  Pick up this supplement to Chicago Bride magazine for the answer OR just call me directly at 630-876-9604.  I'm here to help you!

In the Press: Kris Malandruccolo featured in July 2008 Wedding & Event Videography Resource Guide

(July 2008 Vol. 2 No. 4) Kris Malandruccolo is featured in the article "WEVA's PR Commitee Rolls on with The Power of Video Tour in 2008!"

On page 4 of the magazine, the article talks about the 2008 The Power of Video seminars I presented in Cleveland, Ft. Lauderdale and Houston to the local video associations and the local ABC chapters.

On a side note, I want to congratulate Jeff & Andee Wright of Blue Skies Cinema who won a 2008 WEVA Gold CE Award for their extreme bridal spotlight video (the magazine cover photo is from that shoot).

In the Press: Kris Malandruccolo featured in Wedding & Event Videography Resource Guide, Vol. 2, No. 2

In the press:  Kris Malandruccolo is featured in the Wedding & Event Videography Resource Guide, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Dec. 2007)

It's pretty cool that on page 8 of the magazine there are pictures of the local videographers associations when I presented "The Power of Video" in Boston and Hartford. I must say I had a great time and the seafood is just as delicious as you would expect from the New England area.

The Power of Video attendees at the NPVA in Boston, MA

The Power of Video attendees ata the PVACT in Hartford, CT.

The magazine cover is from the Mock Wedding Xtreme held at WEVA EXPO 2007.  The minister (see cover) is played by my friend, Ken Kurita of Videon Productions in Minnesota.  On page 12 is an article on "Capturing the Corporate Gig" by IVA past-president, Keith Kelly of Innovative Communications.  In the article, Keith tells how he made $20,000 from a tip he picked up at a WEVA Expo seminar - way to go Keith!  The magazine also covers product reviews, marketing tips and other HD news.

In the Press: Kris Malandruccolo interviewed for 2008 Houston Wedding magazine

Kris Malandruccolo is interviewed for the February 2008 issue of Weddings in Houston magazine.

I was pretty excited to be contacted last October by writer, Jacquelin Fletcher, about an upcoming article in the Weddings in Houston magazine.  She was looking for current information on wedding videography and came across my website and contacted me.   As the WEVA Public Relations Chairperson, I was more than happy to give her information on the WEVA Nationwide Survey of Brides and other current trends in wedding videography.  She even writes in the article that the average cost of a wedding is around $3000.  I love writers who do good research.  Thank you Jacqueline for an awesome article!

Turns out the writer, Jacqueline B. Fletcher, is famous in her own right, as she is the author of A Career Girl's Guide to Becoming a Step-Mom.  This book would make a nice gift for a woman who is marrying a man with children. 

Read the full article below:

Lights, Camera, Action
Written by: Jacquelyn B. Fletcher

Couples go to great lengths to preserve the magic of their wedding day. Many will display photos in a beautiful album, press their wedding flowers for posterity, or freeze a slice of wedding cake. And yet none of these mementos tell the story of the day in the way a video of the event can.

In fact, ask a bride and groom what they regret about their wedding and often you’ll hear how they wish they had hired a videographer. “We were married in a Japanese garden on the most beautiful July morning you can imagine. This is a memory I wish we had captured on video so we could relive it and show it to our children and grandchildren,” says Houston resident Jean Travis-Odefey, who married her husband Arnold 23 years ago.

This couple has lovely photographs to look at, but they can’t hear the birdsong in the garden, or the vows they said to each other that day, or the toasts made by their loved ones.

In a recent nationwide survey of 500 newlywed brides commissioned by the Wedding and Event Videographers Association International (WEVA), a majority of respondents said that video does a better job of capturing the emotions and history of the day than still photographs. They also indicated that they felt their children would enjoy their wedding video more than their wedding photographs.

Why? Because you can hear what your father whispered to you before he walked you down the aisle. You can watch your grandmother giving your new spouse a kiss on the cheek. “The audio makes a huge difference,” says Kris Malandruccolo of Elegant Videos by Kris, an award-winning professional wedding videographer based in Chicago and recent inductee into the WEVA Hall of Fame.

“With a video, when a couple is having their first dance, you get to hear the music the couple picked. When you look through an album, you can’t hear the vows, the songs, the toasts,” she explains. “Those are things that photos can’t capture.” With today’s high-tech equipment, videographers can turn your wedding into a documentary film worthy of an Oscar, without interrupting your most precious moments.

Assemble Your Crew
Before you ask your cousin’s friend to tape the event with his new digital camcorder and risk having him accidentally push the off button right as you’re saying your vows, explore your options. In the last five years, the videography industry has undergone dramatic changes, and now you can view sample wedding videos from videographers all over the country right on your computer screen. First, make a note of the wedding videos that appeal to you. Watch a handful of films and you’ll see that styles range from documentary-type videos with lots of talking heads and a more straightforward approach, to artful films that include editing and special effects you might see in a big-screen hit.

Professional videographers typically charge an average of $3,000 for a wedding video, but the fee can vary dramatically depending on the talent of the filmmaker, whether the videographer is local, and if you are planning a destination wedding. “For professional videographers, the majority of work begins after the wedding day,” says Malandruccolo. “All the editing that goes into a wedding video, that’s where the professionals really stand out, and that makes a significant difference between an artistic wedding film and a simple home movie shot by Uncle Charlie.”

Find out how serious the videographer is about his or her work. Does she shoot a lot of weddings? Does he have corporate clients? Knowing if a videographer works at the craft full- or part-time can tell you a lot about that person’s skill and dedication.

Finally, make sure you find out how many people will be recording your wedding. Most videographers will have two cameras and two videographers on hand to maximize access to the day’s events, but some simply will set up a second camera and use the static shots as filler for your movie. More than two shooters probably are too many. You don’t want to start feeling like a Hollywood “it” girl hounded by paparazzi.

“If we start swarming the bride and groom with cameras, they can’t relax and enjoy their day,” says Rick Henshaw of Rogers, Arkansas-based Cineastfilms, an award-winning cinematographer who films weddings all over the country.

Know The Equipment
As you review wedding videos by potential videographers, pay attention to the quality of the audio and how the shooter uses light in the video. Most likely, your videographer will ask you to wear small wireless microphones that will pick up your voices. The audio is cleaned up in the editing process so your vows are crystal clear. Digital cameras are becoming more sophisticated and, as a result, videographers don’t need to use harsh lights to make sure you can be seen. “We don’t bring big lights like they used to,” says Henshaw. “The worst thing you can do is put a light in somebody’s face and ask the guest to say something to the couple. They always look like they’re being interrogated by the FBI.”

“Digital cameras can go to low light,” Henshaw says. “But we encourage our clients to leave just enough light at the reception so you can see people’s faces. Smiles and eyes are wonderful details to capture.”

Tell Your Story
The goal of a wedding videographer is to be a historian. When you view your wedding video in future, even if the video has an element of fantasy about it with the soundtrack and the special effects, it should still accurately reflect your relationship and what happened on your wedding day.

“Our biggest challenge is to tell the story of the day,” says Henshaw. “I want to create films that will hold up 30 years from now because they capture the anxiety, the interaction.

One popular option for couples is the “love story,” where the videographer interviews the couple about how they met and fell and love and then puts the interviews into the movie. “We ask a couple to talk about how they fell in love and what’s so special about their relationship,” says Henshaw. “We are historians in that way. We try to be as real as we possibly can.”

Other fun wedding-film flourishes include incorporating still images or home movies of yourselves as children, or, as Malandruccolo suggests, choreographing a particular song with the bridal party so the reception section looks like a music video.

Go High-Tech
For those couples with friends and family in other parts of the world who can’t attend the wedding, some videographers offer live streaming video that can be broadcast on the Internet in real time while the bride and groom exchange rings.

You also can ask for same-day edits. That means a videographer can record your vows then edit them into a mini film you can play at your reception in lieu of a photo montage of your childhood pictures. Malandruccolo gives all of her clients a copy of the finished film on DVD as well as in a digital file they can e-mail to anyone they want or upload to a Web site.

Keep in mind there are some areas in which technology still needs to catch up. For instance, it’s wonderful if you have a videographer who will record your wedding in high-definition. But the technology needed to burn high-definition DVDs for your use is not readily available yet, and so you’ll receive a regular DVD from your videographer even if they recorded the wedding in high-definition. Ultimately, the most important thing is to enjoy your wedding day and forget that the videographer is there at all. That way, when you watch the movie of your day, the images and sounds will take you back to the emotions you felt when you and the love of your life kissed for the first time as husband and wife.

In the Press: Kris Malandruccolo in the ABCDialogue Dec. 2007/Jan. 2008

Kris Malandruccolo featured in the Dec. 2007/Jan. 2008 issue of the ABC Dialogue.

I was featured not only in the Media & Kudos section, but my article on Preston Bailey was reprinted in the ABC magazine.  I interviewed Preston Bailey for my Reel Deal column in EventDV magazine (May 2007).

Preston Bailey was the keynote speaker at the 2006 Annual Conference of Brides held in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  I attended this conference by handling the WEVA tradeshow booth where I spoke with bridal consultants and handed out info on "why brides should hire a professional videographer." 

I am particularly proud of this article on Preston Bailey because I won a 2007 Hermes Creative writing award for it.  You can read the article here. 

2007 Hermes Creative Award

In the Press: Kris Malandruccolo is an Advisor & Contributor to The Video Business Advisor

Kris Malandruccolo becomes an Advisor & Contributor to The Video Business Advisor. 

I was honored to be asked by Steve Yankee if I would be an Advisor & Contributor for his Video Business Advisor website.  I was already a member of the VBA when Steve asked me, and knew of the great information he shares, so naturally I said yes!  Thank you Steve for asking me to join this fabulous group of videographers and business people!

I am one of those people who read's every email (weekly video tips) that Steve's sends out.  I've wondered many times how does Steve keep coming up with all this information?  Does he ever stop writing?  How many of you are guilty of hitting the delete button because you don't have the time to read, yet you complain that business is down and you don't know what to do?  There's a chinese proverb that goes "When the student is ready the teacher shall appear".   Are you ready now?  Steve has always been there!

So as an advisor, here's my advice:  Steve has recently revamped the Video Business Advisor, so if it's been a while, please stop by and take another look.  While you are there, don't forget to sign-up for Steve's FREE weekly video tips!   When you do, you will also get Steve's eBook "99 Hot Tips For Your Video Business!"

Check here on information for becoming a member of The Video Business Advisor.

I recently watched Steve's Secrets of the Wedding Vendor Superstars DVD and let me tell you, it's a bargain at $32.95.  It costs less to buy this DVD then it does to go out and attend one wedding association networking meeting - by the time you throw in parking, dinner, gas, time away from home, etc.  You get more than your money's worth out of this DVD!