Turning a passion into a career

My name is John Deyo and I am the owner of ViDeyo Arts. My last name is pronounced DEE-OH, so the name of the business is pronounced just like Video Arts. My uncles name was Raymond, so we always referred to him as “Uncle Radio”, get it...Ray Deyo, radio. So with a name like that, I was destined for this line of work. I’ve had a passion for electronic gadgets since I was 16 years old selling appliances and stereos at the all new K-Mart store on North Main Street in Austin. My love of art and design was key to my decision to obtain a degree in Graphic Design. I use those skills everyday in the art of videography, storytelling, web design and packaging. In 1985, I invested in the all new AMIGA computer, so I could do computer animation. I began working freelance for the area television stations and before long was working so much for KIMT in Mason City, Iowa that they simply decided to put me on staff. I spent 17 years in broadcast television, learning the ins and outs of editing, composition, storytelling, directing live events and so much more. After 10 years at KIMT, I moved on to KTTC in Rochester, MN and became the Director of Creative Services, making all kinds of great commercials. To this day I still get recognized as the Best Western Apache guy. All the while I was working in TV, I was building ViDeyo Arts until it grew to the point where I couldn’t hold down two full time jobs and had to give up one. ViDeyo Arts has been my full-time job since 2001.

Filling a need

ViDeyo Arts is unique in a lot of ways. There’s not a storefront videographer on every corner in most towns. We’re kind of rare. And most videographers I know specialize in one or two areas of video production. Not ViDeyo Arts. We work on all types of video, from small transfer projects to wedding video and major corporate projects. We even produced a full 13 episode television series. If we have a specialty, it is LIVE EVENT coverage. My crew and I just love coming out to live shows like concerts, speakers, theatre, sports, dance, and skating. It is always so much fun to be involved in the LIVE event, knowing that you have one chance to get it right. We pride ourselves on our LIVE EVENT coverage. If you would have asked me in High School what I’d be doing in the future, I wouldn’t have dreamed it would be this, but I love it and would find it hard to do anything else.