Brick Memorial Graduate Brings New Vision To Yearbooks, Marketing

BRICK, NJ — Yearbooks have been a staple of the high school experience for decades. Open the pages and the photos rekindle memories of times and special moments.

"How cool would it have been to be able to go back and watch video?" said Joey DeAngelo, a 2005 Brick Memorial graduate. "To be able to go back and watch those moments that are captured in photos, see highlights." It's something special, he said.

It's an idea Visiontech has brought to life: adding a multimedia component that turns the high school yearbook into a vault of memories.

"We never want to get away from the print yearbook," said DeAngelo, who is president and co-owner of Visiontech. Instead, they are just looking to enhance the print books and in the end, carve out a niche in the memory product industry by offering something completely different.

Visiontech was launched in 1992 by Anthony Tudda, a Brooklyn native, and in the early years produced video yearbooks that, similar to the print yearbooks, captured the school year in chronological order. In about 2000, the company transformed into multimedia, producing printed yearbooks in addition to video ones.

But the company has always looked for innovative ways to grow, said DeAngelo, who joined Visiontech in 2010. That is where the idea of adding video elements to printed yearbooks was born.

"Now someone can watch any highlight video," simply by scanning a QR code on a particular page in the yearbook, whether it's Homecoming, the spring musical or other events. "They can even save these videos and share them."

Visiontech, like other yearbook companies, handles the process from the photography to the video to the printing of the books, working with the high school's yearbook staff.

"Because we're a small company, we work closely with the school," he said. The students help out on the design of the yearbook but for those who are interested in doing more, they can get the opportunity to help with photography, taking video or other aspects, and learn skills such as video editing.

"We bring on paid interns from within the high school," to help with a lot of the work, DeAngelo said.

For students who are interested in pursuing a career involving videography or photography, it can be a great way to gain experience.

"One guy we hired (from a high school) is now at ESPN," DeAngelo said.

In an industry dominated by companies such as Balfour and Josten's, DeAngelo said Visiontech has relied on word-of-mouth and positive relationships with their customers to help them grow.

He's proud that the Brick Township Schools are among their clients, and they have done a number of projects for the school district, including a highlight video of the district's Unified Sports kickball game. The district signed on to do video yearbooks in addition to the print yearbooks this year, DeAngelo said.

Visiontech also produces yearbooks for some schools in New York State and serves more than a dozen schools in all.

Visiontech also produces marketing videos, a service they offer to school districts as part of their packaging for yearbook services.

"We truly are a one-stop shop," DeAngelo said, with printing handled by a partner company in Pennsylvania.

Visiontech also offers marketing services for businesses and events, and has produced videos for things such as Brick's Fall Fest and the Festival of the Sea in Point Pleasant Beach, and "hype" videos for companies, including Tacoholics, a restaurant run by another group of Brick Memorial graduates.

Earle, the asphalt company, is among its newer clients, and DeAngelo said they are not only doing marketing videos but ones to recruit staff for the company.

While their multimedia company is branching out and growing — they recently opened an office in Point Pleasant, DeAngelo said — the yearbooks remain one of his favorite parts of the company.

"I love getting to know the kids," and helping them capture memories that will make them smile well into the future.