About Videomaker

Videomaker

Videomaker is an American monthly magazine dedicated to video production, published from Chico, California, by York Publishing (Videomaker, Inc.). Founded in 1986 by publisher and editor Matthew York and his wife Patrice York, Associate Publisher, the magazine was founded to "empower people to make video and to democratize and enrich television." The editor is Matthew York, the ISSN is 0889-4973, and the official website is videomaker.com. The company's address is 645 Mangrove Ave, Chico, CA 95926.

Videomaker was the first magazine to introduce video to a mass, non-industry audience. Its core mission — to encourage aspiring directors and documentarians to use video technology to find their own voices and tell their own stories — has remained constant through four decades of technological upheaval, from the first personal camcorders to the smartphone era.

Publication at a Glance

Videomaker is a monthly English-language trade journal published by York Publishing (Videomaker, Inc.) from Chico, California. The company employs between 11 and 50 people (some directories list 138 employees). Every month, more than half a million professional videographers, independent filmmakers, and home video hobbyists turn to Videomaker for the latest video news. The magazine is available in print and digital editions, with Videomaker Plus members receiving free access to digital-edition back issues.

Founding in 1986

The magazine's publisher and editor, Matthew York, founded Videomaker in 1986 with his wife Patrice York, Associate Publisher, to "empower people to make video and to democratize and enrich television." The timing was pivotal: Videomaker was founded in 1986, shortly after the very first personal camcorders hit the market. When the magazine started, the average video camera cost nearly $2,000, was very large and heavy, had short battery life, and shot a poor-quality picture; editing was done through a tape-to-tape VCR edit system, making a dub of the original tape that obscured the image further.

Matt York remains the owner and editor of the magazine, which is based at 645 Mangrove Ave in Chico, California. The company's stated founding date appears as 1985 in some directories and 1986 in the magazine's own materials and reference sources.

Editorial Content

Videomaker magazine provides reviews and previews of the latest hardware and software for the video hobbyist and professional. Articles cover the use of camcorders, video production, digital video editing, audio production, DVD authoring, lighting, distribution, and other items of interest to the video enthusiast. Issues cover industry news, buyer's guides, product reviews, step-by-step instructions, and feedback from readers. Its articles rate and review the latest equipment, teach production techniques, and explain new technological advances.

Recent reviews illustrate the range: from the Shure MoveMic 88+ Receiver Kit ("a flexible tool for real shooters") to the Zeniko ZA12 ("the pocket flash your mirrorless camera forgot"). From reviews of the newest video-making hardware and software to practical how-to guides on putting together a documentary or horror film, the magazine aims to give readers everything they need to make quality video.

From Camcorders to Smartphones

As the magazine's own history puts it: as camcorders have gone "from unwieldy behemoths retailing for small fortunes to smartphones affordable to anyone," Videomaker has kept pace with changing times. The publication has chronicled the entire arc of consumer and prosumer video — from tape-based camcorders through MiniDV, HDV, DSLR video, mirrorless cameras, drones, gimbals, and smartphone filmmaking — always with the same practical, how-to orientation.

Training, Webinars, and Workshops

Today, Videomaker is more than just a magazine: it has grown into a robust online community offering a full line of training DVDs, videos-on-demand, and a series of webinars and hands-on video training workshops. Its webinars focus on subjects around material that matters most to people making video — for example, "Intermediate Editing" and "Audio for Video" sessions — chosen, in the words of its staff, to "provide the most practical and real-world value to our audience." The brand also offers training videos taught by industry experts, books, how-to guides, and downloadable forms.

The Videomaker Guide to Video Production

The brand's book publishing includes The Videomaker Guide to Video Production (Focal Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-240-80968-7), extending the magazine's how-to mission into long-form reference. The guide distills the magazine's decades of practical instruction on production techniques, equipment, and workflow into a single volume.

Digital Presence

Videomaker.com carries thousands of articles and photos with tips and techniques, the magazine's digital editions (recent issues include the January/February 2025 digital edition), product reviews, and the webinar and workshop schedules. The site's "Get help," privacy, and customer-support pages (CustomerSupport@Videomaker.com) serve the magazine's subscriber and Videomaker Plus member base.

The 1986 Launch Context

Videomaker arrived at a hinge moment in media history. Founded in 1986, shortly after the very first personal camcorders hit the market, it was the first magazine to introduce video to a mass, non-industry audience. The context was forbidding by today's standards: the average video camera cost nearly $2,000, was very large and heavy, had short battery life, and shot a poor-quality picture. Editing meant a tape-to-tape VCR edit system — making a dub of the original tape, which obscured the image even more. Into that world, Matt and Patrice York launched a magazine premised on a radical idea: that ordinary people could make video, and that television could be democratized and enriched by their voices.

Ownership and Company

The magazine is published by York Publishing (Videomaker, Inc.), a book and periodical publishing company based at 645 Mangrove Ave, Chico, CA 95926, reachable at (530) 891-8410. The owner is Matt York, who serves as publisher and editor; Patrice York is Associate Publisher. Company directories list the founding year as 1985 and the headquarters in Chico, California, with a workforce of 11–50 employees. Media databases verify Videomaker as a national magazine outlet dedicated to video production, published monthly.

Videomaker Plus and Digital Editions

The brand's digital subscription program, Videomaker Plus, gives members free access to digital-edition back issues — an archive spanning the magazine's coverage of the video revolution. Recent digital editions include the January/February 2025, November/December 2024, September/October 2024, July/August 2024, May/June 2024, and March/April 2024 issues. The magazine's website carries thousands of articles and photos with tips and techniques, and its customer support (CustomerSupport@Videomaker.com) serves the subscriber and member base.

The magazine's webinar program illustrates its practical philosophy: sessions on "Intermediate Editing" and "Audio for Video" — subjects chosen because, in the words of its staff, "most videos involve sound and some type of editing." The guiding principle is real-world value: "Nobody likes learning about something if that particular subject matter is rarely encountered in video production." That pragmatism — teaching what videographers actually need, from audio capture to editing workflows — has kept the brand relevant from the camcorder era through the age of mirrorless cameras and smartphones.

Media databases verify Videomaker as a national magazine outlet dedicated to video production, published monthly in English from the United States. Its Wikipedia entry notes the magazine's ISSN as 0889-4973 and its publisher as York Publishing — details that anchor its four-decade run as the video hobbyist's and professional's journal of record.

Official Website

The magazine's official website is https://www.videomaker.com, offering the magazine's articles, product reviews, digital editions, webinars, workshops, and training videos. Founded in 1986 by Matthew and Patrice York and published monthly from Chico, California, Videomaker remains the premiere magazine for professional and hobbyist videography and filmmaking.