Greetings everyone. Tim with Frakes Productions. On June 1st of this year I will turn 65. After careful consideration with family and friends and with a deep sense of gratitude I want to announce my retirement and the end of commercial production with Tim Frakes Productions Inc.
For 42 years, storytelling through video production in the broadcast, corporate and non profit space has been my passion and professional focus.
What a ride it has been! While much of the March, April and May calendar is spoken for there is still some availability. However new projects will need to be completed before June 1, 2026.
My office at 2 S. Park Ave in Lombard will close on April 30 and I will conduct the remaining business from my home office.
Heartfelt thanks to my clients old and new, small and large. The work you do is meaningful and I am profoundly enriched by my association with each of you.
Thanks go out to my family, especially my spouse Julie who has supported me, been an integral part of the business and patiently waited for me to return from innumerable road trips across the United States and around the world.
I would also like to thank my faithful colleague and friend Kathy Gallian with Bookkeeping Essentials. I would have been lost without her expert management of the financial side of the business. Like me, Kathy sees her work as a calling. Her skills allowed me to faithfully serve all of you.
I also wish to thank the many freelance colleagues and summer interns who worked with me over the years on the production side of the business. Most recently that has been Mr. Stacey Adams who made the last three years possible through his diligent freelance assistance on video productions across Chicago, the state and around the nation. All the way Stacey.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to my landlord of the past eight years, Mr. Tom Smith. Working out of the historic Babcock’s Grove House in downtown Lombard with a generous lease agreement has been an inspiration. Tom has been an important advocate of the work I do on your behalf.
One vestige of the business will carry on. Our daughter Emily assumed leadership of our digital transfer business several years ago and continues to do great work preserving VHS and other media in digital formats. Go to Saveyourmemoriesdigital.com to have your memories preserved.
The next chapter in our lives will continue to involve some documentary filmmaking, however family time with our six grandchildren, three children and their spouses, writing, travel, volunteer activities in our faith community and perhaps a chicken coop in the back yard will occupy the lion’s share of my time.
Each of you are encouraged to call or email with questions regarding recommendations of colleagues in the video production industry who can step in as my replacement. I’m happy to make referrals.
For those of you who wish to obtain a copy of your video footage, please contact me soon and we will arrange a transfer process. I do not plan to manage the media after June 1, 2026.
And again, thank you for trusting me with your stories. Through your good work, I too have been blessed.
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