Jim Howard began his Video Career in 1995 when he started filming himself creating and building Rustic Furniture in his wood-shop in Long Lake, NY which is located in the exact center of the Adirondack State Park. Why? Well that’s a good story and if you read on a bit he’ll tell you. Jim’s family had a modest summer house on the shores of Long Lake where they summered for years and built their camp in the early 70’s (modest houses are called Camps). Eventually Jim moved to Long Lake full time in 1981 and started working for the local lumber yard, Hamilton County Lumber Company. Long Lake is an idyllic town of only 800 local residents. Being the small community, it is, everybody knows everybody. In the summer months the town swells to 3000 which includes summer residents whom own and occupy their modest to fancy Adirondack Rustic Camps. It was during Jim’s early career as a carpenter working for the lumber yard that he became really good friends with a local native resident Charlie Sabattis of Long Lake. Charlie had an excavation business. He cut trees, hauled logs, built roads and so much more. Charlie had an old Dodge Power-wagon and the two would spend many hours and days together driving old dirt roads, hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and living the best life, (they both agreed). In the winter of 1995 Jim began making Adirondack Rustic Style Furniture in his woodworking shop. Charlie and Jim would gather different woods and barks for his newfound love. The two always brainstormed about ideas whenever they were together and it was about that time the Internet got Charlies attention. One day Charlie said to Jim, “I got a great idea! You should buy a video camera and start filming yourself making rustic furniture and then sell the videos on the Internet.” Jim’s reply was “Why should I show everybody my Rustic craft just so they could steal my ideas? How would we sell the Videos anyway?” Charlie’s reply was simple. “Just make a website.” Jim then asks. “What are we gonna call it?” Charlie thinks a bit and then blurts out, “We’ll call it Rustic Videos”. Jim was already selling everything he could and making decent money. It didn’t take long before Jim realized he was learning from the old masters through books anyway so in effect he was replicating their works. That was it. Jim bought a Sony digital video camera and started filming himself building rustic furniture in his shop. That winter Jim built the Rustic Videos website and started selling his How-to Videos online.
And the story goes on…