...as told by Steve Puffenberger, audiovisual craftsman and owner of Advent Media, Inc.

Our history is all about communicating with technology... telling stories using the most current media that's been affordable. And as I moved from showing movies to creating them, it's aways been about making the process as painless as possible for our clients.

Long Before Advent 1957 - 1963
I can trace the roots of Advent Media back to a 3rd or 4th grade assembly at my elementary school in Greensburg Indiana. It was probably around 1957, when they brought all the kids into the gym for an assembly. They turned out the lights and out of a magic brown box with two wheels on sticks came an image dancing on the wall that was like TV - only bigger. Yes it was an old Bell+Howell 16mm movie projector. I don’t remember what the movie was about, but I was so fascinated by it, I went home and built a pretend projector from tinker toys and a cardboard box. That, as they say, was the beginning.

1963 - 1973
We moved to Columbus when I entered 7th grade and the junior high school I attended had a projection crew. Kids would show movies for teachers instead of going to study hall. I started my projection career there and continued through high school. (I still have my membership card and RCA projector pin.) Then in college, I started showing classroom movies and providing auditorium support to work my way through school. As a result, I’ve seen probably every bad educational film ever made (and a lot of good ones too.)

While an undergrad at OSU, the AV department I worked for began making 3-screen 6-projector slide shows. It was another epiphany, just like in elementary school. I talked my dad into buying a second slide projector and a dissolve control, and I began making slide shows at home for fun, and for college credit.

1973 - 1979
Just before I graduated with a secondary education teaching degree in 1973, a job opened in that production department at OSU, and I became a media "professional". I managed the production department for over 6 years, doing many shows for OSU professors, state agencies, and even a nuclear power plant. In that era I was part of the introduction of digital controls for media systems, including the first digital Multi-Image system, the Arion 100 Command Performer system, and later the Arion 848 Micro Programmer (shown), the first slide show programmer to use time code.

1979 - 1982
In 1979, it became increasingly clear that the opportunity to be an independent producer was "now or never." So I left the university, purchased my own Arion 848 system, and began Puffenberger Projections, housed in my dad’s basement. My first show as in independent was a 12-projector widescreen show for the Ohio Department of Education, "1980 - The Year of the Schools in Ohio". Yes, after all these years, the 848 still works!.

1982 - 1992
My client base grew and in 1982 (and about to be married), I needed to grow beyond the basement, so I incorporated Advent Media, Inc., and moved to my first office. Three years later, with 3 employees, we moved to a 3600 square foot office in a new development in Northwest Columbus. and grew to 5 employees. As the economy ebbed in the late 80’s, the strategy to get “lean and mean” took root, and a singular approach was apparent: one man and a lot of very smart equipment. We also found a new home for Advent Media, in a special studio space of our home in Northwest Columbus. The year was 1990, and this arrangement has served us well.

1993 - 2007
In the late 90s, the demand for slides diminished, so I began the transition to electronic media. In 1997, I added nonlinear video editing, and in 2000, the transition was complete with the addition of a video projector and the official retirement of the slide show gear and darkroom. The roots of PainFree Presentations™ grew as we produced "Synchronized PowerPoint™" which produced a high-resolution image far surpassing VHS or even DVD. Clients with presentation and video needs also desired Internet exposure, so Web sites became a natural extension of our services. Most recently the addition of High Definition Video means that the quality is back on the big screen! It's taken a long time.

The Next 25 Years
The next quarter-century began in 2007 with the 2nd generation beginning to take the reins, as my son, David, has been named Vice President, and is leading Website development and Tech. Together we look forward to helping more clients Communicate PainFree™!

We want to thank our long-time clients for trusting us with their communication needs, and we welcome the new clients who will become a part of this rich history of audiovisual excellence.

-Steve Puffenberger