Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Van VerHoeven. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Van thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

At the end of 2022 I was working for a Home Improvement and remodeling company full time while running my recording studio part time on nights and weekends. Unfortunately right after Christmas I lost my job with the construction company and I had choice to make, do I go apply for a new job somewhere and hate what I do or bet on myself and see if I can go full time with my production company. January 1st I bet on myself and decided to give being self employed a shot and see if I could make it. As of now, December 1st I’m still going strong with my business and have made more this year than I did the year before working for someone else and I couldn’t be happier.

Van, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Van VerHoeven. I have been playing and recording music for over 20 years as well as filming and producing music videos. Now approaching 40, I have been through a lot in the music industry. Growing up as a young boy my father owned his own business as a photographer specializing in family portraits and senior photos. Unfortunately, he passed away when I just 7 years old. I was always very intrigued by the camera and had a great eye for framing and photos which I inherited from my father. When I was 12, my mom bought me a video camera and right away I started filming anything and everything I could. At 14, I started filming music videos with my good friend from school. We made several videos for our favorite bands such as The Offspring, Greenday, blink-182 and Limp Bizket. We started filming these videos before having any knowledge of how to play instruments but loved the process of making the videos. This sparked the interest in playing guitar and on my 15th birthday I got my first electric guitar. I started learning how to play songs from these same bands so that the music videos would look more realistic. This led to start a band and begin writing original music. Over the rest of my high school years my band began playing packed house party’s at my families home. I was still very interested in video production and planned on going to college for video but after high school our band started to take things more seriously. We began playing larger shows at bars and concert venues all across Colorado. Video production ended up falling by the wayside in the hopes of being a famous musician. In 2011 our band won the title of The Best Band In Denver and The Westward magazines Best of the West. We got the honor for opening for some huge bands such as Guns N Roses, Korn, Papa Roach and Ten Years. We even had the opportunity to go on a few tours around the US. Sad to say that in 2012, the band broke up and I had to find a new passion. Over the years I was always very interested in recording music and had done most of our bands early records and demos but wanted to start taking things more seriously. This was when B-Normous Productions was born. I began honing my skills as a recording engineer. In 2017, I began studying professional mix engineering with producer Jordan Valeriote. (Silverstein, Intervals, Neck Deep and Emery). He taught me what it takes to produce and mix at a professional level. In 2020, I started producing bands at a more skillful level and was given the opportunity to work with a talented band named Waiting Til Three. I produced a full length record for them. They also planned on doing a music video for this record. I explained that when I was young, I actually filmed several music videos and was once a big passion of mine but hadn’t done it for years. This sparked the idea that I could begin offering music video production as part of my business. Over the next couple years, I had produced around 50 songs and a few music videos. At the end of 2022 I lost my job and decided to take the leap and go full time with B-Normous Productions and could not be happier. 2023 has been the best year B-Normous has ever had and this is only the beginning. I am looking forward to what’s to come for me and my business.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source for finding new bands to work with has been social media and word of mouth. Over the last year I have been very active on social media. I try to make at least one post a day which usually includes Facebook & Instagram reels and Tik Tok videos. I usually make these videos about what I’m currently working on or projects that have recently been released. This had brought me several new clients over the course of the last year. I also have gain new clients by worth of mouth from other bands recommending my services bands they play shows with in the music scene.

Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?

Yes. My main business is recording mixing and producing bands but along with that comes video production and photography. In the music industry bands usually require many forms of media in addition to just their music. Along with mixing and producing music I film music videos and live shows. I also photograph bands for promotional artwork such as social media posts, show flyers and album artwork. Being a videographer also offers the opportunity to work with customers outside of music all together. Over the last year I have filmed content for a couple home renovation companies, an athletic gym and even for a real estate agent to promote for a home sale.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BnormousProductions.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bnormous_productions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BNormousProductions
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@BNormousProductions
• Other: https://www.bbb.org/us/co/milliken/profile/audiovisual-production-services/b-normous-productions-llc-0805-46141024