By Cathy Miller

Ron Jaghab, the affable, soft-spoken Hackettstown-based videographer, was first inspired by old family audiotapes and then by re-purposing his own wedding photos into a video montage to take the leap into the ever-evolving world of using video to “tell your story.”

Ron’s parents immigrated to the U.S. and settled in New Jersey, where he was born in Plainfield. “We were poor growing up. My mother and father came here trying to figure out what life was about. My father was a musician and he couldn’t afford to buy a film camera like a lot of people had to film their kids, but he had a reel-to-reel tape recorder, so he used it to record our voices. I actually have a recording on my computer of my brother and me from 1963 arguing and fighting with each other. My mother, all she said on that recording was, ‘Stop! Stop! Don’t bite him, don’t pinch him. Stop it.'”

When Ron got married, their photographer only shot 100 photos. His bride really wanted a video. Being a fairly new medium, the cost of having a video made was exorbitant, so he did it himself. “I put together a video montage of our wedding photos. Back then it was kind of a unique thing to see.”

Of the path leading to creating his company, HTV Media Productions, Ron said, “I was a senior network planner for a bank. I was in a 6×6 cubicle for years and it was a nice job, good pay, but it felt like something was missing. It was the need to connect with people. This career put it all together. When I got into this video thing, it was the merging of the creative aspect, the technical aspect, AND the people aspect – something that I’d been missing.”

In 1990, while he still worked his “day job,” Ron established HTV Media Productions in Hackettstown with then-partner Jeff Watts. “I recognized the value of using video to tell the story not only for a family, for memories, but for business purposes as well – what your business is and what makes it unique.”

It was in July of that year that Ron videotaped his first wedding – on a Friday, he received an inquiry and was immediately hired. On Saturday, he purchased a tripod and a lighting system. On Sunday, he taped the wedding. Nearly three decades and countless weddings later, he speaks positively of the stress of filming weddings: “I work well with positive stress, I coach myself, even while I’m driving there. This is going to be a great day. A great wedding. With every job you have to kind of refresh yourself. That’s the fun part.”

“The value of memories is so impactful, it should be done the right way … I started to do weddings in hopes of preserving the family, that was my secret mission, to really preserve family. Yes, it’s for the bride and groom, but I want them to look at that many years later and say, ‘Look where we came from.’”

“It doesn’t matter what the project is, the first thing you have to do, for business or any other kind of content, is to learn about your clients. You have to get a feel for what they do, why they’re making money, how they’re making money, what they’re selling, and then to understand their business needs. Typically, people hire me because they have a business issue they want resolved. It’s all about continually learning who people are and what they do.”

“I recently completed a job for an organization that desperately needed brand recognition.” The public generally knew of the agency, but not what they did. “Part one was they needed a face put on their business and part two was they needed funding.” This agency helps people with mental illness, so before stepping behind the camera, Ron learned about different levels of mental illness. “Then I did the interviews with their clients. I had to draw out each person’s story – who are you, why do you come to this facility? You have to understand who you’re dealing with, but at the same time be able to coax a story out of them. I filmed seven different people with seven different stories to tell and it created the face of the organization. The stories are so beautifully expressed. People were loving it. More importantly, the donors gave money.” According to Ron, that’s precisely the value of this sort of media.

Ron is proud and humbled to stand beside people during their life-changing moments. “Sometimes you go into a job to make money, but then you gain something beyond the money. How many people can say ‘I’ve stood at the altar with 500 or a thousand couples over the course of my career, right next to them, as they were saying their vows? Any significant moment, any special event, I was there, and they appreciated my work.’ Sure, you need to make money to pay your basic bills but it’s always nice when you can work, and enjoy the work, to the point that it’s not considered work.”

The special event market was where HTV Media Productions began. Although he still does weddings and anniversaries, Ron has successfully expanded his market to produce video content with a wide range of uses for myriad companies. 

All Work and No Play … Jaghab Meets Frampton

As a youngster, Ron developed an interest in music. “I played in bands for a long time. Played lead guitar. It was a lot of fun.”

Ron still plays guitar. “I practice alone. You need an outlet, so this is my outlet.” Do you plug in to an amplifier? “Oh Yeah.” Up to 10? “Yeah, yeah. When we used to practice, Pat would just turn everything up on his big Jordan amplifier, one big sweep of the hand across the control knobs.” How’s your hearing? “I have tinnitus. That was stupidity. We were in junior high school, practicing in a basement with cinderblock walls, and the volume’s set to 10.”

To carry on the musical lineage in the family, Ron recently purchased a pink guitar for his five-year-old granddaughter, which she loves to strum.

The “biggest story” of his life is music-related, too. A huge influence in his music was Peter Frampton and, in 1974, Ron met him:

“When Humble Pie came out in ’69, I heard this sound I’d never heard before. Everyone was doing this three-chord thing, you know, Chuck Berry playing ‘Johnny B. Goode.’ Humble Pie had a whole different sound. Frampton had a very melodic way of playing his guitar. I really was drawn to his style. It was in 1974 my good buddy Mark asked ‘Hey, you wanna go to Asbury Park to see Frampton’s Camel?’ He’d quit Humble Pie and just started this band.

“But Mark only had one ticket. I said, listen, I’ll ride with you no problem. Poco was the headliner. Frampton was the back-up. The concert was sold out. Bottom line is I was waiting outside of Convention Hall. I could hear Frampton’s set.

“All of a sudden, it’s over and out of Convention Hall comes this Pontiac Ventura rent-a-car. Frampton’s driving and his wife’s in the front seat. His two band mates are in the back. This is like a dream come true!

“The car stopped because there was a big truck blocking the exit. And there’s Frampton in the car, waiting for the truck to move. I walk up to the window. He rolled down the window, he was very nice. I said I’ve been listening to your music for a long time, but then I felt like a jerk because how many people tell him ‘ah, you’re so great.’ I started talking guitar stuff. He was trying to be courteous, but they really wanted to get out of there. Nobody could find the truck driver, but after 10-15 minutes, he finally moved the truck.

“I figured Frampton’s going to leave. So, he turns the key and the car wouldn’t start. Click click click.

“I go up to his window again and I say, ‘Open the hood.’

“He goes ‘do you know anything about cars?’

“I said, ‘Yeah, open the hood.’

“So, he pops the hood – I don’t know the first thing about cars – I’m just banging on things with my hand saying ‘try it now.’

“Click click click.

“’Hold it, more banging, who knows, the air filter cover, all right, try it now.’

“Click click click.

“So that was it, the car was dead. He gets out of the car. It was actually the first time I ever heard Peter Frampton use the “f” word. I said, ‘oh what a nice accent.’

“Anyway, he and I walked up and down the boardwalk talking guitars for 45 minutes. We talked about everything. That’s when he turned me on to gypsy jazz. I asked him what he listened to as a young guy, because I loved his style. He said, ‘this guy Django Reinhardt, he’s a legend.’ That was that. I bought him a hot pretzel; he had no money. They still couldn’t get the car started. When the concert was over, he hopped in the limo with Poco, they had extra room and they were going to the same hotel.”

“Here’s the best part.” Peter Frampton is done and Mark comes out, raving about the show. “I know, I heard it from the outside. I said, ‘Mark come here’.” They walked over to the limo and Ron said, “Mark, I want you to meet my friend Peter Frampton.” Mark shook his hand, starstruck, exclaiming, “We play your music in our band! Ron plays just like you!” Driving home from Asbury Park, the two friends concurred, “If we get in a car accident we don’t care, we met Peter Frampton. What else is there in life?” Perhaps to play guitar with him? “Maybe he’ll call,” mused Ron. “It’s on my bucket list.”

HTV Media Productions is located at 205 High Street in Hackettstown and can be found online at htvmediaproductions.com.

When it comes to the people and happenings of Warren County, you can count on award-winning photographer Cathy Miller to be there to record the moment.