MEET Scott Cannon

Scott Cannon is the owner and operator of Video Innovations in Plymouth. He is a graduate of Meyers High School and East Stroudsburg University, where he earned a degree in media communications. Cannon, 46, has owned Video Innovations for 22 years. He and his wife, Sherri, have been married for six years. They have two children: Gabi, 15, and Lily, 4. His wife is the owner of Dead Ahead Gifts in Luzerne. They live in Plymouth.

Tell us about Video Innovations. “I consider myself an advertising agency specializing in television commercials and web videos. And I do political media as well.”

What first drew you to working with video? “When I was a kid, I watched a lot of TV. And I was just fascinated by how they put television together behind the scenes.”

Twenty two years in, you must like it? “The biggest part that sustains me is that it is my own business. I worked at some of the local TV stations, but when you own your own business of this type, you really get to be hands-on in the creative process.”

You were also involved with a local entertainment show for a while, correct? “We had a show called ‘Out of Focus’ that was around in 1995, which was a lot of fun. But the most interesting job I ever went on was to do a video for Bridon American. I videotaped in three time zones in one day.”

What do you do to relax? “I play Frisbee golf on occasion. It’s one of those things that you either get it or you don’t. But it’s a lot of fun.”

What about local bands? You’ve been in quite a few. XCountry was pretty big. “I was in a band called Hyfun back in the late ’80s. Then a band called Breakaway, and then Ten-82. After that, there wasn’t really a market for guys our age playing classic rock and modern rock, so we decided to try modern country. And that really took off beyond our expectations. We didn’t think it was going to be that big of a deal, but for some reason we were just the right band at the right time.”

Weren’t you also involved with Jimmy Harnen and Synch? Didn’t you write some music with them? “I took a couple of guitar licks, put them on a tape, and gave them to Synch’s guitar player, who was a good friend of mine, who gave them to Jimmy. He put some words to it, and it ended up being the flipside to ‘Where Are You Now?,’ which was a top-10 hit. It was called ‘Only For The Night.’ So I wrote a flipside for a top-10 hit, which is kind of neat.”

Royalties? “I was getting checks for like 34 cents or 84 cents for a while, and then all of a sudden I got a check for $1,000 dollars. Never saw it again. I thought that was the beginning of the big checks, but it was the last.”

Favorite book? “‘Wisdom of the Ages’ by Wayne W. Dyer. It goes back through the great people in history and talks about their quotes and their philosophies of life, and what made them great and interesting people. Very positive stuff.”

TV? “My wife and I like to watch anything with Gordon Ramsay in it. And ‘Survivor.’”

You’re involved with the Plymouth Kielbasa Festival, right? “I’m on the Plymouth Alive group and we do the festival every year. It’s a lot of fun.”

You’ve also been in the news lately and have been very outspoken on your opposition to gas drilling. “I can really see the damage that the gas industry does when it moves into a town, and right now, people are starting to see that.”

Greatest influences? “Definitely my parents. The nicest people in the world. I was a cranky teenager, but they were the most patient people. And the most giving.”

Proudest moment? “A tie between my wedding day and my daughter’s birth. Your wife giving life to one of your children - it’s incredible.”

Alan Stout writes about area people in the Meet feature published every Sunday in The Times Leader. Reach him at astout@timesleader.com