Awards & Professional/Humanitarian Activities

Gary and Carole Gursey feel it’s important that potential new clients get a sense of who they are as people and professionals, since contracting for video and photography services for a once-in-a-lifetime occasion such as a wedding, bar/bat mitzvah, anniversary or other special occasion requires a high degree of trust in the integrity and professional standards of the video and photography company. We at Happy Times fully understand how important each event is to our clients, and want to make the video and photography memories of that special day something to enjoy and cherish for a lifetime. In fact, we see it as an honor to be selected as the "video historian" for your big occasion.

Just for a little background, Gary Gursey is co-founder, as well as a founding member, of the Professional Videographers Network (PVN); Treasurer of the American Videographers Association (AVA); a member of the Ethics Committee for Southern California Event Professionals (SCEP); as well as an active member (and past board member) of Wedding and Party Professionals. He is also a member of the Wedding and Event Videographers Association International (WEVA.)

In addition, Gary and Carole co-produced -- along with nationally acclaimed wedding consultant and owner of "The Wedding Connection," Tobey Dodge -- a public service television show, "How To Plan Your Wedding." This program was so successful that it went from being aired on one cable station in California’s San Fernando Valley to being seen on virtually every cable station throughout L.A., Ventura and Orange Counties. In fact, it ran for over a year in these markets.

Besides their significant professional affiliations, Gary and Carole have been recognized by the American Red Cross for their contributions in providing food and other aid to the victims of the devastating 1994 Northridge earthquake. They were also honored by the March of Dimes for helping raise more than $35,000 for the fight against birth defects.

The environment is another issue close to the hearts of the Gurseys. The couple has received correspondence from Pope John Paul II, former President Reagan and numerous other high-profile individuals for their work in making our planet a cleaner, safer place to live.

Notes Gary: "Carole and I feel a sense that we want to give back to the community, and we hope this is a feeling that is shared and communicated to our clients. We also try to put ourselves in their place. When we contract for services ourselves, we want to choose a company that takes their work seriously -- a company we know we can trust to do the job right. We look for contractors who are fair, easy to work with, and competitively priced. This is what we believe you get when you hire Happy Times -- we stake our reputation on it!"