Thomas J. Waido
Biography
I was born on October 18, 1981, at Poudre Valley Hospital. I was raised in Fort Collins, Colorado. It has been my home for 28-years. My parents moved here in 1976 when the population was only 50,000. Fort Fun now has 137,177 people. My Father Ken Waido has been a City Planner for more then 30 years. My Mother Colleen has been a first grade teacher for fourteen years and is a recipient of the Teacher in Excellence Award. I have three siblings, David, Anna, and Michael. David, my oldest brother, is the Manager of Reliably Services in Wahoo, NE. He lives with his wife, Chrissy, two sons, Thomas and Andrew, and daughter, Audrey, in Weston, NE. Anna, my only sister, started her career teaching first grade at Moore Elementary in Fort Collins and is on her way to earn her doctorate and to become an elementary principal. Michael is a local musician in Fort Collins, writes his own music, performs around the state of Colorado, and has released his debut album Fellowship of The Flood. You can read more about Michael on my audio page.
Education
I am a alumnus of Rocky Mountain High School and I graduated from Colorado State University in 2005. I attended CSU for five years where I studied Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Technical Journalism and Communication. I attended many classes to help me prepare for video production in the field. I have the skill and knowledge to work for you in a variety of environments. I left CSU with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Technical Communication and a minor in Mathematics.
Athletics
During my five years at CSU I ran for the Track and Field team. I participated in the 60-meter High Hurdles, 110-meter High Hurdles, 400-meter Dash, 400-meter Intermediate Hurdles and was a leg of the 1600 meter Relay Team. My track scholarship paid for my education, but my family was the reason for staying in Fort Collins. I ran the hurdles for 10-years. I still hold records at Webber Junior High where my track career began. I hold both hurdle records at Rocky Mountain High School, and I hold the school record at CSU in the intermediate hurdles at a time of 50.66 seconds. I don't want to say my track career is over, but it is hard to work full time and train on the side. The hurdles are a passion of mine and I don't want to give up so easily.
After graduating from college I began coaching high school track and field in the hurdles. I grew a lot and learned training, hurdle technique and philosophies while I was in college. I wanted to share my experience with the adolescent minds of high schoolers. I spent two years coaching at my alumni school before I became a free agent. Not really, there were some coaching staff changes and I decided to move on, so I headed across town to the school that was my rival when I was in high school, Fort Collins High School. I started coaching at FCHS in 2008.
I participate with family and friends playing on a church league softball team during the summer, flag-football team in the fall and basketball team in the winter. I enjoy boating up at Horsetooth Reservoir and jumping the waves on my wake board. While on scholarship at CSU I refrained from skiing because I didn't want to get injured before my track seasons. I am now back on the slopes with my family after a six year span.
Hobbies
I enjoy wood working, metal manufacturing, and believe it or not, sewing. The tough part of me owns the power tools and the tougher part of me owns the sewing machine. I believe this because it takes a real man to say that he owns a sewing machine. These hobbies began in high school. I have always had a knack for building and making things myself. I built my office desk, which happens to be in my bedroom at the the moment, and had success sewing and selling mp3 player armbands on eBay for a while. I have even sewn a laptop cover for my sister and myself with our names embroidered on our cases.
I have been producing videos for over five years and began my photography journey in 2006. I am a young enthusiastic person bringing a creative look to the art of photos and video. I am passionate in what I do, and I love to make people smile. I encourage you to view my work and find out how fascinating my work can be.
Waido Pro
I began Waido Productions in 2001 when I decided to take a hobby and share it with others. My first production was a wedding video I shot for a friend. I added photography services in 2006. In 2010, I decided to change my business name from Waido Productions to Waido Pro.
I have created a variety of interesting videos including wedding videos, sport highlight reels, photo montages and corporate videos. I also take a wide variety of photos as well, which include much of the same things I offer for video.
As a child I would created home videos with family and friends. These videos were not worthy of an Academy Award, but Steven Spielberg didn't start his filming career as an adult either. I have gained a lot of experience and understanding through my line of work. I have understood that the art of video is more then pointing the camera and pushing record. I have been educated in Journalism and video camera techniques. While attending my classes, it actually surprised me I was already doing what I was being taught. I was well ahead of the game even before I decided this was what I wanted to do for a living.