Hey everyone!  I hope you all had a great holiday.

It is hard to believe, but PBT is quickly approaching its 4^th birthday.  This site was started with the hope of giving photo booth owners from around the country and the world a place to come and discuss anything and everything related to the building and operation of photo booths.  I had no idea what to expect when we opened.  Would anyone really visit the site?

Well, you did.  It was slow at first, but eventually more and more people found us, and more are still finding us every day.  The stats truly are remarkable: 2,100 members, 34,000 forum posts, 76,000 unique visitors, and 3,000,000 pageviews from 170 different countries.  Because of you all, PBT truly has become the best source for everything related to photo booths.  Thank you so much for all your contributions.

I started this website with big plans, but as years went by, other things kept taking precedence.  I’ve gotten married and now have an 8 month old daughter.  That, in conjunction with my job, my photo booth business, and other interests, meant that I simply could no longer dedicate the time or energy needed to maintain the website, much less work on all the features I had originally wanted to bring to PBT.

Therefore, with a somewhat heavy heart, I have decided that the time has come for me to step away.  This wasn’t a decision that came quickly or easily.  Even though I knew it was for the best, it was still very hard to let go of something that I started and spent so many hours building, especially in those early months and years.  For the last several months, I’ve thought about the future of the site many times, and the best way to move forward.  I’ve given all I can, but for PBT to reach its full potential, it needs a leader with the time, energy, and desire to be the guiding voice going forwards.  Luckily, I believe I have found that person.

This shouldn’t be a big surprise to anyone that has been to the forums lately, but it is my pleasure to announce that Cherie Irwin will be taking over the full administration of PBT as of today.  Most of you know Cherie on the forums as ciphoto, and also as the creator of those awesome props over at PapercutsandWoodworks.com.  She was the fourth person to ever join the forums, so she has been around for basically the entire history of PBT, and in the photo booth business for much longer than that.  For the last several years, Cherie and I have exchanged probably hundreds of emails on a variety of topics, and I’m happy to be able to call her a friend.  I can’t think of a better person to lead this site.

With the new leadership, you can definitely expect a lot of changes around here, both to the blog and to the forums.  This includes a whole list of features and a brand new look.  I’ve been given a sneak peek at some of these plans and changes, and I have to say that I am more excited for the future of PBT than I have been in a long time.  I’m going to let Cherie give you all the details, so be sure to keep your eyes open for that post soon.

As for me, I’ll still be around, though I’m not sure in what capacity.  I’ll definitely drop by the forums every now and then, and I’ll be checking in on the main site to see all the changes.  I may even still post news stories or articles on the blog from time to time, though those details haven’t been completely worked out.

I’ve already gone on for far too long, but one more time, I want to say thanks to all of the members and readers of PBT.  This site wouldn’t be anything without you.  I know I’ve slacked off in posting new articles and maintaining the forum like it deserves, and for that I’m deeply sorry.  Thanks for giving me the opportunity, and thanks for putting up with my mess.

Brad