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[JimH]

I've asked the team to tell their stories: how they came to JRiver, what they do here, what it has meant to them. So I suppose I have to tell my own.

I started JRiver in 1981. The PC business was just beginning, and I needed accounting software for a little wood stove business I had. It's hard to imagine now how primitive everything was. Along with Apple, Commodore and RadioShack were the leaders.  The Zilog Z80 was a leading processor.

I couldn't find anyone to program, so I learned how to write software in basic. It was Microsoft's basic and it was about the only product they had. Bill Gates hadn't yet bought or built an operating system.

I wrote a general ledger accounts receivable, accounts payable, and inventory, and then I hired Bob (the same Bob) to write a payroll.  Halfway through it, he said he would be going when the payroll was finished. He didn't think there was anything else to do. That was almost 40 years ago.

Bob was actually the second employee. I first hired Cindy to make the manuals and ship the software. The two of us wrote the manuals and typeset them. This was in the days before desktop publishing and fancy word processing that allowed things like bold and italic and different sizes.

In about 1987, we began to offer ICE.TCP.  It was terminal emulation of Wyse60, FTP, and Dshell product, a DOS shell for Unix. We included a TCP/IP stack. This was before Microsoft offered one.

In 1998 we began what is the current product.  It was called Media Jukebox.

Lots of very talented people have come and gone. The current team has been together for an average of something like 20 years now. It is an honor to work with these people. They are so talented, intelligent, honest, and hardworking. An important part of my job is staying out of their way. They know what to do.

An essential part of the story are our customers, some of whom have become good friends.  Their collective intelligence and wisdom have helped shape our story.  Thank you!

Jim Hillegass

[Hendrik]

I joined JRiver back in 2014. Before that, I was working on Java EE web stuff, but the company I was working for started restructuring the development teams and the new structure really didn't fit how I was used to working, which made me seriously consider Jim's offer, and a trip to Minneapolis later to learn more, there we are.

I started my multimedia and video related endeavours a few years earlier, when I started working on LAV Filters and got involved with FFmpeg in 2009/2010, mostly because I was tired of badly supported and out of date components being used in video playback on Windows, as the wider FFmpeg community was (and still is to a degree) rather linux-focused. Through LAV Filters I eventually ended up on JRiver's radar, and they tried to recruit me for a while, until the aforementioned changes in my old job finally had me accepting.

When I started working on Media Center in 2014, I was quite literally thrown in head first, as unfortunately at the same time Matt had his accident and I scrambled to take over as many day-to-day tasks as I could.
In June 2014 I spent a month in Minneapolis to get more in-depth experience in working with the team, and to get them to know me. Otherwise, I work remotely from half a world and 7 timezones away, which often has me working late and doing chores in the mornings, to help with communications.

I'm a video guy, I have a rather substantial library myself, as well as the technical background in video and audio encoding. In contrast I barely have any experience with audio file management, as I never really got into collecting and archiving music. I'll more often listen to a podcast then actually put on music.
I prefer to work on bigger long-term projects, like cross-platform Video, cross-platform Theater View, Blu-ray Menus, JRVR, JRemote2, just to name a few, as well as anything interesting/challenging, so often when there is a bit of a riddle I'll happily chime in.

The ability to be able to work remotely for now almost 8 years, while also making my own hours and often finding and proposing my own projects to work on, has given me a lot of opportunities to really focus on the type of tasks I really enjoy doing, which is something I wish everyone could do. I can't even imagine anymore going into an office and attending somewhat pointless meetings all day, being handed from task to task, instead of just working on a project I actually enjoy working on, with all the freedom I need to work the way I know I'm the most productive.

- Hendrik

[Matt]

I was in college and spent countless hours evaluating codecs trying to pick the best way to store my music.  Then I got a set of Sennheiser headphones (when I really couldn't afford them!) and realized all my MP3 files didn't sound so good!  No lossless codec could play in Winamp (my choice at the time) so it sent me down the wormhole of writing Monkey's Audio.  Lots and lots of sleepless nights, but something pretty neat came out the other end.  Well JRiver found me, took me out to lunch, and threw an amazing job offer at me.  I quit college and have just never looked back.  I've been at the company over twenty years (hired 2001).  One of the bigger projects I took on here was making everything build on all three platforms.  When I started we were a Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC) project.  That's very Windows and Microsoft specific.  We gradually switched to all our own code and now build on all platforms.  JRiver has really been a wonder for me.  Jim has been so supportive as my life has gone up and down.  Thanks to everyone!

-Matt

[Yaobing]

I joined JRiver in 1997, approximately one year after I quit my job teaching physics and math at a college in the deep south, due to family reasons.  I thought software development would be a good alternative to teaching.  JRiver gave me a chance to establish a totally different career path than I had previously.  I worked on the ICE.TCP project, then on Media Jukebox, then Media Center.  In 2000, my family moved to Chicago from Minneapolis.  Jim asked me to stay with JRiver and work remotely.  I agreed, and took the task of supporting television devices in Media Center.  Here I am, still on it, while also having my hands on other things than just TV devices.  I really like the way the team works together.

[bob]

I'd spent 5 months working for Atari at Club Med as part of a multi country computer team in the Dominican Republic in 1983.
One of the side projects was helping a co-worker write a multi-lingual payroll program for the Club.
Returning to school (U of Minnesota, computer science) met Jim at a demo put on at the Science Museum of Minnesota in the adjacent computer club.
Got to talking, turns out he needed a payroll.
Started working there that fall (Oct 1983). Still there through several changes of the business focus.
It's allowed me the flexibility to do what I'm interested in and has enough variety to keep me interested.

[BradATIMA]

I’ve had an interest in computers since my family first got one. I used to spend time modding games (and still do from time to time), and making some simple plugins. In school, I took as many computer classes as I could, and by the time I finished college, I was looking to get into UI/UX engineering.

In August of 2015, I had lunch with Jim, and he asked what I was interested in doing and talked about some of the projects going on at JRiver. I was given a chance to see what I could do at JRiver. The first project I started working on was trying to get the Media Center code to run on Android. That project was set aside for a while, so I started working on bug fixes, Ids, and later worked on Engen and Panel. When JRiver for Android was started up again, I went back to working on it, which was probably my biggest project.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to come and work at JRiver. The knowledge and experience I have gained has been amazing, and the people I work with have been great. It’s been a really great journey.

[cncb]

I went to college for Mechanical Engineering but found that I most enjoyed the programming components of the projects.  I was fortunate to get a job out of school with a large software company and have been doing software development ever since.

I have a long-time interest in media software and have been using MC since 2004. I created some plug-ins along the way and a few years ago developed a full-fledged remote/mobile app for MC.

Earlier this year (2022), I asked Jim to do some work for them because I thought MC would be fun to work on especially with a really smart JRiver team. I was not wrong.

[Deanna]

I began working at JRiver in February 1997, after working for several years for an attorney as a paralegal.  I needed a change. My first duties at JRiver were to type and process orders and help in the shipping department.  Over time my duties changed to include sales (which I told my then supervisor that I wanted no part of) and support, then some bookkeeping, and ultimately a little bit of all of the above, together with customer service.  I always thought of myself as clerical until one day I was called a nerd and came to realize that the name did fit.  I have learned a great deal while working at JRiver and have been fortunate to be able to adjust to the changes.  We have a really good team.
Deanna

[jmone]

Great to put the faces to the names and their her/history.

[bwaldron]

Great to put the faces to the names and their her/history.

Yes, it is. Lovely.

[dtc]

It's truly amazing what a small group of dedicated professionals can accomplish without the overhead of a corporate structure (other than Jim ) These little bios bring everyone closer to the team. Thanks to all for your extraordinary efforts.

[comox]

Nice to meet you. You have good reasons to be proud.

[JimH]

Its truly amazing what a small group of dedicated professionals can accomplish without the overhead of a corporate structure (other than Jim )

Every boat needs a little lead in its keel.

[tkolsto]

After using JRiver for quite some time. I got to know about JRiver when I bought my first Bel Canto Dac and S300 at a Hifi shop in Oslo, in 2012. I was always wanted good sound quality and JRiver did the final trick in that reguard. I have since stayed with JRiver for music and movies enjoyment and have never found it necassary to look for an alternativ. Good Job!! Very nice to see the faces of this great team! I also got to know JRiver more in depth lately which is a nice experience.

[dtc]

Every boat needs a little lead in its keel.

Agreed, but not too much. You have a great balance.

[fitbrit]

Thanks for this thread, Jim and the team. While I am grateful to all the guys that appear on the page, it's actually Deanna that I have the most regular contact when I periodically bulk buy licenses for MC. She is one of the most pleasant and helpful people to deal with ever. And I say that as someone who sets a very high bar on customer service myself.
What a great team you all are!

[darichman]

Lovely to 'meet' you all (and see some faces for the first time in about 20 years ) Thanks for sharing

[JimH]

Here's the thread about Hendrik's visit to Minneapolis in 2013 (nine years ago!):

https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,82959.msg566145.html#msg566145

[Awesome Donkey]

Time really flies, doesn't it?

[JimH]

Time really flies, doesn't it?

Unless you're waiting for the check in the mail.

[Doof]

Unless you're waiting for the check in the mail.

I promise I sent it!

This was a great idea. Thanks for putting this together.

[voodoo5_6k]

Thanks Jim & team for doing this! It is really great to have a little backstory and also being able to put a face to the name.

Maybe you could put some of this on the actual website (https://www.jriver.com/company.html)? Like "spotlight" for JRiver as a company

[jack wallstreet]

Thank you.  This is a great post.  Very nice to go through.

[Maeghaus]

I felt good reading the history of JRiver. I first stumbled on Media Center in late 2012 when, miffed by the poor redesign of iTunes 10 to 11, I decided to look for an alternative. Alternative Mac playback software was still rare. I tried a handful -- the issue was album cover support. None were robust. Then, on an internet search, I came across JRiver MC 17. It looked like a good fit, so I gave it a try as a new Mac version was available. Since then, I use MC on both Mac and Windows. I like that the company continues to progress and that I can see the faces behind MC. I look forward to the next installment of Media Center! Great stories all. It's been a great ten years with you. 

[Richard Martin]

What a great thread. JRiver sounds like a great company to work for.
I've been a user since version 16, not only because of the product, but also because I like the company.

[JimH]

I promise I sent it!

Still waiting.

[Manfred]

Great Thread! I really appreciate your great and hard work. I started with MC18? in 2013. Since beginning of my digital audio journey MC is the constant media software I use.  I will and hopefully can use MC for many years more in the future!

[lex]

Nice reading. I've checked the forum when I started being active here. That was the year 2007 and the username was nikkieneuken. In my everlasting journey/quest through audio/video land during all of these years the jriver software has kept its place somewhere in my setups. Even now where integration is getting better and better. 2007.....time flies...

[The Big Labinski]

What a super idea. Getting faces behind your names. Very cool for all, O hope.

[canaro99]

What a great idea! Thanks.

20 years with MC in December.

Jim, I remember reading your story re Cliff Notes. A link for users that might not have seen it. It was very interesting.

Keep up the good work!!!

[datdude]

This was a pleasure to read. Thank you for sharing. I find it amazing how Jim found so many talented needles in a haystack. It almost doesn't seem possible.

I think that is the reason why I started using media jukebox back in 2004. There were very specific features in a media player I was looking for such as being able to customize any pane to any library field in any order I wanted. Back in the day, that was not possible until I stumbled upon JRiver in a sea of mediocre and homogenized media players. Ever since then, there have been continuous innovations that no one else was doing at the time and many still are not doing.

Many of my friends are still amazed at how simple and powerful it is for me to play music, movies, and images on the big screen, even in today's age of streaming. Kudos to the JRiver team for such a great product and great support along the way, constantly listening to its users.

[ted_b]

  JRiver has really been a wonder for me.  Jim has been so supportive as my life has gone up and down.  Thanks to everyone!

-Matt

Up and down?  That's the understatement of the year!  Matt is the best, and has gone through a few chapters of Dante's Inferno at the least.  He is one of my audio heroes.  Truly.
Ted