Gareth Snook never imagined he would one day live in Hollister.
During the past 11 years, this Brit with a sense of humor,
transplanted from London, married, helped raise three blondes and
continues to golf, sing karaoke with his kids and live the small
town life.
Gareth Snook never imagined he would one day live in Hollister. During the past 11 years, this Brit with a sense of humor, transplanted from London, married, helped raise three blondes and continues to golf, sing karaoke with his kids and live the small town life.
“The secret to comfort is to find your little pocket in the world, surround yourself with the people who you love and mean the most to you,” he said. “That is success.”
So why Hollister?
“It’s a great community and a nice environment for my girls,” he said. “They can play out front with very little traffic, and I’m a passionate golfer, so it’s nice being out here.”
With his ex-wife, Jennifer Snook, and their three daughters, Carly, 9, Taylor, 7 and Ryann, 6, living around the corner, and his own business, GJS Media, conveniently located inside his home, Ridgemark will remain his little pocket of choice for now.
Snook, 44, had his first taste of the United States during a three-week tour on a rugby team. Growing up in the small town of Rugby, England, which is about 100 miles north of London, it was only fitting he would play rugby from age 11 to 28 and become a town celebrity.
“I have the scars and broken bones to prove it,” he said. “When we came to the States, we were treated like royalty, and I always wanted to come back.”
After majoring in engineering at Nottingham University, Snook worked for 18 months at General Electric in his hometown until he couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Engineering was always one of those things I was really good at, but I never enjoyed,” he said.
In 1984, he took a job with a trade-show company, discovering he liked the organization and production aspects of the job.
“I really enjoyed the adrenaline rush it gave me,” he said. “I got the bug for organizing and seeing an event happen.”
After a few different gigs, Snook created his own company, Showmaster Productions, and found himself at Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France, producing and doing the multimedia for a corporate sales meeting. The person who he met there would change his life and career, but not his British sense of humor.
“I met a woman there who worked on the American side of production for the client I was working with,” he said. “She was looking for a freelance producer for six months in the States, and naturally my hand flew up and I was like ‘me, me!’ ”
So, Snook finally made his long-awaited return to the United States, where the temporary six-month stint turned into eight years with the company. In 2001, he decided he was in the right place in life to fly solo.
“I got itchy feet and was ready to break out on my own,” he said.
On Aug. 16, 2001, he launched GJS Media and hasn’t looked back.
“Financially, my job in the Silicon Valley was great,” Snook said. “But, it was my desire to own my own business that overwhelmed everything.”
Some would say opening business one month before 9-11 would crumble an entrepreneur’s dreams, but Snook prevailed and said things couldn’t be better.
“We definitely saw some hardship that first year, just like everyone else,” he said. “But since then, our clients continue to expand every year, and business is going great.”
When he’s not busy working behind the camera, Snook spends his spare time getting in front of it. He will make his film debut in the independent film “It’ll Happen.”
Snook’s ex-wife Jennifer and all of his daughters co-star in the story about the dating scene in Monterey. Movie buffs can check it out at Platinum Theaters in Gilroy on May 15.
