D. Ray "Bud" Bunting, 54, an award-winning video producer who directed the annual video production of the Philadelphia Folk Festival, died of lung cancer Saturday at his Mount Holly home.
He had lived in Mount Holly for 24 years and was born in Deland, Fla.
Mr. Bunting owned Ray Bunting & Others, a Mount Holly video production company. He founded the firm more than a decade ago after working in video production for RCA, Media Concepts in Philadelphia, and Temple University.
Most of the videos he produced were for industrial firms. His largest client was Siemens, the German manufacturer of electronic and medical equipment. A video on Parkinson's disease that he produced for Siemens was shown on the Discovery Channel.
Mr. Bunting had directed the video-production team and numerous volunteers at the Philadelphia Folk Festival for the last 19 years. The video team provided the images for the large screens that allowed audience members farther away from the stage to see all the action.
"Originally brought in as an outside contractor, he very quickly became one of the Folk Festival family," said Andrew L. Braunfeld, general counselor for the festival and a member of the festival management team.
"He did first-rate work - a seamless production that allowed everyone to see the events on stage," Braunfeld said. "Many of the bands and performers would request copies of their performances" to use as promotional tools.
A graduate of Temple's School of Communications, Mr. Bunting entered his video-production career by accident. Judy Todd Bunting, his wife of 32 years, recalled that "he loved to talk and perform and was a masterful editor," but that he was majoring in journalism - until the day he walked through the wrong door.
He was on his way to a journalism class when he mistakenly walked into a television-production class, she said. "It changed the course of his life."
Over the years, he won numerous awards, including one from the International Film and TV Festival of New York for a 1991 production, Harnessing Freedom, which told the story of Seeing Eye dogs. He also was honored by the International TV Association, the Information Film Producers of America, and the American Corporate Video Awards.
Mr. Bunting was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Mount Holly, where he was director of the Lord's Day contemporary worship services for about six years.
In addition to his wife, he survived by his sons, Todd and Drew; a granddaughter; a brother; and a sister.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. today at the First Presbyterian Church Extension, 35 Garden St., Mount Holly. Burial will be in Mount Holly Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 125 Garden St., Mount Holly, N.J. 08060.
