Wow. I spent a lot of time searching for and testing a lot of different themes. Many looked promising, and some promised everything I was looking for. Going Premium and getting all of the add-ons is a no brainer.
I don't have everything figured out yet but within a day I have been able to create a new home page with the features and layout I had in my head. One or two tweaks and it will be beyond what I though I'd be able to achieve (and ready for content!).
The support is incredible - really impressed to get such quick responses that solve the problems I'm having (because I have very limited technical knowledge, not because of the site).