Wow. What a difference a change in personal viewpoint can make. Sometimes, a series of events in life can offer a change in perspective. And, if you take that opportunity, if you embrace it whole-heartedly, it’s stunning how rapid, profound, and fundamental that change can be. With only a third of the year gone by, 2017 has overflown with blessings and with opportunities for exhilarating new endeavors.
To start with, 2017 heralded a changing of the guard in the editorial department. It is thrilling to find a kindred spirit and friend who desires to educate the public while maintaining a sense of joy. And who better to teach than someone who honed that skill in the classroom for years. In his position as editor, Keith Norris has an opportunity to speak with a voice no longer confined to the classroom.
The new year also brought to us office manager Reneé Adams, who has introduced not only a sense of order to the chaos of a media company, but also a familial quality to our environment. Her contributions are reflected in the comments of customers and the spirit of the staff as she deals with details ranging from subscriptions to the organization of major events like Top Chefs.
Nothing gives a father more pride that having his son join him in an endeavor. This year, my son Ethan has embraced a variety of roles at Cityview, performing critical tasks in all departments.
You might have started to notice a difference in the styling of parts of the magazine. Earlier this year, award-winning designer Lori Pedrick agreed to join our team as art director. She designed the cover and “Humanitarian Hero” story on Dolly Parton for our March/April issue. But one of her real joys is in designing food stories, and in this issue, she gets a chance to show off in her styling of our Top Chefs event.
The arrival of Chelsie Hall and her skill at graphic design seemed a predestined inevitability. She had been advertising with us for a year, running a small website and graphic design business. We needed a senior level graphic designer, and when we learned that we both wanted to grow, it seemed as though fate had intervened.
As the year progresses, you can look forward to seeing changes in the look and feel of Cityview as Lori and Chelsie work their magic and completely redesign the magazine.
There are plenty of new things in the works. We’re excited to say that this year we will be featuring more stories focused on Knoxville’s business owners. We’ve added two new departments, “Spirituality” and “Insights”; and, starting in July, we will present a charitable events calendar, both online and in print. We will continue to showcase high-quality photography, introducing a new, parting shot feature, where we close the magazine with a photograph we think fits the bill.
As my work at Cityview has become more and more enjoyable, I decided to step out from behind the camera and participate in this issue’s fashion shoot, one that celebrates the wide variety of ways Knoxvillians dress for dinner. Expect to see this focus continue in the future, as we have committed to doing a fashion piece each issue for the coming year.
This year, Vice President Rhea Richardson will continue to grow our Sales and Marketing department as he employs his 40 years of experience in the advertising industry to bring new faces to the staff of Cityview to join seasoned sales professional Doug Wylie. We plan to expand our opportunities for advertisers to connect with potential customers, both online and in print.
Our job is to serve both the reader and advertiser by delivering great content. It is our purpose to provide honest, ethical, and insightful journalism that is both informative and entertaining, as any good media should. In looking back over 17 years, I can take pride in the success we have had. It has been an honor to play a role in telling the stories of our community for the benefit of our readers.
Sometimes, though, as I got caught up in work, I’ve not always been able to maintain a good personal balance, and that has weighed on me. With all of the positive change happening around here, and having told others’ stories for so long, it seems like a good time to take a little space and tell part of my own. If you will please indulge me over the next few pages, I’d like to share some of my own experience, both positive and negative, in the hopes that it will inspire.
With deepest respect for all of you who choose to read our magazine or be part of our family of advertisers, Thank You.
—Nathan