by Cassidy Nunn –
Even though I went to school for writing and journalism, I’d never really experienced what goes on behind the scenes to create a monthly publication such as Seaside Magazine. It’s a lot of hard work, tight deadlines and collaboration, but every month it’s so exciting to see the finished product in print. Here’s a glimpse into the making of an issue of Seaside.
Sue Hodgson is the publisher and owner of the magazine. Although she initially thought she’d go to law school, the world of publishing found her instead and she first began working for Victoria magazine Boulevard and then onto a large corporate newspaper company. Ten years ago she took the opportunity to purchase Seaside and she hasn’t looked back. Seaside Magazine is a monthly publication, which means there is rarely any downtime for anyone on the team. Sue says she spends much of her week “working with our family of clients, from advertising sales to ad creative, distribution of the magazines and managing staff.”
Allison Smith, the editor-in-chief, has been with the magazine for 11 years and has a background in journalism. Her role includes everything from communicating with writers and helping plan special features and regular editorial, to editing and proofreading the content, laying out the issue and working on ad design.
Deborah Rogers is the editorial director and filled in for Allison as editor-in-chief when Allison took her maternity leave several years ago. With a background in English literature, writing and editing, Deb “likes to collaborate with the team, coming up with new column ideas, thinking about themes, and balancing content over the year.” Deborah also runs the Seaside Magazine Book Club (which you’ll see a column about in most issues) in collaboration with the Sidney North Saanich Library. “I wanted to find a way of connecting more directly with our readers, and what better way to connect than over books!”
Steve Haley-Browning is the account manager for the past two and a half years. With a background in hospitality, having owned and ran several restaurants, he says his “experience has taught me that people come in all different personality types … some know exactly what they need while others need more assistance.” When not dealing with the advertising side of things, Steve has a very busy time once the magazine has been published and is ready for circulation; he delivers to over 100 locations all over the Peninsula monthly. “Depending on traffic, I can do them over two days,” he says, although he also does regular refills to locations over the month as needed.
Leah-Anne MacLeod is the newest addition to the magazine and brings a wealth of graphic design knowledge with her. Her days are filled with ad design as well as helping Allison with the editorial layout. She says her favourite part of the job is “being challenged creatively and bringing ideas to life on paper.”
I’m the staff photographer and a writer as well, so my role every month includes a wide variety of photoshoots, from editorial to advertising – meaning you’ll often find me zipping around the Peninsula with my camera and lighting gear in tow – to conducting interviews for my two columns. The other half of the time I’m holed up in my home office, uploading and editing photos.
We all work from home offices most of the time, other than when we have our monthly team meeting to discuss the upcoming issue’s story ideas; this usually takes place at one of the many delicious restaurants we’re blessed to have on the Peninsula!
Sue’s home office is a small space with the walls covered with a variety of post-it notes filled with inspiring phrases and appointment reminders. When Allison’s daughter was born her home office was shifted to part of their converted garage. She describes it as “small and bright and cozy, with just enough room for me, Sue and Leah-Anne to gather around the computer on press day.” Leah-Anne had her walk-in closet converted into her office space and with Steve’s job having him on the go most of the time, his office is all over the place, including his car when out on deliveries!
“Press time is fun!” says Sue, while Allison describes it as “chaotic! As much as you try to be on top of things, there are always last-minute ads to design and find a spot for, or stories that come in just under the wire! It means a lot of late nights but I really like the actual process of fitting together stories, pictures and ads to create something interesting and visually pleasing for our readers.”
Sue adds that “sometimes it takes us two hours to do final proofs before we send everything to the printer, or sometimes five! It’s when all the work you do every month gets put together in one piece. It’s a crazy time, but a good crazy.” Once the layout is finalized and approved, it’s then sent off to Mitchell Press in Burnaby, and after one final check online, the magazine is printed before winging its way back to us about a week later for distribution via the Times Colonist and various pickup locations.
Seaside wouldn’t be complete without all the amazing writers, contributors and advertisers who make each issue of the magazine unique and filled with such a wide variety of content. There’s something for everyone in each issue and we’re proud to represent this special community we call home.
