Quote, unquote: The show should go on
It is entirely possible that Rogers Publishing really does need that $5,000. But even if it turns into a potluck supper, the 2009 NMAs should proceed.
Labels: quote
posted by D. B. Scott at
12:34 am
Friday, March 13, 2009
12 Comments:
Hi everyone,
There are many people, including D.B. Scott, stepping up to the plate behind the scenes right now to help make up for any sponsorship shortfalls at the National Magazine Awards Foundation.
I just want to quickly offer my first of many more thank yous to come. The other NMAF board members and I, as volunteers, truly appreciate it.
And if anyone else would like to help out, please contact Barbara or Richard at the NMAF office: staff@magazine-awards.com.
What a great industry we have--let's keep celebrating it.
Cheers,
Patrick Walsh
(wearing his NMAF president's cap)
What a great industry we have?
I hope to hell you're being facetious, Patrick.
Dear Anonymous, your snideness about Patrick's view is made more puzzling by your apparent need to disrespect the entire industry and the commitment of thousands of people working in it.
No, I'm not at all being facetious. If I didn't think this was a great industry, I wouldn't have volunteered so much time over the years to the NMAF and other industry organizations. Nor would I continue to work in it. Every industry needs its internal boosters, and I'm proud to count myself among those who are just that for magazines.
D.B. that's rich coming from you considering your often snide and derisive comments about publishers trying new advertising positions. Wake up and realize your over-idealized notion of magazines is outdated and that many publishers are struggling to survive and not simply to make money but to meet their obligations to their staff and families.
Patrick,
I would be interested in talking about how we can help.
Regards,
Michael La Fave
An unwarranted rebuke from someone who won't put their name to it. I won't lose any sleep.
Hi D.B..
Anonymous #1 here. (Not to be sonfused with the second nameless poster.) I am one of the faceless thousands. Try logging two decades as a freelance, D.B. Then tell me how great the damned industry is, without resorting to snideness.
I've EARNED the right to be snide about this "industry." As for your attack on the other Anon poster's desire to remain nameless, that's a cheaper shot than mine was.
This kind of sniping from the bushes is precisely why I sometimes wonder if providing anonymous comments remains a good idea on this blog. Having worked for more than 20 years in this business as a freelance -- a writer, editor, consultant and teacher, I don't think I deserve such criticism. And if you don't want confusion of one anonymous commenter with another, you're free to sign your name. If not, you're hardly in a position to snipe at those who do. Since this thread is clearly deteriorating into name-calling, I think I'll give you the final word, then end it. Over to you.
Okay, here goes.
First, that's kind of you.
Second, I -- Anon #1, here -- was not sniping at you. I was sniping at our sick charade of an industry, and to buttress my snide opinion, I chose to disclose that I've been doing this for around twenty years. I was not implying that you had less experience, although you apparently inferred this. But I think you read something in my words that was not there. Where did I call you anything but your name??
Third, we've logged about the same time in this gig. You have been smarter than I have in terms of branching out and making a multi-pronged living from it. That I have spent my time in it almost solely as a writer is my choice, and the resultant frustration is my problem.
But please, D.B., don't expect me, or others in my particular boat, to sit back and nod politely when others make happy noises in defense of a poisonously bad status quo.
As for disallowing anonymous comments, of course, that's your call. As far as real mag writers go, you'd have David Hayes posting here, and that's about it. So by all means, go ahead if you'd rather not solicit honesty from your blog readers.
Anyway, let's shake hands. It's the nature of this small industry that we'll probably sit down and have a beer some time in the future. You'll recognize me when we do. I'll be the snide guy who sticks you with the bill. ;-)
A different anonymous take here:
I'm a long-time member of Canada's magazine industry, first as a freelancer who contributed to some of the country's top titles, and now as an editor at one of the biggest mags. Comments responding to this post, and many other previous postings, often degenerate into freelancers vs. editors/management arguments. I think I understand both sides of the coin: it's a hard biz in which to making a living as a freelancer, and it's not easy to make a publication viable, either. But nobody forces writers to freelance for magazines. And the motivated, talented ones, whether it's through supplemental work for corporate or government clients, or a partner with a full-time job, or any number of other arrangements, find a way to remain in the game and produce compelling, creative work. Just like good magazines find a way to pay their bills and produce something of value for their audiences. So, if you don't like this industry, regardless of which camp you're in, I suggest finding another field (though I don't recommend the auto industry), and wish you the best of luck.
OK, that's the end of this thread.
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