July3coverstory by Inweekly

Staying IN 15th Anniversary Issue Independent News | July 3, 2014 | Volume 15 | Number 27 | inweekly.net

FREE â&#x2013;ś

Check out a digital copy of our first ever issue at inweekly.net

Born in ’99

It was the end of a century, and despite fears that computer systems would implode and possibly usher in the end of times (remember Y2K?), 2000 arrived and we survived. In addition to the IN's first issues, 1999 gave the world some other things you might remember and a few you probably forgot all about.

Jackson’s Steakhouse Cock of the Walk (RIP) Garcon Point Bridge

Why We Do What We Do by Joani Delezen

nweekly is made up of a very small team of very dedicated people. And when I say small, I don’t mean average business small; I mean count them on my hands with a few fingers to spare small. But what we lack in numbers, we make up with creativity and passion. In fact, it’s pretty much impossible to work here longer than six months without having both of those things in spades. Trust me, I’ve seen enough to know what I’m talking about, seeing as how I’m the longest standing IN staffer and all. During my time at the IN, I’ve worn a lot of hats, many of them simultaneously—secretary, ad salesperson, headline writer, cover shoot stylist… Thankfully the balancing act and gear shifting that used to stress me out has become my favorite part of the job. Don’t get me wrong it still stresses me out from time to time, especially around Best of the Coast. But getting to do something different every day of the week is why I’ve stayed in the IN game so long. Well, that, plus getting to create something new pretty much every time I turn around. Even July 3, 2014

TK X Fest—the inaugural event featured Collective Soul, Fuel, Godsmack and Days of the New (RIP) though we all love making this paper, it’s easy for us to get caught up in the weekly routine of cranking out an issue and sometimes lose sight of why it matters. It’s just hard to see the forest through the trees of calendar listings and special issues. So in honor of our birthday week, I thought that myself and the entire IN team could use a little refresher. Here are 15 reasons why we stay at it, week after week, issue after issue. •Our ideas actually turn into something. And when they don’t, it’s normally because they aren’t any good and that’s ok. It takes a bad idea (or twelve) to wind up at a good one. •I see Wal-Mart less and less every year on people’s Best of the Coast ballots. •Being excited about things like Record Store Day is actually part of our job. •I get to meet, work with and be inspired by small business owners everyday. •Same goes with writers, musicians and artists. •Our office is really close to Sluggo’s and Sluggo’s has the best oatmeal cream pies ever. • Because making covers every week means you sometimes get to feature things and people you're obsessed with—like my puppy, Samantha's babies, Mayor Hayward and pineapples (coming soon). •We get to interview people we’re fans of. We try and not geek out when this happens, but we don’t always succeed—just ask Big Freedia.

•Ballet Pensacola, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, Pensacola Opera, Pensacola Museum of Art—these just a few of the cultural non-profits we get to call our friends and partners. •We get to endorse political candidates every election cycle. You have my word, this is not a task we take lightly. •We don’t always work past midnight on deadlines (anymore), but when we do it’s because we want to. Well, want to might be a stretch. But it is because Samantha and I know what we’re doing is worth it (or at least we hope it will be). •A lot of us on team IN are friends outside of work—like real, show up at the hospital when your baby is born friends; not just happy hour friends. I know that doesn’t happen at every job, but I’m glad it does here—especially since I only hire smart, bad-ass people. •I get to work with an art director who’s way more talented than me. She somehow always manages to make me and my cover concepts look great, even when they’re only so-so.

The Loblolly Theatre (RIP) Sisqo’s “Thong Song” (RIP) “Family Guy” “The Sopranos” (RIP) BlackBerry devices (RIP—or at least we think so. Does anybody still use a BlackBerry?) Santana, “Supernatural” (“Smooth” anyone?) “The West Wing” (Gone but not forgotten thanks to Netflix) Apple iBook TiVo The careers of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson—all released their debut albums in 1999 “Freaks and Geeks” (Again, gone but never forgotten. And big shout out to Pensacon for getting how great this show was and bringing Neal and Millie to town.) “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky

•My favorite issue to make—The Pet Issue— is also one of your favorite issues to read. I love knowing that I’m on the same puppyobsessed page with our readers. •Even though making a paper every single week sometimes feels like too much, it actually isn’t. We always have more ideas than issues to put them in. 9

babies” for our Winners & Losers covers. And since there’s no way I can choose one over the other, I’m calling this one a tie. Of course having to photograph Donovan and Chloe while they were crying was a bit heartbreaking, but I promise no child abuse occurred—just some really tired (and of course super photogenic) babies.

The Top 11 of 2011 (Jan. 5, 2012) Ahh,

yes, the cover where we visually brought local celebrity Nathan Monk to the level of fame as Kanye West. But really, I probably won’t ever have an excuse to draw so many celebrities for a cover again, so I will forever relish this issue.

Pet Issue (Aug. 23, 2012) Hands down one

of our most popular annual issues, our first Pet Issue cover was not only my first foray into pet studio photography, but also Joani’s dog, Tucker’s bow-tie-wearing IN cover debut. We learned some pretty valuable tips that have carried over into the other pet photo shoots: treats are a must if you want pets to actually look in the general direction of a camera (peanut butter is a surefire winner), as is having extra background paper on hand because dog nails + paper = so many holes. And cats much prefer hiding behind photo paper and having vehement hissing sessions than being photographed.

IN’s How to Guide to...The Best Holidays Ever (Dec. 13, 2012) Who

Covering It Up A by Samantha Crooke

few maternity leaves notwithstanding, during my nearly six years as art director of the IN, I’ve designed somewhere near the ballpark of 300 covers. Admittedly, when creating a new issue every week, they do tend to blur together a bit, so choosing my top 15 has been no easy task. Getting to work on after-hours photo shoots, illustration sessions and collaborating with other artists are definitely some of the best perks of my job. So, not surprisingly, the

most memorable covers to me are the ones where we’ve gotten to be more hands on with the art. Since the best marriage of art and content occurs when we are all really passionate about a topic and we collaborate heavily as a staff—not just editorially but also on the artwork—they also get the honor of being some of my most favorite issues overall.

Indecision 2008 (July 24, 2008) This was

the first time I got to have a hand in creating a cover. I was still training for the job with the previous art director, Justin Griffith. It was a collaboration of my drawing of super-hero-filled presidential candidates, his design skills, and him showing me how to color digitally in Photoshop. I was super geeked out to see it in print all around town and was already pretty nervous about the implications of having this many copies of something I created out in the world.

Best of the Coast 2011 (Oct. 6, 2011) Although we’d previously used artists for sculptural Best of the Coast trophies in the past, this was the first time we commissioned work that we could use as cover art too. We worked with Richard Humphreys and Brent Roche of Dog on Fire to come up with this artwork that would then be executed as screen-printed posters for the winners. 2011 & 2013 Winners & Losers issues (Nov.

24, 2011 & Dec. 12, 2013) Both of my kids have been “cry

doesn’t love giant, vintage Christmas lights? Answer: maybe the models Lacey Berry and Jarrod Burris, who may or may not have gotten just a tiny bit burned. Anyhow, not only did we do this ridiculously fun cover shoot, we had a Sunday full of staff DIY craft time and photo shoot goodness that made this cover a total win.

Hangout Fest 2013 (May 16, 2013) It’s

tough for me to pick my favorite Hangout cover, but I have to go with this one for the most memorable. I spent the better part of a week trying to imitate the look of melting popsicles with everything you can imagine (nail polish, acrylic paint, food coloring, watercolor) until finally actually trying to shoot legit melting popsicles at 3 a.m. the morning of our print date. And then realizing that was the best way and feeling really stupid. But also super victorious.

Literally Local (July 11, 2013) This

cover was my excuse to finally use my new

E r i c D. Ste v e n s on unique & affordable

Personal Injur y | Criminal Justice

DO IT.

facebook.com/themagnoliaeph 010 1

919 N. 12th Avenue Pensacola, Florida 32501

O: (850) 434-3111 F: (850) 434-1188

mypensacolaattorney.com • email: eric@mypensacolaattorney.com

Join us for Wine Tastings Thursdays 5-7 p.m. 27 S. 9th Ave.

433-WINE or 433-9463

www.aragonwinemarket.com inweekly.net

Makers (Nov.14, 2013) Trying to create let-

ters out of materials was a bit of a challenge, and I would probably redo some aspects of it, but the concept of the issue was especially near to my heart. Photographing the featured “Makers” and seeing some of their behind the scenes work was inspirational and made me want to pursue my own artwork more. Side note: Peter King and Xinia Marin have the most amazing artist’s house, and I kind of want to live there.

People of Pensacola (Jan. 9, 2014) My favorite part, aside from meeting the man behind POP before we outed him to the public, was making this intense composite in Photoshop of the people featured into one interesting looking face for the cover (that also apparently ended up looking like local surfer John Russo according to Pensacola artist Mikaela Sheldt). Let Your Geek Flag Fly: A Guide to Pensacon (Feb. 20, 2014) High five

to Pensacon for being such a monumental success. Coming up for an art concept was tough because Joani and I are pretty ignorant about all things comic/gaming/sci-fi, etc. But I’m pretty proud of how it all turned out, and at the end of it I felt like a “geek” paper doll drawing master. True story, while finishing up last minute illustrations late on the night of our print deadline, I had to text my Star Wars obsessed husband about what color lightsaber I should have on the cover. “Blue, definitely blue.”

drafting table, which helped in my dozens of attempts to figure out how to create a chalkboard inspired type.

#Disconnect (July 25, 2013) OK, the cover might not seem super exciting, but I had so much fun photographing and photoshopping each staff member’s “selfies” for the interior photos. And it was extra awesome that most of the images ended up as everybody’s profile pics. Going through the challenge myself and writing about it made this whole issue that much more unforgettable. In the ‘Hood (Sept. 26, 2013) For this issue we got to work with a local artist (who prefers to remain anonymous) who dedicated so much of her time and talent to make our cover concept come true, complete with 5 internal bad-ass Pensacola neighborhood illustrations. I love getting to take a step back every now and then, especially when it involves working with such immensely skilled people.

Ashton Is My Homeboy

It would be wrong when highlighting some of my top covers to not give a shout out to Mayor Ashton Hayward, who could easily be called a muse here at the IN in more ways than one.

His face and name both have graced the pages of the IN quite a bit, after all. Here are just a few of my favorite ways that I’ve gotten to Photoshop the mayor. 1. Ashton Needs You (Dec. 2, 2010) 2. Hayward’s First 100 Days (May 5, 2011) 3. Dysfunction Junction (Aug. 9, 2012)

4. Things We Love (Right Now) (Feb. 14, 2013) While not appearing on the actual cover, this valentine from inside the issue will forever live on in our hearts (and on Joani’s fridge). 5. I Pensacola (Aug. 15, 2013) My favorite part of our first interactive Rant & Rave issue was definitely creating this interior coloring book page of the mayor.

4th of July Celebration Come out & watch the Sertoma fireworks! Stadium opens at 6 p.m. Special Showing: The LEGO® Movie Family Fun · Food

July 10-14 vs. MONTGOMERY BISCUITS

July 21-25

vs. MOBILE BAYBEARS Pre-game activities start 30 minutes prior to game. Double-A Affiliates Blue Wahoos

Mobile BayBears

Montgomery Biscuits

Join Us for Special Fun & Games – Every Game Day! Social Media Monday • Team Tuesday Hi-Chew Wednesday • Thirsty Thursday FANtastic Friday • Fireworks Saturday McDonald’s Sunday Funday

July 3, 2014

BW0313_July_Homestands_IN.indd 1

Fan Feedback

6/27/14 11:21 AM

*Rates as low as 1.79% APR for 60 months on new car purchases, used and refinance car purchases 2007 and newer. Excludes current Gulf Winds loans. Rates and terms are based on credit score and subject to change. †$100 Summer Bonus incentive applies to new Gulf Winds auto loans of $5,000 or more. Offer ends August 1, 2014. Monthly payments per $1,000 for 60 months at 1.79% APR is $17.44. Federally insured by NCUA.

concept, we immediately thought of her. Of course, she created some succulent magic that we then photographed for the greenest cover we’ve ever had.

Dave Dondero (June 12, 2014) When

we reached out to Panhandle Slim (aka one of the nicest guys ever) to see if he’d ever painted Dave Dondero, we had no idea he’d offer to paint us something new specifically for our cover. I think he tried to leave the painting in our office in the

#coverfail

Just to prove that we don’t just toot our own horn at the IN, here are some of my more epic cover screw ups. 1. Pensacola Is Our Business (March 19, 2009) This Stay Local cover was a

pretty tragic fail. We had some pretty serious issues with our printer, so everything turned out looking crazy. But the takeaway was good because I learned some pretty valuable lessons on how to set up a design like this properly for newsprint.

same drop-andrun style he has for giving away his paintings, but we saw him as he was quietly dropping it off, so luckily we got to meet him and thank him profusely before he took off.

2. Hangout 2012 (May 17, 2012) OK, so a lot of people thought the guy in my cover illustration was supposed to be Johnny Depp, not Jack White. Oops. In my defense though, they DO look pretty similar. 3. Extraordinary Women (Sept. 13, 2012) This is one of the more comical cover screw-ups I’ve had. While kind of devastating to me at the time, the “Extra” in Extraordinary ending up too dark, so the printed version read “Ordinary Women” You know, just pretty much the exact opposite of what we intended it to say.

How IN Are You? Sure, you read the IN. And even when you don’t really read it, you at least scan News of the Weird while waiting in line at Bagelhead’s on Saturday morning. But how well do you really know us? Take this quiz and find out. 1. What local politician has graced our cover the most? (a) Jeff Miller (b) Ashton Hayward (c) Joe Scarborough 2. Which of the following is not a Best of the Coast Category? (a) Best Reason To Attend An Ice Flyers Game (b) Best Gumbo (c) Best Funeral Home 3. Which PNJ writer has never had a story published in the IN? (a) Troy Moon (b) Kimberly Blair (c) T.S. Strickland 4. Which of these is not an annual issue anymore? (a) The Pet Issue (b) DeLuna Fest (c) Rest of the Best 5. Which former IN writer hasn’t published a book (yet)? (a) Ashley Hardaway (b) Sam Baltrusis (c) Jennie McKeon Answers: 1. b, 2. c, 3. a, 4. b, 5. c

The Green (Thumb) Issue (March 13, 2014) This cover is proof that things frequently come full-circle here at the IN. We’ve known Chloe Winchester Lawry of Supposey Wedding Florals and admired her skills for a while now, first via the Pensacola Block Party Wedding and now as one of the talented vendors at The Wedding Studio. So when we did this year’s annual Green Issue and had an idea that incorporated a floral design lettering

Two decades serving our community as the trusted pain experts. For 20 years, our team of experienced physicians and nurses has employed a safe, effective and integrated approach to treating all types of pain issues. As a certified pain clinic, we strive to be the gold standard of care, meeting the strictest requirements set by the Department of Health. Learn more about our team and approach at: bepainless.com/team

KURT A. KRUEGER, M.D. | PABLO W. CONCEPCION, M.D. | DONNA COOPER, ARNP-C | TONY MCCLUNG, ARNP-C | KELLY WEST, ARNP-C

212 1

inweekly.net