Reporter's Notebook: Looking Back on 25 Years

You would think that after 25 years of media work that there were some memories that stood out above all, but I have been gathering the memories of these past 25 years of media work to find the happier moments within that timeframe. 

But, where do I start?

Certainly, this work has taken to me to places I never thought possible. Auto Shows, press boxes at sporting events, media familiarization trips, meeting – and interviewing – “important” people, and so forth.

I put quotes around the word “important,” because they range from local personalities (a term used by a former direct colleague of mine) to bonafide celebrities. Oh yeah, and key automotive industry executives. 

If I have to start somewhere, it would be a few years along the way from where it all began. 

My first Chicago Auto Show Media Preview in 2004 was a huge professional uplift personally. However, there were some things that revolved around what was going on beyond McCormick Place. 

I was staying with friends up on the North Side (I forgot which neighborhood to be exact) and was meeting with some people for my 40th birthday. I cannot recall the actual timeline, but I got a call from a friend of mine as I was wrapping up my time at the show. I learned that a really lovely person that I started to get to know better just died in a car crash in the city. A day after talking to him on the phone.

That hurt. While I tried to maintain a semblance of professionalism, it tempered my time in Chicago that year. 

Over the years, Chicago has always played a key part in this personal journey. I planned on a west coast trip to start after my time at the 2014 auto show there. To combine the two seemed like a good idea. 

I must admit that the air was different then. I met up with an automotive enthusiast who lived in Reseda, along with a few stops here and there. It was also the first time I incorporated a press vehicle for a trip. The stars were aligned indeed. 

What was weird about that trip was the energy from it. Not from my family or friends. Nor from the stops I made at the manufacturers' museums near Torrance. It was the energy and the lessons learned about them. Coming home is one thing. Being a stranger in your own hometown is another. That was a truly unsettling feeling.

Here’s one lesson I took away from that Southern California trip: If you can afford to do so, get better places to stay. Not just actual accommodations, but of neighborhoods. 

The third memory is really a compilation of a time-space that lasted two-and-a-half years. I admit that becoming an editor for a lifestyle magazine was quite the challenge. However there was a huge benefit to that job. It enabled me to interact with some people that I would’ve never thought possible if I stayed in my automotive media content lane. 

During my time at the magazine, I personally interviewed for the magazine some quite notable people. They include two winners of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” a well-known touring comedian, an award-winning chef, and a local television news anchor in the Twin Cities among several interviews conducted at that time. I also sat on photo shoots for others locally, met corporate and government leaders, broke bread with small business owners and entrepreneurs, worked sporting events, chatted with many people in the community, and attended events held by story subjects in the area. I could also add the miles I put on attending community events across the state and over the state line. 

Getting to these interviews, photo shoots, and events took a leap of faith. Working in the automotive media did help in taking those steps towards delivering the stories the readership/audience wanted. 

In all, I will say that this pivot towards today’s automotive content creation work was worth the risk. It certainly opened up doors, even when some became closed over time. 

Things have changed in this business over time. Auto Shows no longer yield the news they once drummed up. The industry is in another state of change. Outside influences are making things challenging, at best. 

Yet, the digital frontier has opened up for us to broaden the field and bring in different voices to tell those stories. Some of those voices made their way onto magazines and websites and are flourishing in those positons.

What was impossible some two decades ago is now possible. That I am thankful for. 

Yet, I must acknowledge the timing of this article. There has been a lot going on across this country. It has been very difficult to avoid the news cycle. There are friends have been caught up in what’s going on and it doesn’t sit well with me right now. So has my fellow media professionals. 

The ultimate lesson I learned in these past 25 years was to have the ability to survive and pivot when I had to. Nothing stays the same and the ability to adapt and change helps to keep you “in the game.”

As I celebrate my 62nd birthday later this week, I am thankful for those experiences and lessons learned that kept me going from pivot into this business some 25 years ago. 

In turn, I also want to thank you. For reading, watching the videos, following my social media, interacting with me, meeting me in person, and giving me a life that only a few can accomplish successfully with fulfillment and joy. 

Here’s to the remaining time left of this life and career!

Cover photo by William Maley