Now we are 10
I remember having dinner with Greg Jeu in a Thai restaurant in Rice Village around the time he launched OutSmart. I then worked at a local design magazine, and I recall we chatted long into the evening about hopes for our publications. Ten years on, I work for Greg, that then-thriving design magazine is long gone, and to misquote Sondheim, “Good times and bum times/We’ve seen them all and, my dear/We’re still here.”
An anniversary is a good time not only to recollect, but also to look ahead. Throughout our celebratory year, we will introduce a few changes in the magazine, including some new features. We plan to build on what has made OutSmart a success for a decade while always striving to improve.
All year, we will mark our 10-year milestone with events and celebrations. These festivities will begin with OutSmart’s birthday party on February 18 at Meteor. We hope you will join us for some birthday cake and visit with the staff. As the year continues, look for our limited-edition commemorative anniversary book, special Pride events in June, and a gala celebration and community fundraiser in conjunction with the annual Gayest & Greatest issue in October. We will finish the year with a juried photography competition, resulting in an exhibition and publication.
As Greg points out in his interview about the magazine’s history (click here), OutSmart could not have reached a decade in business without steadfast support from the community, including our advertisers. Over the years, a platoon of editors, writers, photographers, artists, production people, sales and marketing experts, and delivery folks has put together the magazine and put it out on the streets. Along with the current staff pictured below, many additional contributors help produce OutSmart month after month.
For 10 years, our readers have ensured our success. We hope you will let us know what you enjoy and what you don’t like and contact us with your ideas. And we hope you will still be reading when we are 20. —Tim Brookover
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