Leading to Minnesota Family

How did I get to the point where I've got a stack of reservations for space in a Summer edition of a magazine; interviews, feature articles, and all the design, editorial, and production capabilities in place to print and mail 27,000+ copies of a full color glossy 52 page magazine? More than 1 year, and 1,000+ hours of preparation, but it goes back further.

In 2004 I was managing a television station when my dad shared some of his impressive work manufacturing magazines. This led to pulling out a mass communication text book from college and reviewing the advantages of magazines. Magazines have a long life span, the longest of all the media.

I left the television station to publish the premiere edition of CLOUD magazine, which continued for 11 editions. I was invited to tour Germany as a delegate for the City of Saint Cloud, and the City included a copy in their time capsule. However, I was coordinating any advertising that was included in the magazine on my own, and split between coordinating ads, editorial, design, production, distribution, and also DJing events to earn a living. In 2007 I accepted an offer to work in California.

The broadcast job I accepted proved uninspiring only after a few months, however, met someone I was able to work with to coordinate ads for a new magazine. I needed to convince this person that I was able to work with, that if she coordinated the ads I would be able to coordinate a magazine for publication. The CLOUD samples and a couple of meetings were enough. This meant I could focus on everything else to make the best magazine possible. My time and energy was on editorial, design, production, distribution, and the overall picture for the magazine.

In 2007 we launched a magazine tailored for moms in a region of northern California. We published for more than two years. Most advertisers returned each edition. The person that coordinated the advertisers started a new title and brought the advertisers over. Then in 2012, I moved back to Minnesota. She continued to publish with the format we created and advertisers we established. I returned to broadcasting for 7 years.

In November of 2020 I realized Minnesota was missing a magazine for families, and felt compelled to connect people with inspiring stories and entertainment. To make a positive impact with families that have children at home. In January of 2022, I left my most recent broadcast job in pursuit of this dream full time. I've talked with more than 100 people, sent the media kit to more than 200 organizations. Recently the outreach escalated to the point of standing on a chair in front of 100+ chamber members telling them about Minnesota Family.

Thanks for reading some of what led me to this point. My dad was a coach and encourager for me. My dad had an excitement for life, and appreciated the quality production and beauty of a magazine. Our family operated a business, and my dad lived most of his career as an entrepreneur. To see this dream realized will mean so much to me. It is something I know my dad would be excited about if he were here to share it. My dad will be near my heart as this dream becomes a reality. My mom has kept up with the progress and celebrates as each organization reserves its space and all the good news along the way. My brother told me recently he knows I can do it. Friends I've known for more than two decades, to friends I met in recent days, encouraging me. I feel blessed by the amazing people in my life.