Metro Pulse/Insights/Changing of the Guard

Comment
on this story

by Joe Sullivan

There are so many changes in the works at Metro Pulse, I hardly know where to start in announcing all of them. But one has to begin somewhere.

Our esteemed editor, Jesse Fox Mayshark, is going to be leaving us at the end of August to seek greater fame and fortune [or at least gainful employment—Ed.] as a writer in New York City. If it weren't for the fact that he's a New York native, it might be called an Agee-esque move. When Jesse moved to Knoxville in 1994, he didn't expect to stay here more than three years at the most. So we've been fortunate to get the benefit of his talents for considerably longer than I had originally bargained on. And multi-talented he is. In addition to being a fine editor, he's also been our most versatile writer and reporter. Those latter skills brought him national awards in two successive years from our trade organization, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, and would have brought him more if I hadn't enlisted him to be editor. In addition to his "day job" at Metro Pulse, Jesse has become a fixture on the Tennessee This Week program on Channel 6 and a community activist. In everything he does, Jesse sets high standards for himself and those around him. All of us at Metro Pulse and the entire community will miss him.

Our new editor, Bill Carey, is coming to us from Nashville where he has distinguished himself as a journalist and author. Most recently he's been a contributor to our counterpart publication, the Nashville Scene, and prior to that he covered state government for the Tennessean. Along with his outstanding personal qualities, though, what most impressed me about Bill is his superb book Fortunes, Fiddles and Fried Chicken. It's a 20th-century Nashville business history whose reportage and narrative style are remindful of David Halberstam's The Fifties. Before joining us in July, Bill is slaving to finish up a second book, which is a history of his alma mater, Vanderbilt. Lest anyone think he's too Nashvillian, it needs to be pointed out that he has some Knoxville roots. One set of grandparents lived here, and he's related to a lot of Knoxville Careys, including Juvenile Court Judge Carey Garrett.

As Bill comes up the curve in terms of learning the Knoxville scene and Metro Pulse's innards, he'll be getting a lot of help from our new managing editor, Scott McNutt, who has proven to be a great addition to our staff.

Along with losing Jesse, we are also losing our award-winning art director of the past seven years, Lisa Horstman. Lisa has made Metro Pulse into one of the best-looking AAN Publications in the country and done it on a smaller budget than our counterparts in larger markets. She has decided to concentrate on what has long been another line of endeavor, as an author of illustrated children's books, while also working part-time as a graphic designer for the National Park Service and doing freelance work.

Succeeding Lisa as art director next month will be Martha Shepp-James, who already knows us intimately. From 1997 to 2000 Martha managed our production and ad design department—and managed it very well. While she left us for more money in crassly commercial public relations work, Martha has always been an artist at heart (not to mention an accomplished pianist—see this week's music story), and we're delighted that she has agreed to rejoin us.

Martha's estimable successor as production/ad design manager, Jill Knight, will be going on maternity leave sometime in June, but assuming things hold to schedule she is due back in the fall. Holding the fort in Jill's absence will be Rick Baldwin, who is probably better known to readers as our award-winning cartoonist than the creative ad designer that he also is.

Maternity is also beckoning our calendar and entertainment editor, Adrienne Martini. She, too, is due back in the fall, at least on a part-time basis. Assuming the role of calendar editor is Tamar Wilner, a talented former intern who has been a part-time contributor up to now.

Another departure I greatly lament is that of Angie Hubbard, our marketing director who doubles as one of our top sales representatives. Angie has made an enormous contribution since joining us two years ago after she and her husband, Ed, moved here from Iowa. But now Ed has gotten a job offer in Norfolk that he can't refuse, and Angie will be going with him.

Last, but by no means least, Sharon Long will be assuming the post of general manager. Sharon has been our business manager for the past three years and knows every facet of what we are about from a financial and operational standpoint. In her new post, she will oversee sales and production as well as the business office. In part, the timing of her appointment keys to Angie's departure and Jill's maternity leave. But in other ways it may be overdue in terms of her ability to pull everything and everyone together. Metro Pulse will definitely be a stronger organization with Sharon at the helm of everything except the editorial realm, which is a law unto itself.

As an exception to all rules, Ian Blackburn will continue to preside over our systems domain, just as he has so resourcefully for the past 11 years. Ian remains the closest thing to an indispensable person we've got.

While the old guard will be greatly missed, I am confident that the new guard will perform admirably. Still, I hope this is the last occasion I will have to make announcements like this for a good long time to come.