When I was mulling over the topic for this month’s two-pager that highlights Brazos Valley businesses around a theme each month, a catchphrase from old Dunkin’ Donuts TV commercials sprang to mind. The 30-second spots feature a hard-working baker who, as he leaves for work every day, repeats, “Time to make the donuts!” The saying caught on, and employees of all kinds incorporated that phrase into their vernacular as they left home for work. It gave me an idea.
For the past two years, I’ve been making the donuts, so to speak, in my position as Insite’s editor-in-chief. A year ago, I shared the progress we had made since I joined the team, mostly focusing on the magazine itself. At that time, we were just beginning to expand our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter presence by bringing former intern Aubrey Vogel onboard as our social media manager, and we were making plans to revamp our website.
Fast forward to now. Aubrey’s role has expanded to full-time multimedia administrator, which includes managing our social media as well as our new-and-improved website that launched last January. One of the website’s notable features is the user-friendly calendar, so not only can you find out what’s happening in the Brazos Valley, you can submit your own events too! Sarah Beaver recently joined the team and ensures that our event listings are as comprehensive and up-to-date as possible. She’s also in charge of magazine distribution, and now you can find free copies in Brenham, Navasota, and Calvert, as well as Bryan College Station. (We’re always looking for high-traffic Brazos Valley businesses that want to offer complimentary magazines to their customers and the community; if you’re interested, please reach out!)
A significant addition to our team is Lisa Turley, who became our magazine designer last October. It didn’t even take her a minute to find her groove. There aren’t enough superlatives in the English language to describe her — creative, intuitive, capable, fast and efficient, easy- going… I could go on and on. We are so lucky to have her.
One of our most proud accomplishments of the past year was our successful launch of our inaugural A-List People’s Choice Awards, spearheaded by our head of advertising and promotions Elease Hill. We are so pleased to recognize the mover-shakers in our community, many of whom came together to celebrate at our July Launch Party at the Ice House on Main in Bryan. It was our biggest party ever with lots of free food, drinks, and giveaways! Did you know that you are invited to our launch parties too? You can follow us on social media (@ InsiteBV) to find out when and where they will be next. We are grateful to you, our faithful readers, and the entire community, for all the support you have shared with us through the years and want to give back to you.
We are proud to be not only a magazine but to have evolved into a much larger entity with the capacity to serve many more people through multiple channels, thus, we are now, cumulatively, Insite Media. But we don’t just make the donuts. We also need to enjoy and reap the rewards of our efforts. So turn to page 12. Now it’s time — time to eat the donuts!
