My lovely wife is so very proud of me, but I have some incredibly big boots to fill and traditions to continue.
Gary Atkins is the editor of What’s Up Yukon. He and his wife, Pamela, live in the Mendenhall subdivision
When this 20th Anniversary edition, issue #835, hits the stands, I’ll be well into my official fifth month as the most recent editor. Usually 5-plus months into a new job, I’m starting to feel a little ‘cocky’ and looking for ways that I can help (show) the company how to do things better, save some time and some money.
I’m a pretty smart guy and usually a few well-placed words around the coffee machine or water cooler go a long way and have helped a lot of things over the years.
Not with What’s Up Yukon though!
No. Here I’ve learned that I have a heck of a lot to learn. That we have had 20 years of incredibly talented, intelligent and dedicated people, all pulling on the same rope to get this publication from its inception to where it is now.
20 years of amazing content. 20 years of Yukon history. 20 years of engaged and excited readers. 20 years of dedicated editors. 20 years of supportive and loyal advertisers. 20 years of evolution.
I’ve also learned a great deal about the technology that we use to create the publication. I’d never even opened Google Drive until I started here. Now it’s a staple that I use all day, every day. There are other websites that we use for certain things and all of that stuff was probably the biggest challenge for me at first – learning to use them.
Tammy and Mark Beese are incredibly supportive in helping me learn these things. I’m sure that they have always been this way over the previous 20 years, which is a testament to why the publication has lasted so long and done so well.
Our layout and design team is amazing! It seems like every issue they out-do themselves even more! They are absolute rock stars! Sometimes I send them things and wonder, “Is this going to work? Will they be able to make this look good?” And after they’re through ‘doin’ their thang’ it’s absolutely perfect!
Sometimes they have to make last minute changes, or totally re-do something, and it’s done immediately and professionally. The same is true for our support team: copy-edit, advertising, community events. All rock-solid people doing a fantastic job every week to get this into your hands.
What can I say about our writers? Who’s your favourite? I love them all! Their intelligence, their knowledge, their talent! I send out an Editorial Newsletter to them all after each issue and in every single one, I tell them “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” and I mean it.
Sometimes I don’t know where they come up with this content, but when I open my inbox and see their submissions, I am always blown away. I’m excited that I get a sneak peak and will be sharing this soon with you, our readers. And, as a blatant plug, if you think that you’d like to join our writing team, we’re always excited to bring new people on board. Send me an email and we’ll get the ball rolling.
And what about you, our readers? Hands down we wouldn’t still be here today if you weren’t picking up the latest issue. I know full well that you wouldn’t be picking up the latest issue if you weren’t enjoying it. We’ve got a bit of a mantra here at What’s Up Yukon to try to help better your lifestyle by sharing upcoming events, culture, traditions, recipes and things that are, as the logo says, ‘All Northern, All Fun!’
Thank you for continuing to pick up copies and enjoying our immense talents and knowledge here in the Yukon.
We’ve been joking for a while about this 20th Anniversary issue being a bit of an ‘All Our Exes’ issue, as we’ve asked previous editors to chip in again with some content. As that content has come through my inbox, it’s really opened my eyes to not only the amazing folks who have preceded me, but also a lot of the history of the last two decades that I may have never known about without these contributions.
As I said, I have some big boots to fill! It’s humbling beyond words.
I really hope that you enjoy this special anniversary edition, and every other issue moving forward. We live in such a wonderful place here in the Yukon and it’s my humble pleasure to ‘hook you up’ with these amazing stories! Heading into the next 20 years has never been so exciting!
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
G
