RedPoint Media on the Growth Track

I remember when RedPoint Media didn’t exist. It was early in my freelance career, and I’d just started writing for Avenue because I’d had the good fortune to intern under then-editor Charlene Rooke at her previous post at U of C’s alumni magazine.

RedPoint Media was born when it merged Avenue Media Group and Calgary Publishing Ltd and the publishing of their flagship titles Avenue and the now-defunct Calgary magazine.

Now one of the largest independent publishing companies in Western Canada, RedPoint is creating new buzz with its recent partnership with the Calgary Economic Development to develop a national marketing and business development campaign called "Calgary: Be Part of the Energy." The campaign is designed to attract people and business to the city and will appear in various RedPoint publications as well as through online media extensions.

And RedPoint’s just getting started, according to Gary Davies, the company's executive vice-president (and former AMPA Prez). He says the goal is to build the company into one of Canada's largest content creation companies by doubling the company's size over the next five years.

Given RedPoint’s growth to date, (it’s made PROFIT’s fastest growing companies list twice), I won’t be surprised when this latest goal is met, too.

--- Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger-in-Residence

All I Want for Christmas is an E-Reader...Or Do I?

With Christmas a month away, the push is already on to make people feel inadequately prepared. (Or maybe it's just me?) Every second commercial is hyping endless gift ideas including the latest e-readers. Of course, the iPad is expected to continue to sell well, but for many the price tag is just a bit too hefty.

Many are opting instead for the new Kindle Fire, priced at $199USD through Amazon--$300 less than the cheapest iPad. According to Audience Development, the device will house over 400 full-color publications through its newsstand, including those from the likes of big guns Bonnier, Meredith, Hearst and Conde Nast.

Not to be outdone, Barnes & Noble announced the NOOK Tablet with storage room of 16 G, video capability and battery life of 11 hours. The NOOK Tablet is priced at $249USD and has been said to have superior software to the Fire. For a comparison of the two tablets, check out news from the Online Publishing Association.  

I think I'll stick to the tried-and-true. Paper, anyone?

-- Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger-in-Residence

Connecting Local Talent with Local Magazines

The Alberta Magazine Publishers Association is thrilled to officially launch the AMPA Contributors Directory, an initiative to connect local talent with local publications! 

Publishers, Editors, Creative Directors: Look No Further 
Need that special photographer for an upcoming fashion shoot? A writer who can deliver an environmental story from Fort McMurray? A designer to help with a custom publication?'

Search the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association's comprehensive database of magazine creatives available for freelance and contract work for your publication or media organization. Contributors in various creative disciplines from Alberta and beyond have listed their credits and credentials on our site — your one stop means of finding the right person for your next big feature or publishing needs.

Contributors, Freelancers, Contractors: Sign Up Now

If you’re a writer, editor, photographer, illustrator, fact checker, web designer or graphic designer available for hire, sign up to our contributors database now. Publishers, editors and creative directors are always on the lookout for talented magazine creatives and this is where you can be found.

Create your own user-maintained listing, featuring key phrase search, extended profile description, website listing, secure email contact, and uploadable samples. Annual subscriptions are currently free so sign up now.

Learn more about the AMPA Contributors Directory, and browse the database of over eighty (and growing!) profiles featuring Alberta's talented contributors, at http://directory.albertamagazines.com

Alberta Writing and Magazine Contests Galore!

I confess I'm going to shamelessly self-promote for a moment. I'm running a contest on my personal blog where all you have to do is tell me your favourite travel experience or destination. Just share in my comments and you could win a free night at any Delta Hotel or Resort across the country. Easy peasy, right?

That got me thinking about other contests. From Alberta magazines, there are a good number of prizes to be won, not to mention the chance to be published. Here's a rundown for you to go enter today!

• Win tickets and CORE gift cards through Avenue Calgary for the 'T'was the Night shopping event at the CORE. Contest closes Nov. 24, 2011.
  
• FreeFall literary magazine is accepting submissions for its Annual Prose and Poetry Contest with special guest judge/editor Stephanie Bolster. Contest closes December 31, 2011.
• Alberta Views is looking for a surprising view of Alberta. Submit a photo for a chance to win $1,000 and be published in Alberta Views in 2012. Contest closes December 31, 2011.
• Wine Access wants to send you to the Cayman Islands. Contest closes December 31, 2011.
• City Palate wants to know where you read your City Palate. Send in a photo of you reading the mag to win one of three fabulous weekend resort packages. Contest closes February 1, 2012.
• Tell Birthing magazine what your family's most effective preventative/natural health tip is and you could win a free naturopathic consultation. 

Several ongoing contests run are always happening too. Check out:

• up! magazine's three monthly travel contests to win great gear like WestJet travel vouchers;
• Calgary’s Child Magazine offers a variety of family-friendly contests and giveaways--all the time;  
• Canadian Scrapbooker offers several contests including a Win on Wednesdays contest every week on Facebook;
• Western Living holds a contest every issue for a Western Canadian getaway.
• Lethbridge living offers a free Family Pass to the Galt Museum and Archives in every issue.

Happy contesting!

-- Colleen Seto

AMPA Blogger-in-Residence

Gold in the Stills: Mining Print Content for Digital Traffic and Profit

The Alberta Magazine Publishers Association presents “Gold in the Stills: Mining Print Content for Digital Traffic and Profit” featuring Joy Gugeler: 

Calgary Seminar

Date & Time: Monday, November 28, 10:30am – noon

Location: Memorial Park Library, Calgary

Cost: AMPA members & students $12; non-members $22

Online registration for the Calgary morning seminar

Province-wide Webinar

Date & Time: Monday, November 28, 2:30pm – 4:00pm MST

Cost: AMPA members & students $22; non-members $32

Online registration for the province-wide afternoon webinar 

Are you ready to get new traffic from old content by expanding your web presence, showcasing your full archive for increased views, money and brand recognition? Digital publishing expert Joy Gugeler will offer a snapshot of the options before you upload your digital content.

“Gold in the Stills: Mining Print Content for Digital Traffic and Profit” is designed for magazine staff needing a framework for approaching a site upgrade. It is intended to help you take full advantage of content you may be overlooking (ie: a return on sunk editorial investments) and offset overhead costs with online ads/subscriptions.

This presentation will run through relevant issues in a typical digital audit by assessing:

• editorial goals for the upload – brand, ad money, readers, subscriptions
• rights, volume, length, breadth, and quality of existing/archive content
• content tabs or sections for comprehensiveness and logic
• the value of adding new media or formats: video, photo, audio
• user-generated content/interactivity – comments, polls, ratings, forum posts
• social media integration – Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler, YouTube
• editorial workflow to parallel print editions or stagger costs
• free/off-the-shelf vs. customized upgrades and resources 

Joy Gugeler is the former editor-in-chief of Suite101.com, NowPublic.com and Orato.com; she’s also an editorial board member of Quarry, ARC and Room magazines. She teaches publishing and digital media at VIU, Ryerson and SFU and operates Chameleon Consulting.

George Webber Photography Book Launch

One of our favourite Alberta magazine contributors, award-winning photographer George Webber has put together yet another fabulous book. 

The book, In This Place: Calgary 2004 - 2011, presents George's personal take on his hometown. He has captured tiny moments and exquisite details of everyday life in the city as it surged past one million inhabitants. George's pictures are all about the importance of finding beauty, meaning and mystery right where you live. Acclaimed author and fellow magazine contributor Aritha van Herk provides the accompanying essays in the book.

Join George at The Camera Store classroom on November 25, located at #210, 3060 9th St. SE, Calgary, for a book signing from 6 to 9pm and a presentation at 7pm.

Congrats, George!

-- Colleen Seto
AMPA Blogger in Residence