The Stories of Storytellers

One of the things that we really enjoy about working with clients in education is the people. Creative, intelligent, and curious, they are teeming with interesting stories and experiences to share. And surprisingly, many don’t even realize how they inspire others with what they’re doing.

In 2021, creative director, Kelly McMurray, launched the monthly Instagram Live conversation, 2Chat. Each month she talks with a creative in the industry about their work, experience, and insights. Guests have included art directors, editors, photographers, and illustrators. Each one brings a unique perspective to the conversation about editorial communications. These conversations become inspiration for blog posts and insights shared on our website and social media.

After the second conversation and post, it became clear that there was a potential to build on this content by creating an annual publication. Having produced numerous print publications, we knew that we didn’t have the budget for print. Instead, we wanted to allocate our budget exclusively to writing and photography in order to have a visually rich, content-driven editorial experience.  

The digital format allowed for us to expand on the conversations. “What is a Magazine” showcases indie publications referenced by Jeremy Leslie from MagCulture; Laura Cole takes the reader on a curated journey of her experience visiting the country’s National Parks; and Dana Smith shares the evolution of his work from photographer to illustrator.

New articles were also developed to address questions in the industry. Seasoned editor and writer, Catherine Grace, answers the question, “Why Alumni Magazines Matter.” An engaging animation travels through the journey of the story, addressing where ideas come from and where key stakeholders come into the review process.

The second volume dives into what it means to break boundaries in the 21st century, featuring Laura Cole’s take on the blurring of editorial storytelling and Catherine Grace‘s case study on the extravagant Experience Magazine.

The collection of stories became The Issue: a publication to inform, inspire, and celebrate the work being created at—and for—member publications.