Decade of Deadlines
Ten years as editor a great learning experience
Ten years ago — mid-April — I had just left my job of six years as a graphic designer at a specialty publications firm for a chance to work closer to home.
Although I loved the people I worked with, I was tired of commuting from Yamhill to Tigard and needed a change, a new challenge.
Editor's Note
Hilary Berg has been the editor of OWP since 2006. She graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s in journalism. She and her husband own a seven-acre vineyard and winery called Roots.It all happened when my husband mentioned that Oregon Wine Press had stopped arriving in the mailbox. After learning owners Richard Hopkins (turn to page 30 for a remembrance) and Elaine Cohen had ceased publication, and after meeting Jeb Bladine, owner of the News-Register in McMinnville — at a friend’s house on poker night — I devised a plan.
I approached Jeb about buying OWP and hiring me as the graphic designer. He took my suggestion and handed over the editor hat, too.
I thought, “What did I just get myself into?”
At this point in my young career, my writing skills were rusty, at best — I knew how to design a publication with my eyes closed, but reporting, let alone editing, needed some serious exercise.
Yes, Jeb took a chance on my J-School credentials, and so far, the gamble of acquiring OWP — and hiring me to lead it — has paid off.
The publication has grown tremendously, and all the people — past and present — who have helped it expand and stretch its limits are too numerous to mention by name — I would hate to accidentally omit anyone.
So, to the sales team, freelance writers, photographers, ad designers, proofreaders, printers, deliverers, wine industry members, association heads — and more — who have aided in making OWP what it is today, I say thank you.
To you, the readers, your encouragement and kind words over the years have filled me with great joy.
And, finally, thank you, Jeb, for taking a chance on me. Here’s to another 10. Cheers!
