Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1322161
LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN SIMON GENTRY Jim Kastleman A lot goes into publishing magazines, and the process never gets easier, no matter how long you've been doing it. My team and I have been together doing this for more than 20 years. It really falls on the creative and editorial team to envision, then execute the pages. When we partnered with Katie Stavinoha a few months ago, she knew the style and format of her magazines would forever change. She was good with that; she had faith in the team. The editors' and art folks' minds raced wildly with the excitement of a blank canvas for the new Round Top magazine. Holly Moore, my partner and editor in chief, knew she wanted something glorious and well beyond what countryside Texas had ever seen. Our creative director, Michelle Aviña, saw the beauty in prairie chic. Executive editor Catherine D. Anspon just wanted to get the stories right and appropriate — with her artistic lens, naturally. The creative process began. A model on the cover in spring fashion hot off the European runways? Beautiful, but, Round Top is more about design, so, no. Keep the editorial focused within a close perimeter of Round Top? Nope. Though the name is Round Top, we view Round Top as a state of mind and want to give a nod to anyone doing great things in the countryside of Fayette and surrounding counties (the "Roundtopolis," as Katie has labeled it). Round Top Publishers' train has left the station, and we're full speed ahead. We will give you two more print magazines this year, and we'll continue to craft the vitally important Show Guides in the spring and fall. We'll enhance those with a custom app to guide visitors and promote local businesses. In other words, we'll give a little more structure to what has been a noble, if not a bit wonderfully nomadic, event. In January 2021, our partner and digital president Chad Miller and his team will roll out the redesigned website. This is where we'll shine — where we have the ability to publish of-the-moment news and stories from the countryside and where we intend to become the entry point for anyone wanting to explore the region, full of complete lists and things to do. Our Instagram and Facebook pages will be continually populated. Sign up for our emails to get all of the latest at www.roundtop.com. Yeah, we're not stopping there. As this is being written, we're securing a venue to be the Round Top World Headquarters. We don't intend to be in the show-venue business, but we do need a platform to bring some of our partners out to the country, where they can enrich the show experience with their unique offerings. And, importantly, we need a nest for our VIPs — a hospitality haven and a place to host experiences, which we are currently programming. Kudos to the team. We are beyond excited to continue our mission to weave ourselves into the tapestry of what the Roundtopolis is, promoting it and raising the profile of those in it. As you hold in your hands, the maiden issue of our new vision of Round Top, I hope you agree it's glorious, beautiful, and appropriate for this special place — and place of mind — in Texas. Jim Kastleman Chairman jim@papercitymag.com 8