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Page 1 of 2 My ol’ Pappy once said, “Publishing a magazine is a lot like eating a bicycle. Sure, it sounds like fun, but where do you start?”
Sales staff? Writers? Graphics? Telephone Operators? In fact, there are approximately 32,147 little details that have to take place in near-perfect order to pull off a first issue, which is why statistically 95% of all magazines fold up their tents and go home within 6 months. The key is support… but more on that later.
When I began brainstorming a magazine for the Hemet area nearly a year ago, I knew that I was on to something special. I had conceived of a well-produced magazine with a clean layout and a unique perspective within each article. The problem I saw in other publications was that they always seemed to focus on Hemet’s past. Every article or magazine I saw would have the same cliché photo of Florida Avenue from the late 1800s, or an aged photo of the Ramona Pageant. Not that these are bad things, but Hemet is a city with so much more if you just dig a little deeper.
 When we aren’t putting together the world’s finest publications, we can usually be found reading books, quoting movies, writing music and short stories, drinking coffee and terrorizing our ubiquitous nieces and nephews.
In the past 10 years, I have personally witnessed Hemet’s metamorphosis from a generally sleepy retirement community into what it is today. The median age has dropped significantly, while household incomes have risen dramatically. Younger people are moving to a place where their grandparents live and have found it to be quite comfortable.
Of course, this growth is due in large part to the exponential growth of Temecula and its surrounding cities. But that’s not all. Hemet has a relaxed atmosphere and still retains a hometown feeling. After being here a little over 10 years, I have found that it is impossible to go to dinner anywhere without running into a few friends, and that’s a nice feeling; one which most of our surrounding cities certainly do not have.
Some would describe this as the ‘charm’ of Hemet. I disagree. This is the personality of Hemet. It’s the culture. A cute little town in the mountains that hasn’t changed in 100 years is charming; quaint. Hemet is anything but quaint.
All of that said, it has been my desire to see a publication worthy of a lively city come to this area. Being from a marketing background, I see value in producing a top-notch product for what I consider to be my city. I think my fellow Hemeteers deserve that. Hemet may have received a boost from the surrounding growth, but I believe it’s time that it be recognized as a city growing under its own power, worthy of products designed with excellence in mind.
From the writing to the layout and design of this publication, we’ve spared no expense in putting together a magazine that we feel is as good as anything Time Warner will publish this year. We hope you will agree and participate as we learn, grow and contribute.
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