By Henry Bryant
After helping to found this newspaper and serving in various capacities over the 40 years of covering the comings and goings of this Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU-W), it is time for me to step down as its Production Manager. That means that the Porch Press board will have to find my replacement in the coming months. There are several factors that may keep me in the saddle a little longer, not the least of which is to ensure a smooth transition with several changes that are imminent.
The Porch Press has antique graphics software that is still functioning on an antique Mac computer network. If any part of the system fails, everything will go down and not allow us to continue to put out the paper. I am also an antique, having retired from my paying job in advertising years ago. I have been through a similar hardware failure and software obsolescence in my own ad agency, and can testify that it is time for The Porch Press to update before it is too late. Updating soon will give us the opportunity to train new people and become accustomed to new software before we have to.
I have had the pleasure of leading and serving with a group of dedicated neighbors who volunteer on our production crew. I also have had the privilege of working with a national web publication printer and mail house located in Monroe, Georgia. There is an existing, well-honed production schedule that ensures a timely delivery of our paper each month (11 times a year, not including January when we take a month off).
As Production Manager, I have also served on the Porch Press Board of Directors representing not only the production department, but also my neighborhood of East Atlanta. The board meets four times each year to set policy for the paper. The nine-member board is nominated by the three neighborhood organizations within our distribution area encompassing NPU-W, with three representatives elected by each group. These organizations include the East Atlanta Community Association (EACA), the Grant Park Neighborhood Association (GPNA), and Southeast Atlantans for Neighborhood Development (SAND). Each board member serves a three-year term. Right now, we are only seeking a Production Manager, with additional duties being an option worth exploring.
As Production Manager, your monthly duties might require four hours for designing and creating the layout of each issue and supervising a staff of two other volunteers. Most of the production work is accomplished on one weekday evening, usually the first Tuesday of each month, from 7 p.m. until approximately 11 p.m. The production crew meets at Adams Realtors’ office in Grant Park on Cherokee Avenue. Currently, I am able to finish the paper on the day after the production meeting, and meet with a volunteer proofer for a final proof of the paper. After that I make the printer-required color proofs printed on our color printer in our offices at Adams Realtors. This usually takes an additional two to four hours. Because we do not have a Porch Press internet connection at Adams, I currently bring the completed document home to upload it to the printer’s website. Each page is made into its own Portable Document Format (PDF) file for secure transmission.
You would soon realize that the paper’s production comes around like clockwork once a month whether you are ready for it or not. On the flip side, it is a great way to mark the passing of time, and you are among the first to read the neighborhood news each month. You learn a lot and it is a great addition to a resume, but I would not do it for the resume alone. Meeting neighbors is my main reward. I will not be going away completely, but I will miss seeing them, keeping up with their families, getting recommendations on places to eat, home repair and other services. Mostly, they and The Porch Press make me feel like I belong to this place. It has been a labor of love. There is no pay, so I must get something from it.
If you would like to join in this monthly party, start by giving me a call at 404-377-6148; sometimes I am just on the other line, so leave a message and I will call you back. Or email me at production@theporchpress.com. I am in and out most days from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. We can discuss how you might fit in or make this role your own.
